Xero’s Showcase VXXI : Through a Child’s Eye

Welcome to a very super special, almost historically monumental installment of Xero’s Showcase. This epic installment will showcase one very special vinyl. Was that too redundant? I guess that it was. So I will go ahead and get X-Girl on down here and start the review.

Oh X-Girl, where are you at? It is time for Xero’s Showcase. A few minutes roll by and I now hear my 7 year old daughter’s footsteps working their way down the stairs. She finds her way over to me, I hand her this week’s focus vinylmation and she begins her critique. Like each previous review, the girl requires a Who Am I.

Who Am I ?

Some love me, some leave me. Some loved me then left me

****What kind of hint is that?***

I mark a very historical occasion

**** Has to be one of the DisneyLand 55th Posters***

I have a Castle on me

**** Maybe the Special Hong Kong DisneyLand 9” Castle****

I am a very understated and perhaps underappreciated design

***Ummmm….****

I am a very peculiar color

****Got it****

Got It?

****Yep****

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

I am

Retro Magic Kingdom 71

Part of the Park 5 9” Collection and Limited to 800. Designed by Rachel Sur of Holiday 1 Ghost Mickey fame. She also designed Urban 2 Patchwork. She took a different approach with MK 71 than we are used to in the 9” world. This may be one of the simplest designs to date, but to me it gives off the perfect retro feel. But you all did not click on this to read my review. You want X. So, X you will get.

X-Girl what do you think about this vinylmation?

“8 out of 10, I give it an 8 out of 10″

X-Girl was rather brief with this review because, frankly there just is not that much to review. MK 71 only managed 8 stars mainly due to the color. X did not like what she called ‘dandelion’ as the background color. She would have scrapped the dandelion yellow and went with a light blue tone. And in looking at the colors of the castle I can not disagree. A light blue canvas would really make the browns and reds that make up the castle pop off the vinyl.

Looking over this vinyl, X-girl tells me that she likes both the castle and the key. Assuming everyone knows the history of the castle, let’s focus on the key. After a bit of research I ended up on Allears.net and discovered that the key was actually part of a special ticket in 1971.

It was a 9 adventure ticket book that was only available to Magic Kingdom Club members. MK club seemed to be some sort of special frequent flier type membership that was available to companies and such for their employees. This all inclusive ticket could be purchased for $4.75 instead of the standard 7 adventure ticket for $4.50-$4.75. The ”Key”  was a much better deal since the 7 adventure ticket got you 2 less rides. And we all know how important one or two more rides can be. And Ice Cream. And Character greetings. And the Castle. And the Fireworks. And the shopping. Did they have vinylmation back then? And if not what did people collect? Hmmmmm………

“Daddy, remember me?”

Huh, Oh yeah.

” I changed my mind, I am going to give this one 9 stars. I like everything else about it other than the color. So I will only take away one star for the background color. I like the Mickey Head, the Castle, the Key, the Walt Disney World and the 71″

“But why the 71? Can we change that to a different number?”

I go on to explain that the 71 is the year that The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opened and this is it’s 40th Birthday. She goes on to explain to me that The Magic Kingdom’s Birthday at Walt Disney World was on October 1. I go on to explain that it has been opened now for 40 years and this is a major celebration. She goes on to tell me that we can keep the “71″ written on the back.

And just incase you ever try to forget that WDW MK was founded in 1971 the Vinylmation team has provided us with a handful of useful reminders

Reminder #1

Reminder #2

 Reminder #3

It is then that I decided to play a little game. I asked X-Girl if she could think of anything else that was 40 this year. X looked around the room and guessed Cruise Ship, Disney Hotel, Busses, Parking Lots, Rides for Magic Kingdom and the Castle. While I could not argue against a few of her points, those were not the answers I was going for. I decided to take a different approach and told her that something in this room turned 40 recently.

“Vinylmations?”

No, honey not vinylmations, I say. Something else

Then her eyes lit up, in only the way a child’s eyes can. She looked at me, smiled and said.

“You, Daddy, You turned 40 on your Birthday”

And with that I will always be connected with The Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World.

Thanks Walt.