Plasteco Padded Snow White Figures from Italy

From the mid 1960s to 1980s, Plasteco (a plastics manufacturer) in Milan produced a wide range of padded vinyl figures, stuffed with foam rubber. Numerous Disney characters were created, initially for the Luigi Patuzzi Editore series. They were sold in Italian newspaper and stationery shops, each packaged separately in envelopes marked with a Disneyland logo. Price: 60 lire a piece. The figures were also produced for other European countries.

The first Snow White set consisted of 11 characters: the princess, dwarfs, queen, witch, and prince. The Plasteco logo is printed on the back of each, along with the character's name in Italian, and "© Walt Disney Productions". The earliest figures were released in 1965-66 and are marked as such. A few color variations within the same characters have been found. Two different sizes were issued too, the larger being approximately 12 cm tall (shown below).

Biancaneve, 1965.

Biancaneve, 1966.

Mammolo, 1965 (yellow patch and buckle) + 1966 (green patch and buckle).

Eolo, 1965 (orange hat, yellow buttons and buckle) + 1965 (green hat, red buttons and buckle).

Eolo, 1966.

Cucciolo, 1965.

Brontolo, 1965.

Pisolo, 1965.

Dotto, 1966 (blue hat, green jacket) + (red hat and jacket).

Gongolo, 1966.

Regina di Biancaneve, not dated.

La Strega, not dated

Principe di Biancaneve, not dated.

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Here are a couple examples of the smaller size figures, approximately 5.5"- 6" high. Each is numbered with the character's name printed in multiple languages. Not dated, probably a later release.

Gongolo, no. 6.

Mammolo, no. 9.

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Some examples of figures to be sold specifically in other countries, and sometimes as part of commercial promotions. The following mostly measure about 5.5 cm.

French - Blanche Neige.

English - Dopey.

German - Zwerg (which means dwarf). This was part of a store promotion as indicated on the back by the imprint for Tchibo, a chain in Germany. Another one has a Nutella imprint.

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These next figures (approximately 12 cm high) are still in their original packaging. Each came with a plastic stand and a self-adhesive tape for easy display options. Sold in Belgium. Dated 1966.

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An entirely different set of figures was created as well. These two examples were issued in Belgium and sponsored by Frio. Each is numbered. They measure approximately 6.5 cm tall.

Bashful no.16.

Sneezy no.20.

In addition to all of the figures seen above, a couple more series would be produced, both sponsored by Italian cheese manufacturer Locatelli. The sets were marketed with their Mio cream cheese (see in upcoming post). Plasteco also made padded figure keychains.

Special thanks to Nunziante Valoroso for providing invaluable information and images for this post.