2001 Australian Doll Digest No. 87

A three-page Snow White article appeared in the Autumn 2001 issue (No. 87) of Australia's longest running premiere doll collecting magazine, Australian Doll Digest. The piece was written by the editor, Megan Carter.

Australian company Joy Toys produced these 1938 cloth dolls.

John Sands Pty. Ltd. of Sydney made many paper toy dolls.

Special thanks to the John M. Collection of Australia for generously providing information and these image scans.

1938 Australian Songbooks

Snow White sheet music was first sold in America in the form of songbooks by Irving Berlin, Inc. The same series (but with a green-tinted cover) was also released in Australia and New Zealand by Allans Music Publishers, circa 1938.

The "Song Selection" book contained 16 pages (including the non-glossy covers) and eight songs. Just sheet music inside, no drawings or pictures. Measures 9" x 12".

"Authorized for sale in Australia and New Zealand, but not elsewhere." Original retail price 2/- (AUS), 2/6 (NZ).

A slightly later printing shows the base price went up to 2/6.

At the bottom of every page is some combination of annotation. Note the publication no. is B.3742.

A still later printing lists the price at 5/- or 50¢.

Each of the Snow White songs was also published individually in 4-page versions.

Special thanks to the John M. Collection of Australia for generously providing additional information and a few of these image scans.

1967-68 Snow White Stage Production in Australia

An adaptation of Disney's Snow White was brought to the stage in Sydney, Australia during the 1967-68 season. Actress, Peita Toppano, then just 16 years of age, starred as the princess. In the years that followed, she'd have quite a wide career in Australian Television, Theatre and Film. This was one of her earliest performances, though there doesn't appear to be any mention of it online among her many credits.

This original stage production program features glossy pages with slightly heavier than standard 80gsm photocopy (Xerox copy) paper. Despite being 20 pages long (including covers), only 11 pages are devoted to the actual production itself...the rest is advertising. Measures 7.187" x 9.437"

The book also came with a single insert coloring competition sheet. The artwork is clearly not from the Disney Studio, even though the show was by arrangement with the Walt Disney Company.

Images and info courtesy of the John M. Collection from Australia. Also see another Archive entry featuring a Little Golden Book with the signatures of the performers from this stage show.

1960s Australian Souvenir Album

In the US, Snow White sheet music and songbooks were first published by Irving Berlin, Inc. and then later by the Bourne Company (which still today holds the rights to all the songs). In other countries, however, different publishers were often utilized.

This 40-page glossy cover songbook featuring nine Snow White tunes was issued in Australia by Allans Music Publishers. The small print on the cover reads, "Authorized for sale in Australia and New Zealand only."

No year is listed in the book, but because of the low price of just $1.75 and the fact that decimal currency came to Australia in 1966, it's a good bet that it dates from the late 1960s or early 70s. Printed on slightly heavier paper, it's quite a high quality publication. As the name implies, it is definitely a Souvenir Album containing a brief storyline and numerous illustrations. Publication No. B.9382. Measures 9.25" x 12".

Note that it includes the same story page as we saw in the 1955 Piano Songbook in previous post. It also appeared in the earlier Irving Berlin/Bourne Souvenir Albums.

Table of Contents.

Lots of illustrations were included in the book--several images from the actual film, plus others that were used in storybooks and in numerous promotional items.

Images and text copyright Disney/Allans/Bourne Co.

Special thanks to the John M. Collection of Australia for generously providing the image scans and additional information.

Seven Dwarfs Display Cards from Australia

This set of counter display cards features the Seven Dwarfs. They would have been distributed to video shops in Australia for the promotion of the VHS home video release of Snow White in 1994.

The top half of each dwarf is diecut so the folded card will stand upright on a display counter. Unfolded, they measure 11.25"; fully assembled, 8" high. Each also includes a cute little blub related to the individual dwarf, e.g. Sneezy's card reads, "The unforgettable songs are nothing to Sneeze at!"

The cards came in a white folder.

Special thanks to the John M. Collection of Australia for providing these scans and information. John was fortunate enough to find this set at his local video shop.