Credit: Inside the MagicWalt Disney is rare among heads of massive multimedia companies in that he managed to become widely beloved and recognizable in his own lifetime, becoming nearly as iconic as his own creation Mickey Mouse. For some reason, however, it has taken this long for his namesake Walt Disney Company to do the logical thing and turn him into a toy that you can play with.
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But 2023 is Disney’s 100th Anniversary (if not a particularly good year for the venerable production company) and the House of Mouse is pulling out all the stops. In this particular case, it is teaming up with LEGO to produce a new set of interlocking toy bricks titled the Walt Disney Tribute Camera, which includes the first-ever mini-figurine of the man behind Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Mickey Mouse Club, Disneyland, Disney World, and “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” which you might know better as EPCOT.
Check out LEGO's latest addition to the Disney 100 celebration, the Walt Disney Tribute Camera set launching in September https://t.co/3t1LpLQk7K
— TidBricks (@TidBricks) July 5, 2023
The Walt Disney Tribute Camera itself is an 811-piece LEGO set that forms an old-school stationary camera, such as the man himself might have worked with. The film canisters at the top also form the Disney 100 logo, in a notable swerve from the expected Mickey Mouse ears.
The Walt Disney Tribute Camera LEGO set also includes a side section mocked up to look like a traditional slate director’s board. And, of course, it comes with five mini-figures, which include Walt Disney (easily recognizable from his neat suit and trim mustache), retro-styled Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and new versions of Bambi and Dumbo.
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The LEGO set is expected to be available in stores at the beginning of September and follows in the shadow of the truly massive Disney Castle LEGO set, which, at 4,800 pieces, will be the largest version of the Disney Park fixture yet. But while there have been multiple versions of the Disney Castle LEGO set so far, can you really pass up the first-ever LEGO Walt Disney?
2023 has been a mixed bag for the Walt Disney Company and its many parks and various media branches (like Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios), but a century is a long time for a company to be around and still have its founder be recognizable. Way to go, Walt.