Today Robert Powley tells us about his vintage toy camper collection, and how he got interested in the world of "glamping." Read his story below, and watch the Mickey Mouse cartoon that inspired his collection!
As a child in the 1950s I first became interested in travel trailers when I saw the Disney cartoon "Mickey's Trailer" which is now on YouTube and just as great as ever. I loved how Mickey could push buttons that would automatically change the rooms. (Watch the original Mickey Mouse cartoon right here!)
My parents bought me a toy tin trailer that opened up to store the car inside. It had a door that opened and an awning that opened. I think it was the same as this one.
Of course I wanted to live in one just like it but to this date have never had an actual trailer. As a teen I had the Plasticville and Matchbox trailers in my toy car collections. Then maybe ten years ago I decided to collect the old Japanese made tin trailers that were mass produced in the 50s and 60s. eBay is the best place to find them, though I bought the one above when it was advertised in a toy trader magazine.
Here are some pictures of the trailers I own and the displays I made of them.
I also have been a sculptor for the past 30 years and made the three trailers below plus the people pictured with the purple one.
Next are other trailers I own with people I made
I was finally able to buy on eBay a sculpted "Mickeys Trailer" seen below.
All I can advise other people who want to collect toy trailers is to be patient when looking on eBay. There are many up for bid but these days there seems to be so many more people bidding on them which drives the prices up.
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Thank you Robert for sharing with us! Do you want to learn more about vintage toy campers and maybe start your own collection? You might start with this book we found on Amazon - it will take you through all the ins and outs of the vintage toy camper world! Click here, or the photo below!
