Saturday, February 28, 2009

Windows to the Past: Franco Loves Mickey

The one panel comic Private Lives was similar to the more famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! and focused on little known facts about famous figures and personalities. This particular edition of the comic was published on May 17, 1939 and spoke of General Francisco Franco's somewhat ironic fascination with Mickey Mouse.

The text refers to the then recently resolved Spanish Civil War and it bloody aftermath. Franco rose to power in Spain as a result of that conflict and was allegedly responsible for executions of dissidents that numbered in the thousands.

The cartoon also includes a minor piece of Disney theme park related trivia. The shop Adrian and Edith's Head to Toe in Disney's Hollywood Studios is named for the fashion designer Adrian, whose dog-equipped rumble seat was featured in the comic.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

And isn't the current dictator of North Korea a major fan and collector of Donald Duck memorabilia?

What is it with dictators and Walt Disney characters? Does being a fan of one make you a totalitarian leader, or does becoming a dictator suddenly make you interested in Disney products?

Someone should do a study on this.