Blue Ribbon Books
Mickey Mouse Presents His Silly Symphonies: Babes in the Woods / King Neptune (Pop-Up Book)
New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1933. First edition.
Quarto (9 1/2 x 7 3/8 inches; 241 x 187 mm). 48 pages. Original pictorial paper-covered boards with matching color pictorial endpapers. Illustrated dust jacket present. Contains four large double-page pop-up illustrations, with color pop-ups and black-and-white drawings throughout the text.
A standout volume from the early 1930s Blue Ribbon pop-up series, this edition adapts two of Walt Disney’s musical animated shorts—Babes in the Woods and King Neptune—into large-format dimensional scenes. The artwork was executed under the direction of Disney’s own animation studio. This is one of only two oversized Disney-themed pop-up books issued by Blue Ribbon (the other being Mickey Mouse in King Arthur’s Court), and was the final title released in their original pop-up series.
Condition:
Book: Fine. All four pop-ups are bright, complete, and fully functional. Boards remain exceptionally clean and well-preserved, having been protected by the original dust jacket. Interior is tightly bound with no tears, bends, or marks, aside from a period gift inscription ("Merry Christmas to Dear Francine") penned in the 1930s.
Dust Jacket: Good. Original jacket is complete with colorful illustrations matching the cover. Moderate edgewear with several short closed tears; no restoration. See photos for detail.
Collector’s Corner:
Blue Ribbon’s pop-up books were a pioneering series in the evolution of movable children's literature during the Great Depression, and their Disney titles are among the most collectible. Issued in 1933, Mickey Mouse Presents His Silly Symphonies is the fourth and final volume in the original Blue Ribbon Pop-Up series and one of the largest in format. It is based on two animated shorts released in 1932 as part of Walt Disney’s celebrated Silly Symphonies series. The pop-ups and illustrations were drawn directly by Disney’s studio artists, capturing the signature style of early 1930s animation. Complete examples in original condition with dust jacket are increasingly scarce and highly prized by collectors of early Disneyana and movable books.
Collect them all:
Montanero has compiled a list of all Blue Ridge pop-up book titles as shown below, all successfully published between 1932 and 1935 during the Great Depression!
The "pop-up " Buck Rogers: Strange adventures in the spider-ship.
Buck Rogers in the dangerous mission, with "pop-up " pictures. The Midget Pop-up Book.
The "pop-up" Dick Tracy "capture of Boris Arson. "
Flash Gordon: The tournament of death.
The "pop-up " Goldilocks and the three bears with "pop-up "pictures.
Jack and the beanstalk with "pop-up " illustrations
Jack the giant killer with "pop-up " illustrations
Jack the giant killer, including Jack and the beanstalk, Little Red Riding-hood, Sleeping Beauty
Little Red Ridinghood: With "pop-up" illustrations
Mickey Mouse in King Arthur's Court
Mickey Mouse in "ye olden days" with "pop-up" picture. The Midget Pop-up Book
The "pop-up "Minnie Mouse.
The pop-up Mother Goose.
The "pop-up" Pinocchio
The "pop-up " silly symphonies containing Babes in the woods and King Neptune
The "pop-up" Puss-in-Boots with "pop-up" pictures.
Sleeping Beauty: With "pop-up " illustrations
The Mickey Mouse waddle Book
The new adventures of Tarzan "pop-up. "
Popeye among the white savages, with "pop-up" picture. The Midget Pop-up Book
Popeye with the Hag of the seven seas.
The "pop-up " Cinderella and other tales: Including Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the three bears
The pop-up Little Orphan Annie and Jumbo, the circus elephant.
The pop-up " Mickey Mouse
The story of Little Black Sambo; With "pop-up" picture The Midget Pop-up Book.
The tale of Peter Rabbit: With "pop-up" picture. The Midget Pop-up Book
The "pop- up " Terry and the pirates.
The "pop-up " Tim Tyler in the jungle.
The Wizard of Oz waddle book