Vintage Mickey Club Hat and Ears

VINTAGE BLUE FELT MICKEY MOUSE CLUB EARS HAT MARKED " WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS" PLUS A ROSE GOLD SEQUIN DISNEY PARKS MINNIE EARS HEADBAND Two pieces of Disney ear headwear from two very different eras. The first is a vintage Mickey Mouse Club ears cap in royal blue wool-mix felt, with a black vinyl band stitched around the lower edge, two oblong black vinyl ears set into the crown on prong fasteners, and a front decal showing Mickey's face in a red and white ring lettered "MICKEY MOUSE CLUB" over fine print reading " WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS." The second is a modern Disney Parks Minnie ears headband in rose gold, with sequin-covered ears and a sequin-covered padded band, a metallic lam bow, and a sewn-in woven tag printed "Disney Parks" with a partially readable "...NTIC ORIGINAL" line plus a second care tag in an Asian-language script. Flaws on the felt cap include overall fading and matting of the felt with light soiling and pilling, a small dark spot on the crown, scuffing and white scratch marks with gray hazing across both black vinyl ears, creasing in the vinyl band, a soft dent and crease in the crown interior, and light wear where the ear prongs pass through the felt; the headband shows light handling wear with some flattening of the sequins along the band. UNTESTED for size or fit - neither piece has been tried on and no size marking is legible in the photographs. Sold as a lot of two. Description Vintage cap: royal blue wool-mix felt crown, black vinyl edge band, two oblong black vinyl ears on prong fasteners, printed front decal with Mickey's face in a red and white ring Headband: rose gold sequin ears and sequin-covered padded band with a metallic lam bow, sewn-in fabric tags Marks: the cap decal reads "MICKEY MOUSE CLUB" with " WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS" beneath it; a small tag is partly visible at the back of the cap but is not legible in these frames, so no manufacturer is claimed. The headband tag reads "Disney Parks" in script with a partly readable "...NTIC ORIGINAL" line Size: the cap is estimated at approximately 8 in across the crown and 6 in front to back with ears about 5 in wide, and the headband at approximately 11 in across with ears about 5 in tall Attribution note The mouse ear cap was created by Roy Williams, the adult co-host of the Mickey Mouse Club, and was brought to market by the Benay-Albee Novelty Company, the firm Disney's D23 archive credits with introducing the Mickey Mouse ear hats for sale at Disneyland; Disney History 101 notes the Benay-Albee originals were felt of 60 percent wool and 40 percent rayon, union made in the USA, and sold at the park's Hat Bar for $1.29. The Jacobson Hat Company was the other main supplier. Magical Mouse Talk's dating guide reports that the earliest caps were black felt with an oblong plastic ear attached to the cap, that red, blue, and pink crowns with a small brim began appearing by the late 1960s, and that Disney used the "Walt Disney Productions" copyright line on merchandise from 1955 to 1986, changing to "The Walt Disney Company" after 1986. On that evidence the blue felt cap here is a Walt Disney Productions era piece, most consistent with the late 1960s through the early 1980s, though without a legible maker tag or date neither the maker nor an exact year can be established. The rose gold sequin Minnie ears are the pair that started the ear headband craze: press coverage in Teen Vogue and Allure and later retrospectives from AllEars date the original rose gold release to 2017 at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World at $24.99, and note the style sold out repeatedly before later reissues and a related Briar Rose Gold variant followed. Which release year this particular headband belongs to is not claimed. All identification and dating comments are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item(s) as pictured. Notes for bidders Do not wash either piece. Vintage wool-mix felt shrinks and mats when it gets wet, so clean the cap with a soft brush or a lint roller only and never sponge the decal, which is a surface print that will lift. Wipe the vinyl ears and band with a barely damp cloth and no solvents, since alcohol and household cleaners will haze aged vinyl further. Store the cap crown-up with soft tissue inside so the dent relaxes rather than sets, and keep it out of sun, which is what faded the blue in the first place. Spot clean the sequin headband only, and store it flat rather than stacked so the ears do not crush. Only the item(s) pictured are included in this lot. Terms Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All sales final. Please ask any questions before bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping arrangements per auction terms.