One of the very important parts of Eldon’s early career was his time spent working as a staff cartoonist for Disney beginning in 1944, primarily on "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (an adaptation of Wind in the Willows), "Mickey and the Beanstalk," and "Fun and Fancy Free."—Caitlin McGurk
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Eldon Dedini
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Years after his association with Disney, when Eldon Dedini (1921-2006) was recognized as an independent cartoonist who contributed brilliantly to publications such as The New Yorker and Playboy, he continued to give fans souvenir drawings, like that seen above, of a certain well-known mouse. These sketches generally show a left-facing Mickey, which is classic and also easier for a right-handed artist to draw.
One of Dedini's less typical Mickey Mouse drawings appears on a 1977 Israeli first day cover. Here he wishes Israel a happy 50th birthday, which pretty much fixes the date of the sketch to 1998. Mickey celebrates by wearing the traditional skullcap called either a kippah (from the Hebrew) or a yarmulke (from the Yiddish).
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Eldon Dedini
eBay listing accessed September 12, 2021
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Eldon Dedini
eBay item description |
Regarding the following drawing from 2000, it might be more accurate for Dedini to say that he hasn't stopped drawing Mickey Mouse for over fifty years:
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Eldon Dedini
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Note: I ask once again, do such drawings really need to be authenticated with a sticker? It can't add much value to obvious Dedini sketches such as these, and the obtrusive stickers deface the artwork.
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