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Scarce sterling silver charm bracelet purchased by Roy O. Disney from the Disney Buena Vista Studio store and presented to Carol Joyner Svendsen, a veteran of Disney’s Ink and Paint Department and the wife of noted Disney animator Julius Svendsen. The bracelet approximately measures 8˝ in length and contains a total of 17 charms of famous Disney characters, including Figaro, Sneezy, Tinker Bell, Grumpy, Dumbo, Bashful, Pinocchio, Snow White, Flower, Goofy, Thumper, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Little Hiawatha, Honest John, Huey, and Donald Duck. In fine condition.
Accompanied by an issue of the famed children’s magazine Jack and Jill from September 1963, containing the article, ‘My Father Makes Movie Cartoons,’ which describes the occupation of Julius Svendsen, as told by his 12-year-old daughter, Julia.
These vintage Disney charm bracelets are extremely rare, and the presence of Snow White, the most elusive of the bracelet’s 17 charms, makes this particular example quite the find. That it was purchased by Roy Disney, the company's cofounder and first CEO, and presented as a ‘thank you’ gift to Carol Svendsen, who filled in for Disney’s secretary when she was on leave, makes this bracelet all the more special.
Julius Svendsen (1919–1971) was a Norwegian-born animator, storyboard artist, and comic book illustrator who worked for Walt Disney Productions. During his 30 years at Disney, Svendsen worked on numerous classic titles, such as Fantasia, Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Aristocats, and many more. In 1950, he married his coworker, Carol Joyner, who started working at Disney in 1948, first as a Disney Studio tour guide, and later in the ink and paint department, and finally in the Disney Archives. The couple had four children, including a daughter, Julie, who later worked for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Carol later shared her impression of Walt Disney: ‘As a new-hire at the Studio in 1948, I saw Walt each and every day wandering around the Studio. He was not a dandy and dressed in a manner which in today’s world would seem ‘dowdy.’ He often had a multiple day’s growth of beard and usually looked grumpy and tired. He was happiest when he was working on his train in the machine shop and often when he was needed on the set to do the voice of Mickey, that is where he could be found. Most everyone referred to him as ‘Uncle Walt.’’
