Backstamps

A backstamp is a mark on the underside of each porcelain sculpture. Only products which meet the standards of the Walt Disney Classics Collection bear the backstamp. American government regulations require that the country of origin appear on the product, and Disney uses a gold sticker to denote where the product was produced.
 

Anniversary Backstamps

The Walt Disney Classics Collection also chooses to frequently honor the anniversaries of both animated films and the introduction of a beloved character. For those special pieces, a special message (such as 30th anniversary of The Jungle Book on all 1997 pieces from that scene) is added to the existing backstamp. The message will only appear on pieces produced in the anniversary year.

Each WDCC backstamp includes:
- Walt Disney’s signature in gold (the original signature from the Disney archives). The WDCC is honored as the only Disney product approved to utilize Walt’s signature rather than the logo-style version.
- The name of the film represented
- The sculpt title
- Anniversary (if applicable)
- A special incised symbol to denote the year of production (see “production marks” above)
 

Production Marks
 

Definition

Chinese potters were the first to employ production marks that indicated when an object was made. The marks are intended to allow for easy identification of the time of manufacture. However, they are often sought for rarity purposes, especially for a piece which began production late in the calendar year.
 

Use

The annual production mark is incised into the base of the sculpture, from the mold. It is employed for pieces produced during the 12 calendar months of the year. Pieces are marked at the time of their production, not the time of sale. Starting with the 1996 piece, the membership sculptures do not have a production mark.
 

Evolution

The Walt Disney Classics Collection uses an annual production mark to recognize major chronological milestones of Disney animation history. The production marks and milestones are:

 

1992 – Steamboat wheel from Steamboat Willie (1928)
1993 – Treble Clef from the Silly Symphony cartoon series (1929)
1994 – Dancing Flower from Flowers and Trees (1932)
1995 – Trowel from The Three Little Pigs (1933)
1996 – Donald’s Hat from Wise Little Hen (1934)
1997 – Music Stand from The Band Concert (1935)
1998 – Pickax from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
1999 - Sorcerer's Hat from Fantasia (1940)
2000 - Feather from Dumbo (1941)
2001 - Butterfly from Bambi (1942)
2002 - Sombrero from Saludos Amigos (1943)
2003 - Singing Harp from Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
2004 - Bumblebee from Melody Time (Bumble Boogie) (1948)
2005 - Glass Slipper from Cinderella (1950)
2006 - Teacup from Alice in Wonderland (1951)
2007 - Hook from Peter Pan (1953)
 

Shipping

Exceptional care is being given to the shipping of the figurines. Every figurine has its own custom made box. The “normal” figurines come in green boxes and the very special figurines (such as the Signature Series) come in “gold” boxes. Each box carries an image of the contents and a sticker with the production mark:
 

    

There are several materials used over the past years to ensure that the figurines arrive safely at their worldwide destinations.
In the beginning foam was used on the inside, that was not pre-formed to the forms of the figurine.Later there were pre-formed styrofoam forms used inside the boxes. The figurines would fit only one way into the box insuring their save passage:
Currently combinations of the previous materials mentioned are used. Sometimes there has been made use of cardboard in combination with foam. Other times only styrofoam is used. Very fragile parts of the figurine are often extra secured with a piece of foam:

Source: Product Education Program