“The world of cartoons is one full of dreams, and I am a dreamer within,” Shih Hsin University department of digital multimedia arts instructor Huang Chun-jung (黃俊榮) said of his dedication to collecting cartoon memorabilia.
Beginning with his work for Walt Disney Co on 3D digital animation in 1997, Huang said he became acquainted with the staff and even the chairmen of Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, paving the way for him to obtain special items, such as the Luxo Ball — featured in Pixar’s first animated short clip, Luxo Jr — and the original carving of Disney’s famed icon Mickey Mouse.
Huang is also the proud owner of a life-sized Woody doll, the main character from Toy Story.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Huang’s collection does not stop at US cartoons; he also has figurines of every edition of Astro Boy since its release in 1960, figurines from Miyazaki Hayao’s The Castle of Cagliostro and a complete collection of all the characters from Shotaro Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009.
Huang said he was a cartoon addict in his youth, so much so that “my father was worried that I would not learn my lessons and grow up to be a ruffian.”
However, his father chose to offer incentives instead of beatings and chastisements, he said.
“He promised me a Mickey Mouse watch at the end of the semester if I did well as a student,” Huang said, adding that it was these gifts that laid the foundation for his collection.
He hopes to one day own one of every edition of Mickey Mouse watches.
Huang pointed out a first edition Mickey Mouse watch in his collection.
It was released in 1933 in a limited set of 300 and sold for US$3, Huang said, adding that the watch had been a luxury item in its day.
Huang said he got the watch from an elderly couple in the US, who he met at a conference for Disney enthusiasts.
“We learned of each other’s fascination with old Mickey Mouse watches,” Huang said, adding that he was contacted by the couples’ son three or four years after the conference.
“He handed me the watch and said it was a gift, telling me that the couple had both passed away, but wanted the watch to be given to someone who ‘understood’ its worth,” Huang said.
Huang said that he was especially thankful for his parents’ support and their willingness for him to utilize his artistic talent by attending art classes throughout his schooling.
Huang worked at the National Theater and Concert Hall, providing him with more experience and interaction with art, as well as working with artists such as the Three Tenors: Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti.
Huang also studied and worked in the US.
He said that seeing the World Trade Center buildings come crashing down during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was a wakeup call, prompting him to return to Taiwan.
After a brief time developing cut-scene animation for online games, Huang began teaching at Shih Hsin University 12 years ago.
He said his collection was not only a hobby, but also part of his job.
Huang said that as a professional designer of cartoon characters and working to turn words into images, it was vital to have a keen knowledge of toys and accessories from cartoons.
“All of the pieces in my collection are sources of inspiration,” Huang said, adding that he had figurines and dolls representing every character from the 54 animated films released by Disney, including all the horses ridden by princes and princesses.
Despite being the envy of collectors worldwide and having three rooms filled with cartoon-related memorabilia, not to mention the pieces in his office, Huang said that he puts more value in the deeper meaning of each story rather than the monetary value of his collection.
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