You Become a Disney Geek When You Get Dumped by a Hot Chick!

[SharkTums]

http://disney.go.com/inside/issues/stories/v050510.html

 

 

He's an actor. He's a drummer. He's a heartthrob. And John Stamos has one more distinction to his credit - he's also the proud owner of the original Disneyland marquee sign, as well as a treasure trove of other Disneyland memorabilia.

 

What inspired a Hollywood star to plant an enormous baby-blue "D" in his front yard? According to John, it's all part of a love affair with Disney that goes back decades.

 

"I grew up in Cypress, which is near Anaheim. So I spent a lot of years visiting Disneyland, going as a young kid for birthdays and stuff. I just became addicted!" he laughs. "In junior high we would save our lunch money until we had $5 to pay for general admission. I think it was kind of a sweet childhood, because it was kind of a place to go on the weekend to hear bands in the late '70s, early '80s."

 

 

One of the newest additions to John's Disneyland decor -- a perky little devil from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. One of those bands was the legendary surf-rock act Papa Doo Run Run. After meeting the band during those Disneyland performances, John eventually ended up as their drummer, and played with Papa Doo Run Run for years.

 

In spite of this stint in the world of rock 'n' roll, John Stamos is best-known to the public these days for his acting. The former star of the wildly popular family series "Full House" is now the lead in ABC television's new series "Jake in Progress." But some things stay constant -- he may no longer need to save up his lunch money for a Disneyland visit, but John has never tired of the happiest place on earth. "My best friend, Mike, from that time and I are still best friends. We still love to go! I'll just wear a hat and glasses, and we'll sit on a park bench for hours, like two old men!" says John.

 

And it was that love that stopped John in his tracks one day, as he was looking at random through the listings on eBay, and discovered the original "Welcome to Disneyland" sign up for auction by DisneyAuctions.com. "I had no idea it was available - I had no idea ANYTHING was available!" he says. Even the little thumbnail photo of the sign with the eBay listing was enough to spark a flood of nostalgia. "I just remembered driving down Harbor Boulevard and having all those feelings of excitement and I thought, 'I want that in my HOUSE!'"

 

"It was like $20,000 or $30,000, but I never thought I would get it. I figured it was an incredible investment, so I bid just for fun, just so I could say I had bid on it. Then I forgot about it! So the day the auction was supposed to end, I thought, 'I wonder how much that sign went up to?' I logged in and saw my screen name as the high bidder! My heart started pounding! I was just pacing in my office, I kept refreshing the page and I thought someone was going to come in at the last minute and grab it - but they didn't!"

 

The sign, measuring a whopping 13'6" high, was delivered by two tractor-trailers, and John was hooked. He has since acquired a Dumbo ride vehicle (a 40th-birthday present) and a little imp figure from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

 

This is not the kind of collection that will fit on a few shelves of a curio cabinet, John admits. "I'm in the process of looking at new homes, and my prerequisite is, 'OK, where do I put my Dumbo? I want to get a sky bucket; where do I put that?' I think I just found a place that will do nicely."

 

Although he doesn't envision "Jake in Progress" visiting Disneyland, John fondly recalls the episodes of "Full House" that were filmed on location at Walt Disney World. "They really took me under and around and over. I remember one day they took me down to a shop where they showed me all the audio-animatronics. It was amazing!"

 

"Through my connections and being on television, I've gotten to do some really cool things," John admits. His theme-park acquisitions, however, have mostly come from the same source anyone can use, if they wish - he bids through DisneyAuctions.com on anything that seems especially cool. You don't have to be a star to collect Disneyland memorabilia - maybe just a little starry-eyed.

 

Poor John Stamos!

 

Elissa "wonder where he put up that sign!" Alvey

[Sir Clinksalot]

I think he actually got that sign when he was still with Rebecca.

 

His show has been cancelled so I wonder if his love affair for Disney will continue.

[DenDen]

His show has been cancelled so I wonder if his love affair for Disney will continue.

 

He makes moolah from syndication of Full House. (I hate that show, but always seem to run into it on the satelite.) The guy doesn't have to work another day in his life, as long as he had a good financial planner.

[Movieguy]

I feel sorry for this guy. Someone who's that obsessed with Disney these days is automatically going to get some unfavorable comparisons with Michael Jackson, and that's NEVER a good thing.

 

Add in the fact that he let Rebecca slip through his fingers, and that his latest TV venture was a dismal failure, and you've got a recipie for multiple strike-out's with other women, my friend.