RESPONSE TO DISNEY/MARVEL SURVEY

Should Marvel stamps be included in a Disneyana topic?

 

I sent out a request for opinions to all members of Disneyana on Stamps Society in hopes that enough people would respond to give me a good idea as to how members felt about including Marvel (and by extension) Lucasfilm stamps in a Disney topical collection. I was very pleased with the number of people who responded. Thank you to all who took the time to let me know your thoughts.

Fifty-seven members voted. The results were - YES – 12: NO – 45. Overwhelming response from the ‘no’ camp. Quite a number of people do collect the Marvel and Star Wars stamps they just don’t usually keep them with their Disney stamps or consider them to be Disney.

So, while DoSS still considers Marvel and Lucasfilm stamps, issued since the takeover of the two companies, to be part of the Disneyana topic, in future they will be dealt with separately from the other Disney stamps. Marvel and Lucasfilm will have their own page on the Disneyana on Stamps Society website. Stamps and philatelic items will be listed in a separate checklist.

Due to the fact that a number of DoSS members prefer to remain anonymous I have used initials for member’s names. Here are the responses in the order they were received -

 

MR - Yes, by your standards, these should be part of Disneyana stamps. The majority of them are done for the Avengers and Capt. Marvel movies tie-in, and they merely added two token British characters that aren't in the movies yet to make them palatable to the British public. Note that the secondary set of stamps, the ones that 'tell a story' have the Avengers fighting Thanos, just as in the upcoming movies. By my standards, no, these are Marvel characters, not Disney ones, even though Disney now owns them. ;^) Just to clarify, Disney doesn't produce its own comics, but licenses its characters, not the Marvel ones (usually. There are exemptions of course) I'll be interested in your results.

 

CO - I say no. Marvel is its own category. I consider Star Wars the same way. 

 

MB - My opinion is no since they were not originally designed by Disney for Disney.  They were purchased.  Doesn't Disney own ESPN?  Should we put all stamps with items owned by ESPN on stamps in Disney?  I think you need to draw the line at a reasonable definition. 

 

KL - Yes, I think so. It's a logical and compatible addition.

 

DH - I would say that no, these are not Disney stamps. I've always interpreted "Disney" as applied to stamps as a thematic distinction, not whose corporate umbrella they fall under. Additionally, what happens if you include them, then in a year or two Disney sells the Marvel franchise? Then the connection is gone, other than being "once owned by Disney", which to the collector is likely meaningless. No, in my mind the Disney connection pertains to the content depicted on the stamp and these are not it.

 

ME - No, they are not Disney. I would exclude also all Star Wars stuff. Only in-house developed characters should be included. My 2 cents.

 

LG - No. Disney stamps are meant to be the original Disney creations not those they bought. Marvel characters should be under Marvel not Disney. Pixar I would consider the outlier in this matter. But if you do decide to include Marvel then you need to add Star Wars as well.

 

JY - I say no, I collect comics and mostly Marvel and DC, but Marvel is a new acquisition and has its own following and flavor than Classic Disney works. 

 

IB - In my humble opinion absolutely NOT considered Disney stamps! However, to satisfy both camps – especially Disney purists who are Disneyphiles ONLY, because the films are under the Disney banner, I would perhaps have another category for them under Disney but not under Disney stamps. Let the market decide what to collect.

 

RP - Star Wars is also owned by Disney, if you consider Star Wars stamps Disney then Marvel should also be included in Disney Stamps. My personal opinion is that Disney Stamps from the actual Disney Studios should be the only ones included in Disney Philately. Collecting Disney mania Stamps goes back to 1968. Star Wars and Marvel are actuations of Disney to boost their market presence only.

 

LD - I could argue either way, but I vote NO.

 

CS - Yes, I would include them!

 

VF - The Disney and Marvel brands have been separated for so very long.  I do not think that most Disney collectors will automatically want to add Marvel stamps to their collections just because of the purchase/merger.  I'd say that if you do include Marvel characters in your lists or newsletters or other publications, they should be kept entirely separate from the regular Disney issues, and clearly denoted as such.

 

PG - NO. Not created by Disney

 

BC - Thanks for checking in with the membership about the important development of Marvel Comics coming under the Disney corporate umbrella.  There are several unique aspects to this question which make it worth discussing. On the one hand, Marvel Comics is HUGELY popular! Great Britain's stamp issues are a wonderful indication of what is coming in years ahead for stamp collectors who are Marvel fans as well.  

The Marvel motion pictures and spin-offs are a true entertainment PHENOMENON!  We Disney fans can expect that Marvel characters and stories will be integrated into all of the Disney enterprises, especially the theme parks and live shows.

On the other side of the coin, there are some big differences with enterprises like Marvel Comics and like Lucasfilm's Star Wars universe, versus Pixar, for instance.  For one thing, Star Wars characters and Marvel characters were highly celebrated for many years before coming into the Disney family.  Science fiction characters and comic book characters have been popular stamp subjects for such a long time and have their own fan bases, ATA checklists, etc.

Pixar, on the other hand, came over to Disney relatively early in its corporate life.  Stamp collectors benefited greatly by that union in ways that didn't predate the Disney-Pixar confluence.  So, their inclusion in Disney topical stamp collecting is more natural than Lucasfilm or Marvel topics.

One possible course of action would be to develop "families" of topical collector units that cooperate in various ways but have separate leadership and publications.  For instance, there could be a family of the current Disneyana, new science fiction (for Star Wars), and new comic book (for Marvel) ATA units. These units could have adjoining booths at national stamp shows and share links to their websites and publications for mutual benefit.

Another way forward would be to have our own unit embrace all the parts of the Disney family including Marvel.  That said, we still could have specialized communications channels and products for those who want, say, Star Wars or Marvel-related content but not so much Disney or Pixar.  An example would be to invite collectors to write unique columns on Marvel and on Star Wars in each issue of Disnemation.  A knowledgeable collector could help begin a Marvel ATA checklist or update the Star Wars checklist.  That way, the members could more easily partake of the content that they love the most!

Thanks for all you do for our common good as collectors of Disney philately.  I look forward to seeing where this discussion leads.

 

JW - NO – Marvel is Marvel and Disney is Disney.  They are completely different.  Marvel and Super Heroes should be in a class all by themselves.  I think adding Marvel would “contaminate” the Disney characters.

 

GS - My immediate thought was no and after thinking about it more, still a solid no. Disney as a brand has grown so large in scope to include many other well known, established brands that it is important to maintain the separate core identities that is in the heart of the already established fan base. When Disney bought Star Wars, as a fan of both it was important to me that they remain separate and true to what makes each brand unique. I have a small Star Wars collection, including Stamps and although I know the Disney brand now owns the Star Wars brand, I do not categorize anything Star Wars as “Disney”.  My opinion is that Marvel stamps should be considered Marvel stamps and Disney stamps should only include genuine Disney creations. I think this is critical to keep the magic and maintain the long-term success of each name.

 

NB - in my opinion: no. My reasons: They are not drawn by Disney artists. Purely a business decision, don’t imagine Disney is actually “adopting” Marvel creations as theirs. Where does it stop? Who knows what else Disney will buy in the future? Sentimental reason: these don’t look like Disney :) I wouldn’t make any effort to collect them as part of my Disney collection. I realize my reasons have a lot of bias in them, but after all, if these don’t appeal to Disney collectors, then it’s irrelevant anyways. Thanks for bringing this up, hope you can report the results of the survey on the magazine.

BS - The stamps look great, but I wouldn't consider them Disney stamps. Maybe if there's ever a crossover where Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Howard the Duck all become "funny animal" comics, we can accept them as Disney stamps.

 

DL - I think that a Disney stamp is something that Disney actually has produced and not something that has been bought by them.  I don't collect the Star Wars stamps either even know I am a big fan of Star Wars.  They are not original Disney.

 

MZ - I vote No! The Marvel Comic characters are numerous and is large enough to be its own topical. I have continuing mixed reactions to Winnie the Pooh and Pixar Characters being considered Disney stamps. 

 

JC - I guess in the scheme of things, I’d have to say yes, they should be included.  I know that adds a lot of ‘stuff’ to the inventory for all of us, but I think they should be.  Australia, for one, has been issuing them for a while now.  I have a number of those sheets.  Been a few US ‘action character’ issues as well.

I think in general, Marvel fits the feel of Disney… fantasy, heroic, colorful, mostly moral, good guys/bad guys, either animated or not, most appeal to both young and old.  I think the most major difference between Disney and Marvel is that Disney did it with movies, and Marvel did it with comics (until the last few years anyway).

I don’t think Disney would have bought Marvel if they didn’t feel it fit reasonably into their mold. Well sir…don’t know if that was what you were looking for…just my humble opinion!

 

DS - Depends on how you defined the collection of Disney stamps. Is it only those that are issued or drawn by Disney. Or is it anything to do with the Disney name/logo? I would say if it belongs to Disney during the time the stamp was issued, then, they should be included. “YES”

 

TG - I'd say, "yes they are Disney stamps"!  Any stamp that depicts a character that appears in a Disney product should be considered a "Disney Stamp" no matter when the character originally was created.  I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this survey.

 

DR - This was the type of issue that I struggled with as to whether to include certain stamps that are listed as Disney into my album setup.  In the finish I placed them in another folder marked ‘Appendix’. The issues that come immediately to mind are those stamps for the Flying Tigers issued by Taiwan and Marshall Islands.  The insignia was drawn by Disney artists, yes, but can they really be classed as Disney. Therefore, my decision would be NO.

 

SA - It is a good idea, but this is not reflecting the original of Disney. I am not with issuing Marvel.

 

GO - Personally I do not believe the Marvel characters are fundamentally historically Disney, but rather would be better to be treated as a classification of their own: Marvel. Characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc. have a long history of 75 years. The Marvel characters have a similarly long history of 50 years or more outside Disney. Fundamentally, they have been strongly associated with the DC Comics brand not the Disney brand. Personally, I feel just because Disney bought the brand cannot change their history as being non-Disney up till now. Ask yourself this: if DC Comics purchased the brands of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc., would people suddenly cease to think of them as classic Disney characters?

 

RV - This is a difficult one, as the Star Wars franchise (from Part VII) is also part of the Disney "stable". I think the original classification to be considered a Disney item / stamp is the direct production of the item. The Star Wars movies are produced under the Disney banner and stamps depicting scenes from those movies should be considered Disney stamps. The Marvel comics are not and should not be included. But any stamps depicting a Marvel comic movie under the Disney banner should be included. Also note that we'll have a similar problem soon, according to Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics#Disney_conglomerate_unit_(2009-present)): "Disney's Proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox".

 

RM - I have read your note and I can certainly see the problem. I don't have the Marvel material in my Disney album at all but keep a separate album for all super heroes (divided into separate sections for each super hero character). Disney has bought up so many speciality stories/heroes/ franchises etc.  it is hard to remember them all and not all really belong in the Disney album (in my opinion). In philately every collector is free to do what they like and if you choose to include the Marvel characters that is fine with me. I shall continue to belong to this club, read the notes and to collect them but the heroes will be stored in another album. And that is my two-cents worth--for what is worth.

 

AT - My opinion is that this Royal Mail issue is NOT to be considered as Disney stamps. My reasoning is as you stated: the comics are not produced directly by Disney. 

 

JM - if they are films or new characters produced after the Disney takeover, the stamps should be considered Disney stamps. So it has been done so far in Star Wars stamps.

 

SM - Personally I think that they should form a distinct separate group. Disney is more of a mind set than just stamps issued with themes connected to Disney. I collect Disney for/with my grandson to spark an interest in him. Marvel are wonderful but they have a totally different feel to Disney as such. There are some stamps with Disney type themes which are not endorsed by Disney which feel to be more a part of a Disney collection than Marvel. Being UK based I will of course collect the Marvel stamps but will keep them in a separate album. I have no doubt that along with the success of Marvel there will be more new Marvel issues worldwide to justify a new but separate theme. 

 

WS - My opinion is "No". Thank you.

 

AA - No for me. 

 

MJ - My answer is yes. My first thought was no, however thinking about it----going forward these characters will become part of the Disney tradition. We will see them at the park, at the stores, Disney’s animation team will make movies out of them. Fast forward 20 years, no one will remember these characters to be no other than… Disney’s.

 

GL - I love Marvel movies! But Marvel isn't Disney just because they own them, in my opinion.

 

DW - I understand your situation for your very active position for our group and certainly appreciate your work. Personally, I would say no to the Marvel characters being included at this time. My personal interest will remain centered on Disney touched and influenced issues. Thanks for putting this out there for discussion.

 

FS - I think they should as they are Disney films. As far as I am concerned, the more the merrier for my Disney collection, besides I like the stamps. 

 

MC - My feelings are that the Marvel Universe was not created by Disney.  As long as they license the publishing to other it will not become Disney. Besides, as a new Disney collector, I am going to have a difficult enough time finding stamps to fill my collection.  I’m up to almost 300 stamps and have quite a few to go before I can consider branching out onto another limb.

 

MB - I do not think they should be included in the Disney Library!  They don't have the same images as the other Disney Stamps! Ownership in Marvel should have nothing to do with it!

 

NA – Not for me.

 

JU - I do not consider these as Disney stamps. I would not buy them. I think we need to stay where we are.

 

KC - I believe that if Disney is the owner of Marvel comics, I would say yes, even though there are no Disney characters in the group.  Or they could be listed as comic characters and not put them in Disney at all. It is a fine line.

 

KT - I think that Disneys' new acquisitions such as Marvel should not be included with what was originally the Disney brand just does not fit in my mind to the original Disney concept.

 

RC - There have been a number of different Marvel issues I noted one recent from Great Britain. They do not interest me as a Disney collector I do not consider them a true Disney collectable for my collection. I vote a big No to them as a part of Disney

 

JA - I think its a big No for me. Comics theme is definitely a different theme than Disney theme, they should not be compared as one theme. I collect both but as different themes. Disney characters are different that Marvel characters.

 

KC - Yes, very soon Disney will buy everything – they have the money. We do collect them but put the pages at the back of our Disney stamps. As we do with the Pixar and Lucas stamps.

 

RS - Just because they bought this franchise, I do not see it as a Disney product. As a Disney stamp dealer there is very few interest in these stamps today. At shows I do not get requests to look at my Disney stamps. I think of Disney as something they brought to the market as a brand-new character etc. So, I vote no for this to be Disney.

 

PA - Not for me. Marvel stamps are not Disney stamps.

 

RF - I vote no. Disney also owns Lucasfilms don't they? Should those films and their characters be included? In fact, doesn't Disney own 21st Century Fox now? 

 

SH - Perhaps not as Disney stamps but as an interesting side note to a Disney collection. For instance, I collect Europa stamps, but I also collect any stamp/cover with the word EUROPA as an interesting addition.

 

BK - For me personally only stamps with Donald, Mickey and the other characters Walt Disney created are Disney Stamps, so for me I would say NO to the Marvel Stamps.

 

MS – I vote for 'NO'. For me Disney means it should directly be published by the Disney itself and not by other publishers. All the top giants of their time - Marvel, DC and Kings Features (The Phantom, Mandrake) started as publishing comic strips (in the broadsheets) and comic book format before moving into animations and feature films. Therefore, though the Marvel movie production is legally under Disney, me as a collector would like to separate it as Marvel stamps rather than Disney stamps.

 

DL - There should be a separate category for these new items.   The action hero type items are true to the Disney art form. Just my two cents.

 

WS – As Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, I think that the stamps, issued since the companies were bought, should be considered Disney stamps. However, I don’t think that all Star Wars or Marvel stamps issued should be considered Disney stamps if they show characters or films from before the takeover even if the stamps were issued afterwards. For example, recent stamps showing Star Wars scenes or characters from films 1-6.

 

KT - Disney should not include what other "characters" they (Disney Corporation) purchase, Disney should only be what they have created under the Disney name.

 

SK - My opinion is not to list them because I don’t consider them truly Disney—they are only licensed properties under the Disney umbrella.  When you say ‘Disney’, I think of the animated movies.  I collect the Disney topic selectively:  Walt Disney and the animated character issues, but I do not collect the live-action movies/TV shows (Narnia, etc.) nor the Thailand (and other countries) personalized stamps, cruise ships, etc.  I don’t collect any Disney-related characters/tie-ins/licensed material that aren’t related to the animated cartoons and features. However, that being said, I am sure some people will want to collect anything related to the Disney franchise and will want these items listed.  I, too, think it might be a good reference down the road—especially if I change my mind about my collecting interests.  (After all, I grew up reading Marvel comics and I’ve seen every movie.)  But you also open the door if you do this and will need to retroactively list those Marvel items which were issued after Disney acquired them. I am good either way on your question.  But if you want a yes or no answer, I will say no. Thank you for asking.

 

 

Results – YES – 12: NO – 45