Series: Oliver & Co.
Company: Kimmies
Year: Early 90s
Size: 23 cm
Main distribution: the Netherlands
This is the lovably rogue Dodger of Oliver & Co. European plush, possibly a mirage amongst collectors. Actually got 2 of these, one sitting and one giving paw.
As said, 2 different versions of this plush. The left one gives paw, while the right one sits proudly. They are about 23cm high. Their poses are rigid and sculpted, but the plush remains soft. Its eyes and noses exists out of a hard plastic buttons. The scarf is made from a cheaper, thinner fabric and has no stitching whatsoever.
Both their mouths fully open and close and they have a separate tongue inside.
Their eyebrows seem drawn on the brown fur.
Because of their rigid sculpted body they have no problem sitting up.
The proportions are alright, although they look a bit more simpler, rounder and therefor toonier than their animated counterpart.
The colours are quite good and accurate. It is missing however a brown spot near its hind legs and the tail could be a bit longer.
The tush tag is very general. It shows Kimmies and the CE Marking, as well as NL and not suitable for children under 3.
I always loved Disney, plush and dogs. So a combination of all 3 is of course amazing to me.
These Dodger were on the fun fair in the early 90s in my home town in the cranes. I’ve won 2 different kinds. They are made by a Dutch company Kimmies from Apeldoorn.
Although clearly looking like the Disney Dodger, there is no Disney copyright on the tags. Back in the early nineties, at the height of the Pokémon craze, a lot of places wanted to make money on Pokémon merchandise, and licenses to create toys were handed out to so many companies, Nintendo even lost track of who had them or not. A similar thing happened to My Little Pony. These (more than likely) unofficial plush/figures, made on a very small scale, are now scattered throughout the world and highly sought after. In the My Little Pony collector world, these are called “Nirvana”. In the Pokémon collector world “mirage”. I don’t know if Disney has an equivalent with a similar story? There is tons of Disney stuff out there!
Kimmies has made several of these “Disney” characters back then, mostly found in crane games in the Netherlands. I got these 2 Dodger, but I’ve also seen a Dumbo, Dalmation puppy and Pooh Bear.
I love the Disney animals, especially the Disney Dogs. So Dodger is pretty high up there. As a toy collector, Disney collector, dog lover, favouring the retro 90s and proud Dutch person I do like these. I might try and get the others.
Got any more details / information for me to add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own the same plush? Do you own other Kimmies? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!