Art feature: Disney figurines at YVR
Have you ever been walking through a long, narrow hallway in YVR’s domestic terminal and stumbled across an unexpected row of display cases packed with vintage Disney memorabilia?
We met with the collector, Ken Stephens, to learn more about the world’s largest collection of Disney figurines in an airport. He shared how his collection came to be and evolved over the years, his thoughts on collecting in general and some details on a few of the more significant pieces in his collection.
Humble beginnings
In the late 1980s, Ken Stephens began frequenting garage sales near his home in Burnaby, looking for toys to give to his kids. “That’s when garage sales were garage sales,” Ken says. “Everything was a nickel, a dime, a quarter.
“[The kids] had small bedrooms, but they had shelves, and we started putting toys up on them. All the Mickeys started sitting there together and it looked cool, so we thought we might add a few more.”
The art of collecting
Soon, they had progressed beyond garage sales to swap meets, local antique and collectible shows and even cross-border trips to collectible events in Seattle and Portland.
“Every time we travelled, we would make sure I had an opportunity to go to antique and collectible shops, swap meets, and markets in different cities. I have been lucky enough to travel through Europe a few times and acquire some great Disney characters from there as well. They were unique and very different from the North American figures.”
After Ken’s daughter Cara won a competition at the PNE for her collection of Donald Duck figurines, there was no turning back.
“To me, Disney means fun. We’ve gone to Disneyland with our kids a few times over the years. All good memories.”
A collector’s legacy
Over the years, Ken has amassed a collection of thousands of pieces of Disney memorabilia—not to mention his ramp walkers, Sesame Street figurines, games, yo-yos, marbles and an array of other collectibles.
“The collection started out in my kids’ rooms, then it poured into the hallways. It spread from our house to our company warehouse as we needed more room,” Ken remembers. “I’ve run out of space . . . but I’d love to continue to collect.”
In 2016, Ken’s art services company, Denbigh Design, was assisting the airport’s art program with the transfer of another collection out of the corridor. Seeing all the newly empty cases, he offered to loan YVR some of his Disney figurines as a temporary exhibit. Due to the popularity of the collection with passengers and staff, we’ve kept them on display ever since.
They’re so much fun. I think for most collectors it does get put in boxes or put away . . . I’m glad I’m able to show my collection at the airport.
With help from our in-house Design team, we’ve put together a fun and colourful display that brings Ken’s collection to life with quotes, illustrations, photographs and more. Check it out next time you are catching a domestic flight out of YVR! You can find the exhibit in the hallway between gates B28 and C29.