‘All Aboard’ to benefit

It stands 6 feet tall, weighs 700 pounds and wears a conductor’s hat,

overalls and a big grin. The sculpture should make a lucky buyer

happy and help a local hospital.

“Ollie Johnston, All Aboard!” is an original Mickey Mouse statue

designed by Ollie Johnston, a La Canada Flintridge resident who is

the last surviving member of the animators known as Walt Disney’s

Nine Old Men.

The statue will be one of 75 unique Mickeys to be auctioned by

Sotheby’s on Sept. 27.

Each of the designers, a group that includes artists, athletes,

Disney legends and actors, chose an organization or charity as

beneficiary.

Johnston chose Verdugo Hills Hospital because of the warm

reception he received when he last visited a few months ago.

“I was just there to get some help,” Johnston said. “I like the

place. Everybody is friendly and they treat you well. I like it

because it’s right near us -- it’s easy to get there and the people

there are friendly.”

Classic Disney characters including Pinocchio, Bambi and Thumper,

Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Smee and Baloo the Bear were brought to life

at Johnston’s hand. Johnston, who worked for Disney for four decades,

was inspired to create the statue from his work designing trains for

Disneyland, Disney officials said.

The group of 75 6-feet-tall Mickey Mouse statues was first

unveiled in Florida and is now touring the country, said Maria

Gladowski, director of communications for Disney’s worldwide

outreach. The final stop will be the Sotheby’s auction in New York.

Verdugo Hills Hospital is the only local group to be chosen as a

beneficiary, spokeswoman Carol Stevenson said.

“A lot of the organizations chosen by the artists and designers

were national organizations and hospitals,” Stevenson said. “It makes

the Verdugo choice unique.”

The overall auction is expected to bring in about $1 million.

Officials were not sure how much the “All Aboard!” statue will bring

in, Stevenson said.

“But Verdugo’s funds won’t be designated to any one thing,” she

said. “It will go to enhancing the services that we provide to the

community.”

Interested parties can find out more information about bidding by

logging on to o7www.sothebys.com/mickeyf7.

BIZ BIT

Ollie Johnston, designer of the “All Aboard!” Mickey Mouse statue,

got Walt Disney started on collecting trains.