Not surprising. What would surprise me would be for Disney to remake 'The Black Cauldron', or (even more unlikely) to make something (slightly more) *original (that's not a Pixar movie). :p On the topic of the latter, if Disney wants to continue exploring medieval, funny-animal territory, why not visit the story of Ivanhoe?
*Yes, yes, I am fully cognizant that originality cannot technically exist in storytelling ...but let's not be pedantic---we all know what is being implied and criticized here (think: 'TLK 2019', for example). :p
Anyway...
'Ivanhoe' is a sensible suggestion, in light of Disney's rekindled interest in 'Robin Hood'; Robin Hood was an important character in the Ivanhoe story. :3
...And for those who like the general character, there exists (to my surprise---literally just discovered this today) an animated 'Ivanhoe' series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsOnRw2Lt6o
Whew!
Anyway, what have I drawn here?
This was my attempt at drawing a raccoon version of Ivanhoe, as he might appear in the world of Disney's 'Robin Hood'. I ...cannot say I nailed the style, but this is close enough, I think, to get my point across. The raccoons of 'Robin Hood' were very small---smaller than the rabbit kittens. I find that a bit unusual, but whatever (I still like them). ^^
I thought, too, that the raccoon made a good choice because of its mask. Though a literal part of the animal's appearance, the mask, interpreted figuratively, connotes a slick and/or prankish disposition.
As a character, Ivanhoe was (of course) chivalrous and noble, but could employ deception as-needed (he disguised himself as a wanderer in order to gain entry into a place where he wasn't welcome---I don't want to spoil anything). Ivanhoe was also a charismatic fellow, as I imagine raccoons can certainly be ^_^
Perhaps my chosen species isn't a perfect match, but I didn't want to draw another fox. ^^ Moreover, I had thought of depicting Ivanhoe as a wolf, which I admit would have worked better from a typecasting perspective, but ...I dunno, the raccoon appealed more to me (the 'Robin Hood' wolves were pretty dumb). ^^
I drew Ivanhoe with my Zephyr, and delineated him via an 'Ivanhoe' pencil ...my particular ones have a (long) story. ^^
Whilst browsing eBay, I came upon a listing of 68 'Ivanhoe' pencils, among which was the pencil featured here (I will refer to these as the 'farmhouse' pencils).
The listing described the pencils thus,
"Vintage Ivanhoe Usa 709 #2 Pencils 68 Pencils W Box Eberhard Faber. Condition is "New". Shipped with USPS First Class. These pencils came out of an 1800s farmhouse here in western New York. 68 of um almost 6 dozen with white erasers"
I was intrigued by the claim these were made by Eberhard Faber, especially given the pencils had no stamping to denote their manufacturer (but that didn't mean the claim was untrue---research was necessary!).
Pencil history is a bit confusing, and (reliable) information is hard to come by. Suffice it to say each of the 'Faber' lines (there were three at one point) had some competitive rancor among them (though owned by one family name, the Faber brothers each had their own line of pencil), hence any 'Faber' pencil would be branded.
I dug around searching for 'Ivanhoe' pencils and found one with a maker's mark (A.W. Faber): https://sta.sh/04rt6sjftmf
That's clearly my scan so (the dust betrays!) so, yes, I bought it. ^^
Anyway, as I could find no other information (even Bob Trudy, at the time of writing, didn't seem to have an 'Ivanhoe' pencil of any kind), I contacted Faber-Castell on the matter (I made it a point NOT to mention eBay).
I began by asking about the 'farmhouse' pencils, to which Faber-Castell had this to say,
"Dear Marten, Thank you for your e-mail. We have forwarded your request to our archive and received from there the following information: The pencils aren´t from Faber-Castell. We regret, we can give you no other information"
Eyewash! D:
...And of course 'Faber-Castell' didn't make these (these would be 'A.W. Faber', if the other pencil's to be believed).
Anyway, I replied to Faber-Castell with a scan of the branded pencil. Faber-Castell replied thus,
"Dear Marten, Now the right information: Around 1930s Ivanhoe pencil, but different stamping is mentioned, USA production. Best regards from Germany"
'Right information'? About which pencil: the former, the latter, or both? :p
Either way, another clue was a photo of the box the eBay seller discovered in their farmhouse. I had the presence of mind to save their image of the box (this will be important later): https://sta.sh/04pgchdqsm
"Reuben Selfridge School Supplies - Wholesale and Retail Little Valley, NY"
As of writing, I've not had a reply (it's been a few days).
EDIT 04026/2021: The Little Valley FB page responded!
"He owned r.e. selfridge office and school supply company in the 1930s here in little valley. i dont know alot about him. he isnt buried in little valley, i believe in Holland NY. here are a couple references to him in the local paper (link)"
Before buying the pencils, the seller and I had a bit of a conversation, in which I shared what I learned about the pencils as well asking how/why the seller concluded these were from Eberhard Faber. Moreover, I made an offer (albeit, a non-committed one) on the pencils (I'll neither disclose their original price nor the amount of my offer here).
...I'd apparently piqued the seller's curiosity,
SELLER: "I like your offer. I did scrape delivery sticker on box to see what original box sticker said to find out more. But all I could make out was that it said Ivanhoe color pencils. If you’re ok with the box being changed a little bit I’ll except your offer thanks"
(I didn't ask for a photo of the 'scraped' label---I wish I had, in hindsight)
I replied that by scraping the label (and not changing the photo... which couldn't be done, as an offer had been made), the seller had effectively altered the product---an evil buyer could claim 'not as described' and make no end of trouble (I know from experience ...and, no, I wouldn't have done this, but neither did I want to oblige myself to buy the pencils, as I hadn't asked the seller to remove the label). ^^
I continued to explain myself a bit, as to why I wanted the pencils (I showed the seller a scan of one of my ACOs ...I don't think they were impressed) and that it might be best to sell the pencils in small lots (the listing had to be cancelled anyway, and the seller could make more money, albeit piecemeal).
The seller agreed---I was able to buy a lot consisting of one pencil in each color (totalling five pencils), thereby saving me some money ...and thus ensuring my watchers the chance to see a dubious 'Ivanhoe' pencil (as if any of you give a raccoon's tail, but whatever). :3
I cannot know anything for sure, but my guess about the 'farmhouse' pencils is they might have been a kind of 'factory second' and/or made for wholesale (to schoolhouses and so forth).
...NEWSFLASH!!!
As I was writing this, Bob Trudy replied to my email, in which I had provided a scan of both the marked and the farmhouse pencils (he seems to have similar thoughts to mine),
BOBTRUDY: " Hi Marten~ It's always been my understanding that A.W. Faber USA was a part of the House of Faber in Germany.....although they may not wish to claim any part. It's certainly a subsidiary. The green Ivanhoe is something I've seen across the brands. It is either a cheap knock-off or the company made them for other markets. I believe they often sold them in school set by other companies that make school boxes...often these pencils can be found in them....like a generic filler. Don't know why they would not want their brand stamped on them anyhow. I do not consider them all that rare, but certainly early 40's or so. The blue one maybe 50's. Thanks for dropping me a pencil. It shall remain a true mystery for now! Sincerely, Bobby"
As these pencils were sold by an actual dealer (insofar as I can tell), I believe these were made by A.W. Faber (the '709' is also a thing, as both the farmhouse and the marked pencils bear this number). It's also worth noting that, upon sharpening, I discovered the farmhouse pencil is made of cedar (not esp. cheap). That said, the font for the pencils respective 'Ivanhoe' stamps are slightly different, with the marked pencil's being a tad fancier.
And, yes, I'll feature the marked pencil ...eventually. :3
I have to say I like the idea of Ivenhoe with animals as main characters :)
There was another animated version, part of which I found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Av2Fni0gU Alas, it's not the whole movie. I had the complete version on VHS, but I don't know where it is now.
I have to say I like the idea of Ivenhoe with animals as main characters :) There was another anima
