Vintage Disney Christmas Cards for the Holidays

This year, we decided to take a little break for the season and just revel in the magic that are Disney Christmas Cards. And nothing compares to the handmade Christmas Cards made by Disney artists in days long past. Here is the lineup of Disney Holiday Cards we have found so far! We’ll be sure to add more favorites as we find them. 

Inspired by the book “From All of Us, to All of You: The Disney Christmas Card,” this post is a lineup of all the holidays cards from the good old days. This compilation book chronicles Disney Studios Christmas Card history, and even includes some Christmas Cards that you can actually remove from the book. A must have for any Disney fan. These Vintage Disney Christmas Cards are some of those you find in the book. We hope you love them as much as we do. 

In the earlier years, the art on the cards was centered around Mickey Mouse and other characters that debuted in the late 1920s and ‘30s — but after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the cards would often tease an upcoming release or give a unique seasonal treatment to the current studio release. In fact, if you put all of the cards together you could see a fun pictorial history of the output of the Disney Studio.

1956 Caps for Donald Christmas Card

Our feature image in this post is a well deserved Donald Duck Christmas Card! Even in his own home, Donald Duck cannot escape the phenomenal popularity of his friend and rival on television’s Mickey Mouse Club, which by 1956 had become an extraordinary cultural event. The caps that Donald is wearing and decorating with (in response to the fashionable Mickey Mouse headgear) were actually later sold at Disneyland. The interior celebrates the upcoming theatrical release of Perri. Artists: Disney Studio Artists and John Hench.

1932 Disney Studio Christmas Card

This Christmas Card designed by Tom Wood, honors the Silly symphonies craze that included a series of cartoons across animation styles. The early culture of Mickey and his friends was more raucous, more rural, and more ridiculous than it would be later when the characters settled into their familiar archetypes. This 1932 card artwork reflects the childlike playfulness and absurdity of the “black-and-white era” Mickey Mouse.

1958 Disney Studio Christmas Card 

This Disney Christmas Card features full color art depicting Mickey Mouse hanging “Merry Christmas” wreath on door as Donald Duck holds ladder. Leprechauns from Darby O’Gill and the Little People hang holiday wreath with Gaelic slogan on smaller green “Leprechaun’s Only” door. Card opens to reveal monthly calendar for 1959 at margins done in tapestry style, while center art is of characters from “Sleeping Beauty,” Sleeping Beauty’s castle visible in bkg. Card reverse has presents with Disney film titles “Tonka, Shaggy Dog, Sleeping Beauty, Third Man On The Mountain, Darby O’Gill And The Little People.” 

1963 Disney Studio Christmas Card Celebrating Sword in the Stone

1963: Merlin, Arthur, and Archimedes join Mickey and friends to build a magical snowman in celebration of the new year. In honor of the release of Sword in the Stone, the entire card is an homage to Merlin, Wart and friends with a 1964 calendar inside. 

2013 Walt Disney Animation Corporate Card- Frozen 

Olaf, the summer-dreaming snowman from the 2013 blockbuster hit Frozen, shares holiday cheer with Kristoff’s reindeer friend. Artist Bill Schwab. Inside reads: We wish you a merry summer and a happy new year!  

1982 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card

A Christmas card created by the Walt Disney Studios for the 1982 holiday season. Featuring cover imagery of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto decorating a Christmas tree, while Tinker Bell flies overhead, the inside of the card opens to reveal an aerial image of Walt Disney World, with a message that reads “Joy From the World.” The studio used its in-house talent to design a new holiday card every year highlighting recent popular characters and promoting its upcoming projects. Artists: Paul Wenzel, Clem Hall. 

1978 Santa Mickey Merry Christmas from Walt Disney Productions

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of his debut, this fascinating amalgam line art shows the variations and subtleties of Mickey Mouse’s character design over his first half-century. Upon opening, a bold, ambitious, and spectacular illustration of a festive “Santa Mickey” is composed of typographic representations of the titles of his animated shorts. Artist: Bob Moore

1953 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card

A Christmas card created by the Walt Disney Studios for the 1953 holiday season. Featuring cover imagery of Mickey Mouse puppeteering Pinocchio while Donald’s nephews watch, the inside reveals the 1954 calendar beside an image of several beloved Disney characters. The back of the card features an image of Jiminy Cricket holding a cake and a Christmas tree. The studio used its in-house talent to design a new holiday card every year highlighting recent popular characters and promoting its upcoming projects. 

1935 Disney Studio Christmas Card

This elaborate, multi-page card sent out during the 1935 holiday season welcomed its recipients inside “The House of Mickey Mouse,” where popular Disney characters from theatrical shorts each took their turn at opening gifts during a Christmas party. With the turn of each page, viewers could see what each character received—whether some wolf-proof grease for the Three Little Pigs or a hat for Minnie from “Monsieur Michel Mousse”. The illustrations used on this card were additionally used in the Whitman Publishing book, Mickey Mouse and Friends. 

1949 Cinderella Seasons Greetings

The Mary Blair and John Hench Cinderella Christmas Card. This is a 1949 corporate Christmas card from “Walt Disney and Staff” at the Walt Disney Studio. Card is centered around the animation studio’s upcoming release for 1950:  Cinderella.  Interior design by John Hench with final art by Mary Blair.  The iconic pumpkin coach was originally conceived for Disney animation by Ken O’Connor. As such, the characters and designs for “Cinderella” (including Jaq & Gus and the Fairy Godmother and the Pumpkin Coach) are featured throughout the card; including a calendar for the new year of 1950.  The front cover art is by a Disney studio illustrator. Back cover reveals additional projects then in production including “Alice in Wonderland” and “Treasure Island.”

1973 Robin Hood Christmas Card from Walt Disney Productions

 Featuring the Robin Hood cast, with even Prince John and Sir Hiss decorating the tree, this vintage Disney Christmas card even includes Robin Hood’s wanted poster with a Santa Hat! God Rest ye Merrie Man! Disney’s 21st animated feature, Robin Hood, actually dates back to an interest by Walt in 1938 of adapting the twelfth-century legend of Reynard the fox. After that idea stopped and started over decades, during production of The Aristocats legendary Disney animator and Imagineer Ken Anderson developed the story of Robin Hood, carrying forward many of the Reynard ideas and creating most of the animal casting and character designs. Designer: Bob Moore.

1977 Pete’s Dragon Christmas Card

A Very Merry Christmas from all of us at Walt Disney Productions. “Elliott, in place of eight tiny reindeer” was the subject of the 1977 studio holiday card, featuring the title star of the then-current theatrical fantasy feature, Pete’s Dragon. Disney Legend Ken Anderson finished his four-decade Disney animation career as animation art director on the film, designing the distinctive and beloved character. Artist: Paul Wenzel.

1962 Walt Disney Studio Christmas Card

Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card featuring Disneyland down Main Street USA complete with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Ludwig Von Drake ( who made his television debut and became an immediate sensation in 1962). On the Disneyland streetcar, carolers raise their voices along with characters here. The interior of this card is a 1963 calendar featuring the Christmas in Many Lands parade illustrations, which was a popular celebration at Disneyland at the time. 

1933 Three Little Pigs Christmas Card

Designed by Disney Studio artists, this card promotes the overnight superstars of the phenomenally successful Silly Symphony Three Little Pigs, which had been released earlier that year. The popular cartoon went on to win the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoon. Card reads “Sing a Christmas Carol! The wolf is on the floor, and so a Merry Christmas and Hooray for ’34. Signed with the “Walt Disney” signature. 

1968 Holiday Joy Disney Studio Christmas Card

This card features distinct visual messages in a graphic type font framework: the symbol of the only Disney park at the time, Disneyland; a cast of favorite Disney characters from all manner of media and the international appeal and innocence of the season in homage to Mary Blair’s timeless design of global innocents. Artist: Paul Wenzel. 

1937 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card

“And Greetings From Us Too!” features Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto buried in the snow. 

1936 Mickey and Friends Blizzard Mail Christmas Card

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto fight the elements to deliver the best wishes of the season for their boss, complete with a familiar face on the postage stamp. This art, created by Hank Porter, was popular on limited-edition merchandise sold at Disneyland in the 1990s.

1934 Walt Disney Studio Christmas Card

Featuring original artwork from the Disney Studio artists, this card honors all the main characters from Walt Disney up to this point. Getting ready for the new year with song, this card features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Henrietta, Clarabelle, Goofy and Horace Horsecollar.  In this card, Goofy, was a newer character, and played the clarinet here in honor of the actor who voiced him, Pinto Colvig. 

1930 Walt Disney Animation Christmas Card

The Seasons Greetings from Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney Christmas Card is the VERY FIRST Walt Disney Studio Christmas card that was sent in 1930. The art was created by newspaper comic strip artist, and Disney Legend Floyd Gottfredson. Extremely rare, there are only a few known copies of this card that exist today! Inside of the card reads: May the Joys of the Christmas Season remain with you throughout the New Year. Honoring the start of the Silly Symphonies which would go on to win an Oscar in 1932, this card is all about Mickey Mouse, and his previous alter ego, Mortimer ( rolling a snowball down the roof towards our well meaning star).

1952 Peter Pan Disney Studio Christmas Greetings

1952 Disney Studio Christmas card features Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck trimming Christmas tree as Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael fly by window. Card opens to “Never Never Land” map and 1953 calendar. Back has “Coming Soon – The Sword And The Rose” preview. The front of this card is designed by a Disney Studio Artist and the interior map, designed by John Hench. 

1954 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card

A Walt Disney Studios Christmas card printing transparency from 1954. Featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald, Donald’s Nephews, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Pluto reading books in front of a television screen, the card’s imagery captures a setting indicative of the era. The card highlights the upcoming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea film, as well as Lady and the Tramp, which was on the way. The back of the card shared a first look at what the castle at Disneyland would look like when it opened a year later. 

1948 Walt Disney Studios Christmas Card

This classic Christmas card was created by the Walt Disney Studios for the 1948 holiday season. Featuring imagery of Mickey Mouse holding a candle with the words “Season’s Greetings” below, the inside of the card opens to reveal the 1949 calendar on either side of an image of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Danny the Lamb, surrounded by Christmas presents. The back of the card features small images of Alice and the Caterpillar, Cinderella and her carriage, and Ichabod Crane with Mr. Toad. This Christmas Card honors So Dear to my Heart, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. 

Vintage Cards for Christmas

We’ll be adding more cards as we find them! And for the upcoming holiday, be sure to check out all the Vintage Disney Valentines Cards we’ve found so far.  Cards with this level of illustrated detail for the holidays may be hard to find now, but we’ll keep adding these gems to the post, and share details of each as we gather them! If you want to get an insider look at even more holiday fun from Disney artists, check out the book, From all of us to all of You The Disney Christmas Card Happy Holidays to you and yours! We hope you love this round-up of Christmas cards as much as we do.