Pin Review: Johnny Appleseed - Storybook Classics Collection #10 - 2017 Disney Store Release

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The cover looks great

Cons: The inside picture looks weird

The Bottom Line:

This pin of Johnny

Has a great looking cover

But strange inside pic

Maybe I’d Like this Pin Better if I Knew the Book

I’ve found my reaction to the pins in the Storybook Classic Collection to be more mixed than I’d hoped for when they started the series.  That’s because the pins are based more on the books Disney release years ago than the animated features, and since I didn’t have those books growing up, I’m not familiar with them.  That can leave me scratching my head, like in the case of the Johnny Appleseed pin.

The cover of this pin is actually very good.  While not a shot from the animated short, I get what it is capturing, and it is a great scene.  It features Johnny Appleseed as he is setting out to plant the apple orchards he is most famous for.  He’s got his pot on his head, his seed pouch over one shoulder, and his Bible tucked under his arm.  You can see trees behind him, and there are even a couple of rabbits and a squirrel looking on.  This is a very detailed scene, made even more impressive by the fact that this is captured just with simple lines.  The background is yellow, and the drawing is outlined in black.  The title is across the top in red, and they used red to fill in apples on the trees as well.  As I said, this looks wonderful.

The trouble comes when you open the pin to the inside picture.  Usually, these are my favorite since they are in full color.  Here, that doesn’t work at all.  I have a feeling they are trying to do a forced perspective picture with apples in the foreground and a barn in the back.  However, the apples are off to the side and just look so big that it doesn’t make any sense at all.  In fact, if I saw this without the context of knowing this was about Johnny Appleseed, I’d think they had a giant pumpkin next to a giant something else.  I can’t even identify what I think the fruit or vegetable that is sliced open is supposed to be.  There are no humans or animals in this picture at all.  I’m sure it is a page from the book, and maybe it works well in the context of the book, but here it is just strange.

Like the rest in the series, this pin has two sticks in the back to make sure it attaches securely if you go to wear it.  After all, with two scenes on two different layers, this is a heavy pin.

That inside picture really does prove disappointing, especially since I love the cover.  Unless you are looking for a Johnny Appleseed related pin for some particular reason, you can skip over this one.

Enjoy more rare Disney characters with the rest of the Storybook Classics Collection.