Are any of you fellow Disney Goers also Lionel Train fans or collectors?

Yeah…well, me neither, but I have definitely heard of them and seen them. I also know that there are some die hard collectors out there and that these trains can be worth a lot of “moolah”. But did you know that this successful model train company went through a very tough time during the 1930’s and was actually on the verge of bankruptcy? It’s true, but all of that was changed by the presence of one little mouse, Mickey Mouse to be exact!

About a year after Black Friday and the beginning of the Great Depression, the Lionel Train company saw it’s first year of lost profits. They lost over $200,000 that year and in an effort to save the company they made a few changes and wise decisions, including introducing their new Mickey Mouse hand car!

The Mickey Mouse hand car was a huge hit! They actually could not even produce enough to meet demand. Although Lionel didn’t make enough money off of the cheaply made and sold hand cars to completely credit Mickey Mouse for the returned success of the train company, it did draw the attention they needed to pull them back into the black.

I think it is undeniable though, that Mickey is one mighty little mouse!