As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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My son and his wife are expecting and I want to send his old favorite stuffed animals down to him. But I need to clean them first -they are 28-29 years old, well loved but still in good shape.
I need the best way to clean them and preserve them. There is a bean bag dog, a mohair Steiffe teddy and a somewhat rigid cat (who of course, is white)
Suggestions? I really do not want to chance hurting them but also want them clean for the baby.
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There is a "Doll Hospital" here that cleans old dolls and stuffed animals as well as repairs them. Maybe there is something around you that has the same services.
I know my sister in law just puts my niece's stuffies in the washing machine. However, I would be too afraid to do that with old stuffies.
We've used the hand wash setting on our washer and a quick air fluff in the dryer, then air dry the rest of the way. They've come out fine. Hand washing with mild soap works well too. I think mohair might need to be dry cleaned. You could take them to a local dry cleaner. They could offer suggestions even if dry cleaning isn't necessary.
With the Steiff you'd have to just wipe with a damp cloth because the stuffing won't hold up to a machine or being submerged in water. Because the Steiff animals usually increase in value with age, be careful. With that one it might be best to send it to a doll hospital.
Thanks for all the help. I read about using the washer online but don't want to risk hurting them. They are all in great condition, just a little dusty from hanging around for the last 20 years or so. The Steiff was a gift from my mother, so has a lot of sentimental value. The beanbag dog actually seems fine, except is can't be too clean after being a favorite stuffie for many years.
I may see if I can find a doll hospital up here. If not, I can take it to Boston (or surrounding area).
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This place (in VA, but you can ship) is very highly recommended. I used to manage a wonderful gift shop that sold Steiff toys and have met Marguerite Steiff's nephew-- this is the place they used to recommend for repair, cleaning and restoration in the US: FAQs :: Mar-Ke Mohair
Why clean them at all? My aged stuffies are all the more beloved to me because they look well-loved. One of my most precious dolls had belonged to my mother and wore a snugly fastened bonnet because Mom had fallen off a swing while holding her, and Ruth suffered a broken back of her head. Watching my mother gently cradling the doll's bonneted broken head as she told me the story is a treasured memory.
(Besides, you never know how having "lovemarks" that your son gave them removed might affect HIM as well as depriving you of being able to tell similar stories to your DDIL as you point to the evidence of his affection visible upon them uncleaned.)
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 12-26-2013 at 02:34 PM..
I want to clean them because I want the baby to cuddle and use them like my son did. Mr. Steiff can probably be passed down as is. The cat is white, has been collecting dust for many years and as a mother I would like it a little cleaner before letting my baby cuddle it. I had thought about just vacuuming it to get some of the ancient dust out of it. the dog is brown and not bad looking. I just know it was loved for many years and never cleaned.
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Cleaning is probably a good idea. You wouldn't want a baby to be breathing in all the dust (and maybe dust mites) that have been collecting in your treasures. I think you've gotten some great advice from previous posters.
I always had luck putting each stuffie in a pillowcase and washing them with the "light" perm press setting. Make sure you use a baby-friendly gentle soap and use the delicate dryer setting (inside the pillowcase for the dryer, too). But if they are valuable, I wouldn't risk it.
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