ZUNI TOONS

Coveted and collectible, these charming vintage creations are a subset of Southwestern jewelry aptly and cleverly dubbed ‘Zuni Toons’.

They’ve been artfully crafted by (mostly) Zuni artisans in channel inlay and accurately depict some of the most universally recognized cartoon characters of the 20th Century, ranging from Mickey Mouse to Betty Boop to Snoopy. As you may know, Disney is notoriously stringent and litigious about unlicensed use of their characters’ likenesses, so the majority of early Zuni Toons are unsigned by the artisan to limit their liability. However, Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney, was raised on the Nez Perce reservation, and legend has it that she recognized the economic opportunity these pieces were creating for the Zuni people and quietly put an indefinite moratorium on prosecuting any copyright infringement pertaining to Zuni Toons jewelry.

As you may know, Disney is notoriously stringent and litigious about unlicensed use of their characters’ likenesses, so the majority of early Zuni Toons are unsigned by the artisan to limit their liability. While it’s proved hard to fact-check, as not much is on official record about it, there is some lore surrounding the supposed legal battle between the Disney corporation and the Pueblo of Zuni.

“Now, I might be mistaken about the details of this, because it’s been a little while and I can’t remember quite where I heard it,” Cheryl said. “But I think there has to be a nugget of truth to it for the legend to have lived on for so long. I think Walt Disney’s wife has some sort of Native American ties, and in order to protect the artisans, she licensed it to them for like, a dollar. Look into it.”

Well, after a lot of digging, what we do know for sure is that Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney – a fascinating study in her own right and the influence behind naming the ubiquitous mouse, “Mickey” rather than Mortimer – was raised on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. It is well-documented that throughout hjer life, Lillian did a great deal of philanthropic work and made generous donations to the Nez Perce. While we couldn’t find documented proof she licensed the likenesses to Zuni artisans, legend and lore tells it that she recognized the economic opportunity these pieces were creating for the Zuni people and quietly put an indefinite moratorium on prosecuting any copyright infringement pertaining to Zuni Toons jewelry.