SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 DWARFS

Ledraplastic, 1969

Private collection

PVC Plastisol with

antibacterial finish

Mostra

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the best known fairy tales in the Western world. Published by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1814, the fable was inspired by the oral tales of traditional German folklore. In these tales, dwarfs were creatures of the land and bore few distinguishing characteristics other than those provided by the mining and woodcutting tools they brandished. It was with this virtually blank slate that Walt Disney, inspired by a trip to Germany and Austria,  set about  creating the characters that were to feature in his eponymous animation, together with all the surrounding imagery. The dwarfs produced by Ledraplastic are based on those from the film, each  bearing the same name and characteristic features as those created by Disney as a means of distinguishing the different roles.

Dopey

Plastisol® is the registered trademark  of ICAP-SIRA Chemicals and Polymers SPA and lends its name to polyvinyl chloride, or PVC as it is more commonly known,  one of the most versatile and most widely consumed plastic materials in the world.  A homogeneous, ready to use mixture, in its unadulterated form it flows like a liquid yet hardens when heated to become a solid, rigid plastic; mixed with plasticizers it can be used to produce soft, resistant objects that are pleasant to the touch and accurate in detail. While polyvinyl chloride was already in use during the nineteenth century, its commercial applications were limited and it was not until 1926, when Waldo Semon of B.F. Goodrich developed a technique to produce a pliable, flexible PVC  by combining it with plasticizers and other additives that its use became more widespread. The first company to start industrial production of PVC in Italy was S.A. Ursus Gomma in Vigevano (PV), which in 1939 constructed a new purpose-built plant to produce the new material.

Grumpy

Designer

Bashful seen from above
The accuracy of detail permitted by the material enhances the expressiveness of the characters, as this three-dimensional object transformed from the original drawing demonstrates.

Sources:
wikipedia.org
www.icapsira.com - Plastisol