Goofy but Profitable Currency

Forget about yen, dollars and deutsche marks. The hottest currency in the world these days seems to be Disney Dollars.

Consider this: Some Disney Dollars bearing President Mickey’s likeness have tripled in value in just three years, collectors say. A U.S. dollar issued that same year is worth $1.

Of the $25 million in Disney Dollars in existence, about $9 million have never been in circulation--they were probably just framed and put on a wall.

An uncirculated $1 Disney Dollar dated 1986 is the most valuable issue, collectors say. Uncut sheets of uncirculated bills from that year are treasured even more, they add.

If you are willing to settle for circulated $1 Disney Dollars, you can get them at the two Disney parks for $1 apiece. If you want the uncirculated version, a sheet of 18 $1 bills will cost you $250. A frame will set you back another $100.

Series A and Series B have come and gone, and Disney is issuing Series AB dollars. In fact, its bills now come in $5 Goofy and $10 Minnie Mouse denominations.

Pinups You Can Howl About

Talk about dog days.

The folks that make Purina dog food are about to introduce--we kid you not--a “Dogs of the Stars” 1991 calendar. The calendar, which will be available free with proof-of-purchase seals from Ralston Purina pet foods, will feature pinup-type pictures of dogs that belong to Hollywood celebrities--from Joan Rivers’ Yorkshire terrier, Spike, to Paul Newman’s Louisiana Catahoula, Griggs.

In August, Ralston Purina is scheduled to unveil an unusual billboard on Sunset Boulevard to promote the pinup pooches. The calendar will also feature photos of dogs that belong to a parade of other Hollywood notables, including Barbara Mandrell and Bob Hope.

The celebrity dog selected for January belongs to Sylvester Stallone. No surprise here: Gangster is a boxer. It is pictured with a pair of red boxing gloves hanging from its neck. Under the photo, Stallone says of his pooch, “Gangster is the truest friend I can ever ask for.”

Getting the Japanese Jazzed

The new brochures for actress Marla Gibbs’ jazz supper club near Liemert Park are printed in English and Japanese. A spokeswoman for Marla’s Memory Lane said they are part of a strategy to lure more Japanese tourists to the club, as well as to steer more of them toward the Liemert Park district that has recently become a showcase of African American art.

“The Japanese love jazz, and we are the oldest jazz supper club in Southern California,” said spokeswoman Ramona Bohanon.

Luring Japanese tourists to Los Angeles’ largely black neighborhoods may be tough, but businesses in New York’s Harlem have managed to attract a steady stream of foreign tourists to restaurants and art galleries shunned by New York natives and American tourists.