What I Bought on eBay! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lady's spaghetti bowl

Lady is the female protagonist of the Disney film "Lady and the Tramp". In one famous scene, she and her then-beau and now-husband, Tramp, are at an Italian Bistro eating spaghetti. They end up kissing each other by accident as they finish eating a single strand of spaghetti that they both slurp up from opposite ends from the bowl referenced in this question. What a cute scene!

Rin Tin Tin is another famous movie dog, but he never had any pups of his own (that we know of) and his life doesn't fit the description given here.

Lassie was also a famous live-action movie canine (which were portrayed by a series of dogs, most of whom were not even female). Lassie had a few different owners in movies and TV shows over the years, but this item doesn't fit the bill for "her" either.

Bambi, from the Disney movie of the same name, isn't a dog but a deer. Flower wasn't one of Bambi's possessions, but was really a skunk that was a good friend of Bambi's.

Answer: Mr. Ed's telephone

Mr. Ed was the horse protagonist and star of a 1960's television program bearing his name, in which the horse could talk, though his owner, a human named Wilbur, was the only one who ever heard Mr. Ed do so. It was a funny show, and they did a great job of dubbing the voice while the horse actor licked peanut butter off his lips. He really seemed to be talking.

Secretariat was a real-life famous race horse, who won the triple crown in 1973 as an underdog. He never had to share any of his saddles, though.

Francis was a mule who was a movie star in the 1950's, and he actually started the trend of talking animals on film. His military pal was named Peter, most often played by Donald O'Connor. Though Francis may have spoken on the phone at times, he didn't own one, since he was a military mule.

Babar is a fictional elephant king who reigned with his wife Celeste over the elephant kingdom after having visited human civilization. Babar probably uses a phone, at times, but it would probably have been a more elegant and regal model. Also, Babar never knew a Wilbur and he isn't a horse.

Answer: Nemo's aquarium

Probably the most famous fictional or real clownfish, Nemo was captured in an aquarium for a brief period before being joyfully reunited with his father, Marlin, in the movie "Finding Nemo". An aquarium is a great present for children, as they can save up and buy different fish, keep the aquarium clean and feed their fish. Also, they can spend a lot of time watching their fish, instead of playing video games or watching TV.

Flipper was a famous TV star, a dolphin, in the '60s. Though his owners did have a boat that they went out on the water with to follow Flipper and take part in his exploits, it wouldn't be the best gift for my nephews' room.

Moby Dick is the whale that is Ishmael's nemesis in Melville's novel of the same name. Ishmael used many items to try to be victorious over Moby Dick throughout the many pages of the long book, including nets and harpoons. The net would probably no go very well with my nephews' decor and doesn't involve any kind of responsible behavior either!

Jaws is the name of the great white shark who is the protagonist of Robert Benchley's book of the same name, which was made into a blockbuster movie in the '70s by Steven Spielberg. The chain in question actually came off of the ship of an unfortunate captain who was later eaten by Jaws. This wouldn't have been a good present for my nephews at all!

Answer: Germany

Snoopy's aircraft was actually his dog house, converted into his beloved Sopwith Camel. Snoopy cut a dashing figure flying on the roof of his house wearing his goggles and a jaunty scarf. Though Snoopy was a valiant pilot, more often than not his "plane" would be riddled with bullets after a run-in with the dreaded Red Baron.

Answer: Tweety's birdcage

Tweety is the famous little yellow bird from the Warner Brothers cartoons that makes Sylvester the cat's life miserable. Daffy Duck is Bugs Bunny's friend and rival, who speaks with a lisp and always seems to come in second, third or even dead last in their contests. Big Bird is one of the characters from Sesame Street, and he's been helping kids learn their letters, numbers and colors for years. Foghorn Leghorn is another cartoon bird from Warner Brothers, one that the hens find irresistible, and he's not a bad singer either.

The only item belonging to these famous birds that could fit in my nephews' room and would be useful for their birds is Tweety's cage. Tweety's owner, grandmother, recently upgraded the one that Tweety uses, which is why I found this one available on eBay.

Answer: Winnie the Pooh's honey pot

Winnie the Pooh is the famous bear friend of a young boy Christopher Robbin. Winnie loves honey and lives in the 100-acre wood with a variety of other animal friends in the books by A.A. Milne. Smokey the Bear was a real bear who survived a forest fire in California and became the mascot for fire-prevention campaigns in the US. "Only you can prevent forest fires" was Smokey's motto. Paddington is a fictional bear who lives in London and is the protagonist of a series of children's books by Michael Bond. Yogi Bear is a Hanna Barbera cartoon character who lives in Jellystone Park with his buddy, Boo Boo. He makes life miserable for the park ranger because he is always stealing people's picnic baskets.

Winnie the Pooh's item is the best one for our trip. We can use honey for many different things on our camping trip, and Winnie's pot will make sure there is enough to go around. Honey can be used to sweeten drinks, it can be put on a burn or a sting as a natural salve, it can be spread on bread instead of jam. None of the other bear's items, which are all single articles of clothing, would be as useful to all of us at once on a camping trip.

Answer: fox

There are many different animals represented among the band of merry men and other characters in "Robin Hood", including Maid Marion (also a fox), Little John (a bear), Lady Cluck (a chicken), Sir Hiss (a snake) and Prince John (a lion). All of the animals have given human characteristics, which makes this film a favorite today, many years after it was first released in 1973.

Answer: The White Rabbit's pocket watch

The only one of the choices listed that belonged to a rabbit and would be able to replace my dad's Timex wristwatch is the White Rabbit's pocket watch, from the Disney movie, "Alice in Wonderland".

Bugs Bunny did have a sundial in one of his Warner Brothers' cartoon adventures, but it is not the type of time piece that my dad could carry around with him easily.

Thumper, Bambi's rabbit friend from the Disney movie about the deer, didn't have an hourglass, but even if he had, it wouldn't be a portable clock either.

A Mickey Mouse watch could have been a good replacement for a Timex, though my dad might have felt silly wearing it to work, but Mickey is a mouse and not a rabbit.

Answer: Rafiki's staff

Rafiki is the wise baboon from Disney's "The Lion King", and his staff is so much more than a cane. It punctuates the wise ape's remarks and even helps him break open hard shells when he wants a snack. I was lucky to get it for my recuperation at a very reasonable price.

Curious George, the children's book protagonist, did have a ball, which might be useful for some type of physical therapy, but it wouldn't really help me get around without falling.

King Kong, the ill-fated star of several films, loved coconuts (for eating and as all-purpose projectiles). Coconuts would be equally useless for helping me get from one place to another, however.

Bonzo, the chimp co-star of a movie with Ronald Reagan, called "Bedtime for Bonzo", and a sequel called "Bonzo Goes to College", proved that a chimp can sometimes be a better student than a human. I suppose Bonzo could lend me his books to pass the time while I get better, but they wouldn't help me at all to walk.

Answer: Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion's corrective lenses

Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion was indeed a famous animal who starred on the TV show "Daktari" in the '60s, but he was never issued any corrective lenses, and the item I bought was nothing more than a worthless fake. I should have remembered that the lion never wore glasses on the show.

Elsa the Lioness was the star of the "Born Free" books and movies, which detailed the exploits of Joy and George Adamson in Nairobi, and the lioness they helped return to the wild. There are indeed commemorative coins, plates and other memorabilia about them.

Though Siegfried and Roy, who had a famous Las Vegas animal act with snowy white big cats, have retired since the horrible accident in which Roy was mauled by one of their animals, they still sell items related to their long career, including posters with their beautiful white lions.

The Cowardly Lion did indeed wear a regal cape while singing "If I Were King of the Forest" in the Emerald City in the classic film, "The Wizard of Oz". Just like the ruby slippers that Dorothy wore in that movie, there are real versions and copies out there, and buyers should beware. In any case, it would be possible to get one of the real capes because they did make a few of them for use in the film.