A vintage and "very rare" Mickey Mouse cuddly toy will get iss forever home in a museum after being saved from a recycling centre bin.
The toy, which dates back to the 1930s, was found in a container at a site run by Monmouthshire County Council's waste and recycling contractors Suez.
The MonLife Museums' team say it was made at Dean's Toy Factory in Pontypool, one of the UK's oldest teddy bear manufacturers.
The business dates back to the 1700s and was the first UK manufacturer to make Disney characters in the 1930s but fell into administration in 2005.
An almost identical example of the toy – the earliest version of Mickey, as he appeared in his debut 1928 film ‘Steamboat Willie’ – is held within the collections of the V&A Museum in London.
Upon discovering the historical importance of the toy, Rachael Rogers, curator of Abergavenny Museum, suggested it be put in Pontypool Museum, less than a mile away from the old Dean's Toy Factory where it was made all those years ago.
Councillor Jane Pratt, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “I think it’s wonderful that Mickey has, after his very long life, been saved from the rubbish!
"I hope that the publicity he creates will encourage people to think carefully before they throw things away. I am delighted that he will be viewed by generations to come in his new home.”
Ms Pratt added: “Our Reuse shops at Llanfoist and Five Lanes have gone from strength to strength, with fantastic support from the staff at these recycling centres who spot lovely things, as well as the dedicated team of enthusiastic volunteers.
"It is not every day you find something as special as Mickey, but you would be amazed at what great things get saved that would have simply been thrown away.”
Caitlin Gingell, Pontypool Museum Curator, said: “The curatorial staff are very pleased to be acquiring Mickey into the collections at Torfaen Museum.
"Dean’s toy factory, where Mickey was made, has been an important strand of Pontypool’s history and it is lovely to be bringing him back to his hometown.
"We hope that Mickey can go to a professional conservator in the near future, to be cleaned and structurally supported before going on display as part of a small exhibition about the toy manufacturer.”
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