The crates began arriving at Jay Peak in Vermont Monday, huge crates bearing huge things. They were statues, 1,500 pounds and more, of Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, some toy soldiers. At first, no one at the resort quite knew where to put stuff that big, but in an hour, space was found, and in came the first characters from the “Toy Story” movies.

It marked the beginning of one of the most unusual partnerships in New England snow country, and the arrival of a major new player in the world of winter sports, the Disney Corporation.