Souvenirs: A Star Spangled Celebration

More and more traditional types of souvenirs seem to be fading from view in the many, many retail shops across Walt Disney World. There was a time when you could pretty much purchase a button themed to just about any attraction, resort or special festivity. Here are a few with a distinct Independence Day theme. I purchased them sometime in the late 1980s, early 1990s.

Souvenirs: The Magic of Disney Animation

Roy Disney's introduction to the magic of Disney animation souvenir brochure, circa 1989:

Welcome to Walt Disney Animation in Florida!

Can you imagine an American childhood without the magic moments of Disney animation? No Mickey Mouse...or Minnie. No sputtering, rasping Donald Duck, tossing and turning through a nightmarish night on an unruly mattress. No "Whistle While You Work." No epic, comic, cliff-hanging mouse-eyeview up a mammoth stairway to Cinderella's bedroom. Will they make it in time for her to try on the magic slipper?

Suspense, slapstick, imagination, heart, gentle humor and a happy ending—all are part of the tradition of Disney animation. Audiences of kids and grown-ups have delighted in sixty years of silliness and storytelling, sentimentality and terror. Dumbo flies. Snow White runs from the scary eyes in the forest. Lady and Tramp fall in love over a plate of spaghetti. Tito tries to hot-wire a limousine—instead, he hot-wires himself. Fairy godmothers appear on cue. Mickey Mouse leads a band, battles a giant, falls in love.

Disney animation provides a generous sprinkle of pixie dust. With it, you can fly up, up and away, over the rooftops of London to Never Land—or into the past, to darkened theaters, vivid images and the plaintive voices of kids asking, "Where's Bambi's mother?"

Disney animation pleases the eye and warms the heart. It makes you cry and it makes you laugh. As the foundation and wellspring of The Walt Disney Company, animation is celebrated in the Animation Building at the Disney-MGM Studios.

The Animation Building is a working studio. Inside, more than 80 artists and technicians are creating new animated films for theatrical and video release. A unique behind-the-scenes tour includes films starring animators—and animated characters—who tell the insiders' story of animation. Strolling through soundproof corridors, guests watch as animators bring classic Disney characters to life.

The magical world of animation is introduced by The Disney Animation Collection. The Collection, a changing exhibition of the best of animation art, is drawn from The Walt Disney Company Animation Research Library and the Walt Disney Archives. Some pieces are classics, and have appeared in museums and publications. Others have never before been seen by the public. The paintings and sketches, sculptures and drawings are more than just works of art ... they are basic to the lives of three generations of Americans.

The Collection begins at the point in the animation process when pen, paintbrush or crayon is first put to paper. A storyline has been crafted, the dialogue is in its final stages—enter the artists with concept sketches and paintings. Silly, scary, impressionistic or harshly detailed, these drawings provide inspiration for a scene, character or mood. Layout drawings indicate camera movements and serve as set designs. Next, detailed backgrounds are painted to provide characters with a house to live in, a forest to wander in or a corner pocket on a pool table, from a cricket's point of view.

Once the set is in place, the focus shifts to the characters. Animation drawings are produced by animators— "actors with a pencil" —who come equipped with rampant imaginations and plenty of technical know-how. Character movement springs from long days at the drawing table, fierce story sessions and plenty of foolishness (like the eager assistant who demonstrated how Pluto ought to eat—by getting down on all fours and dining from a dog dish). How do you animate a hat brim? Grab that three-dimensional study model on the desk. Turn it. Twist it. Draw it. Or take advantage of technology and computerize it—everything becomes a tool for getting the best movement to express a character's emotion.

Finally, after perhaps years of work, a single frame of animation is ready for the camera. A set-up—inked and painted animation cels laid over a background—has been honed and perfected, checked, assembled and charted. Special effects have been added. One twenty-fourth of a second of glory is committed to film—then captured on the wall of the Disney Animation Building for you to wonder at and admire.

Six decades of Disney animation have left posterity with surprisingly few examples of artwork. Paper is fragile; pastel rubs off. And in the early years, cels were reused for economy (remember "The Dip" in Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Now collectors' items, pieces of Disney animation art evoke childhood memories and weave together a rich tapestry of fairy tales, children's books, original stories and pure movement and motion.

From Steamboat Willie to The Little Mermaid, with over a hundred Dalmatians, a few handsome princes and various woodland beasts thrown in, Disney animation has been synonymous with quality, innovation, and fun. This proud tradition, celebrated in the Disney Animation Collection, continues in the Animation Building at the Disney-MGM Studios.

The current Disney Animation attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios is but a very faint shadow of what was easily one of the premiere attractions of Walt Disney World. The shuttering of the Florida studio was certainly one of the saddest moments in the histories of both Walt Disney World and Disney Animation.

Souvenirs: Pennant Magic and Adventure

Five years separated these pennants that celebrated Disneyland anniversaries. I was a big fan of the Disneyland 35 Years of Magic motif from 1990 with its bright colors and non-traditional castle design logo. The Fab Five plus Daisy appeared on the pennant design that was equally colorful and attractive.

Five years later, the 40 Years of Adventures theme took a more spartan design approach. Tying into the debut of the Indiana Jones Adventure, the logo borrowed both font and pose from Indy-based materials.

Souvenirs: A Star Wars-Disney Shuffle

Some of the most creative and fun Disney theme park merchandise of late has been the Star Tours line featuring Disney character incarnations of popular Star Wars figures. While most of the attention has been focused on the large scale "big figs," other products have been quietly appearing.

This particular item is in my opinion, an instant classic. This dual deck set of playing cards features a Sith deck and a Jedi deck. The casting of Chip and Dale as Ewoks is simply ingenious.

Souvenirs: The Return of a Classic

On my last few visits to Walt Disney World, I have noticed the return of a particular souvenir, both classic and iconic. The Mickey ears balloon has been around since 1971 and its image has decorated everything from store bags to promotional graphics. But in my mind, its most famous incarnation was the balloon-within-balloon souvenir that was a Main Street staple throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. When I saw them rising again above the Magic Kingdom on a visit last fall, I was instantly and sentimentally transported back to 1973 and an image of my younger sister, then six years old, with a most precious item securely tied to her wrist.

Souvenirs: Toontown Memories

Continuing our celebration today of the 15th Anniversary of Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland, here are a few fun souvenirs from that land's earliest days. Transportation is one of Toontown's key themes so a license plate is an especially appropriate souvenir.


The Toontown Trolley in many ways became the icon of the area, as demonstrated by its placement on these two different styles of buttons. In an interesting contrast, the smaller panel style button seemed to pay homage to Toontown's roots in Who Framed Roger Rabbit with its smiling sun and various animated objects, while the larger round button was a bit less looney and featured Gadget along with Chip 'n Dale in their Rescue Rangers incarnations.

Souvenirs: Pleasure Island Memories

Souvenir buttons of bygone days.

This collection of buttons dates from the inaugural days of Pleasure Island back in the spring of 1989. While both Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club have survived the past two decades, Avigators Supply and the Neon Armadillo have sadly faded into Walt Disney World obscura.

Avigators Supply was easily one of my most favorite shopping experiences in Walt Disney World. A companion store of sorts to the Adventurers Club, it was a very cool aviation themed establishment that was reminiscent of Banana Republic in its pre-Gap days.

A 1990 edition of the Birnbaum guide provided this description of the Neon Armadillo, PI's original country music venue:

"Once a greenhouse for exotic plants collected during Pleasure's endless world travels, the Neon Armadillo now features live country & western music nightly. Southwestern decor is highlighted by a wonderful brass chandelier in the shape of a spur and inlaid wood tabletops decorated in Navajo blanket patterns. In keeping with the Southwestern theme, two fajitas bars offer freshly made chicken, beef, or seafood fajitas. Specialty drinks, beer, and wine are also served."

Hooray for Main Street U.S.A.!

When you walk right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A., remember to proudly wave your pennant!

I have always loved it when Walt Disney World produced souvenirs for the Magic Kingdom that were distinctly "land-centric." Here is not one, but two pennants that celebrate the resort's most famous neighborhood. Both feature film connections--Cyril Proudbottom, Mr. Toad's loyal compatriot pulls the trolley, while Mickey and Minnie are decked out in their Nifty Nineties finery.

Souvenirs: EPCOT 25

Sure, there were shirts and pins and Figment plush, but the simple promotional giveaways were definitely the best souvenirs of the day.

Souvenirs: The EPCOT Mint

Another fun category of Walt Disney World souvenirs is the commemorative coin. Roughly the size of a half dollar, they are typically themed to individual parks or special occasions and are often quite detailed in their sculpted surfaces.

In celebration of EPCOT Center's 25th Anniversary, here are three different coins, each from a different decade of EPCOT's operation.

The EPCOT Pre-Opening Postcards - World Showcase

As promised, here are the postcards featuring conceptual artwork from World Showcase pavilions. These cards were sold at the Magic Kingdom's EPCOT Preview Center prior to the park's opening in October of 1982. As noted in the prior post, these cards had a back-caption that read The Newest Wonder of the World Opens October 1, 1982. Missing from this specific series but later released were cards for Italy and Canada.

MEXICO IN THE WORLD SHOWCASE Within the Mayan pyramid of the Mexico pavilion, guests will sail along "Rivers of Time" from the pre-Columbian era to Modern Mexico.

WORLD SHOWCASE In the People's Republic of China pavilion, CircleVision 360 will surround guests with extraordinary images and sounds of that vast nation.

GERMANY IN THE WORLD SHOWCASE Fairy-tale charm and Oktoberfest revelry will be captured in the platz and biergarten of the Germany pavilion.

THE AMERICAN ADVENTURE More than 30 Audio-Animatronics figures, including "hosts" Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, will bring the triumphant story of America and its people to life.

JAPAN IN THE WORLD SHOWCASE The towers of an ancient fortress will rise above delicately sculpted gardens and colorful koi fish ponds in the Japan pavilion.

FRANCE IN THE WORLD SHOWCASE A new "Eiffel Tower" soars above the boulevard shops and guests wills thrill to a cinematic tour in the "Impressions de France" film at Palais du Cinema.
UNITED KINGDOM IN WORLD SHOWCASE In the "Rose & Crown" pub in the United Kingdom pavilion, guests will enjoy authentic British fare and toast Her Majesty with ale.

The EPCOT Pre-Opening Postcards - Future World

Among the souvenirs made available at the EPCOT Center Preview Center prior to the park's October 1982 opening was a series of postcards that featured concept art from nearly all of the attractions and pavilions. The now-famous aerial view painting featured above was distinct in that it carried no tag-line on the reverse side. The cards themed to Future World featured the line The Future Begins October 1, 1982 (pictured above), while the World Showcase cards stated The Newest Wonder of the World Opens October 1, 1982. Featured today are the Future World postcards with their corresponding back-of-card captions.

FUTURE WORLD THEME ATTRACTION Contained within a 17-story "geosphere," Spaceship Earth features a ride through the evolution of our communications networks.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LAND Covering nearly six acres, The Land will offer guests some food for thought about nutrition, and a chance to set sail for "Tomorrow's Harvest."

WITH A SPARK OF INSPIRATION. . . Colorful realms of creativity will be explored when guests board ride-vehicles for a Journey Into Imagination.

"FREEDOM OF MOBILITY" In World of Motion, guests will ride through more than 30 Audio-Animatronics scenes about transportation's evolution, shown here in artwork and models.

UNDERSEA ADVENTURE The Living Seas, opening during Phase II of EPCOT CENTER in 1983, will reveal the wonders of our aquatic frontier at "Sea Base Alpha," a working research station.A LOOK A TOMORROW . . . TODAY In Horizons, guests will ride into three-dimensional future habitats, including a cityscape and space colony.

Universe of Energy was not represented in this The Future Begins October 1, 1982 series of cards. A card featuring concept art of the pavilion's exterior was subsequently released, but displayed the line Discover the Newest Wonder of the World.

Universe of Energy in Future World A gleaming array of 80,000 photovoltaic cells of the building's roof help guest to "ride on sunshine" through Universe of Energy, where they explore energy choices and challenges for tomorrow.

I was able to feature this particular card here with the much appreciated assistance of Brian Martsolf. Brian has the best online resource for Walt Disney World postcards. Check out his very extensive and comprehensive site. You won't be disappointed. Thanks, Brian!

Coming up: World Showcase!

Souvenirs: Adding a Little Character to World Showcase

Let's do a little more vintage souvenir shopping in honor of the 25th Anniversary of EPCOT Center. This series of character-themed decals predated the 1988 opening of the Norway pavilion. Mickey dominated the mix, appearing on seven of the ten selections. Donald was even then channeling his Three Caballeros persona for Mexico. The decals were part of a larger wave of character merchandise themed to World Showcase that appeared in the mid-to-late 1980s and included plush, novelties and apparrel.

Souvenir Shopping at Centorium

Today we're going to jump in the old time machine and head back to EPCOT Center circa 1988 and do a little shopping in what was then my favorite shop in all of Walt Disney World-- Centorium. This Emporium of the 21st century was the place to find all of EPCOT Center's branded merchandise, including these popular items that have since become by and large extinct in the world of theme park souvenirs.

Pennants were a mainstay of resort stores during Disney World's first two decades, and this EPCOT Center edition (pictured above) is a personal favorite in my collection.

Bumper stickers have become scarcer as well, having been reborn in magnetic incarnations, which can be very cool, but are certainly not as plentiful as were their older and more traditional counterparts. I am a big admirer of the early Seabase Alpha designs and so this Living Seas bumper sticker was a natural purchase.

Souvenirs: Hollywood Pennants

I have not been good about maintaining my Souvenirs Department here at 2719 Hyperion, especially considering the sheer volume of Disney theme park memorabilia that adorns my walls and clutters my household. One of my earliest posts from back in the fall featured one of my favorite types of souvenirs, the now largely extinct pennant. Once a mainstay of places like Main Street's Emporium and EPCOT Center's Centorium, the pennant has pretty much all but vanished from Disney theme park shops.

These particular examples date back to 1988 and 1989 and showcase Disney-MGM Studios. In those early days of the park, while the water tower was largely considered to be the Studio's iconic symbol, the graphic of Mickey Mouse holding the clapboard was the image that was featured on the vast majority of merchandise and marketing materials. This went back all the way to much of the park's pre-opening materials including the pennant pictured above.

I would venture to guess that a substantial amount of current guests to Disney-MGM Studios do not bother with the Backlot Tour and Catastrophe Canyon. Yet in those early days before Muppet*Vision 3D, Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, Catastrophe Canyon was a true headliner attraction, as this particluar pennant reflects.

License to Collect: Ouverture en 1992

Disneyland Paris just recently launched its 15 Year Anniversary celebration with much fanfare. But, fifteen years ago, it had a different name--EuroDisney. Here's a license plate that was actually sold at Walt Disney World--at France in EPCOT Center's World Showcase to be exact.

Souvenirs: Greetings from Horizons!

On this week's WDW Radio Show, Lou and I continue our celebration of EPCOT's 25th Anniversary with an extended discussion of Horizons, the much beloved but now sadly extinct Future World Attraction.

Unlike the current plethora of Mission: Space merchandise, little was offered in the way of Horizons souvenirs during its run of sixteen years. These early postcards are among the very few items I possess that are unique to the now-classic Future World pavilion.

Souvenirs: Pushing Buttons at EPCOT

Buttons have always been favorite souvenirs for me. I'm sure my collection numbers well into the hundreds. They're inexpensive, colorful and years later become small time capsules of memories past.

Here are a few from EPCOT Center's first decade. Most were likely purchased at the Centorium, the very EPCOT-themed shop that the larger and more all-encompassing Mouse Gear replaced a number of years ago. The one featuring Mickey with all the flags likely came from one of the two International Gateway stores.

Postcards: Now and Then

A few years ago, Disney World produced a line of merchandise themed to vintage travel and postcard designs. One item in particular that I really enjoyed was a Walt Disney World postcard done in the large-letter style that used to be very popular, especially during the 1940s.

An interesting contrast is this actual postcard from 1941. The card's back caption reads:

Almost in the exact geographical center of the State, Orlando is a fast-growing resort and distributing community. It is here that most of Florida's citrus fruit banking is conducted. In fifteen years the city has tripled in population until it is now a city of 35,000 year-round inhabitants. During the winter months it is host to an additional 35,000 persons from other states. Orlando is known as the "City Beautiful" for its 33 lakes and parks.

According to recent census estimates, the city of Orlando has a population of 213,233. The Greater Orlando area, which includes Lake, Osceola, Orange and Seminole Counties tops out at an estimated 1,933,215 individuals.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today . . .

. . . that I was enjoying one of my most memorable visits to Walt Disney World.

It was a truly great time. It was my first time back since summer of 1982 and was significant to me for a number of reasons. It was my wife Alane's first trip to Disney World, and it marked my first visit to EPCOT Center. It also served to ignite a passion in both of us that has since yet to diminish in any way.

The resort was in the midst of its 15 Years Birthday Celebration, and pictured are just a few of the mementos of that trip that I have long treasured. The one item I value most from the 15 Years celebration I am unfortunately unable to display here. It was the large Walt Disney World-Coca Cola 15th Birthday commemorative pin set. It features 60 different pins, all co-branded with the Coca Cola logo. I purchased it at the Disneyana Shop, which was located in Fantasyland back then, right where the PhilharMagic store currently resides. A very helpful and always pleasant cast member named Jonah worked there then.