Walt Disney World has made immense changes since it opened in 1971. Beyond the frequently debated attraction closures and replacements, many fans feel that the entire complex has gone downhill. Nostalgia buffs tend to cite things like the homogenization of merchandise and the loss of the “little things” that once made the parks truly great. It is true that Disney has made quite a few head-scratching and even infuriating decisions in recent years. Yet not everything is gone for good. Here are 5 bits of classic Walt Disney World that you might have walked on by and never noticed.
1. Ticket booths
When the Magic Kingdom opened, it used the same system of A through E ride tickets as Disneyland. Tickets were sold in booklets at the front gates, but many people quickly ran out. Fortunately, all you had to do was stop by one of the many ticket booths located throughout the park to purchase more. Epcot’s 1982 opening spelled the end of ride tickets, as Walt Disney World transitioned to an all-inclusive price structure.
But what of the now-superfluous ticket booths? It was long before FastPass, let alone FastPass Plus, so there was no need for park-wide kiosks. In true Disney style, rather than remove or abandon the booths, they simply turned them into merchandise stands! Later, when pin trading became a thing, some were converted again to pin trading stations. Very enterprising, and not a bad way to move more merchandise.
2. Mary Blair mural
Mary Blair was an extraordinarily talented and prolific artist with a long history of collaboration with Walt Disney. Projects on which she worked include some of Disney’s most enduring animated films, such as Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. She even traveled to South America with Walt and his team, which led to the position of art supervisor on The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos.
Although Blair went independent in 1953, she maintained close ties with Walt. He commissioned her to develop the styling for It’s a Small World, which debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair. Still, she is probably best remembered for her stunning murals. Although her Disneyland murals were removed or covered over the years, the remarkable 90 foot high tile mural that serves as a centerpiece for Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort remains—a fitting tribute to one of classic Disney’s greatest stars. Next time you’re there, see if you can spot the five-legged goat!
3. Mosaic murals
Image: Disney
No less impressive, but often overlooked by guests rushing to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or Cinderella’s Royal Table, is the fantastic series of five mosaic murals that line one wall of the walkway through Cinderella Castle. Disney Legend Dorthea Redmond’s drawings were passed to German artisan Hanns-Joachim Scharff, who enlarged them to 15 by 10 feet in size and covered them in fabric netting. Assisted by his wife and daughter, Scharff then hand-cut more than a million pieces of glass, gold, and silver, and glued them face down onto the netting. Finally, the fabric pieces were transported to Cinderella Castle and pressed into wet cement. Once it hardened, the fabric was removed and the tile pieces carefully mortared. The entire mural took more than two years to create and install!
The murals tell the story of Cinderella, and are remarkable in their details. Look for the animals, the pumpkin coach, the full moon, and even the colors of the wicked stepsisters’ faces when Cinderella’s foot fits into the glass slipper. Nothing in the murals is accidental, so take a closer look the next time you pass through the castle.
4. Party line phone
When you find yourself on Main Street USA with a few moments to spare, take a stroll through the Chapeau. Most people are too entranced by the vast selection of Mickey ears and Disney hats to notice the old-fashioned hand crank phone along a wall near the back of the shop. Lift the receiver to listen in on a party line conversation you will never forget! The phone has been a staple at Walt Disney World since the Magic Kingdom opened, located first in the General Store and later in the Emporium before making its way to the Chapeau in the early 2010s.
For those who don’t know, party line telephones were shared between multiple families. Anyone who picked up the phone could overhear the conversation of whoever happened to be on the line, and arguments over eavesdropping and phone hogging were rampant. Party lines were the most common form of telephone service since its beginnings in the late 1800s, but were gradually phased out during the 1960s and 1970s. While most of the remaining holdouts in the United States, consisting of very rural areas, finally shut down in the early 1990s, a handful remain in place today.
5. Florida Orange Bird
Technically, the Florida Orange Bird isn’t so much a “still standing” as a “recently returned” part of classic Walt Disney World. Created specifically for the Sunshine Pavilion, which included both the Sunshine Tree Terrace and the Tropical Serenade (Enchanted Tiki Room), the Florida Orange Bird was a mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission.
However, beginning in the mid-1980s, the Sunshine Pavilion underwent numerous troubling changes. The first sign of controversy was the removal of the little Florida Orange Bird when Disney and the Florida Citrus Commission parted ways in 1986. By the mid-1990s, the pavilion was a shell of its former self, anchored by the abominable Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management. The Citrus Swirl was long-gone, and the Sunshine Tree Terrace was stripped down to virtually nothing.
In the early 2010s, though, things began to happen that were nearly incomprehensible based on the direction in which Disney was moving overall. A fortuitous fire in the new Enchanted Tiki Room attraction led to a seven-month closure, and the attraction re-emerged as Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, a near clone of the 1963 Disneyland original. This seemed to inspire Disney to restore the entire pavilion. The Florida Orange Bird made his triumphant return in 2012, along with a spruced-up Sunshine Tree Terrace. The nearly forgotten Citrus Swirl also came roaring back.
Today, Aloha Isle (home of the Dole Whip) and Sunshine Tree Terrace (home of the Citrus Swirl) coexist quite happily. The two actually swapped locations recently, leading to some confusion, but to the relief of many fans, both are still alive and well. And so is the Florida Orange Bird, an unlikely but much loved classic Disney icon.
Of course, these are just a few of the classic bits of Walt Disney World that sharp-eyed viewers can find. Did I miss your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
