Kate • Disney Cicerone

Raise your hand if you remember when you could get “cozy” on Splash Mountain in Disneyland 🙋‍♀️ (and on the Matterhorn too!) To be fair, some of the earliest ride vehicle concept art for Disneyland’s version did have guests seated side-by-side, although they were in a raft made of logs that were tied together with rope instead of one hollowed out by the Beaver Brothers. One of my favorite details on these logs was always the little Brer Rabbit on the front, and I can’t wait to see what the Imagineers come up with for Tiana‘s Bayou Adventure to update the logs. The test ones don’t seem to have any decoration yet, but I’m hoping that’s just because they don’t want to spoil the show, not because they’re planning on leaving them plain. I love the cultural sensitivity and thought that went into the Tokyo Disneyland version to make people feel more at ease on the ride. They also toned down the splashes there to accomodate for the cooler weather and the fact that people like to get dressed up there more and therefore prefer not to be splashed as much. #splashmountain #splashmountaindisneyworld #splashmountaindisneyland #disney #disneyparks #imagineering #tianasbayouadventure #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneysecrets #disneyfacts #disneyhistory #disneytrivia #disneynerds #disneynerd #disneyfactsyoudontknow #wdw #magickingdom #tokyodisneyland #disneytok #disneytiktok #imagineering #disneyconstruction #splashmountainride #disneyrides #disneyattractions

The glove phenomenon was a THING in classic animation 😳 So many studios employed this technique of adding gloves to their characters, not just Disney studios (Bugs Bunny, for example, though he was partially inspired by a Disney rabbit from Tortoise and the Hare, so he was already part Disney without the gloves 😂) Even Mario and Luigi are rockin’ their own pair of white gloves. Over the years while researching Mickey, I’ve run into a lot of people who have said that the gloves are attached to Vaudeville and some of the questionable practices that happened within that art medium. While it’s true, Mickey did get his gloves for the first time in the short The Opry house in 1929, and while it did feature a Vaudeville-style show, everything that I’ve read from Walt Disney directly seems to imply that the gloves and the shoes that Mickey donned were mainly for ease of animation. They were not meant to be some sort of commentary or endorsing a particular practice. This makes sense logically as not every single cartoon that followed this one was set in Vaudeville setting, and yet Mickey continued to wear gloves and shoes. (There was, however, a short in 1933 that did feature some racial stereotyping that was considered acceptable in that era but would definitely not be today, and I make no excuses for that). I do love that they couldn’t quite decide on how many fingers Mickey should have the very beginning 😂 It reminds me of how Disney didn’t standardize the costumes for the characters in Disneyland for quite a few years, but eventually realized it was a problem and gave them stricter standards in the 1960s. #disney #mickeymouse #mickey #gloves #disneyparks #disneyshorts #disneyanimation #disneystudios #disneyland #minniemouse #disneycharacters #disneycartoons #disneyhistory #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #disneyworld #disneynerd #animationhistory #animation #disneysecrets #waltdisney #waltdisneyquotes #disneytiktok #disneytok

Their capas could have all been ditated if that one guy hadn’t said anything 😳 The name “river run” was thrown around for quite a few river rides for Disney, not just Splash Mountain. Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom was going to be called Tiger River run, but when they decided to shorten it and not make the ride float by real live tigers, it’s storyline changed, and so did it’s name. River Run didn’t disappear, however, because it made its way to Disney’s California Adventure park for their Grizzly River Run raft ride. This story about the first test run of Splash Mountain (as told by Tony Baxter) is very much reminicent of when Walt Disney wanted to take a ride on the Matterhorn before it was completed. They didn’t have any brakes on the attraction at that point, so they arranged for giant hay bales to be at the end of the ride to stop his bobsled. He loved flying into the hay so much that he insisted on having that same feeling of hay going everywhere in the ride, and that is why you splash down into a pool of water at the end of the Matterhorn. 🏔️ #splashmountain #splashmountaindisney #disney #disneyparks #disneyland #disneyworld #disneyworld #splashmountaindisneyworld #wdw #waltdisneyworld #disneyhistory #michaeleisner #tonybaxter #disneytrivia #imagineering #disneysecrets #disneystories #disneyfacts #disneyfactsyoudontknow #splash #zipadeedodah #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneypov #disneynerd #disneynerds #disneytok #disneytiktok

“I started studying old ladies. I spent hours in the grocery store, usually at the dog food counter. You see lots of them at the dog food counter. I didn’t mind spending the time. I like old ladies.” - Frank Thomas Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston were two of the animators who helped develop the three good fairies (Marc Davis and Don DaGradi also worked on the fairies). They called them the “most exasperating and elusive characters” because they weren’t exactly comic relief, and they had no weaknesses/foibles fo exploit because they always had to be “good.” In some versions of Sleeping Beauty (before Disney’s), there were as many as 13 fairies, but, not wanting to develop so many characters, Disney opted for only three for their story. The idea of the fairies controlling/manipulating the elements is one that fell by the wayside as the story developed, but the names stuck around even if their specific talents didn’t. Early concept art of Merryweather even had a little parasol umbrella for inclement weather ☔️ #disney #disneyanimation #sleepingbeauty #florafaunaandmerryweather #fauna #flora #merryweather #threegoodfairies #disneymovies #disneysecrets #disneylandparis #disneyparks #disneynerds #disneynerd #disneyhistory #waltdisney #frankthomas #disneyland #disneyconceptart #disneyanimators #disneystudios #disneytiktok #disneytok

This period of Disney history was so delightfully chaotic 😂 All of Disneyland was built in a year, and building a theme park as Walt wanted had never been done before, so there was a fair amount of mistakes along the way. Studio artists became theme park creators practically overnight, which is how Ken Anderson and Claude Coats got assigned to the Fantasyland dark rides (they both had worked on the original pictures). They painted the murals you would have seen in the load areas of the attractions (which are now long gone, replaced in the 1983 remodel). Ken Anderson said of relocating the rides from Burbank to Anaheim that it was “somewhat akin to building a house of cards with each card weighing 500 pounds”. Most of the scenes used then were just painted plywood, the three-dimensional characters (like the wiggling devils) didn’t come in until the 1960s. The ride layout was also quite a bit different back then, as some scenes were changed and added in the 1980s. You might be wondering how its possible that they miscalculated the ride dimensions so poorly that the track would not fit in the building. My best guess is that they assumed they had the same amount of space as both Peter Pan and Snow White, but they failed to take into account the maintenance room and Mad Hatter Shop that occupied a good portion of Mr. Toad’s footprint. And also they were just really new at doing this kind of thing and made a big mistake 😂 We all make mistakes sometimes, but we can’t let the reminder of how we messed up have their own wild ride again and again in our minds. Build your annex and keep moving forward. 💜 #dis#disneys#disneyparkst#mrtoadswildridet#mrtoads#disneyridess#disneyattractionss#disneylands#disneyhistorys#disneynerdsn#fantasylands#disneylandcalifornial#waltdisneys#disneyfails#mistakee#keepmovingforwards#disneyconstructions#disneystoriesn#kenandersona#imagineerings#disneyattractionss#disneytrivias#disneyfactss#disneysecretst#retrodisneys#disneyvintages#disneytoks#disneytiktok

The fact that he made Medusa do it too 😂 It makes sense given his personality that Milt would add in a signature technique that only he could do whenever he possibly could. He was a terribly competitive person, not only with other animators, but also with his ex-wife Phyllis Bounds. When she decided to take up something, like tap or play the piano, he decided to do it too, and then tried to best her at it. As for not using live-action reference footage, Milt believed if you worked at your craft and studied people, movement, balance, and weight, you didn’t need a filmed reference to animate convincingly. Milt Kahl really did resent getting stuck animating what he called the “hardest characters”, like the Prince in Sleeping Beauty because he didn’t show much emotion. He was often assigned the characters that no one else wanted thoughout his career at Disney studios, but he was able to do things with them that (arguably) few others would be able to do. “The hard characters to do are those that don’t do anything. The Prince is one of those. The hero doesn’t show relation, despair, anger on anything. Heroes are in the middle of everything. That’s what made Johnny Appleseed such an uninteresting character. The hardest thing to do in animation is nothing.” - Milt Kahl #disney #disneyanimation #disneystudios #disneymovies #disneyparks #disneyland #californiaadventure #disneycaliforniaadventure #miltkahl #disneytrivia #disneysecrets #disneyfacts #disneyfactsyoudontknow #disneyfun #disneycharacters #robinhood #aliceinwonderland #aristocats #junglebook #therescuers #medusa #phyllisbounds #sleepingbeauty #rescuers #disneytiktok #disneytok #disneyhistory #disneynerds #disneynerd

“[Walt] saw fairies as tall. The Blue Fairy in Pinocchio was tall. He always saw them as tall, regal, dignified mother figures. He never saw fairies as little cute dancing Tinker Bell things. We had a hard time selling him the little Tinker Bell.” - Disney animator Frank Thomas, from an interview with Bob Thomas in 1973 🧚 “After the first production, I had to add something to the play at the request of parents… about no one being able to fly until the ferry dust had been blown on him – so many children having gone home and tried it from their beds and needed surgical attention.” - James Matthew Barrie In case you’re curious… the beginning order of the clips of Peter Pan’s Flight in Disneyland Paris, then Disneyland, then Walt Disney World. This order is reversed at the end. 😊 #pixiedust #disney #peterpan #disneyanimation #peterpansflight #tinkerbell #inkandpaint #maryblair #disneyconceptart #disneyhistory #disneyrides #disneyland #disneylandparis #disneyworld #wdw #fantasyland #youcanfly #jmbarrie #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneystories #disneyattractions #disneytiktok #disneytok #disneyfairies #waltdisney #disneynerd #disnerds #disneyfan #disneyparks

Being a Disney history creator sometimes means staring at things that no one else would ever care/think about 😂 but I’m grateful for these crazy days when I get to nerd out with my friends @Kirk • Theme Park Expert and @MagicbandsandTrashcans -Lemuel The little rock Nautilus (that no one slowed down long enough for me to get a clip of) is a tribute to the 20,000 leagues under the sea attraction that used to be in the spot where the Little Mermaid ride is now. There’s also a tiny nautalis inside the treehouse of Winnie the Pooh on ghe rafter since the play area used to be over in the same location. There’s a ton of history story nods in this one and I’m happy to explain anything you have questions about, it’s too much to go into detail here 😂 #disneyvlog #disneyvlogging #disneycreators #waltdisneyworld #disneyworld #magickingdom #epcot #disneyfriends #adayatdisney #disneyhistory #disneysecrets #disneyparks #disneycreator #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #bigthundermountain #bigthunder #disneybound #disneyfun #disney #disneytiktok #pocketfam #disneytok #ramtrick #wdw

Can you imagine if Walt Disney had listened to that person? 😳 People will always have opinions about what they think you should do. But just because they have different preferences doesn’t mean you have to stick to what they want you to do or be. If Walt had taken those words to heart and just “stuck to shorts,” none of the movies and parks we know and love would exist today 🥺 This accusation of Walt’s must’ve happened fairly regularly (likely in a teasing manner) because I’ve read about it in at least a dozen separate interviews with Disney animators. No one seemed to know if Walt ever found out who actually said, “stick to shorts. There was some speculation, and the story department claimed that they knew, but nobody ever really seemed to know who said it. From Disney animator Frank Thomas: “Walt used this all the rest of his life. Whenever he wanted to get a guy’s goat, to put him down, or get around him somehow, his face would suddenly light up and he’d point at him and say, ‘You’re the guy!’ All these years he was searching for who it was who said, ‘Stick to shorts.’ This just ran through everything that happened after that. He was always half kidding with them, but there was always just this little sinister thing to back it up. We never knew whether he really knew who the guy was or not.” #waltdisney #snowwhite #snowwhiteandthesevendwarfs #disneystories #disneysecrets #disneystudios #disneyanimation #disneyparks #disneyland #snowwhitesenchantedwish #filmcriticism #disneyhistory #disney #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #disneyfactsyoudontknow #disneynerd #disnerd #obscuredisney #disneytiktok #disneytok

I always think about this whenever I am near this shop 🥺 This creative challenge was a fun collab to do with my Disney creator friends @MagicbandsandTrashcans -Lemuel and @Kirk • Theme Park Expert (head on over to their neck of the woods to see what they came up with!) Lillian Disney (Walt’s wife) once remarked that after Walt Disney passed away, every time she saw Mickey Mouse she would tear up because Mickey‘s mannerisms were so much like Walt’s 🥺 I love all the tiny details in it that they pulled from the Brave Little Tailor (1938) and Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947) to make it more than just a retail store. I also love how the giant (named Gustav in the first short and Willie in the second) was animated by Bill Tytla, who was said to have set the standard for all giants in animation with this particular one. Even though Brave Little Tailor was expensive to produce, Walt Disney said he “wished he could produce more Mickey pictures as good as Brave Little Tailor.” (From a Film Daily review in 1938) Lastly, I do want to say that even though Walt turned Mickey’s voice over for most major production to Jimmy MacDonald after Mickey and the Beanstalk, he did reprise his role for The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955-59. #disney #waltdisney #disneycollab #sirmickeys #disneyparks #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #waltdisney #disneycreators #disneystories #disneyland #mickeymouse #mickey #wdw #disneyanimation #bravelittletailor #mickeyandthebeanstalk #disneymovies #disneyhistory #voiceactors #disneylandparis #disneynerds #disneynerd #retrodisney #merlin #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #pocketfam #disneytrivia #disneytok #disneytiktok

Ironically, when they put the 200lb train back on the tracks and Walt gave it a go, he also derailed at the same spot (and yet he kept needling Ollie about his poor engineer skills). They did some investigating and talk to the gardener and that’s how they found out that somebody had run a truck over the tracks. Ollie fixed a loose spring in the repair process, which is what prompted Walt to say, “you’re a good mechanic, but you’re a lousy engineer.” Walt also said he was going to make a report about the incident 😂 The teasing of Ollie was all in good fun, and years later after Walt passed, he told Bob Thomas jn an interview how he treasured the 8x10 photo of the two of them. Memories aren’t just made in the perfect moments, often the most memorable ones are created out of chaos and plans going awry. Its all the better when you have a friend by your side who can laugh with you when you look back on those moments together 💜 (P.S. If you want to visit Walt’s Carolwood Pacific train, be sure to stop by the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. You can also see a few cars from it in the Railway Room of the Boulder Ridge Villas of the Wilderness Lodge in WDW 🚂) #w#waltdisneyt#trainsm#miniaturetrainsd#disneylandw#waltdisneyworldd#disneylandparisd#disneyparksd#disneysecretsd#disneystorieso#olliejohnstonf#friendshipf#friendshipgoalsd#disneyhistoryw#wdww#wdfmuseumd#disneyd#disneylandrailroadw#waltdisneyworldrailroadd#disneytriviad#disneyanimatorsd#disneyfactsd#disneyfactsyoudontknowd#disneyfriendsd#disneytiktokd#disneytokd#disneynerdsd#disnerdd#disneycicerone

I’m still holding out hope we’ll get that dapper Haunted Mansion spider someday 🕸️🎹 There were quite a few strong women behind Walt Disney, and they certainly don’t get enough credit for keeping him organized, healthy, and mentally/emotionally supported. Lillian Disney, Dolores Voght, and Hazel George are just three of the women who were in Walt’s life on a daily basis reminding him that he wasn’t alone (and telling him had to eat his vegetables). Hazel George had so many fun stories of her time with Walt Disney as his nurse. She would give him treatments after work each day to help give some relief to an old polo injury that plagued him for a good portion of his life (he took a mallet to the back of his neck). That’s also why his apartment over the firehouse in Disneyland has three showerheads in a line on the wall of his personal shower, to help give relief to his back. Walt and Hazel often gave each other a hard time and had a teasing relationship, but she was also a friend. He called his time with her his “laughing place.” “Walt worked around the clock until the end because he didn't want to leave things in a mess. He had heard a fortune-teller tell him that he would die prematurely and around his birthday. Walt resented birthdays as they put him closer to death. I asked Dolores for a picture of her at 20 or 23, and I got one of myself. We inscribed them to him with our maiden names. He got a big kick out of that and put them on the wall. It was a reminder that he wasn't growing old alone.” - Hazel George (And yes, I know that’s not an organ in Walt’s office, it’s obviously a piano, the same one the Sherman Brothers used to sit at and play music for Walt. There isn’t any organ in either of his offices now, either formal or informal) #womenindisney #disneyhistory #internationalwomansmonth #disneyparks #disney #waltdisney #lilliandisney #obscuredisney #disneystories #disneytea #disneyfun #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #disneynerds #disnerds #disneyland #wdfmuseum #disneylandparis #disneystudios #walt #disneytiktok #disneysecrets #strongwomen #disneyworld #hauntedmansion #disneytok #disneyconceptart #hazelgeorge #disneyfood #disneymusic

Only the nerdiest of Disney nerds are going to appreciate this one, and thats ok 😂 I also love the license plate on the Main Street Vehicle paying homage to Walt Disney World’s opening year 🥰 In Phantom Canyon, which is the Phantom Manor equivalent of the “grim grinning ghosts” graveyard scene in the Haunted Mansion, the steam locomotive coming toward you would have been like the one in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland. It not only would have had the light and sounds of a train, but you also would have seen smoke effects to make it more realistic. You can see in the concept art an animatronic next of a railroad worker, which was supposed to be similar to the caretaker in the US versions of the Haunted Mansion. When they switched to a ghost train concept instead, they made the animatronic into ticket master, who, by the way, was made from the same mold as Ezra, one of the three hitchhiking ghosts from the US Disney parks. After the switch was made from the head-on train to the one going by next to you, the train was supposed to have ghosts flying off of it while you felt the pulse of the train going by. But now its just some tracks and projections of rising ghosts to give an illusion of a haunted train. And yes, I know the idea of the train came from the Cars movie for Radiator Springs Racers, I just thought it would be fun to see some of the different ways, the imagine you staged that gag in attractions throughout the different decades and parks. 🚂 #disneylandparis #disneyland #disneyworld #disneyparks #disney #disneynerds #disneyhistory #phantommanor #hauntedmansion #madteaparty #storybooklandcanalboats #mainstreetusa #disneytrivia #disneysecrets #disneywaterfountains #wdw #californiaadventure #radiatorspringsracers #mrtoadwildride #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneyfacts #dca #disneycaliforniaadventure #disneycastle #beourguestrestaurant #disneytok #disneytiktok

When Walt first implemented this rule of no stressful meetings in the afternoons, his secretaries really didn’t take it seriously. At four or five o’clock, they would come in and tell Walt somebody wanted to see him. Walt would respond with, “You know what my rule is.” They would argue with him, saying, “Yes, but they say it’s very important.” And that’s when Walt held his boundaries by saying,“They all say that. I’ll see him in the morning. Let him go home and worry about it all night if he wants to. I plan to go home and sleep.” Walt also tried to set a personal work boundry of leaving papers and scripts in his briefcase at home and not reading them late at night. But, as his daughter Diane attested to in a 1956 Saturday Evening Post article, he didn’t always follow his own rule, and often regretted it when he did. If he was anxious about a script, he’d read it late at night, and then the next morning he would complain at breakfast, “I was fighting that script all night long.” In a world where there is less and less commuting and set 9-5 work schedules, I think it’s more important than ever that we find what rhythms of work that serve us best. Some of us are most productive and able to conquer the world in the mornings, while others are more creative and energized in the evening. Knowing yourself and what is a healthy mental balance for you own well-being is important, and we too often mold ourselves into what others tell us to be rather than acknowledging who we are. While we don’t always have the luxury of chosing when we work or determining our schedules, knowing the time you thrive most during the day (and when stress feels especially hard) can still help you make small changes and set boundaries when needed 💜 #waltdisney #boundaries #MentalHealth #disneystories #disney #disneyhistory #disneystudios #worklifebalance #disneyland #disneycruiseline #disneydream #walt #StressRelief #disneynerds #retrodisney #disneyvintage #disneyanimation #disneyparks #settingboundariesisselfcare #wdfmuseum #disneynerd #disneysecrets #disneyfacts #disneytiktok #disneytok

It just goes to show it’s ok to change your mind 😉 This iconic song was written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Pinocchio in 1940. Its recording by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket not only won an academy award for best original song, it was the first Disney song ever to win an Oscar. George Bruns didn’t work on the music for Pinocchio, he joined the studio later in 1953 to work on the score for Sleeping Beauty (and many projects afterwards ). But this quote comes from an interview from Sept. 6, 1973 that Bob Thomas had with George Bruns while Bob was collecting information about Walt Disney for the biography he was going to write (Walt Disney: An American Original). My guess is that either Walt Disney told this fact about When You Wish Upon a Star directly to George Bruns, or else he heard about it from other musicians in the studio. #di#disneyi#disneystudiosi#disneyfilmi#disneymusici#disneyparksi#disneytriviaa#waltdisneyh#whenyouwishuponastari#wishi#disneymoviesi#disneyridesi#disneyattractionsm#imagineeringi#disneyanimationi#disneysecretse#georgebrunsi#disneynerdi#disneynerdsi#disneylandi#disneyfactsi#disneyfactsyoudontknowi#disneyfactsdisneysecretsi#disneyhistoryi#tinkerbelln#snowwhitel#aliceinwonderlandi#disneytoki#disneytiktoki#pinocchio

Walt Disney used to like to brag that New Orleans Square cost more than Louisiana Purchase 😂 There are some accounts that say it cost $18 million to build New Orleans Square, but everything that I’ve ever seen reported in documents says $15 million. I also want to mention that Jean Lafitte is a much bigger topic when it comes to New Orleans Square, and I just didn’t have time to cover it in this one particular post. But the Silver Shop did exist from 1966-1988. It sold silver goods and housewares until it was annexed by the restaurant next door and turned into a dining room. The concept art I showed here was from the Blue Bayou Mart, which would have been where Pirates of the Caribbean is now. For those who are wondering, Hanns Scharff was a master interrogator on the wrong side of what happened in the world in the early 1940s. He used non-physical techniques that emphasized kindness in order to get information out of people. Hanns was later invited by the US Air Force to teach the American military the same interrogation techniques, which they then incorporated into their curriculum. Because of his cooperation, he was granted immigration status, and Hanns then devoted his life to creating art in the form of mosaics. He made a few for the California State Capitol and Los Angeles City Hall buildings (in addition to those he did for Disney). Some have asked me in the past to not talk about Hanns Scharff because of his military history, and while I certainly do NOT condone what he did, I think its important for us to have conversations about history by reporting the whole story (the interrogator and the artist) and not simply pretend it didn’t happen. #disneyland #neworleanssquare #disneyhistory #disneyparks #disneylandresortcalifornia #disneyworld #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneynerd #wdw #disneyworld #epcot #disneyfactsyoudontknow #disneylandhistory #waltdisney #disneyhistory #retrodisney #jeanlafitte #piratesofthecaribbean #pirates #disneylandcalifornia #disneytok #disneytiktok

I still can't believe there are this many references to that movie 😂 I made sure to say Apple Dumpling Gang a few more times just for @Kirk • Theme Park Expert 😉 There are a few more possible nods to Apple Dumpling Gang this Walt Disney World’s Big Thunder queue, but these are the most obvious. The song from the movie also plays in the area music loop. As I’ve mentioned before, Disneyland queue has tailings from the Tropico Mine in its queue as well, they’re just way more organized and neatly stacked whereas well, Disney World’s version of Big Thunder Mountain has all of the mind tailings scattered everywhere like they have been washed away in a flash flood, which makes sense for the storytelling. There is also a piece of minung equipment from this mine that you can find right after the Hard Times Café poster near the end of the upstairs queue (next to the signal poster). The poster that appears on Disneyland’s mercantile in Rainbow Ridge featuring Lotta the Miner’s Darling is a tribute to a real woman from the 1800s. Her name was Lotta Crabtree, and she used to sing, dance, and play the banjo in mining camps to entertain the miners. She aquired lots of gold and became quite famous, eventually becoming the highest paid actress in America at $5,000 per week in the 1880s. There is a fountain dedicated to her in San Francisco on Geary and Market Street, and the dorm building Crabtree Hall is named after her at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. #appledu#appledumplinggangm#disneymovies #disneyp#disneyparksn#bigthundermountainn#bigthunders#disneysecretst#disneytriviaf#disneyfactsyoudontknowf#disneyfunw#disneyworlds#waltdisneyworldt#donknottsi#wdwe#disneyeastereggs#disneystudiosh#disneyhistorye#disneyeastereggsn#disneynerdp#disneypodcasty#distoryc#walruscarpl#disneylandi#magickingdomc#disneyciceronef#pocketfamt#disneytiktokt#disneytok

I put some disclaimers in there, just in case anyone was confused 😉 The four men who worked together at Joshua Hendy Iron Works at its Sunnyvale location before forming Arrow Development were Andy Anderson, Karl Bacon, William Hardiman, and Ed Morgan. The name of the company came from Karl meeting with a lawyer to incorporate their business. They hadn’t thought of a name but needed one for the paperwork, so he looked down at his tie and the arrow tie pin he was wearing. He then suggested the name Arrow, and the rest is history. Arrow development created most of the classic ride mechanisms in Disneyland, including Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White,’s Adventures, parts of the carousel (it was a vintage one they refurbed), Casey Jr. Circus train, the Haunted Mansion, the Matterhorn, the Mad Tea Party, the Flying Saucers, Adventure Thru Inner Space, It’s a Small World, and many more. Pat Burke’s own words about the two construction photos of the stamp mill: “In 1979, I was standing in front of the Walt Disney World new Big Thunder Load building that was in progress. We had just installed the old 2 stamp mill in front that I had located and had to partially rebuild after over 100 years of use and neglect. The wood flywheel and crank assembly that would trip the mills hammers is lying on the ground. In the 1880s you could hear bays of these stamps mills running from miles away. A vertical gas engine is standing just behind the mill to run it by a flat leather belt. Today it would be over 130 years old. ‘It's old but it will hold!’” #big#bigthundermountains#disneyridess#disneysecretss#disneyattractionsg#bigthunderr#arrowdevelopmentl#waltdisneyworlds#disneywordg#magickingdoms#disneys#disneyparkss#disneytrivias#disneyliness#disneyqueues#disneyhistoryt#patburken#mininga#stampmills#disneynerds#disneynerdss#disneyfactsyoudontknows#obscuredisneyo#frontierlands#disneytoks#disneytiktok

This story is particularly special to me as it unfolded similarly for me and my husband, in a way. When I met him 20 years ago, he was an internationally-known Irish musician with an impressive career. I tagged along with him to Ireland as he got his masters degree and supported him as he got his PhD and built an amazing career filled with music and teaching. But for many of those years, I felt invisible. I did my own work and also stayed home to raise our kids for awhile, embracing the quiet significance of being a mom and wife. But I dreamed of more. I wanted to write. In the past few years, I’ve finally found my creative voice and chose to use it. My husband has supported me every step of the way, and now we work side-by-side cheering each other on in our creative endeavors. I have wanted to make this for awhile because it combines a piece of music he composed called The Odyssey of These Days with the words I wrote for my very first book. In the past 20 years, Eliot and I have traded times of being the one of “quiet significance” as the other shares pieces of themselves. Like Marc and Alice Davis, everything we create is better because we have each other. I’m so grateful for and proud of my dear husband @Eliot 💜 #disney #alicedavis #marcdavis #disneyhistory #womenindisney #internationalwomensday #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #smallworld #itsasmallworld #disneyland #disneytok #disneytiktok #piratesofthecaribbean #disneyworld #disneyparks #disneybook #disneybooks #author #disneyauthor #BookTok #disneyrides #disneystories #strongwomen #purpose #change #imagineering #couplegoals #disneynerd #disneynerds #disneywords

The water is still now except for some ripples caused by the most popular ducks in the world It was once a vast waterway a cruise for Tomorrowland Boats then Phantom ones the first Disney ride to close but not forever as motor boats arrived delighting children captained behind the wheel but years passed and interest waned and despite travels to Gummi Glen the boats were doomed hope left when the tracks departed and the water was still. It was given a new name Fantasia Gardens and the boats were just a memory. We too move from Phantom to Motor to Fantasia growing and adapting and changing until we slow down our pace taking our time as our joints creak and our memories take us on past adventures the motor boat cruises we made yesterday become our remember when’s phantoms of what used to be still alive and well in our minds We can’t stop the boats from changing but we can learn to accept their process because it gives us the opportunity to notice the ripples the ducks make on the water. #disneyhistory #disneyland #disneyparks #disneyauthor #motorboatcruise #phantomboats #gummibears #disneyparks #obscuredisneyhistory #change #transitions #acceptance #disney #disneynerds #disneyducks #growingolder #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #disneysecrets #disneyrides #disneyattractions #tomorrowland #disneytok #disneytiktok #poetrytiktok #disneyinspired