A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Books of Skipper Canteen

By Dave Shute

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE BOOKS OF SKIPPER CANTEEN

By Jim Korkis

Several companies sell books by the foot or the yard to fill book shelves on stage sets for television series, movies, and stage plays. Many sell to interior decorators trying to create a particular look for the room of a house. Collections can be generic or made-to-order including not just content but binding, size and color.

The tomes in the book case in the Meridian on the Disney Cruise Line ships are specifically filled with vintage nautical volumes.

(c) Disney

However, sometimes Imagineers get creative, as in the garage of Mickey Mouse’s house at WDW’s former Mickey’s Toontown Fair, where the shelves had titles like Repairing Electrical and Bermuda Shorts, How to Toon Up Your Car, Replace Your Wheels Without Tiring and The Auto-biography of Susie the Blue Coupe (a reference to a 1952 Disney short cartoon).

At the Skipper Canteen, the table service restaurant in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, the shelves are filled with books that reference Disney parks (The Eyes of Mara by Jones, obviously a reference to Indiana Jones and the Disneyland attraction); Imagineers (Crooning Flowers by Sherman and Sherman referring to the Disney composers the Sherman Brothers and their songs for the Enchanted Tiki Room); in-jokes (Friends for Dinner by T. Sam, a reference to Trader Sam the cannibal from the Jungle Cruise attraction); as well as some books that are just silly wordplay (Spotted Tigers by G. Rowl) or punny amusement (Fleas Navidad and Other Winter Insects). Some books have neither title nor author.

The secret meeting room of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.) is behind the bookcase and is accessed by pulling on a volume of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

Here are a handful of the many delightful titles here:

• In Search of the Yeti by Harrison Hightower III. Hightower is not only a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.) but was based on Imagineer Joe Rohde, who was responsible for much of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, including Expedition Everest. Hightower has several different books on the shelves including Treasures of the Animal Kingdom.
• A Manor of Fact by Mystic is a reference to Henry Mystic and Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland. He is also represented by other books including Treasures from the Manor and Primates as Shipmates referring to his pet mischievous monkey Albert who causes trouble in that attraction.
• Captain Mary Oceaneer wrote Parrots as Pets referring to her diving companion parrot Salty. She also wrote Charting Course since she is an ocean traveler.
• Leaders Throughout History by Professor G. Kalogridis. This is George Kalogridis, the President of WDW.
• Songs of the Tiki Bird by Professor Boag honors performer Wally Boag, who helped write and voiced the parrot Jose in The Enchanted Tiki Room.
• Universus Arboribus by B.M. Evans is a tribute to Imagineer Morgan “Bill” Evans, who loved putting Latin names on the Disney park horticulture.
• A Journey to the Stars by Kimball references Imagineer Ward Kimball who wrote and directed the three Disneyland television Tomorrowland episodes about outer space.
• Hamlet: A Lion’s Tale by Shakes Speare acknowledges that the Disney’s animated feature film Lion King was inspired by the classic Shakespeare play.
• Native Orange Birds of the Southeastern United States by Dr. Sidd Truss, (pronounced Citrus) is a nod to the Florida Orange Bird of the Florida Citrus Commission that was prominent in the first decade of Walt Disney World.
• Banjos and Baboons, by Goff, is a reference to Imagineer Harper Goff who was a banjo player but also the designer of the Jungle Cruise attraction.
• Primates of the Caribbean by Coats, references Imagineer Claude Coats, who did set design for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
• A View from Above by S. W. Buckets recalls the former Skyway attraction.
• Mission to the Red Planet  by Tom Morrow is a reference to the former Mission to Mars attraction.

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Thanks, Jim! There’s more from Jim Korkis on Skipper Canteen here. And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Secret Stories of Disneyland, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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