Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

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

EATING MICKEY MOUSE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

By Jim Korkis

One of the most creative appearances at Walt Disney World of Mickey Mouse is not in the stage shows, parades, his own attraction, merchandise or even the countless Hidden Mickeys, but in multiple food offerings at the parks and resorts.

Certainly, Mickey Mouse’s three-circle head silhouette is one of the most recognizable shapes on the planet, and it appears in the form of everything from ice cream to pasta to vegetables to pancakes and much, much more. It all began with Mickey Mouse pancakes in Frontierland at Disneyland in 1955, expanded to Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, and has since grown into a lengthy menu.

At Walt Disney World, Mickey Mouse-shaped food can fill a breakfast, lunch or dinner, and several desserts.

Each year guests consume roughly three million Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars, one million Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches, over 700,000 Mickey shaped pats of butter, and about 50,000 pounds of Mickey pasta.

(c) ABC

Walt Disney World Executive Chef Michael Pythoud said that the trend will continue and expand, but with some limitations. “The food is successful with the kids and adults but we don’t want to overfill how many food items are Mickey-shaped because if the guests see Mickey Mouse everywhere, it’s not as much fun or special anymore.”

Product Developer for Attractions Merchandise Sheila Hamblen said, “It just adds that extra touch to what we do. Guests love it when they see it.”

Chef de Cuisine Brian Piasecki feels the food is a major guest satisfier: “It’s really a kind of ‘wow’ factor or ‘look how cool that is’ kind of thing. It’s all about the guest and if we can adjust presentation or produce something fun with that Mickey-shape, it really enhances the guest experience, which is really what our job is. It definitely brings a smile to faces.

“At Epcot, we’ve done things like working with Horticulture to create a mold that grew cucumbers into a Mickey head-shape, and serving kids’ food on a Mickey-shaped plate.

“Even at Rose and Crown we’d pipe mashed potatoes into the form of a Mickey head onto the plate for the kids. Every opportunity that we can use to incorporate that Mickey shape into the food has really always been our practice.”

Among the many items that can be purchased across property include Mickey-shaped pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, waffles (most places also offer a gluten free version), sandwiches, birthday cake, Rice Krispies Treats, brownie, cookies, pretzels, cupcakes, sugar cubes, pizza, cinnamon roll, lollipop, funnel cake, candy apples, cake pops, donuts and even a Mickey Mousse as part of a dinner buffet.

In The Land pavilion, the Mickey head shape in the mold is extruded throughout the length of the growing cucumber, so that when the lumpy and odd-looking cucumber is sliced, each flat slice resembles Mickey Mouse’s head. That began in 2003. In addition, The Land has since produced Mickey Mouse head shaped pumpkins (starting in 2004 and some weighing up to 80 pounds) and watermelons.

Some of these items come in different varieties and it has been conservatively estimated that over sixty different Mickey food items are available at WDW. Long time Walt Disney World guests also know that if a Mickey-shaped treat is only offered on the children’s menu, an adult can still order and enjoy it.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim!  And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MARCH 20 TO MARCH 28, 2021

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, parades, and fireworks.

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/20-3/28/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-9p every day

Epcot will be open from 11a-11p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-8p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/20-3/28/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/20-3/28/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/20-3/28/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/20-3/28/21

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

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

SHRUNKEN NED

By Jim Korkis

A totem of Shrunken Ned’s head is hung in Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, where his voice is provided by Imagineer Brandon Kleyla who designed the location.

Few Disney fans know that Shrunken Ned was a character that actually originated at Walt Disney World. I wrote a book, Secret Stories of Extinct Walt Disney World, about things that no longer exist at the vacation destination, but I wasn’t able to include this story.

Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats, a remote control miniature boat experience, existed next to the Jungle Cruise attraction in Adventureland from 1997 to 2012. It occupied the area between the Jungle Cruise and the Swiss Family Treehouse and was eventually replaced in spring 2013 by stations for the interactive game, A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas.

A sign identified the game as the “Jungle Expedition Skipper Training School, established 1854”. Named for and apparently owned by Shrunken Ned, the attraction gave guests a way to experience maneuvering miniate models of the famous Jungle Cruise launches through a variety of obstacles.

The game was not part of the regular admission to the park but cost two tokens (with a nearby machine exchanging one dollar for one token so it cost two dollars to buy time to play with the boats) and featured sixteen individual control stations each featuring a big steering wheel and throttle.

Each station was numbered and corresponded to the same numbered boat.

Guests could attempt to navigate through an obstacle course containing such features as a volcano, spears, Tiki God statues, an Elephant Shrine, ancient ruins, and headhunters. A path to guide the boats was lined with the spears sticking out of the water. Guests could steer the boat in any direction along the designated path.

It was so popular that a similar experience called Safari Adventure was operated at the Disneyland Hotel from 1999 to 2010.

The boats were named Amazon Annie, Congo Connie, Bomokandi Bertha, Mongala Millie, Ganges Gertie, Kwango Kate, Volta Val, Nile Nellie, Orinoco Ida, Ucyali Lolly, Sankuru Sadie, Rutshuru Ruby, Irrawaddy Irma, Senegal Sal, Wamba Wanda and Zambesi Zelda.

Shrunken Ned was meant to be play on the words “shrunken head” that also referenced that guests were playing with shrunken boats. The Walt Disney World attraction sparked a mythology behind the named character.

Colonel Nedley Lostmore was a British colonist, reportedly from the late 1800s/early 1900s, who had some connection to the company that ran the Jungle Cruise. It is surmised that he had something to do with the training and possible hiring of new skippers. He had a distinctively huge white mustache and wore a monocle.

At some unknown point in time, Ned was decapitated and had his head shrunk–but in an unusual supernatural process. His sentient but preserved shrunken head was mounted in the South Seas Traders shop at Disneyland’s Adventureland.

Apparently the experience somehow helped him to become a fortune-teller and witch doctor. He identifies himself as “The Jungle’s Only Self-Service Witch Doctor”, diagnosing guests with strange jungle diseases and offering equally strange solutions.

He might diagnose a guest with some type of fever who is hallucinating that he was in Disneyland, when he is just lost in the jungle and sleepwalking.

He is one of four fortune telling machines found in Disneyland park, and his voice is provided by Imagineer Eddie Sotto.

Dropping two quarters into his “office,” Ned prompts the guest to place their hand on a carved hand-shaped plaque in front of the glass. Guests will feel an eerie pulsing heartbeat and then be told to take the prescription card that is produced. There are twelve different versions.

One one side is the face of Ned and on the other the advice on twelve different cards.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim!  And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MARCH 13 TO MARCH 21, 2021

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, parades, and fireworks.

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/13-3/21/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 3/13, and 8a-9p 3/14 through 3/21

Epcot will be open from 11a-11p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-8p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/13-3/21/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/13-3/21/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/13-3/21/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/13-3/21/21

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

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

KIDANI VILLAGE

By Jim Korkis

In 2009, Kidani Village opened near Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a Disney Vacation Club resort.

Kidani is the Swahili word for “necklace,” and was chosen because of the resort’s distinctive shape. It was designed as an African necklace with vacation villas forming the beads, walkways creating the knots in between, and the lobby representing the ornament or jewel at its center.

The lobby and the villas extend outwards and resemble the curlicue shape of a water buffalo’s horns.

With the opening of the resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge was renamed Jambo House, and the two resorts are now collectively know as Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Kidani Village offered it own unique savanna view of giraffes, elands, impalas, greater kudus, wildebeests, marabou storks, flamingos, waterbucks and more. There are two savannas, each with a different variety of animals, Sunset and Pembe, and guests are given a Wildlife Spotting Guide.

It has its own lobby and registration area as well as Samawati Springs pool, Uwanja (meaning “play area”) Camp water-play area, Survival of the Fittest fitness center, a table service restaurant Sanaa (“African inspired cuisine with an Indian touch”) and Johari Treasures merchandise shop.

Kidani Village was designed with three themes, Fabric, Proverbs, and Art from various African cultures. The art does not refer to just paintings hanging on the wall but also hand-carved masks, tribal symbols, sculptures and statuary in alcoves and on recessed shelves specifically designed for them.

The proverbs hold special significance due to their importance in African life. One of the most notable that is inscribed at the resort’s main entrance comes from the Asante people of Ghana: “Proverbs are like butterflies. Some are caught. Some fly away.”

Referencing this proverb’s philosophy a bronze-cast butterfly can be found next to each proverb located at the resort. Other proverbs include: “Truth keeps the hands cleaner than soap” (Nigera), “Life is like a ballet performance danced only once” (Mali) and “You must judge a person by the works of their hands.”

The “fabric” theme is very prominent in the lobby. The major patterns used throughout Kidani Village are from the fabrics of the kente cloths of Ghana and the kuba cloths of the Congo.

“Beyond the obvious natural beauty of Kidani Village, the story and attention to detail created by Walt Disney Imagineers is truly amazing,” said Kim Marinaccio who was the general manager of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas. “The themes of art, fabric and proverbs play an important part in telling the story of the African people and Kidani Village.”

Kidani Village was designed by architect Peter Dominick Jr., who designed the original resort, and it is clear that the style is much the same. The towering ceiling, rich dark wood and grand windows are similar, but the artwork and smaller size of public spaces imparts a cozier feel.

Cultural representatives from Africa are the Lobby Greeters, Savanna Guides and Restaurant Greeters, and share information about life in their country and their personal journey to WDW. They also share African folk tales each night at the Arusha Rock firepit.

However, in addition to authentic African culture, images of Simba, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa and others from Disney’s animated classic The Lion King appear throughout the resort, especially in the rooms.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim!  There’s more on Kidani Village beginning here.

And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MARCH 6 TO MARCH 14, 2021

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, parades, and fireworks.

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/6-3/14/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 3/6 through 3/8, 9a-8p 3/9, 9a-7p 3/10, 9a-8p 3/11, 9a-10p 3/12 and 3/13,  and 8a-9p 3/14

Epcot will be open from 11a-11p 3/6, 11a-8p 3/7 through 3/4, 11a-9p 3/5, 11a-11p 3/6 and 11a-8p 3/7

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-7p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-6p 2/27, 8a-7p 2/28, 8a-5p 3/1 through 3/5, 8a-8p 3/6, and 8a-6p 3/7

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/6-3/14/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/6-3/14/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/6-3/14/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/6-3/14/21

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!