WDW Artifacts - Bus Transportation Routes

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. This week at the Veranda we are celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Today we conclude the series with this curious artifact -- an early list of WDW bus routes:

What could be simpler? ;-]

For better or worse, bus transportation has played a significant role in the history of the resort.

Artifacts like these remind us of the scope and scale of the resort, and also point out historical oddities (such as the one-time prominence of the Transportation and Ticket Center).

Thanks for joining us in this week-long look back at some pieces of WDW history.

- The Management

WDW Artifacts - Golf Resort Bag Tag

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. This week at the Veranda we are celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Today's curious artifact is this bag-tag from the Walt Disney World Golf Resort:

Note the classic WDW Mickey-Globe motif

Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of our exploration of WDW artifacts.

- The Management

WDW Artifacts - EPCOT Center Puzzle

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. This week at the Veranda we are celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Today's curious artifact is a puzzling piece of EPCOT Center merch:

Some re-assembly required (much like EPCOT itself).

Come back tomorrow as our exploration of WDW artifacts continues.

- The Management

WDW Artifacts - Fort Wilderness Two-Play Giveaway (1988)

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. This week at the Veranda we are celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Today's curious artifact is this adorable little critter from Fort Wilderness:

TWO-PLAY GIVEAWAY
Y'all exchange the coupon for 2 free play tokens for the Davy Crockett Arcade in Pioneer Hall, or Daniel Boone's Arcade at the Meadow Recreation Complex.
Trade 'em in at the Pioneer Hall ticket window or the Meadow Recreation Complex Snack Bar during operating hours.

Come back tomorrow as our exploration of WDW artifacts continues.

- The Management

WDW Artifacts - EPCOT Center Patch

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. This week at the Veranda we are celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Today's curious artifact dates back to the early days of EPCOT Center:

Come back tomorrow as our exploration of WDW artifacts continues.

- The Management

A Very Merry (Un)Birthday to WDW!

October 1, 2011 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort.

This week at the Veranda we will be celebrating the occasion by exhibiting items from our WDW collection (one new item per day).

Let's start things off with this curious artifact - a five-day children's pass for the Magic Kingdom:

These tickets were only available to members of the Magic Kingdom Club, and date back to an era when most park guests were still using the A-E ticket books for individual attractions.

Note the hole near the top -- the passport was designed to be tied to an article of clothing with a string.  The level of wear on this item is consistent with a pass that would have to be displayed on your person while in the park.

As we can see from the back, this piece dates back to August of 1980:

On a personal note, the Veranda Management like to add "Happy Birthday, WDW! Thanks for the Adventures, looking forward to making new ones."

Intersections - Reflections of Japan

Here at the veranda our interest in the created worlds of Disney whets our appetite to explore the wider world which inspired them (and vice-versa). Photos are a fun way to discover the intersections, between Disney and the world beyond.

Consider for example these two structures.  Although both are inspired on Japanese architecture they reside on opposite sides of the U.S. continent.

You may recognize this pagoda from Epcot's Japan Pavilion:

Apparently a replica of a 7th century Horyuji Temple

But have you ever been to the Japanese Tea Garden at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park?

A lovely spot for reflection and tea

- The Management

Creative Connections - In Search of the Disney Coat of Arms

Back in June, we made a creative connection between shop-front signs at Epcot's UK pavilion and some real-world signs that are still evident in today's United Kingdom.

Following the connections also showed us how images from family heraldry play a role in both historic and WED-created UK signs.

Based on these discoveries, I started to wonder if there might be evidence of a Disney family Coat of Arms somewhere in the parks.

The Disney family name is apparently derived from the Norman d'Isigny ("from Isigny"). Given their European roots, Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle seems a likely spot to search for a Disney family crest:

A likely place to find a Coat of Arms?

Sure enough, if we look closely over the portcullis  there does appear to be a shield containing what look to me like three lions. Unfortunately, this is the best picture I have. You can find better images by searching the Internet for "Disney family crest castle picture":

Trust me, it's a shield with three lions

Could the "three lions" image be related to the Disney family? Perhaps not.  A little internet surfing makes a few things clear:

• Selling items displaying family heraldry appears to be quite the business
• Depending on the family name, one can find contradictory images all claiming to be "the family crest".

I wont pretend to speak with authority on this subject -- but I found an explanation on a discussion board that seems plausible to me. In brief, the explanation claims that: 

• Coats of Arms were given to individuals (not families).
• A Coat of Arms is passed on the the eldest son.
• Opinions vary on the propriety of displaying heraldry based on a common surname.

Although somewhat deflated by this information, I decided to push forward to see if there is evidence of a possible Disney family Coat of Arms on display somewhere in Disneyland.

The most consistent information I found online is that a Disney Coat of Arms consists of three fleur-de-lis:

• http://www.4crests.com/disney-coat-of-arms.html
• http://www.houseofnames.com/disney-coat-of-arms
• http://search.swyrich.com/searchresults.asp?Licensee=8566&Surname=Disney&z=

So the three lions on display over the drawbridge appears to be a bit of a red herring. But as I thought about it, I remembered something I'd heard before (probably on the "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps" guided tour at Disneyland):

Now what was it our Tour Guide told us?...

If I recall correctly, the Guide said something about the Disney family and the crests on display at the back of the castle:

Waterfalls and castles are sometimes better viewed from the backside

There are multiple uses of the "three fleur-de-lis" motif on display here, especially in the smaller shield symbols over the banner:

So, have we found another creative connection hidden in plain sight at Disneyland? Maybe, maybe not. I'm satisfied that it is at least a possible link. Fellow Adventurers are encouraged to decide for themselves.

- The Management

Out There - Chapel of the Transfiguration

Greetings Adventurers!

Some of our members recently returned from an expedition to Grand Teton National Park.

Our plan is to ply them with drink and ask them to regale us with tales (and photos), but so far they are still shaking off the dust of the trail and could not be bothered with lengthy exposition.

We did however manage to extract one quick image for Veranda photo gallery:

Chapel of the Transfiguration,
with the Teton range in the background
Moose, WY

Stay tuned for further developments.

- The Management

Curious Artifacts - 1983 EPCOT Center Map

Here's a curious artifact from the Veranda collection, an EPCOT Center map from 1983:

Unlike today's maps, this one was designed with an additional fold, presumably to fit more conveniently in a pocket.

When fully folded, the reverse side gives us a quick overview:

Note the period icons for both EPCOT Center and Walt Disney World!

Unfolding the map reveals:

Click here for a high-res version

Comparing the map to a more contemporary version brings several differences into sharp relief.

For example -- the stylized line drawing style and reduced color palette are both typical features for maps from this epoch.

One also quickly observes the empty spaces destined to hold future pavilions in both World Showcase (Norway, Morocco) and Future World (The Living Seas). We also see evidence of lost wonders such as Horizons and the famous lost potties of Denmark and Morocco.

Scanning the map more carefully reveals more curiosities. For example, can you locate the WorldKey Information Satellites? And how about the short-lived Renaissance Food Festival?

And how's this for quaint? Notice the friendly dining advice:

How did we ever survive before the days of 180-day ADRs?

(For extra credit, check out which World Showcase eateries did not rate the asterisk).

In the category of things not present, where is the International Gateway? Looking at the resort map on the back sheds light on this strange absence -- there's no point in having a gateway where there are no Epcot-area resorts to connect to!

Revel in the idyllic simplicity of the 1983 WDW resort!

Here's the map legend for the section near the Walt Disney World Village:

The resort map also continues the use of simplified graphic designs:

To round out our tour, here are thumbnails for the remaining map images in the Veranda collection:

Click on the thumbnails for high-res images

Feel free to linger and explore the map in greater detail. Leave a comment if you find anything noteworthy.

- The Management

Intersections - Rigging

Here at the veranda our interest in the created worlds of Disney whets our appetite to explore the wider world which inspired them (and vice-versa). Photos are a fun way to discover the intersections between Disney and the world beyond.

For example, here are two vessels that are over two thousand miles apart when conventionally measured, but feel as if they were cut from the same sailcloth:

The SS Columbia in it's home port.
Fowler's Harbor, Disneyland, CA

Another classic vessel makes port.
Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii.

- The Management

Creative Connections - Family Crests

In my last dispatch, we were looking at a creative connection between Epcot's UK pavilion and present-day England -- namely, the signs hanging from several of the buildings.

As we saw in both Epcot and the Cotswolds, these signs incorporate images that evoke the name of the establishment, provide some clues as to what may be found inside, or even relate to the lineage of the owning family.

Consider, for example this sign from The Redesdale Arms in Morton-on-the-Marsh. Here is another case where a few internet queries suggest that the sign incorporates images from the Redesdale family crest:

More family crest imagery

In Epcot's UK pavilion, the "Sportman's Shoppe" displays a sign boasting a whimsical graphic design that is part family crest, part sporting-goods store, and part hidden Mickey:

The Sportsman's Shoppe, Epcot

While this is all in good fun, if we look beyond this sign to the window on the second floor we see some other crests worked into a nearby window:

What are those crests in the window?

Consulting The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World (a nice resource, by the way) provides some insight:

"The crests... represent the four regions of the 

United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Whales.  

When the first three are overlaid, they form the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom".

Just across from the Sportsman's Shoppe, we find this sign outside the Rose and Crown:

Mmmm.... Guinness...

Compare this sign to Redesdale Arms sign above.   Here again, the Disney Imagineers combine history with whimsy. The image of a rose wearing a crown seems obvious enough, but digging a little deeper reveals that the two-color flower is The Tudor Rose -  the symbol adopted by King Henry VII at the end of the "Wars of the Roses" to symbolize the reunion of the royal houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose).

Consulting the Field Guide once again reveals that the motto under the rose "Otium Cum Dignitate" is Latin for Leisure With Dignity, which we at the Veranda strongly endorse.

And on that note, it is time to bring this dispatch to a close. I have more to say on the subject of family crests, but that will have to wait for another day. Storytelling is thirsty work, and I think it is time to enjoy some dignified leisure.

- The Management

P.S. - I've also been fortunate enough to visit the Rose and Crown Pub in Palo Alto, California.  Nice place for a pint.

Creative Connections - UK Signs

The artists who create Disney's themed environments often draw inspiration from a rich palette of past and present real-world locales. A cultivated appreciation for Disney Details inspires us to seek out similar treasures across the globe. Here at the Veranda, we look for these "Creative Connections" in our travels, and I'd like to share one of these connections with you today.

Those of you who have strolled Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion may have noticed the colorful signs hanging on several of the buildings. Here are a few examples:

The Queen's Table


Lords and Ladies Fancy Goods


The Toy Soldier

Although Epcot's UK takes inspiration from the past (with structures representing the 14th through 19th centuries), evidence of similar hanging signs can still be found in the present-day England.

Recounting her days in the United Kingdom, one of our members recalled seeing several such signs on display across the Costwold area. Consulting the Veranda photo gallery, she was quickly able to produce several examples:

The Balck Swan


Bakers Arms


Swan Hotel


The Bell Inn

The images on these signs often represent the name of the establihment, or provide some clue as to what may be found inside.

Sometimes, the images on the signs relate to family crests. The Lygon Arms Hotel in Chipping Campden appears to be one such example:

Although I'm a novice at such matters, a cursory internet search suggests that the two red lions(?) depicted on the sign are emblematic of the Lygon family crest.

In my next dispatch, we will "cross the pond" back over to Epcot to examine some more of the UK pavilion's signs, to see if the notion of family crests can provide additional creative connections:

- The Management