I sat at that table back in the day. Every summer there was a United Way campaign and I was the New Orleans Square representative. As a “thank you“ we were treated to lunch at Club 33.

Mary and Bev Butrum were the two people I worked with who had met Walt when I first started in NO Square. Great stories.

Mary Thiel was queen of the Outpost. She also taught square and line dancing in the entertainment rehearsal hall on Mondays and Tuesdays when the park was closed in offseason.

Not only did I sell them, I still have the one I bought in 1980. Black Hills gold! Bear Country was so dead after sundown. Our only amusement was the old school player piano (with paper rolled music). The area did have a good background loop outside.

You’d be shocked how much antique furniture moved through One-of-Kind. That and these atrocious Capodimonte porcelain chandeliers. Go figure. They were a pain in the ass to wrap.

Le Gourmet was actually “Sur le Tablé” 30 years too soon.

One-of-a-Kind, Gourmet, and Perfume actually made money. And the hat shop, only because it sold film and cigarettes. Silver and Gold…oof. Gold actually became “seasonal” because it was a black hole.

The display case was bought by Walt and was so large they had to build the shop around it- wouldn’t fit through any door or window.

My first summer, as low man on the roster, I ended up in the silver shop( now an extension of the Cafe Orleans kitchen). It was like solitary confinement… I never saw another human until someone showed up to break me. Still wonder what became of the Revolutionary War era display case.

My very first day in NO merch my
Lead told me “these shops aren’t meant to make money, they are part of the show”. Which was true- most of them didn’t make $100 even on a busy summer weekend. But the area was charming as hell. I can’t believe what they did to One-of-a-Kind. Criminal.

I worked in NO merch when the change happened. A lot of people were unhappy with it, thought it completely cheapened the Square. Originally it had a bunch of cheap “pirate-y” stuff, but it also offered pirate maquettes from WED, which were pretty amazing. They were going for $300 at the time.

3. The AI will quickly advance to “direct to video” quality. And ultimately eliminate the need for writers, storyboard artists, character designers and animators. It will be a “prompt - IP” pipeline.

2. They are counting on millions of people training AI to animate Disney characters.

1. Iger and the Board know within 20 minutes of this going live the web will be flooded with Alladin gay porn. 20 minutes is probably generous. They dont care.

Watching the fireworks from the People Mover was top 10.

Worked my final year in the Park with Van France in the DU in 1982. Such a great guy and Disney Legend. His office in the admin building was opposite/backed up on the pterodactyl scene in Primeval World, so every time a train passed through you would have to pause your conversation for the squawking

My treasure… “The Art of Walt Disney”… signed by Walt Disney. Authenticated by Dave Smith.

I know if the bulb burned out they would replace it with what they had on hand. Would rather have double white lights than bad show with a missing or dead bulb. But it would eventually be replaced with a split bulb.

I gave new employee orientation tours in 1981-82. The split bulb was there then. We were told it had been there from the early days.

Age verification?

I rode the PeopleMover through the Carousel of Progress and saw the city of the future…”Progress City”!

I worked canoes at DL 81-82. Getting close to the Columbia wasn’t much of an issue but the paddle wheel of the Mark was a real danger zone. There were often guests who deliberately tried to steer us into it.

It was used for evac, but it’s after the second drop. It’s the transition tunnel before you enter the main show building.

Huge two story stockroom with a separate locked cage for the expensive merch. Once had to sequester Michael Jackson down there when he showed up in the Square without security and was mobbed. Hung out with him until security arrived. Weird night all around.

That was the gate to the stairs down to the merch stockroom. Huge space. The back entrance is directly beside the Pirates transition tunnel. On Grad Nights, we would black out the lights and hit kids with a flashlight when they lit up a joint. We’d confiscate the pot then go out back and smoke it.

There was an advantage to Disneyland being closed Mondays and Tuesdays in the off-season… everything was refreshed and repaired every week.

And considering the trays were inches from hot set lighting.

The crazy thing is that at least in 1980, the “hydraulic alert” was literally a float in a cafeteria tray under each character. Even then it didn’t seem the best option for an attraction that cycled 3000 people an hour and a disaster waiting to happen.

Back before ATMs and
Direct deposit, the BOA on Main Street was one of the only places employees could get cash in a pinch. Provided it was before 3pm, when all banks closed.

I was in merch from ‘78 - ‘80.

I used to sell those! Miss the old Gourmet shop.