We Need a Little Fanfare for the 35th Anniversary of Walt Disney World
by Dave
Today’s post is a little bit of whining and moaning over something I wish was a bigger deal than it seems to be to the folks at the Mouse, Walt Disney World’s 35th anniversary. As I am sure most of you remember, the 50th anniversary of Disneyland was treated with a small bit of fanfare (wink!), as have other such anniversaries of the U.S. parks. This anniversary doesn’t even get a nice t-shirt.
I am not great collector of Disneyana, but I do have a few pieces that I really like. I have some pins, some figurines, perhaps a print or two, but my favorite piece is this Lionel Train pictured below. It was released in 1990 Lionel catalog, and is a wonderfully detailed locomotive in the Disneyland Railroad colors and even has the “35 Years of Magic” symbol on the tender. For those of you who don’t know, Disney and Mickey Mouse practically saved the Lionel company from bankruptcy in the 1930’s by licensing a handcar for Lionel to sell during the Depression. The Mickey Handcar sold somewhere around a quarter of a million units and Lionel lived to see decades of success in the years to come, thanks in large part to the Mouse.
Now that’s a great way to celebrate an anniversary, don’t you think? And it was by no means the only way the Mouse celebrated Disneyland’s birthday. But sadly, it seems they have forgotten this anniversary. With the exception of perhaps a few pins, it seems the Year of a Million Sweepstakes have taken its place. Perhaps this will change and some things will change. An item like this train is by no means enough, but it would certainly be a nice start.