Uncle Bill
On this day in 1906, Disney Legend Bill Cottrell was born in South Bend, Indiana. Known as “Uncle Bill” on the Disney Studio lot, Bill was the first president of WED Enterprises, the predecessor to Walt Disney Imagineering.
Bob Gurr
On this day in 1931, Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr was born in Los Angeles, California. As Bob likes to say, “If it moves on wheels at Disneyland, I probably designed it.”
Disney’s Original Imagineer
born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In the early years of Disneyland, if something in the park moved, then there was a good chance Roger was somehow involved.
Casa de Fritos
"Dig those chips, dig that gold, dig those chips of corn." Soon after Disneyland opened in the summer of 1955, the Frito Kid welcomed park guests to the Casa de Fritos restaurant with catch phrases about Fritos corn chips.
Blue Bird Shoes for Children
In Disneyland’s early years its shops were operated by retailers who leased the space. One small shop on the north-east block of Main Street, U.S.A. sold a very small product - children’s shoes. The Blue Bird Shoes for Children store was an original Main Street shop when Disneyland opened in 1955.
Walt Finds His Carrousel
It was during this month in 1954 that Walt Disney secured something of royal importance for his Disneyland project – a carrousel. The search for what would eventually become King Arthur Carrousel started with Walt reaching out to Ross Davis, one of the owners of Griffith Park. Ross helped Walt locate a carrousel for sale…
Roy Flies to New York
On this day in 1953, Roy Disney flew to New York on a mission that was essential for making his brother Walt’s dream of building Disneyland a reality - finding a way to pay for it.
The Lost Weekend
On this day in 1953, artist Herb Ryman received a phone call from Walt Disney that led to the now famous “lost weekend” which produced arguably the most important piece of Disneyland concept art.
Disneyland’s Hub
On this day in 1953, Disney Imagineer Marvin Davis finalized what’s known as the “hub” layout for Disneyland.
Ruth Shellhorn
On this day in 1909, Disneyland landscape architect Ruth Shellhorn was born in Los Angeles. Ruth was a pioneer in her field and, as one of the few women involved with the design of the Disneyland, made a significant contribution to the landscape and pedestrian pathway designs of the park in 1955.
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