Birthday Buttons - Early 80's Style

9th birthday cast member button
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, 1980

The early 1980's saw a departure from the traditional Cinderella Castle birthday button design.  These hard plastic pin back buttons were given to cast members on October 1 each year to celebrate Walt Disney World's birthday.  For the 9th birthday, and for several years that followed, the button took a variety of shapes and highlighted a significant addition to the parks.  In 1980, that addition was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the Magic Kingdom.  Disneyland saw the premiere of the mine train roller coaster one year earlier in California.  This button was also the largest birthday button to date at 2 1/2" x 2 1/4".