Donald and the Ninja Turtles

Autograph Book

What do Donald Duck and the Ninja Turtles have to do with each other?  Nothing, really.  Except that theirs are the only signatures you will find in this WDW autograph book.  Presumably, obtained during the martial arts reptiles' short stint in the early 90's at the then named, Disney-MGM Studios.

I Want My Hat Back

Official Disneyana Convention collector's plate
Sorcerer's Apprentice, 1994

As we say goodbye to "The Hat" at Hollywood Studios, I had to post this collector's plate from the 1994 Official Disneyana Convention.  Yen Sid, aka The Sorcerer, clearly wants his hat back from Mickey.  Let's not forget that it was originally his hat. 

The plate measures 9 1/4" across.  It is a limited edition, with only 2000 plates being created for the 3rd annual event held at Walt Disney World in September of 1994.  2003 saw the end of the Official Disneyana Conventions, just as 2015 sees the end of the Sorcerer's Hat at Hollywood Studios.

Before the Hat

canvas map

So much Walt Disney World goodness, all in one image!  My wife gave me this several years ago for an anniversary and I finally got it framed.  And now I can share it with you.  The image, which is 17" x 11 1/2", has been copied onto a canvas.  I don't know anything about this piece but I can assume the date is around 1993 because Splash Mountain (1992) can be seen in the upper left-hand corner.  Since there is no Tower of Terror or Blizzard Beach, it is probably before 1994 or 1995.  And, of course, there is no Sorcerer's Hat in MGM.

Happy Birthday Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney World 18th Birthday Button
1989

A star was born back in 1989, Disney - MGM Studios.  For it's 18th birthday, Walt Disney World highlighted the opening of their newest park on their annual cast member birthday button.  Starting with their 9th anniversary, the buttons began to feature an image of significance from that year, often a ride or attraction.
May 1, 2014 marked the 25th anniversary of the now, Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The logo for the celebration shows a similar Mickey Mouse in his director's outfit.
Happy Birthday!

In The Parks - On The Ground

Manhole Cover
Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

On my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, December 2011, I was on the hunt for any of the original logos.  I found several Big D or Globe Head logos on the ground.  The manhole cover on the left was found in Fantasyland between 'it's a small world' and 'Peter Pan's Flight.' 

There are also several survey markers all over WDW.  This one is located outside of 'The Land' at EPCOT.  You can see the location of many other "Disney Benchmarks" at: http://www.wintertime.com/OH/GC/Disney/disneymarks.html.

The manhole cover below is from Disney's Hollywood Studios to the right of 'The Great Movie Ride' on the way to 'Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.'