Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Disneyland’s Floral Mickey: Six Days Before Opening

Published

3 years ago

February 7, 2022

According to Kodak (circa 1985. Disneyland’s 30^th anniversary), the Floral Mickey in front of the Main Street Train Station at Disneyland Park is one of the most photographed locations in the world. Only the Taj Mahal & the Eiffel Tower gets more pictures taken on them annually.

Tourists, as they enter that family fun park, typically get in line as soon as they come through the turnstiles. Just so they can then get that “We were there” shot (Especially these days, in our “if-you-don’t-have-pics-it-didn’t-happen” age).

Given how many people get their pictures taken in front of the Floral Mickey, the Horticulture and Resort Enhancement Team at Disneyland Park make sure that they always keep it looking its best.

How Often is The Floral Mickey Replanted Each Year?

This typically involves replanting the Floral Mickey 9 times a year.

This process that is typically done on third shift so that Mickey always looks his best whenever Guests show up at the Park.

How Many Flowers is in The Floral Mickey at Disneyland?

Every time that Floral Mickey gets replanted, between the floral filigrees & flourishes off to the side of Mickey’s face and the annuals that need to be replaced within the actual borders of his massive mouse face, you’re typically talking 9,000 flowers.

To put that in perspective: Every year, the horticultural department at Disneyland Park, in order to maintain that theme park’s 7 total acres of annual beds, has to bring a million flowers in from outside greenhouses. And almost a tenth of those annuals this family fun park buys annually are used just to keep that Floral Mickey looking sharp.

Creating the First Floral Mickey at Disneyland

Were we to jump back some 66 years to less than 6 days before Disneyland Park first opened to the public, the Floral Mickey had yet to be planted.

Which genuinely concerned Joe Fowler. Who was the Park Construction Administrator for Walt’s family fun park. Which is why on July 11, 1955 Joe sent a memo to Jack Evans (who, along with his brother Morgan “Bill” Evans, was handling a lot of Disneyland’s horticultural aspects).

That memo read:

When are you going to plant Mickey Mouse in the entrance? Looks to me like the time is getting pretty late.
Joe fowler – July 11, 1955

***Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved***

Walt Disney’s Original Plan for a Floral Mickey

A Floral Mickey dates as far back as 1953. When Disneylandia was supposed to be built on the other side of Riverside Drive, just across from the Disney Lot in Burbank, the front entrance of Walt’s family fun park was supposed to have had a Floral Mickey.

To Walt’s way of thinking, this floral element was the equivalent of that pie-eyed Mickey you saw surrounded by a sunburst at the start of every technicolor Mickey Mouse cartoon from the 1930s. It was a Disney-specific way of saying “Welcome! You’re in for a good time today”.

Why Wait Until the Last Minute: Problems at Disneyland

Why was this part of the Disneyland project not started ‘til the very last minute? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

Money got very, very tight towards the end of Disneyland’s construction. And one of the areas that got really impacted by this ever-tightening budget was the horticultural aspects of this project.

At the 10^th anniversary party for Disneyland, Walt told the story about how, when money ran out to landscape large sections of Tomorrowland, Bill Evans just had signs & labels made up for the weeds that grew naturally at the construction site. Bill had these signs made up with the full Latin names of each of these weeds. So that when Guests looked at them they’d then think “Oh, these plants must have been deliberately planted like that. What an unusual idea.

But there was another key reason that the Floral Mickey hadn’t been planted in front of the Main Street Train Station by July 11, 1955 (just 6 days before the big live broadcast on ABC of “Dateline Disneyland.” And it’s something that The Walt Disney Company really doesn’t like to talk about.

A turf war broke out at the Disneyland construction site in Anaheim in the Spring of 1955 when it came to who would decide what would get planted where at Walt’s family fun park.

Professional Landscapers: Bill & Jack Evans – and Ruth Shellhorn

To understand what happened here, we have to go back to 1949. Walt purchased a lot on Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was here that Disney would build his 1/8^th scale Carolwood Pacific Railway (which included a 90-foot-long stretch of tunnel that took Walt’s guests under his wife Lily’s flowerbeds).

Bill and Jack Evans

Because Lillian insisted that, to avoid annoying their new neighbors in Holmby Hills, Walt had to hide as much of his backyard steam train set-up away from prying eyes as possible. He then hired the Evans & Reeves nursery in West Los Angeles to come landscape his property. And Walt was supposedly so pleased with the work that Bill Evans and his brother Jack had done that, when the Disneyland project finally got funded in 1954, Disney reached out to the Evans again and invited them to come on out to Anaheim and turn 160 acres of what used to be orange groves & walnut trees into a highly themed, beautifully landscaped family fun park.

The only problem here was the Evans weren’t professionally trained landscapers.

Bill had gone to Stanford University in the 1920s to study engineering. More to the point, while they had done plantings at the homes of some of the biggest stars in Hollywood – Greta Garbo, Clark Gable & Elizabeth Taylor among them – Bill & Jack had never done anything of this size before. I mean, this wasn’t going to be some sort of elaborate backyard garden at a private home. Disneyland was going to be this vast commercial enterprise that thousands of people would enter every day. The daily wear & tear on this family fun park’s ornamental trees & flower beds was going to be extraordinary.

Finally realizing that, while Walt obviously personally liked Bill & Jack, the Evans were kind of in over their heads when it came to the Disneyland project.

Walt then reached to Walter Becket (the architect that Disney had originally consulted when he was first thinking of building Disneylandia). This was the late Winter / early Spring of 1955 (roughly 5 months out from the grand opening of Disneyland) and asked if Beckett had a landscape architect that he could recommend. Someone who had enough professional experience to tackle a horticultural project of this size.

Introducing Ruth Shellhorn

Walter immediately recommended Ruth Shellhorn. Shellhorn was a Los Angeles native who had attended Oregon State University’s School of Landscape Architecture before she then continued with her studies at Cornell. In the early 1950s, Ruth had been the landscape architect for a string of Bullock’s shopping plazas, where she combined elements of park planning with the suburban mall. In short, Shellhorn had done projects of size before like Disneyland Park which had to accommodate the movement of thousands of people every day.

Given that there was something of a ticking clock here (More importantly, given that it was absolutely crucial that Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise ride be surrounded by this deep, thick, totally authentic-looking forest full of exotic plants when this Adventureland attraction opened in July of 1955), a command decision was made:

Ruth would concentrate on completing Disneyland’s entrance (which obviously included that Floral Mickey), Main Street U.S.A., the area around the Hub and Sleeping Beauty Castle as well as the entrance to Tomorrowland. Bill & Jack will then concentrate on completing Adventureland’s Jungle Cruise as well as the planting which was already underway in & around Frontierland.

Landscaping Troubles

The problem here was Ruth Shellhorn was a late arrival to the Disneyland Project. More to the point, she was a professional when it came to the world of landscape architecture. Which is why, Shellhorn handed down orders out in the field to the guys who were driving the bulldozers around that Anaheim construction site, Ruth then expected those orders to be followed.

Now the onsite construction team, they’d been following the order of the Evans up until this time. And then suddenly there was this new woman there asking them to regrade things that had supposedly been completed weeks earlier. As a direct result, there was a certain amount of carping & complaining coming from the Disneyland construction team. And initially things didn’t get done as quickly as Shellhorn would have liked.

So Ruth went to Walt and then Walt lowered the boom at the Disneyland construction site.

He made it exceedingly clear that, from here-on in, Shellhorn’s orders while she was out on the field were to be followed to the letter. Because it was crucial that Disneyland Park make its previously announced July 17^th opening date.

Butting Heads with Walt

The problem was, as Disneyland’s opening date kept getting closer & closer and the budget for this ambitious project got tighter & tighter, Ruth’s follow-my-orders-precisely attitude began to butt heads with Walt’s far more casual attitude. After all, Disney had dreamed up this whole project. And when he was at the construction site and see something that he didn’t like, Walt would then ask workers in the field to pull up survey stakes and shift a walkway 10 feet to the left. Or ask for a tree to be ripped out so that it then wouldn’t block the view of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

This often put Ruth Shellhorn at odds with Walt. I mean, Shellhorn understood that in the end, it’s the client’s wishes that need to be followed. But so many of these sorts of decisions, especially during the final weeks of construction on Disneyland, were made on the fly out in the field – with Ruth learning well after the fact. Which then meant that she needed to adjust all of her carefully crafted landscaping plans for this family fun park at the very last minute. Which was aggravating & stressful.

On the other hand, the Evans, who were already familiar with Walt’s ways after having landscaped the Disney family home in Holmby Hills in late 1949 / early 1950, just rolled with the punches. Whatever Walt asked them to do at the Disneyland construction site, Bill & Jack did – no questions asked.

Mind you, when the Evans missed deadlines (They spent so much time concentrating on making Adventureland look like the best jungle north of Costa Rica that Bill & Jack neglected Frontierland), Shellhorn picked up the slack. In the final ten days of construction, she created landscapes designs for three different areas in Frontierland. Ruth even got down in the dirt herself to help with the planting of seedlings.

The Floral Mickey Ready for Disneyland’s Opening Day

Shellhorn’s very hands-on attitude even extended to Disneyland’s Floral Mickey. Ruth had put a lot of advance thought into this project. She’d put together a palette of bright seasonal annuals that would then really make this massive mouse’s face pop with color, such as dwarf pink phlox for Mickey’s tongue.

By the way, after Joe Fowler’s memo to Jack Evans on July 11^th … Bill supposed built & then installed the framework for Mickey’s face in that hillside directly below the Main Street Train Station on July 13^th. Ruth then directed the planting of those thousands of colorful annuals into the framework that formed the floral Mickey on July 15^th. And two days later, at the very start of “Dateline Disneyland,” Art Linkletter stood in front of that Floral Mickey and welcomed television viewers around the globe to Walt’s family fun park.

Opening Day Aftermath

Yes, because things were done so close to deadline, things got stressful. Perhaps too stressful. Just two weeks after Disneyland Park opened, Jack Evans suffered a massive heart attack. He never returned to the field after that. He stayed back at the Evans & Reaves Nursery and mostly handled paperwork from there on in. But even that proved to be too much for Jack. After another cardiac episode, he passed away in 1958.

Perhaps unfairly, the fact that the horticultural aspect of the Disneyland project had gotten so stressful towards the end of its construction was placed at the feet of Ruth Shellhorn. One might argue that, because the construction teams in Anaheim had initially been so tough of her, Shellhorn then had to push back. Be as tough as they were.

Bill Evans, Disney Legend (1992)

Walt felt just terrible about what happened to Jack. He wound up throwing a lot of work Bill’s way. So much so that Evans would eventually go on design the landscape of Disney’s theme parks for the next half a century. I mean, even though Bill officially retired from the Mouse House in 1975, the Company kept calling him back to consult on every theme park they built after that. Right up until Hong Kong Disneyland (which would open in September of 2005). Bill died three years prior to the opening of that theme park at the age of 92.

From the planning of Disneyland to consulting in the planning for Hong Kong Disneyland, expected to open three years from now, has died. He was 92.

Ruth Shellhorn

As for Ruth Shellhorn, the talented landscape architect who’d come in at virtually the last minute and helped Disneyland Park to open on time, she wasn’t invited to stay on the project. Ruth moved on to other things.

Mind you, Shellhorn’s involvement in the creation of Disneyland is acknowledged. In certain spots. You just have to know where to look for them. There’s that “Disneyland – World of Flowers” book (which was published back in 1965 as part of that theme park’s tencennial).

In the foreword that Disney personally wrote for this hardcover, Walt said:

In giving credit for the landscaping at the Park, it is impossible to mention all who have contributed. Special plaudits are due to Ruth Patricia Shellhorn for her design of the formal Victorian plan for Main Street, the Town Square, and the Plaza. The trees and shrubs she selected in the spring of 1955 are still used today.
Walt disney, 1965

Which includes that Floral Mickey right below the Main Street Train Station. Which, again, only got planted just days before Walt’s family fun park first opened to the public and then went on to become one of the most photographed things in the world.

Not bad for something that was thrown together at the very last moment.

Just keep that in mind when you start a book report that’s due on Monday morning on Sunday night.

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Disney and Macy’s 90-Year Thanksgiving Day Parade Partnership: From Mickey’s First Balloon to Minnie’s Big Debut

Published

1 month ago

November 15, 2024

Jim Hill

Now, folks, if you’re like me, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without a coffee, a cozy seat, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV. And if you’re really like me, you’re watching for one thing: Disney balloons floating down 34th Street. Ever wondered how Mickey, Donald, and soon Minnie Mouse found their way into this beloved New York tradition? Well, grab your popcorn because we’re diving into nearly 90 years of Disney’s partnership with Macy’s.

The Very First Parade and the Early Days of Balloons

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade goes way back to 1924, but if you can believe it, balloons weren’t part of the festivities until 1927. That first lineup included Felix the Cat, a dragon, and a toy soldier, all towering above the crowds. Back then, Macy’s had a pretty wild idea to end the parade: they would let the balloons drift off into the sky, free as birds. But this wasn’t just Macy’s feeling generous. Each balloon had a message attached, offering a $100 reward (about $1,800 in today’s dollars) for anyone who returned it to the flagship store on 34th Street.

And here’s where it gets interesting. This tradition carried on for a few years, right up until 1932, when Felix the Cat almost took down a plane flying over New York City! Imagine that—you’re flying into LaGuardia, and suddenly, there’s a 60-foot balloon drifting toward your wing. Needless to say, that was the end of Macy’s “fly away” stunt, and from then on, the balloons have stayed firmly grounded after the parade ends.

1934: Mickey Mouse Floats In, and Disney Joins the Parade

It was 1934 when Mickey Mouse finally made his grand debut in the Macy’s parade. Rumor has it Walt Disney himself collaborated with Macy’s on the design, and by today’s standards, that first Mickey balloon was a bit of a rough cut. This early Mickey had a hotdog-shaped body, and those oversized ears gave him a slightly lopsided look. But no one seemed to mind. Mickey was there, larger than life, floating down the streets of New York, and the crowd loved him.

Mickey wasn’t alone that year. He was joined by Pluto, Horace Horsecollar, and even the Big Bad Wolf and Practical Pig from The Three Little Pigs, making it a full Disney lineup for the first time. Back then, Disney wasn’t yet the entertainment powerhouse we know today, so for Walt, getting these characters in the parade meant making a deal. Macy’s required its star logo to be featured on each Disney balloon—a small concession that set the stage for Disney’s long-standing presence in the parade.

Donald Duck in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade – Donaldism

Duck Joins and Towers Over Mickey

A year later, in 1935, Macy’s introduced Donald Duck to the lineup, and here’s where things got interesting. Mickey may have been the first Disney character to float through the parade, but Donald made a huge splash—literally. His balloon was an enormous 60 feet tall and 65 feet long, towering over Mickey’s 40-foot frame. Donald quickly became a fan favorite, appearing in the lineup for several years before being retired.

Fast-forward a few decades, and Donald was back for a special appearance in 1984 to celebrate his 50th birthday. Macy’s dug the balloon out of storage, re-inflated it, and sent Donald down 34th Street once again, bringing a bit of nostalgia to the holiday crowd.

A Somber Parade in 2001

Now, one of my most memorable trips to the parade was in 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks. Nancy and I, along with our friends, headed down to New York, and the mood was something I’ll never forget. We watched the start of the parade from Central Park West, but before that, we went to the Museum of Natural History the night before to see the balloons being inflated. They were covered in massive cargo nets, with sandbags holding them down. It’s surreal to see these enormous balloons anchored down before they’re set free.

That year, security was intense, with police lining the streets, and then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani rode on the Big Apple float to roaring applause. People cheered his name, waving and shouting as he passed. It felt like the entire city had turned out to show their resilience. Even amidst all the heightened security and tension, seeing those balloons—brought a bit of joy back to the city.

Balloon Prep: From New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium to California’s D23 Expo

Each year before the parade, Macy’s holds a rehearsal event known as Balloon Fest at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This is where handlers get their first crack at guiding the balloons, practicing with their parade masters, and learning the ropes—literally. It’s an entire production unto itself, with dozens of people rehearsing to make sure these enormous inflatables glide smoothly down the streets of New York on parade day.

In 2015, Macy’s took the balloon show on the road, bringing their Buzz Lightyear balloon out to California for the D23 Expo. I was lucky enough to be there, and watching Buzz get inflated piece by piece in the Anaheim Convention Center parking lot was something to behold. Each section was filled with helium in stages, and when they got around to Buzz’s lower half, well, there were more than a few gas-related jokes from the crowd.

These balloons seem to have a personality all their own, and seeing one like Buzz come to life up close—even outside of New York—had all the excitement and anticipation of the real deal.

Mickey’s Comeback as a Bandleader and Sailor Mickey

After a long hiatus, Mickey Mouse made his return to the Macy’s parade in 2000, this time sporting a new bandleader outfit. Nine years later, in 2009, Sailor Mickey joined the lineup, promoting Disney Cruise Line with a nautical twist. Over the past two decades, Disney has continued to enchant parade-goers with characters like Buzz Lightyear in 2008 and Olaf from Frozen in 2017. These balloons keep Disney’s iconic characters front and center, drawing in both longtime fans and new viewers.

But ever wonder what happens to the balloons after they reach the end of 34th Street? They don’t just disappear. Each balloon is carefully deflated, rolled up like a massive piece of laundry, and packed into storage bins. From there, they’re carted back through the Lincoln Tunnel to Macy’s Parade Studio in New Jersey, where they await their next flight.

Macy’s Disney Celebration at Hollywood Studios

In 1992, Macy’s took the spirit of the parade down to Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. After that year’s parade, several balloons—including Santa Goofy, Kermit the Frog, and Betty Boop—were transported to Hollywood Studios, re-inflated, and anchored along New York Street as part of a holiday display. Visitors could walk through this “Macy’s New York Christmas” setup and see the balloons up close, right in the middle of the park. While this display only ran for one season, it paved the way for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which became a holiday staple at the park for years to come.

Minnie Mouse’s Long-Awaited Debut in 2024

This year, Minnie Mouse will finally join the parade, making her long-overdue debut. Macy’s is rolling out the red carpet for Minnie’s arrival with special pop-up shops across the country, where fans can find exclusive Minnie ears, blown-glass ornaments, T-shirts, and more to celebrate her first appearance in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For those lucky enough to catch the parade this year, you’ll see Minnie take her first float down 34th Street, decked out in her iconic red bow and polka-dot dress. Macy’s and Disney are also unveiling a new Disney Cruise Line float honoring all eight ships, including the latest, the Disney Treasure.

As always, I’ll be watching from my favorite chair, coffee in hand, as Minnie makes her grand entrance. The 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs live on NBC, and it’s a tradition you won’t want to miss—whether you’re on 34th Street or tuning in from home.

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Disney’s Forgotten Halloween Event: The Original Little Monsters on Main Street

Published

3 months ago

September 22, 2024

Jim Hill

When most Disney fans think of Halloween in the parks, they immediately picture Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World or the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland Resort. But before those events took over as the must-attend spooky celebrations, there was a little-known event at Disneyland called Little Monsters on Main Street. And its origins? Well, they go all the way back to the 1980s, during a time when America was gripped by fear—the Satanic Panic.

You see, back in the mid-1980s, parents were terrified that Halloween had become dangerous. Urban legends about drug-laced candy or razor blades hidden in apples were widespread, and many parents felt they couldn’t let their kids out of sight for even a moment. Halloween, which was once a carefree evening of trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, had suddenly become a night filled with anxiety.

This is where Disneyland’s Little Monsters on Main Street came in.

The Origins of Little Monsters on Main Street

Back in 1989, the Disneyland Community Action Team—later known as the VoluntEARS—decided to create a safe, nostalgic Halloween experience for Cast Members and their families. Many schools in the Anaheim area were struggling to provide basic school supplies to students, and the VoluntEARS saw an opportunity to combine a safe Halloween with a charitable cause. Thus, Little Monsters on Main Street was born.

This event was not open to the general public. Only Disneyland Cast Members could purchase tickets, which were initially priced at just $5 each. Cast Members could bring their kids—but only as many as were listed as dependents with HR. And even then, the park put a cap on attendance: the first event was limited to just 1,000 children.

A Unique Halloween Experience

Little Monsters on Main Street wasn’t just another Halloween party. It was designed to give kids a safe, fun environment to enjoy trick-or-treating, much like the good old days. On Halloween night in 1989, kids in costume wandered through Disneyland with their pillowcases, visiting 20 different trick-or-treat stations. They also had the chance to ride a few of their favorite Fantasyland attractions, all after the park had closed to the general public.

The event was run entirely by the VoluntEARS—about 200 of them—who built and set up all the trick-or-treat stations themselves. They arrived at Disneyland before the park closed and, as soon as the last guest exited, they began setting up stations across Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The event ran from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and by the time the last pillowcase-wielding kid left, the VoluntEARS cleaned everything up, making sure the park was ready for the next day’s operations.

It wasn’t just candy and rides, though. The event featured unique entertainment, like a Masquerade Parade down Main Street, U.S.A., where kids could show off their costumes. And get this—Disneyland even rigged up a Cast Member dressed as a witch to fly from the top of the Matterhorn to Frontierland on the same wire that Tinker Bell uses during the fireworks. Talk about a magical Halloween experience!

The Haunted Mansion “Tip-Toe” Tour

Perhaps one of the most memorable parts of Little Monsters on Main Street was the special “tip-toe tour” of the Haunted Mansion. Now, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion can be a pretty scary attraction for younger kids, so during this event, Disney left the doors to the Stretching Room and Portrait Gallery wide open. This allowed kids to walk through and peek at the Haunted Mansion’s spooky interiors without actually having to board the Doom Buggies. For those brave enough to ride, they could, of course, take the full trip through the Haunted Mansion—or they could take the “chicken exit” and leave, no harm done.

Growing Success and a Bigger Event

Thanks to the event’s early success, Little Monsters on Main Street grew in size. By 1991, the attendance cap had been raised to 2,000 kids, and Disneyland added more activities like magic shows and hayrides. They also extended the event’s hours, allowing kids to enjoy the festivities until 10:30 p.m.

In 2002, the event moved over to Disney California Adventure, where it could accommodate even more kids—up to 5,000 in its later years. The name was also shortened to just Little Monsters, since it was no longer held on Main Street. This safe, family-friendly Halloween event continued for several more years, with the last mention of Little Monsters appearing in the Disneyland employee newsletter in 2008. Though some Cast Members recall the event continuing until 2012, it eventually made way for Disney’s more public-facing Halloween events.

From Little Monsters to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary and Oogie Boogie Bash

Starting in the early 2000s, Disney began realizing the potential of Halloween-themed after-hours events for the general public. These early versions of Mickey’s Halloween Party and Mickey’s Halloween Treat eventually evolved into today’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Oogie Boogie Bash. Unfortunately, this also marked the end of the intimate, Cast Member-exclusive Little Monsters event, but it paved the way for the large-scale Halloween celebrations we know and love today.

While it’s bittersweet to see Little Monsters on Main Street fade into Disney history, its legacy lives on through these modern Halloween parties. And even though Cast Members now receive discounted tickets to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary and Oogie Boogie Bash, the special charm of an event created specifically for Disney’s employees and their families remains something worth remembering.

**The Merch: A Piece of Little Monsters History**

For Disney collectors, the exclusive merchandise created for Little Monsters on Main Street is still out there. You can find pins, name tags, and themed pillowcases on sites like eBay. One of the coolest collectibles is a 1997 cloisonné pin set featuring Huey, Dewey, and Louie dressed as characters from Hercules. Other sets paid tribute to the Main Street Electrical Parade and Pocahontas, while the pillowcases were uniquely designed for each year of the event.

While Little Monsters on Main Street may be gone, it’s a fascinating piece of Disneyland history that played a huge role in shaping the Halloween celebrations we enjoy at Disney parks today.

Want to hear more behind-the-scenes stories like this? Be sure to check out I Want That Too, where Lauren and I dive deep into the history behind Disney’s most beloved attractions, events, and of course, merchandise!

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

The Story of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: From One Night to a Halloween Family Tradition

Published

4 months ago

September 7, 2024

Jim Hill

The spooky season is already in full swing at Disney parks on both coasts. On August 9th, the first of 38 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) nights for 2024 kicked off at Florida’s Magic Kingdom. Meanwhile, over at Disney California Adventure, the Oogie Boogie Bash began on August 23rd and is completely sold out across its 27 dates this year.

Looking back, it’s incredible to think about how these Halloween-themed events have grown. But for Disney, the idea of charging guests for Halloween fun wasn’t always a given. In fact, when the very first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party debuted on October 31, 1995, it was a modest one-night-only affair. Compare that to the near month-long festivities we see today, and it’s clear that Disney’s approach to Halloween has evolved considerably.

A Not-So-Scary Beginning

I was fortunate enough to attend that very first MNSSHP back in 1995, along with my then 18-month-old daughter Alice and her mom, Michelle. Tickets were a mere $16.95 (I know, can you imagine?), and we pushed Alice around in her sturdy Emmaljunga stroller—Swedish-built and about the size of a small car. Cast Members, charmed by her cuteness, absolutely loaded us up with candy. By the end of the night, we had about 30 pounds of fun-sized candy bars, making that push up to the monorail a bit more challenging.

Mickey’s Halloween Treat 1996 – Photo: Disney

This Halloween event was Disney’s response to the growing popularity of Universal Studios Florida’s own Halloween hard ticket event, which started in 1991 as “Fright Nights” before being rebranded as “Halloween Horror Nights” the following year. Universal’s gamble on a horror-themed experience helped salvage what had been a shaky opening for their park, and by 1993, Halloween Horror Nights was a seven-night event, with ticket prices climbing as high as $35. Universal had stumbled upon a goldmine, and Disney took notice.

A Different Approach

Now, here’s where Disney’s unique strategy comes into play. While Universal embraced the gory, scare-filled world of horror, Disney knew that wasn’t their brand. Instead of competing directly with blood and jump-scares, Disney leaned into what they did best: creating magical, family-friendly experiences.

Thus, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was born. The focus was on fun and whimsy, not fear. Families could bring their small children without worrying about them being terrified by a chainsaw-wielding maniac around the next corner. This event wasn’t just a Halloween party—it was an extension of the Disney magic that guests had come to expect from the parks.

Disney had some experience with seasonal after-hours events, most notably Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which had started in 1983. But the Halloween party was different, as the Magic Kingdom wasn’t yet decked out in Halloween decor the way it is today. Disney had to create a spooky (but not too spooky) atmosphere using temporary props, fog machines, and, of course, lots of candy.

A key addition to that first event? The debut of the Headless Horseman, who made his eerie appearance in Liberty Square, riding a massive black Percheron. It wasn’t as elaborate as the Boo-to-You Parade we see today, but it marked the beginning of a beloved Disney Halloween tradition.

A Modest Start but a Big Future

That first MNSSHP in 1995 was seen as a trial run. As Disney World spokesman Greg Albrecht told the Orlando Sentinel, “If it’s successful, we’ll do it again.” And while attendance was sparse that night, there was clearly potential. By 1997, the event expanded to two nights, and by 1999, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party had grown into a multi-night celebration with a full-fledged parade. Today, in 2024, it’s a staple of the fall season at Walt Disney World, offering 38 nights of trick-or-treating, character meet-and-greets, and special entertainment.

Universal’s Influence

It’s interesting to reflect on how Disney’s Halloween event might never have existed without the competition from Universal. Just as “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” forced Disney to step up their game with “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” Universal’s success with Halloween Horror Nights likely spurred Disney into action with MNSSHP. The friendly rivalry between the two parks has continually pushed both to offer more to their guests, and we’re all better off because of it.

So the next time you find yourself trick-or-treating through the Magic Kingdom, watching the Headless Horseman gallop by, or marveling at the seasonal fireworks, take a moment to appreciate how this delightful tradition came to be—all thanks to a little competition and Disney’s commitment to creating not-so-scary magic.

For more Disney history and behind-the-scenes stories, check out the latest episodes of the I Want That Too podcast on the Jim Hill Media network.