Corporate Alliances and Operating Participants are quietly disappearing from Walt Disney World. Just this last year, AT&T closed their lounge in Spaceship Earth as Kodak closed its lounge near the Imagination Pavilion and American Express pulled out of their lounge and Exxon will shortly be closing theirs at Universe of Energy. (Kodak and Exxon will continue sponsoring the attractions until their contracts run out.)
At one time, business saw Disney as a wonderful “billboard” for their company where millions of guests associated their brand with the Disney brand of fun and quality that they saw during their experience at Walt Disney World but with changes at Disney, it no longer seems the best investment. Disney has developed a reputation of not being as responsive to its alliances and participants as in the past.
Of course, when Disneyland opened in 1955 they were called “lessees”. Kodak had a place on Main Street along with Coca-Cola and Hallmark Cards. When Walt was asked why he wanted these companies represented on Main Street with their logos large enough to be clearly seen, he replied, “They make the fantasy real.” These were the companies people would have expected to see at a turn of the century Main Street and they represented the thing that was most important to Walt: high quality. They also allowed Walt to provide quality to guests in areas that Disney couldn’t afford at the time.
When MET LIFE pulled out of sponsoring the Wonders of Life pavilion and Disney was unable for years to find a substitute (just like when the Living Seas sponsor pulled out), everyone knew that the pavilion was soon to journey into the land of Yesterland. January 5, 2004 was the official closing of the Wonders of Life at Epcot although Disney claims that the attractions like “Cranium Command,” “Making of Me” and “Body Wars” will be open on a “seasonal basis” like Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom. However, Disney is just as definite that Pure and Simple and the Merchandising shop will not re-open even “seasonally”.
Now, change is part of life and certainly part of Disney history. I’ve included some excerpts from a memo before the opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971 about the first participants at Walt Disney World. I’ve put my commentary in parenthesis. I got a copy of this document from one of those first participants and it features no Disney copyright (because they weren’t as worried about it in those days):
U.S. STEEL COMPANY
U.S. Steel is leasing land from Walt Disney World company to construct hotels with modular units. The Walt Disney World Hotel Company will operate the hotels. This is the first use of modular steel units in this type of construction, and may be the forerunner of this type of product in the future. (COMMENT: This was for the Contemporary and the Polynesian resorts. By building the framework and building the rooms separately, it supposedly cut building time in half. U.S. Steel did not want a monorail to run through the center of the Contemporary but Imagineer John Hench held firm. And isn’t it amusing that for the longest time it was the only Disney resort around the Seven Seas Lagoon that did not have access for wheelchair guests to get up to the monorail?)KAL KAN
The Kal Kan Kennel Club will be similar to the facility they sponsor at Disneyland, which is a holding area for the pets of guests visiting Disneyland. The only difference will be over night accommodations for pets in WDW.GULF OIL CORPORATION
In addition to the service stations located on the project for both guests and employees, Gulf Oil will sponsor the introduction to the Walt Disney story which will be located in the Main Street Hotel building on Town Square. Gulf will have the exclusive rights for oil products in the projects, and will have the same for Disneyland.OSCAR MAYER
Oscar Mayer will be billboard sponsor of the Hotel Coffee Shop in Town Square. This will be our prime in-Park breakfast area for Walt Disney World, and their products will be served exclusively in this area. Their ham, sausage, and wieners will be served exclusively in the Hotel Coffee Shop and throughout the Theme Park.GAF CORPORATION
GAF will have an operation similar to their Disneyland facility, dispensing photo information to the guests visiting the Theme Park. They will also provide photo trail signs, which are the picture taking spots they have selected throughout the Park. Their film will be the official film of Walt Disney World, as it is at Disneyland. (COMMENT: Kodak was one of the original participants at Disneyland. Kodak even sponsored what we know as “the second opening of Disneyland” in 1959 when we introduced the monorail, the submarine ride, expanded “Autopia,” “Motor Boat Cruise” and the “Matterhorn.” Kodak was the sole sponsor for an ABC television show called “Kodak presents Disneyland ’59”, a ninety minute special hosted by Art Linkletter on June 15, 1959. And I hope someone has a copy because neither the Disney Archives nor Kodak’s archives have a copy of that broadcast. Although I am assuming one of the reasons is that clips from that presentation probably appear in “GALA DAY AT DISNEYLAND.” The longtime partnership with Kodak was interrupted during the 1970s when GAF became the official participant.)SAVANNAH SUGAR (Market House)
Savannah Sugar will be associated in the Market House, and will be the official sugar of Walt Disney World. Their section will include penny candy as was found at the turn of the century in market houses.J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY (Market House)
Smucker will be the second participant in the Market House, and will display and sell gift packs of their jams and jellies. Their products will be served throughout the project.PLANTER’S PEANUTS (Market House)
Planter’s nut products will also be featured in the Market House.HALLMARK, INC.
Hallmark will have a shop similar to their facility at Disneyland, which they will operate themselves. We have recently entered into a licensing agreement with Hallmark for use of the Disney Characters on cards and other products outside Disneyland. (COMMENT: Joyce Clyde Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, was a long time friend of Walt’s and you can see a letter from him to Walt in the ONE MAN’S DREAM attraction at Disney/MGM Studios. One unidentified item in that attraction is in Walt’s informal office, behind his chair, is a small gold crown, the symbol of Hallmark and a special gift from J.C. to Walt. Hallmark signed their first licensing agreement with Disney in 1932.)COCA-COLA COMPANY
Coca-Cola will have two locations within the Theme Park-Main Street Refreshment Corner, and the Tomorrowland Terrace. Their products include Coca-Cola, TAB, Fresca, and Fanta Flavor, and will be served at both locations. (COMMENT: TAB stood for “Totally Artificial Beverage” and a TAB bottle is in one of the shadowboxes in the lobby of the new POP CENTURY resort at WDW. Coca-Cola became the sole soft drink participant in 1982 when it became the sponsor of the AMERICAN ADVENTURE at Epcot.)SARA LEE
Sara Lee will sponsor the Main Street Bake Shop, which will be a self-service snack operation. Sara Lee products will be sold exclusively in this location. In addition, they will sponsor the Creole Café in Disneyland starting with the summer of 1971.BORDENS
The Ice Cream Parlor will be sponsored by Bordens, with their milk, ice cream, and cheese products being served and sold exclusively in Walt Disney World. In addition to the Main Street locations, Bordens will have identification on all ice cream carts, as well as a soft ice cream stand in Fantasyland. (COMMENT: Borden’s mascot was Elsie the Cow. The 15th “live” Elsie opened the Ice Cream Parlor at WDW in 1971.)FLORIDA CITRUS
Florida Citrus will sponsor the Tiki Room in Walt Disney World. Our contract states that we cannot use anything but Florida Citrus products on the property. Individual brands cannot be promoted, only citrus from Florida. (COMMENT: The Florida Orange Bird was designed by Disney and featured on a variety of merchandise from banks, records, bobble heads, plates and cups and more. The Orange Bird was created for the Florida Citrus Growers when they sponsored the Magic Kingdom’s Tiki Room. He also appeared in commercials and an educational film called “Food and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure” that was released in September of 1980. There was even an Orange Bird walkaround costumed character who was outside the Sunshine Tree Terrace where Florida Orange Juice was sold. A smaller likeness of the Orange Bird sat in the branches of the Sunshine Tree. The sponsorship ended in 1986.)PEPSI-COLA AND FRITOS
Because they are the same company, PepsiCo, they have the joint sponsorship of the Bear Band. In conjunction with the show, there is an eating facility which will consist of the Mile Long Bar and Pecos Café. Their products will be served exclusively in these locations. In addition to Pepsi-Cola, Diet Pepsi, and Teem, they will also have their flavor line available. Fritos will dominate the snack food area with corn chips, potato chips and onion rings. Both brands will be served throughout the Park.WELCH FOODS
Welch’s products will be served exclusively at the Mickey Mouse Refreshment Stand in Fantasyland. Their only area of exclusivity is grape juice, and this is somewhat restricted throughout the Park. (COMMENT: In Disneyland, in Fantasyland, there was a Welch’s Grape Juice Bar near the Fantasyland Theater done up with a hand painted mural of the centaurs and such from FANTASIA with the grapes being used not for the wine but for grape juice. It opened in 1955 when Welch’s was one of the sponsors of the Mickey Mouse Club. There were supposedly plans when the new Fantasyland was being built in 1983 for a Welch’s area that would have wooden barrels with spigots like wine barrels that would have dispensed Welch’s grape juice but it was never built.)TOMORROWLAND
We have talked to several companies about sponsorship of major attractions in Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland. However, none are to the signed-contract point. Those companies include RCA, Johns-Mansville, Eastern Air Lines, Edison Electric Institute, Monsanto and American Telephone and Telegraph. At this writing, the only participant in Tomorrowland is Coca-Cola at the Tomorrowland Terrace. In addition to the above, we are in serious discussions with National BankAmericard, Inc. and the Hertz Corporation.
Sigh. In the old days, companies were waiting in line to sponsor a Disney attraction. How interesting that some of these participants have not been participated at Disney for years and years.