Jeannine B. writes in to say:
I have a friend who worked in the Character Department at the Magic Kingdom back in the 1980s. She has lots of great stories about what it was like to be a member of the Zoo Crew back then. But one of the stranger ones that my friend tells is about when Michael Eisner wouldn’t allow the walk-around versions of Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee to appear in the theme parks for a few years. Did that really happen? And if so, do you know the story behind that story?
Dear Jeannine B.
Yep. Your friend is right. For about a 5 year-long period there (which ran roughly from 1986 to 1991), though the Company never cut Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee’s scene out of Alice Disney’s 1951 animated feature …
… and the Brothers Dee & Dum remained on display inside of Disneyland‘s “Alice in Wonderland” dark ride …
… the walk-around versions of the Tweedles really were barred from appearing inside of the Disney theme parks. And it was Michael Eisner himself who was allegedly inadvertently responsible for this ban.
Why For? Well, the way I’ve always heard this story is that it dates back to February of 1986. Which was when ABC began running “The Disney Sunday Movie.”
The then-CEO of The Walt Disney Company was shooting an intro for “Alice in Wonderland” (which then aired an episode of this weekly anthology series). And while Eisner was on set with all of the Alice walk-around characters shooting this particular introduction for that ABC program, he reportedly remarked that Tweedle Dum & Dee’s rounded facial features made them look a lot like mongoloids. Michael then supposedly wondered aloud whether it was wise to allow characters which looked like this to continue to appear inside of the theme parks.
Just for a moment or so there, Eisner allegedly seemed genuinely concerned that if parents with retarded children encountered Tweedle Dum or Tweedle Dee while they were visiting Disneyland or Walt Disney World, they’d then think that Disney was making fun of their kids. Then Michael turned his attention back to shooting this “Alice in Wonderland” -themed intro for “The Disney Sunday Night Movie. ” And – once that was done – Eisner exited the set and then went back to work.
And that should have been the end of it. Except that one of Michael’s flunkies was on set while he was shooting the “Alice in Wonderland” intro. And having heard what his boss said, this earnest young assistant then went back to their office and typed up a memo. Which he then sent off to Dick Nunis, the president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
“And what did this memo say?,” you ask. Just what Michael Eisner had said off-the-cuff on set. That The Walt Disney Company’s then-relatively new CEO suddenly had concerns about Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee. And rather than potentially upset the parents of developmentally-disabled children, Eisner’s office was now insisting that the walk-around versions of these “Alice in Wonderland” characters be pulled from the parks.
Mind you, what was kind of ironic about all this was – just as this memo was being sent off to Dick Nunis’ office – a public service announcement that prominently featured the walk-around versions of Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee had begun airing nationally. Which had the Brothers Tweedle showing school children the safest way to cross the street.
Anyway … Nunis now issues a memo of his, echoing what the message from Eisner’s office had said. Only Dick’s version said that – due to Guests complaints – Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee were no longer allowed to appear publicly in the Disney theme parks.
As you might imagine, the Cast Members who worked in the Character Department (many of whom genuinely enjoyed getting dressed up and then going out in the Parks to perform as the Tweedles) thought that this was the silliest decision that Walt Disney Parks & Resorts management had ever handed down. Which is why these Cast members then decided to make fun of it every chance that they got.
Take – for example – “Captain Eeyore.” Which was this beat-for-beat remake of Michael Jackson’s 3D movie that Disneyland’s Zoo Crew shot in that theme park after-hours, so that this Cast-Member-made video could then be used as entertainment at the Character Department’s annual banquet. Only in this Disney-themed parody, the King of Pop‘s part was played by Winnie the Pooh’s rather gloomy friend. And as for Angelia Huston‘s spider-like Supreme Leader, she was reimagined as this kind of Insane Clown Posse version of Minnie Mouse.
Anywho … there’s actually a couple of gags in “Captain Eeyore” that directly reference the Tweedle-Dum-Tweedle-Dee-mongoloids controversy. With the best one being that moment when the crew of Captain Eeyore’s ship stands cowering before the Supreme Leader …
Tweedle Dum now turns to Tweedle Dee and asks:
Tweedle Dum: Who’s that?
Tweedle Dee: The Supreme Leader.
Tweedle Dum: What? Diana Ross?
Tweedle Dee: (exasperated sigh, then …) You really are a mongoloid.
Not to be outdone, Walt Disney World’s Character Department shot their own movie which then made fun of Dick Nunis’ pronouncement. But what WDW’s Zoo Crew did was a parody of / tribute to Madonna‘s “Material Girl” music video. Only in the “Disney Girl” version of this song, Cast Member Sandy Fox played a very Madonna-like version of Alice. And to then add to the fun, Fox was backed up by a chorus of not two but six Tweedles.
I’m told that – in order to get this many Tweedles for their faux music video (which – obviously – was shot very early in the morning before the Magic Kingdom had officially opened for the day) – the “Disney Girl” production team had to pull out every single Dee & Dum costume that the Wardrobe Department then had in storage. And after this video was completed, it would then be another 5 years before these Tweedle costumes made it out of the Utilidors and back up into the Park.
“And how did Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum finally make it back into the theme parks?,” you query. Well, from what I hear, it was another casual remark by Eisner that set the wheels in motion. In late 1991, Michael was supposedly doing a walk-thru of the then-almost-completed “Alice’s Curious Labyrinth” attraction for Euro Disneyland. And Eisner reportedly asked the Imagineer who was giving him this tour why all of the major characters from Disney’s version of “Alice in Wonderland” were represented except the Tweedles.
“But I thought you said that those Alice characters weren’t allowed in the Disney parks anymore because they looked like mongoloids,” this WED vet sputtered.
“When did I say that?,” Eisner allegedly replied. “I never said that. I think Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum are very funny. We should feature those Alice characters more in the Parks.”
And just like that, the Tweedles were out of character jail. In fact, to make sure that Michael knew that WDI was paying attention to what he said, the Imagineers made a point of prominently displaying Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee in Downtown Disney‘s then-being-designed superstore, World of Disney.
Anyhow … That’s the story of how a casual remark by Michael Eisner reportedly got Tweedle Dum & Dee bounced out of the Disney theme parks. Only to then have a second off-the-cuff remark by Disney’s then-CEO supposedly get the Brothers suddenly reinstated. That’s the sort of narrative that only Lewis Carroll could of have dreamed up. But this happened in real life.
That’s it for this week’s Why For column. If you have a Disney-related question that you’d like to have answered here on JHM, please send those queries along to whyfor@jimhillmedia.com.
Also, could you please do Nancy a favor and go vote for the very Un-Cheshire-like cat depicted above? Thanks.
Your thoughts?