Many people associate a visit to Walt Disney World or Disneyland with a Summer or Spring Vacation. Of course, the parks are open every day of the year, and Christmas is one of the busiest times to visit (especially Christmas Day and New Year's Eve).
I bought this tin of Peppermint Bark during my trip to Orlando in early November 2009 (a great week visiting the parks of Walt Disney World and the Universal Orlando Resort). I wonder about the process of choosing what characters are represented on items like these. It's interesting to see The Jungle Book's Baloo and Mowgli here.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland have their own Christmas characters, and they can be seen during the Very Merry Christmas Parade that airs on ABC on Christmas Day. In recent years, some of the character designs have changed. The Peppermint Bark tin was available at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and features the logos of both resorts on the sides.
The Reindeer shown here (near Beauty and the Beast and Alice) is based on the version found at Walt Disney World. The Disneyland Reindeer were redesigned a few years ago and they now look like they could be related to Bambi. Check out Kevin Kidney's blog for more about the Disney Reindeer and Disney's Christmas Parades.
The Gingerbread Man seen here was also recently changed. This version of Disney's Gingerbread Man can be seen in the 1985 Warner Brothers movie, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." The Gingerbread Men are featured in the movie studio chase sequence, with Pee-Wee riding his bicycle past filming of a Godzilla movie, a Twisted Sister music video, and a Christmas movie. I'm curious how this Disney costume was featured in a Warner Brothers movie.
Yes, the Peppermint Bark was quite tasty. There are still bits of peppermint shards stuck in this collectible tin.
I'm surprised Aladdin and the genie aren't on here. Where's the Lion King?
ReplyDeleteHey, I don't remember the Gingerbread Man in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure"....I'm going to have to watch it again and look for him!
ReplyDeleteI miss the Silly Reindeer from DL. I wish they would bring them back.
Tom: I know, what gives? It's too bad Aladdin and the Lion King aren't represented here.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!: Yes, be sure to watch for the Gingerbread Men costumes (they are dancing in the North Pole set that Pee-Wee rides through on his bike. I remember noticing them when I watched the movie as a kid).
It's interesting that the Peppermint Bark tin art (also used for lots of other merchandise) actually redesigns the Silly Reindeer a bit, since the actual costumes have nostrils, not the big round nose seen here.
that is soo cool to me because i love this walt disney
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