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On this episode of the Disney Avenue Podcast,
host Keith Michael Mahne and Dusty Sage of MiceChat.com team up for
another amazing interview with the one and only Rolly Crump! Words
may not fully describe this man, but one thing is for certain,
he was a true “original,” even among Imagineers as Rolly drew
forth genius in others.
Born Roland Fargo Crump on February 27, 1930, in Alhambra,
California, Rolly took a pay cut as a “dipper” in a ceramic factory
to join The Walt Disney Studios in 1952. To help pay bills, he
built sewer manholes on weekends. He served as an in-between artist
and, later, assistant animator, contributing to Peter Pan,
Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and
others.
In 1959, he joined show design at WED Enterprises, now known as
Walt Disney Imagineering. There, he became one of Walt’s key
designers for some of Disneyland’s groundbreaking new attractions
and shops, including the Haunted Mansion, Enchanted
Tiki Room, and Adventureland Bazaar.
Rolly served as a key designer on the Disney attractions
featured at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, including it’s a
small world, for which he designed the Tower of the Four Winds
marquee. When the attraction moved to Disneyland in 1966, Rolly
designed the larger-than-life animated clock at its entrance, which
sends puppet children on parade with each quarter-hour gong.
After contributing to the initial design of the Magic Kingdom at
Walt Disney World in Florida, and developing story and set designs
for NBC’s Disney on Parade in 1970, Rolly left the Company
to consult on projects including Busch Gardens in Florida and
California, the ABC Wildlife Preserve in Maryland, and Ringling
Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus World in Florida, among
others.
He returned in 1976 to contribute to EPCOT Center, serving as
project designer for The Land and the Wonders of Life pavilions. He
also participated in master planning for an expansion of Disneyland
until 1981, when he again departed to lead design on a proposed
Cousteau Ocean Center in Norfolk, Virginia, and to launch his own
firm, the Mariposa Design Group, developing an array of themed
projects around the world, including an international celebration
for the country of Oman.
In 1992, Rolly returned to Imagineering as executive designer,
redesigning and refurbishing The Land and Innoventions at Epcot
Center. Rolly “retired” from The Walt Disney Company in 1996, but
continued to work on a number of creative projects. He was inducted
as a Disney Legend in 2004 and released his autobiography, It’s
Kind of a Cute Story, in 2012.
Get ready for a truly amazing show... you just might hear a
"cute story" or two...
The Disney Avenue Podcast would like to thank
our producer Geren Piltz and our graphic designer Brian
Vermillion for their contributions to this show!
