This week we explore some of the more unconventional jobs at Disneyland you may not know about. From SCUBA divers to Look Specialists, we’re bringing these unique jobs to light.
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Show Notes
Topic 1 - This Week in Disneyland history
- 1956:
- Disneyland holds its first "Old-Fashioned Easter Parade" down Main Street USA.
- 1956:
- At Disneyland, the Bathroom of the Future (later known as the Bathroom of Tomorrow) presented by The Crane Company, opens in Tomorrowland.
- 1990:
- At Disneyland, the Blue Ribbon Bakery shop opens on Main Street replacing the Sunkist Citrus House
- Today, this space is the check-in area and indoor dining room of the Carnation Café. In 1997, the shop moved down the street, to Jolly Holiday‘s current location.
- 1993:
- At Disneyland, the Aladdin's Royal Caravan parade steps off for the first time.
- 1995:
- The Disney film A Goofy Movie is released.
Topic 2 - News
- Parks officially closed “until further notice”. Reservations available starting June 1st as of right now but fine print on disney websites says whether or not the parks will remain closed until June 1st is still undecided.. Cast members will continue to be paid through 4/18.
- Disney senior execs will have their pay reduced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the indefinite closures of Disney Parks across the world.
- You can take a virtual tour of Walt Disney Imagineering on the disney parks youtube page.
- Bose and Trigger have been working with LucasFilm, Skywalker Sound and Disney to introduce an augmented reality app called the “Star Wars Audio AR Experience”. The AR app will help you experience all the sounds of the SW universe from the hum of a lightsaber to the sounds of battle. Also the audio ambiance of black spire outpost on Galaxy’s Edge. Trigger released a statement saying “In partnership with Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, Disney, and Bose, Trigger created an immersive, audio-focused AR experience to complement the release of the final film in the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
. It was built specifically to utilize the capabilities of embedded motion sensors found in the flagship line of Bose AR-enabled devices, including two types of headphones and a line of eyeglass frames. Users can try it out in the official Star Wars app.By simply rotating their head, users can experience four essential scenes from the Star Wars franchise as if they were inside the films. They can explore the area where characters are engaged in battle or tap a character to switch to their point-of-view. The AR spans across all eras of the franchise, covering the journey of Anakin and Luke Skywalker’s iconic lightsaber, leading up to the current trilogy where the lightsaber is now in Rey’s possession. The final scene in the AR experience is based on the Millennium Falcon training sequence from A New Hope, which features new, original sounds created specifically for this experience by Skywalker Sound, along with a number of sounds from the Disney Galaxy’s Edge theme park experience.”
Topic 3 - Merch
- Three Caballeros mini backpack from Loungefly. Donald Jose and Panchito stacked faces. Small zip around wallet with the three faces and different instruments. $80 for a backpack and $40 for the wallet, coming soon to the Loungefly website.
- Vera Bradley and Disney collab with a large collection of pink and purple flowered clad bags and more.
- Design has a bluish background with pink flowers and purple mickey heads. Collection has a lanyard (25) Tote (120) Wristlet (45) ID Case (20) Drawstring tote (75) throw blanket with mickey minnie and pluto (65) cosmetic case (40) hipster bag (85) crossbody/wristlet (80) mini hipster bag (60) Campus backpack (130) travel bag (140) sling backpack (65) on Shop Disney.
- Tie Dye apparel hits shop disney for summer. All merch is branded for Disneyland AND Disney World.
- Tie Dye spirit Jersey 69.99. Womens tie dye shirts with Disneyland or Disney World design on front 36.99. Tie dye dress 39.99. Women's shorts with mickey silhouettes on front 34.99.
- Mulan Pandora charms on Shop Disney
- Mulan dangle charm with a disc that says “be strong and be yourself.“ Inspired by Disney's 1998 mulan.
- Red ball charm with Mushu ‘
- Disney Castle Collection releasing on Shop Disney. The first in the collection, Cinderella’s castle, will be released on April 4th. Each series in the collection will include a high-end figurine along with other products inspired by the castle. The Cinderella series will have the figure, ornament, journal, pin and puzzle. Others to be included in the collection will be Frozen Mulan Snow White Tangled Sleeping Beauty Aladdin The Little Mermaid Brave and Beauty and the Beast.
Topic 4 - Hidden Mickey
- The Rescuers- Wall clock in intro scene. Clock looks like an oversized watch next to a lion poster. Has a full mickey.
Topic 5 - Food
- Kenzie- Hot Chocolate from Batuu
- Tabitha- Pomme Frites from Cafe Orleans
- Sean- Chimichanga from the carts in Frontierland or Main Street Hub.
Topic 6 - Events/Entertainment
- What to watch on Disney+
- Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Circuit
- Short Circuit is a series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios filmmakers and artists. The films are independent shorts that are meant to "take risks in both visual style and story". Similar to its sister series SparkShorts from Pixar, it is meant to showcase new talent from within the industry.[1] These shorts were originally meant to be kept within the studio, but have since been released to the general public.
- 14 episodes, about 5 minutes each
- Little boy discovers that puddles can be portals to a fantastical world
- A young girl faces off against an evil hairdresser as she goes through imaginative lengths to avoid her first haircut.
- Disneyland app - turn on your push notifications
- Magic Moments in History - Enjoy a bite sized journey into the history of Disney theme parks, attractions and more
- Play
- Weekly feature - Andy’s board game blast
- Mickey & Minnie’s Trivia Time
- Dapper Dans are doing a #VoicesfromHome series on the Disney Parks youtube channel. You can visit the Disney Parks blog to vote for what song you’d like to hear them perform.
- A virtual viewing has been released for the Magic Happens parade at Disneyland. You can find the full parade video on Facebook and YouTube.
MAIN - Crazy Disneyland Jobs
- Scuba diver
- While most divers hang up their gear during the winter, our divers work year-round to maintain cleanliness and ensure that show elements living under water are ready for our guests each day. They use various talents, skills, degrees and certifications to maintain our numerous water attractions including the Rivers of America, Jungle Cruise, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland park, as well as Paradise Bay at Disney California Adventure park.
- Photo censors
- No skin
- No obscene gestures
- No celebrities
- Worked in the "Critter House" - Flash/Splash Mountain
- Mermaids in Tomorrowland
- In 1959, amid a grand, televised re-opening of Tomorrowland — the futuristic sector of Disney’s park — Disneyland opened its Submarine Voyage ride
- Weeks before Submarine Voyage’s grand opening, Disneyland had put out a local newspaper ad calling for “mermaids.” Hundreds lined up around the Disneyland Hotel pool, they took turns showing off their dolphin kicks for the chance to make about $45 per week. In the end, only a handful were chosen to be fitted for their own starfish bras and plastic tails.
- After that initial summer, they reappeared for only three more seasons between 1965 and 1967.
- Matterhorn Mountain Climbers
- Having real mountain climbers on the mountain is a tradition started by Walt Disney in 1959 when the attraction opened
- Climbers have to undergo a 40 hour training in order to be able to climb
- Pooper scooper
- Custodial workers push the “honey cart”
- Audio-animatronics special project leads
- dress animatronic characters on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and It's a Small World.
- The cast members are also responsible for frequently replacing garments so that the ride always looks new to visitors.
- Target painter
- Disneyland at one point had 3 shooting galleries: Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland
- Before the Frontierland Shootin’ Gallery changed to infrared guns in the 1980’s, they used BB guns.
- All of the targets in the galleries had to be repainted each night, since the “bullets” from the pistols chipped away at the paint throughout the day.
- Canoes
- The only attraction to feature manual labor
- Paddle
- Fences
- Artist
- As an In-Park Character Artist you’ll get a pencil, one of those sketch light boxes to sketch, and then you get to draw all day.
- Look specialist
- makes sure that buttons are buttoned and shirts are neatly pressed and everyone is within “Disney Look.” And that means, someone who looks friendly enough to sell you a balloon on Main Street.
- Disneyland Ambassadors:
- The Disneyland Resort Ambassador Program has been an essential part of Disney’s outreach since Walt Disney started the program back in 1965. During their two-year term, these “Emissaries of Goodwill” visit hospitals with Disney characters, attend special events, and act as spokespeople for the park. This year, Justin Rapp and Rafa Barron scored the sought-after full-time gigs, representing the Disneyland Resort and its 30,000 cast members as the 2019-2020 Disney Ambassadors.
- Fairy Godmother in Training:
- For those who adore children and transformative makeovers, being a Fairy Godmother in Training at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland will warm the heart day after day. Little girls flock to the salon for a unique hair and makeup experience paying homage to favorite Disney Princesses like Cinderella and Belle. And seriously, there’s nothing cuter than seeing little ones dressed up as their favorite characters. The smiles at the end of the session are totally worth it.
- Holiday Services Decorator:
- Alecia Keen and Cathy Carson, part of the Holiday Services arm of Disneyland's resort enhancement team, are filled with the Christmas spirit all year long. They create that added magic that appears during the holidays and Halloween in the Parks. And yes, this is a job that's year-round. As soon as the decor is up for the current year, they’re already brainstorming the next. The idea that holiday decorating is an actual job is mind-blowing for those of us who love seasonal decor!
- Queue Designer
- In charge of the conception, creation, and execution of that space where you wait, pre-ride. Not just how the line moves, but what it looks like along the way.
- Disney queue management has turned what is typically viewed as a stagnant experience — waiting idly around — into an extension of its amusement park.
- waiting in line becomes an experience of its own. Disney knows to take visitors’ minds off the queue and put it on to something else.
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