Favorite Things: Tiki

One of my favorite things, Disney or otherwise, is Tiki culture. Maybe it's the Adventureland connection (my favorite land) or just the cool, mid-century retro vibe, but my wife and I love it so much we've done one whole room of our house as a 1960s-style mod' Tiki room.

A signature piece in that room is this "big fig" of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. It's a perfect replica of the thatched hut at the entrance to that park's Adventureland, complete with a cobblestone-paved garden and the Tiki pre-show totems (Maui, Rongo, Tangaroa, etc.). Some of the totems even have little moving parts, and the entire building can be illuminated from within.

Elsewhere in the room sits this piece, a full-scale replica of the original Enchanted Tiki Room Barker Bird, Juan. Juan was once perched above the entrance to the attraction to talk to passersby and give them an idea of the sort of show they would find inside. This, of course, at a time in the early-'60s when Audio-Animatronics technology was new and guests bought separate tickets for each attraction experience.

Juan ultimately had to fly the coop, since he caused so many traffic jams with people stopping to watch him and blocking the entrance to Adventureland. This resin sculpture, plussed with a real bow tie and collar and artificial tail feathers, was produced several years ago by artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. Kevin and Jody have created some fabulous pieces over the years, including replicas of items from Disneyland's past that could only appeal to the mostdiehard fans. To have a look at some recent work, visit Kevin's blog at this link.

Another favorite in our Tiki room is this limited edition 9" Vinylmation figure. It's really fun, with representations of Jose and Tangaroa on the front. Around back, it's "Here come the girls!" along with the Tiki drummers and mystical fountain. (I wonder what happened to Rosita?)

50 Fifties

Another key element of the Disneyland 50th Anniversary celebration back in 2005 was the inclusion of 50 fifties throughout the park. In the tradition of Hidden Mickeys, fifty versions of the 50th Anniversary logo were placed around Disneyland. Some were obvious, like the Mickey Floral at the Main Entrance or the medallions on the lampposts up and down Main Street, U.S.A. Others were more cleverly incorporated.

Here are a few of my favorites: on the clock tower at It's a Small World, in the garden outside The Enchanted Tiki Room, part of the rockwork on Splash Mountain, and woven into a giant spider web across the front of the Haunted Mansion.

Hunky Tuna Tostada!

The majority of the storytelling details I've shared on the blog have been visual in nature, but occasionally the Imagineers slip in some audio treats for Guests willing to take their time and linger.

At the conclusion of The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, a worse-for-wear Iago is perched above the "AutoMagic" exit doors, his humorous commentary continuing even as the audience files out of the theater. Hang back after everyone else has left, and you'll hear what may be one of the funniest lines of the show:

"I'm tired! I think I'll head over to the Hall of Presidents and take a nap."

Apologies to fans of the Hall of Presidents (granted, the present version of that show is quite a bit more engaging than the version which preceded it), but the line fits Iago's character perfectly and is a great bit of self-deprecation on the part of the Imagineers.

Another wonderful example of a subtle audio detail can be heard at the Haunted Mansion. When the attraction was refreshed a few years ago, one of the enhancements included a completely new sound system and auditory experience for the Stretching Room scene. In the updated version of the show, walls creak, wind howls through the halls and the voice of our Ghost Host seems to float around the room.

Once a way out of the Stretching Room is revealed, most Guests are happy to beat a path to the Doom Buggies to continue their tour. Wait around for a bit, though, and you'll hear something more. A raspy, ethereal voice whispers a haunting, "Get out." It's decidedly creepy and gives me goosebumps just writing it.

So just as it pays to sometimes sit through the credits of a movie like Iron Man (or Iron Man 2) for an extra treat of a scene, Disney's park attractions offer their own bits of added fun from time to time.

Flashback: Sunshine Tree Terrace

From 1971 to 1986, the Tropical Serenade in the Magic Kingdom was presented in association with the Florida Citrus Commission and Florida's Citrus Growers. Leaving the Sunshine Pavilion after the show, Guests could find a tasty treat in the form of a cold glass of orange juice or a refreshing Citrus Swirl, served across the counter of the Sunshine Tree Terrace.

Disney's partnership with the Florida Citrus Commission also extended to the creation of a new character, licensed to the FCC for use in advertising and on merchandise. His name was the Orange Bird, and he would often make appearances in the park, greeting visitors to Adventureland.

Florida's Citrus Growers and the Orange Bird may have flown the coop more than two decades ago, but the Sunshine Tree Terrace remains. You can still get an orange Citrus Swirl here, and you can still admire the lovely orange tile along the front of the counter. In fact, a visit to the Terrace today is like a flashback to the 70s.

Tropical Serenade

Aloha! Welcome to the Enchanted Tiki Room. At least, that's the name that the "New Management" has given the place. It's a tribute, of sorts, to the original show at Disneyland, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Since the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971, however, the Florida version of the attraction had always gone by the title Tropical Serenade.

Of course, in those days (before the 1973 addition of Caribbean Plaza and Pirates of the Caribbean) the towering Sunshine Pavilion stood at the far end of Adventureland, beckoning daring explorers to trek through the jungle and seek out its wonders.

The main presentation of Tropical Serenade (and today's Enchanted Tiki Room show) took place in the large ceremonial meeting house adjacent to the pavilion. The support columns of the building are carved into tiki totems, and the faces of the structure are adorned with examples of Polynesian seafarer art, creating an appropriately South Seas atmosphere.

A bit of creative license was taken, though, with the design applied to the peaks of the roof on the ceremonial house. The building's height had to be able to accommodate the large "bird mobile" which lowers during part of the show, but that meant the top of the building would also be visible from nearby Frontierland. To solve the problem, Imagineering designers chose figureheads of water buffalo. From Adventureland, they work for a South Pacific/Southeast Asian setting. On the Frontierland side, they resemble longhorn cattle.

Waiting for the show to begin, we enter a covered garden beneath the Sunshine Pavilion and stand before an enchanted waterfall. In the original Tropical Serenade, very little happened here. The waterfall would part, and two small birds named Clyde and Claude appeared to give the audience a brief preview of the show to come.

Moving beyond the garden, the beautifully carved AutoMagic doors of the ceremonial house open to allow us in for the show. It's clear that birds are highly revered here. After all, magical things happen inside. Birds sing words. Flowers croon. And for a long time anyway, lovely young ladies were the exclusive human inhabitants.

At a time (pre-1995) when attractions like Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square Riverboat and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were staffed by men only, female Cast Members were assigned roles on the Plaza Swan Boats, Hall of Presidents and Tropical Serenade. Interestingly, long after guys started working at the Tiki Room, Jose continued to wake from his slumber with an enthusiastic "Buenos dias, Seniorita!"... even if it was a senor who tapped his perch.

In the early years of Walt Disney World, when there were far fewer attractions and audience expectations were considerably more low-key, the Tropical Serenade commanded a D Ticket and was a fairly popular stop for Guests visiting Adventureland. As time went on, however, audience tastes started to change, and Guests were less willing to sit through a lengthy, albeit pleasant bird and flower show.

Audience walk-outs started to increase. Many never even made it into the main theater, leaving after seeing nothing more than the pre-show. Others would push through the doors to get on with their day as soon as the first number came to a close. Often times, once one family decided to bolt, a stream of others would follow them out.

For the Disney faithful (likely most of you reading this blog), this seemed like blasphemy. How could anyone have such disrespect for one of Walt Disney's original creations? The reality, though, is that the audience in Florida is quite different from that in Southern California, who had grown up with a special attachment to the Enchanted Tiki Room. In much larger Walt Disney World, the show was rapidly dropping on the Guests' list of must-visit priorities.

An initial attempt to stem the walkouts involved removing the Offenbach number, shortening the show by a few minutes and eliminating the less-than-enthralling enchanted fountain. When this had little effect, the decision was ultimately made to update the entire show.

There was a trend in Disney entertainment during the mid to late-90s for the company to poke fun at itself in a wink-wink sort of fashion. It's a brand of humor that worked successfully in films like The Lion King (Zazu singing "It's a Small World") and Aladdin (Genie throws out several Disney in jokes) and came to life in the park with the 1998 opening of The Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management.

Clyde and Claude were given the new monikers William and Morris, wisecracking talent agents representing the Tiki Room's new owners, Iago and Zazu. The names are derived from an organization today known as William Morris Endeavor, a major talent agency with a long history in Hollywood. Their humorous pre-show tends to hold the audience's attention and does more to tease the show to come, helping to build anticipation.

Inside, everything starts traditionally enough, before being interrupted by Iago's insistence on jazzing up the proceedings. In spite of the protests of the original hosts (Pierre: "But monsieur, we've done the same show..." Fritz: "Yah, since 1963!"), things get hopping in the ceremonial house. Before you know it, the high-energy show has come to a close, and Iago has learned a bit of a lesson about messing with Polynesia (courtesy of Uhoa, the Tiki Goddess of Disaster).

While the new management's version of The Enchanted Tiki Room may not be popular with everyone, the more-lively show has all but eliminated walkouts and has found quite a few fans, especially among younger Guests.

A final note: There are several Hidden Disney references heard in the script of the Enchanted Tiki Room show. William and Morris mention the Mighty Ducks, an Anaheim hockey franchise once owned by Disney and named for a series of live action comedies from the Studio. As mentioned above, Pierre and Fritz refer to 1963, the original opening date of the first Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. And for one more bit of fun, hang around the theater after everyone else has left. Iago continues to make comments from his perch above the door, the final one being, "I'm tired. I think I'll go over to the Hall of Presidents and take a nap." Again, Disney poking a little fun at Disney (although with the reception the new Hall of Presidents show is receiving, Iago's nap is likely to be interrupted by all the applause).