Who Lives and Works on Main St.?

The tradition of Main Street windows goes all the way back to Disneyland in the 1950s. Walt and his designers crafted what appeared to be ads for second-story businesses above the Main St. shops, all as a way to pay tribute to those individuals who helped build the park and make it a success. That tradition continues today in all the Disney Parks around the world.

In Paris, you can find nods to everyone from Disney family members to the leaders and Imagineers who played roles in the park's 1992 opening. The windows in the offices of the Main St. Gazette (above) feature the names of Disney Legend Marty Sklar (who began his career creating the Disneyland News in 1955 and went on to lead Walt Disney Imagineering), Tony Baxter (the chief Imagineer on the Disneyland Paris project), as well as the names of individuals who directed the original marketing and publicity campaigns for the park.

There's also a window nearby for the Main St. Marching Band, honoring "Conductors" Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, the top executives at Disney who brought the resort to France. The window says they've been "Leading the Parade Since 1884," a reference to the year (1984) in which Michael and Frank joined the company.

Michael Eisner and Frank Wells had a very successful working relationship, one similar in many ways to the founders of the company. They're honored many places, but specifically on the window for Two Brothers, Inc. Roy O. Disney and Walt E. Disney are listed as Founders and Partners, Dreamers & Doers.

Some windows pay tribute to hobbies, pastimes and other elements from Walt Disney's life, like this shingle for the business office of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. Carolwood Pacific was the miniature railroad Walt had built in his backyard.

It's not just Walt and his hobbies, though. Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew, was a key executive in the company at the time of the Disneyland Paris opening. He was also an avid sailor, so it's appropriate that he's listed as Captain of Pyewacket Cruise Lines. Pyewacket is the name Roy used for a series of sailing boats he owned and raced over the years (the Disney-produced film Morning Light tells the story of one such race, the Transpac).

Main Street at Disneyland Paris is unique in that some of the windows, ads and businesses are also used to refer to characters or stories from Disney films and TV shows. Harrington's Fine China & Porcelains shop is named for Polly Harrington, played by Jane Wyman in the 1960 Disney film, Pollyanna. The movie is set in the same time period as Main St., U.S.A. In the story, Aunt Polly is the wealthiest woman in town, so it's fitting that the interior of the Harrington's shop is one of the most ornate on the street.

A window above the Market House Delicatessen promotes Digby's Messenger Service, a reference to Digby Popham, the character played by Michael J. Pollard in Summer Magic (1963). In the movie, Digby dreamed of leaving Beulah, Maine, and moving to the big city. Looks like he may have gotten his wish.

Right next door is Evans and Markham Advertising. This refers to the 1950s "Mickey Mouse Club" serials, "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." The main characters' names were Spin Evans and Marty Markham. (On a personal note: My son Evan got his name from Spin Evans, too. His twin brother, Riley, was named for Dexter Riley, Kurt Russell's character in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. Yes, my wife and I are BIG Disney fans!)

One last window I'd like to share with you is that of M. Jones Electronics. I particularly love it, because it not only refers to a classic Disney film, but also carries forward the story of Main Street, U.S.A., and its theme of progress. M. Jones, of course, comes from The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, a 1964 comedy which starred Tommy Kirk as a "scrambled egghead" of an inventor (A sequel, The Monkey's Uncle, came out in 1965). Here, he's offering Edison Talking Machines, bringing the latest in early-20th century technology to the citizens of Main St.

The Real Tom Sawyer

Long before the pirates established a lair on Tom Sawyer Island, guests could meet Tom Sawyer himself there. Tom Nabbe was perhaps the youngest person ever to be employed at Disneyland. He started work in July 1955 at the age of 12, hawking The Disneyland News (written by none other than Marty Sklar) at the front of the park. From the moment he learned that Tom Sawyer Island was coming to Frontierland, Tom took every opportunity he could to ask Walt Disney for the job.

Tom Nabbe became Disneyland's Tom Sawyer in 1956, holding the job until he no longer looked the part. Nabbe later went on to be a ride operator and supervisor at the park. He moved to Florida in 1971, joining the opening team of the Walt Disney World Resort as manager of monorail transportation. Tom retired in 2003 as head of Walt Disney World Distribution Services.

Today, there's a window dedicated to Tom on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. Located just above the cinema, it reads, "Sawyer Fence Painting - Tom Nabbe, Proprietor" in tribute to his unique role in Disney history.

Main Street Art Festival

Just off Main Street is a quiet little alcove, East Center Street. Here, you'll find charming residences with shaded balconies, along with a community Art Festival where custom portraits and silhouettes are being made.

It's one of my favorite spots in the park. There are benches and a handful of tables and chairs to relax and enjoy the day, and the hustle and bustle of the Magic Kingdom seem miles away. Here on Center Street, life is slower, allowing you to stop and smell the roses (or whatever those flowers are my son Evan discovered).

If you hang out long enough, you may even overhear a voice or dance lesson being conducted behind one of these upstairs windows.

Crockett & Russel Hat Co.

The second-story windows on Main Street, U.S.A. bear the names of many of the people who have contributed to the success of Disneyland over the years. But while Main Street is home to the majority of these tributes, a few can be found in other locations throughout the park.

When Disneyland opened, interest in Westerns in movies and on TV was at an all-time high. It's no wonder that Frontierland took up a full third of the entire park. Walt knew that's what his audience would respond to, especially considering that one of the most popular Western stories of the 1950s was a Disney production - Davy Crockett.

Davy Crockett was a nationwide phenomenon. "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" became the number 1 song in the country, and there was a run on coonskin caps, so little boys and girls could dress up just like their hero.

Actors Fess Parker (Davy Crockett himself) and Buddy Ebsen (Davy's pal George Russel) appeared at the park on opening day, in the parade down Main Street and in a rollicking musical number on the streets of Frontierland. Fess Parker also popped up a number of other times in the park, for various special events.

He became a fixture at Disneyland in the 1950s, so it's only fitting there be a window dedicated in his honor. Where else, but in Frontierland?

Funny Business

It is widely known among Disney fans that the businesses advertised on the second story windows of Main Street, U.S.A. are all tributes to key individuals from Disney Parks history. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, however, those upper windows provide the Imagineers with an opportunity for a little humor while fleshing out the story of "the Hollywood that never was."

A great example is the window above. Found on Sunset Boulevard over the Villains in Vogue shop, one finds the headquarters for the International Brotherhood of Second Assistant Directors, or I.B.S.A.D. Pronounce those initials (I Be Sad) and this fictional organization becomes a comment on a movie making role that gets little respect... the person who assists the person who assists the Director.

In the same block on Sunset is also the Muscle Beach Bodyguard Service:

And just around the corner, Max's Classic Directing Academy, claiming to teach "The Latest Movie Techniques." This window is actually an homage to the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. In it, Erich von Stroheim plays Max von Meyerling, a once-great Director who now spends his days as a butler catering to once-great actress Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). The Academy's slogan, "Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?" paraphrases one of the great lines from the film.

Across the street and above Sunset Club Couture is Director's Best Friend, Inc., providing trained stunt dogs for motion pictures:

And finally, up the street a ways at the corner of Hollywood and Vine (and above the Hollywood & Vine Cafeteria of the Stars) is the office of Detective Eddie Valiant, the character portrayed by Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Fans of the film will remember the scene where Roger burst through the window shade of movie producer R.K. Maroon's office. Well, it looks like the silly rabbit must have made a similarly hasty exit from Valiant's place here at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Hidden Disney

Just about anyone who is a Disney fan knows a little something about Hidden Mickeys, those subtle images of the famous mouse creatively woven into the design of Disney shops, attractions, resorts, and other theme park locales. No one can say just when the first Hidden Mickey appeared, but the practice clearly caught on with the construction of EPCOT Center in the early 1980s.

EPCOT Center was the first Disney Park not modeled on the original Disneyland. In an effort to help distinguish it, the Imagineers decided that the world-renowned Disney characters would live exclusively in the Magic Kingdom. Epcot was to have its own characters (although Dreamfinder and Figment were the only ones to make it off the drawing board). Mickey and the gang were nowhere to be found.

Of course, as Walt Disney said on the first episode of the Disneyland anthology series, "It all started with a mouse." The Imagineers felt compelled to pay tribute to that fact and set about slipping Mickey into the design of many of the pavilions. Today, the practice is widespread and all-but-expected with any new project.

Somewhat lesser known, but often even more fascinating than Hidden Mickeys are the details I like to call "Hidden Disney." These are the little gems throughout the parks which cleverly pay homage to everything from prominent individuals in Disney history to former park attractions. Hidden Disney actually dates back even further than Hidden Mickeys, to at least 1955 when the first Main Street windows appeared at the opening of Disneyland.

You'll find a Hidden Disney tag on older posts which already mention this sort of fun detail. Look for other Hidden Disney posts on this blog coming soon.