The History of Orange Bird
Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival began this week and we are seeing a celebration of the Orange Bird during this festival. This lovable little bird has a big following but not everyone knows about him. So a lot of people might know of Orange Bird but they don’t know who he is so let’s change that right here, right now!
It Begins
It all starts when Walt Disney was building a little park in Florida. Walt Disney was always a big fan of sponsors to help fund his parks. He found one in the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). Disney and the Florida Citrus Commission negotiated a deal where Disney would create a mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission. In exchange, FCC would sponsor a “Tropical Bird Show.” A deal was made and the FCC signed a three-million-dollar contract in 1969. The Florida Citrus Commission was one of the first sponsors for what would become Walt Disney World.
Orange Bird’s Beginnings
Disney Animator, Don McLaughlin, was given the task of creating the mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission. He created a character who was part canary, part orange, and 100% cute! Orange Bird debuted at Magic Kingdom in 1971. His home was at the Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland and he was also a meet-and-greet character!
In addition to hanging out at Walt Disney World, Orange Bird appeared in ads for the Florida Citrus Commission. In the 70s and 80s, you could see Orange Bird in commercials, Disney shorts, and educational shorts. Through the late 70s, he even had a couple of records and a picture book! The picture book included a ten-page illustrated storybook that told the backstory of the Orange Bird. The songs on the records were written by the infamous Sherman Brothers and sung by Anita Bryant (with backup vocals by the Mike Sammes Singers who also did backup for The Beatles).
In 1986, the contract between Disney and the Florida Citrus Commission came to an end. Because of this, Orange Bird and even the Orange Swirl seemed to be destined to live out his days in the Disney Archives.
Orange Bird Goes Overseas
In 2004, Orange Bird visited Tokyo Disneyland and became an “unofficial” symbol of Japan’s Orange Day. Orange Bird became extremely popular overseas and there is a lot of merchandise created for his new friends at Tokyo Disneyland. In fact, it’s rumored that more merchandise was created during his time in Tokyo than during the 70s and 80s when he was in Florida.
Orange Bird Comes Home
Fast forward to 2012. During a D23 event at Magic Kingdom called “Tweet Meet,” D23 members and media were told that Orange Bird is coming home to Walt Disney World! Disney Imagineer Jason Grandt revealed that the original Orange Bird sculpture was hidden away in a drawer in the WDI Sculpture Studio in California. They had the sculpture restored by Kevin Kidney and placed in the new display behind the counter at Sunshine Tree Terrace. And Orange Bird was officially back!
Orange Bird Today
Now you can find lots of merchandise and love for Orange Bird. He still has his home at Sunshine Tree Terrace complete with a cute mural, perfect for photo ops! But as we know, he also heads over to Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival where the last few years he’s been the must-have drink sipper of the festival. This year, the merchandise for Orange Bird is celebrating his origins. The color scheme and art style is reminiscent of the 70s and even the new drink sipper has Orange Bird holding an Orange Sipper. The Orange Sipper was something you can get at Walt Disney World in the 70s and there was even a similar version for sale at Florida Citrus Stands run by the Florida Citrus Commission. This new sipper and merchandise seems like a full circle moment for Orange Bird and I’m happy we’re celebrating this huge part of Walt Disney World and Florida’s history!
