Monday, June 4, 2007

Jambo!

With the Tusker House soon to be converted into buffet and character dining, I thought it would be fun to look at the little details found inside.


This lamp is decorated with an array of African hunting spears which creates a very interesting radial design.

This sign is a great theming element, as well as a gentle reminder.

A tour sign lists the safari tours located in the region. Kilimanjaro Safaris is the first one listed, but I think the hot air balloon trip sounds fun too.


Here's a view of the wonderful theming above the registers and counter.

And one can not overlook the great theming that extends even to the pay phones.

Friday, June 1, 2007

A Grand Design


When designing the Grand Floridian, Disney did a great job in keeping the character level to a minimum and playing up the 19th century elegance. Yet Mickey couldn't stay away completely, as evidenced by this wallpaper from the Sugar Loaf Key building.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Devine Mickey


I've always been a fan of hunting for Hidden Mickeys. This one is my particular favorite, found on one of the outdoor staircases at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. What I love about this one is that it isn't just the usual three circles, but an actual profile of Mickey's face, hidden amongst the leaves.


Can you find it?

Monday, May 28, 2007

Hanging Around


Animal Kingdom is full of gorgeous artwork that covers almost every inch of the buildings. This particularly fun lizard can be found hanging around Pizzafari. This unexpected little guy is not only a great design element, it also functions as a lantern.

Imperfect Goats


While perhaps one of the more well-known "secrets" of Walt Disney World, the five-legged goat on the Contemporary's large Grand Canyon Concourse mural has always been one of my favorites. During my first time staying at the hotel, I spent our entire vacation intensely searching for it, only to find it on the last day simply by looking up as we were leaving the monorail.

The infamous goat pays homage to the hotel's Native American roots. Certain Native American cultures believe that nothing humans create is entirely perfect, and thus will deliberately place flaws in their artwork, which they consider to be a path for the Spirit. The extra appendage makes the hotel imperfect, thus showing that yes, even Disney can make mistakes.

Friday, May 25, 2007

The Wonderful World of Trash Cans

The theme parks aren't the only places to be on the receiving end of some wonderfully themed trash cans - many of the resorts have some great designs as well.

The Polynesian's trash cans feature its Tiki mascot and thanks you for throwing away your trash in true Hawaiian style.

The trash cans at Fort Wilderness get in touch with their pioneer roots.

Help keep the Conch Flats clean when you stay at Old Key West.

I promised I would only stick to the classic "Push" style design, but I think this one from Animal Kingdom Lodge is close enough to warrant its inclusion.

I have always loved the BoardWalk's classic postcard logo.

The trash cans at Caribbean Beach have a true tropical flair.

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory...

The All-Star Resorts share one basic design.

And to finish up our tour of Walt Disney World trash cans, we end with Disney Quest's Hurricane Mickey design.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Lions and Tigers and Trash Cans - Oh my!

Today we'll look at the diverse trash cans of Animal Kingdom. Whereas the other 3 parks usually have a single design for a large area of the park, the trash cans of Animal Kingdom show more color and design variation.

This intricate Tree of Life design, for example, comes in four different colors: blue (shown here), white, pink, and tan. I love this particular image for all of the animals that make up the Tree. It is quite detailed and the more you look at it the more you see.

The fun trash cans over at Rafiki's Planet Watch all come in this day-glo yellow, but feature an ostrich (shown here), giraffe, ram, or kangaroo.

The Asia trash can comes in both tan and green.

Dino-Rama's trash cans are fun and fit in well.

The trash can of Camp Minnie-Mickey has a nice Arts and Crafts design to it.

And we'll finish up with the understated, but still very effective design found in the village of Harambe.