When Walt Disney passed away back in 1966, it was months before anyone was allowed into his office. Even when someone went in, it was one person- Dave Smith. He went into his office and cataloged every single item- down to each individual paper clip. He wrote down the title of every book on the shelves, along with the order they were in- even marking down when books were slightly askew or even upside-down.
Years later, Walt’s office was vacated and everything was put away. Luckily, a few years ago, everything was put back- exactly the way it had been. Books that were placed upside down in 1966 currently sit upside-down again. The same number of paper clips reside in the desk. And the reassembly of Walt’s office wasn’t done with copies or replicas- they put the items from Walt Disney’s office, down to his tissue box, back exactly where it was fifty years ago. And that’s where it will stay.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to check this ultimate bucket list item off my list when I toured Walt Disney’s office in Suite 3H. Below are ten things I learned about Walt Disney from that experience!
1. Walt collected miniatures. He was fascinated by how much detail could still be found on such tiny objects. He collected them himself, and once word of his collection got out he began receiving miniatures from others as well. His collection grew so large that he had to contain them in another room, though some were on display in his office. He even hard-carved a miniature deer himself!
2. Walt actually had two offices- a formal office and a working office. His office tended to be a bit messy, as you’ll understand if you are or have ever known a creative person. Because he often had to take important meetings, he had an office for more formal meetings, and one for actually getting work done.
3. He had a piano in his office, but didn’t actually play the piano. He did, however, invite the Sherman Brothers {Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and more- including many theme park songs} to play pieces for him to review while they were working together on music.
4. He kept “singing” birds in his office that may have inspired other audio animatronics. Walt found the birds in Paris and New Orleans, and was fascinated with the way they worked. These birds inspired the Enchanted Tiki Room!
5. Before the days of including John Ratzenberger in every Pixar film for good luck, Walt had a lucky charm of his own. A portrait of Ed Wynn can be found on the Disneyland board. According to Disney Legend Marty Sklar, the portrait “was a king of good luck charm” for Walt to have around his office. Walt and Ed were great friends who worked together often.
6. Due to the long hours he spent in his office, Walt had a full kitchen in his office. In his office, you could find a fridge, an oven, and a sink, along with cabinets fully stocked with dishes. The entire kitchen could be “hidden” from view with the touch of a button as a wood facade would come down over the kitchen. The motor still works, but due to the age of the machinery, they don’t currently operate the facade.
7. Walt collected books, and his bookshelves were very eclectic. He received books from hopeful authors everywhere, hoping that Walt would turn their book into his next big movie. He received signed copies of books, many of which remain in his office today.
8. Disney won several awards for participating in Anaheim Halloween festivals. Many awards from those events are in Walt’s office and in his secretary’s office!
9. Just like most proud parents, you can see lots of love for his daughters in his office. Baby pictures are on the walls and bronzed baby shoes make the perfect bookends. These sweet tributes to his daughters are bittersweet- Diane passed away in 2013 and Sharon died in 1993, making it even more of a tug at the heartstrings to see the things left behind from their youth.
10. Walt really liked flying, which is reflected by the aerial rides in the parks. He has a giant model plane sitting on his formal office desk that you can’t miss, and another in his working office!
Bonus Tidbit: The cute statue you see above was called a Mousecar {like a Mouse and an Oscar put together} and was an award presented within the Disney company. Anyone could be awarded one for outstanding service to the company, and this one was awarded to Walt by his brother!
Also while at Disney, we had a Peter Pan themed scavenger hunt! I actually had to miss out on most of it because I had an asthma attack {I was a little too excited to find the treasure!} but not before taking this shot, recreating the classic scene from the movie! What do you think, did we nail it?
Peter Pan, one of my favorite movies, not only turns 65 this year but is also about to be released as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection! In fact, it’s already out- it comes out on digital today and Blu-ray next week, June 5th. My family watched it over the weekend and I have to say, I may have grown up a bit since I first saw the movie but it still feels magical! Keep an eye out for my review of the Signature Collection version and some more Peter Pan fun coming soon!