I have no idea how they were able to see out of these monstrosities, some of the ugliest costumes in Disney history. Cast members had to wear oversized heads (think Bobblehead dolls for giants) of famous Americans like Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross. Disney built 8-foot tall People of America costumes. The most memorable part of this parade was kind of creepy, too. These monstrous floats broke the illusion! The floats were too large, which made them visible when cast members returned them back to their hidden areas, a huge no-no at Disney parks. The Magic Kingdom version actually went better than the Disneyland one, which suffered a fatal flaw. The duo had previously cut ties with Disney but came back for this exceptional event, the 200 th anniversary of America.Īmerica on Parade was a daytime event, temporarily replacing another parade that we’ll discuss next. The year before, Magic Kingdom introduced America on Parade, highlighted by a new song from the Sherman Brothers. This trend started during the run-up to the Bicentennial in 1976. Over the years, Disney has performed several patriotic parades. Its replacement would have floats and be a better representation of what we consider Disney parades. Park officials quickly decided that they could do better and shut down the processional after a short run. Floats weren’t even a part of the earliest proceedings. The earliest parade mainly involved a marching band, a few antique cars, the Sensational Six, and some of Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs.

Its run was extremely limited, and its ambition was negligible. We’re going to cover the highlights today, starting with the original parade.īack in 1971, the Character Parade became the first official parade hosted at Walt Disney World.

Some of them are more memorable and significant than others. The Character Paradeįactoring in repeat performances and limited time presentations, Magic Kingdom has hosted literally dozens of parades over the past half-century. Here’s a brief history of Magic Kingdom parades. When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, a parade was part of the opening day festivities, and the park has hosted one ever since.

Since the earliest days of Disneyland, The Walt Disney Company has been in the parade business.

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