Mickey Balloons
It's A Small World
Fantasyland
Disneyland
Anaheim CA
2019

"The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed"

Voyage along the Seven Seaways canal and behold a cast of almost 300 Audio-Animatronics dolls representing children from every corner of the globe as they sing the classic anthem to world peace—in their native languages.

Amid vibrant backdrops, you'll travel through country after country, and by journey's end, you'll see that it really is a small world after all.

Spot Familiar Faces

The ride opened in 1966, but additional characters debuted in 2009—thoughtfully placed in the appropriate nations.

During your cruise, keep an eye out for Peter Pan and Tinker Bell in England, Cinderella in her native France, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket in Italy, Aladdin and Jasmine in the Middle East, The Three Caballeros in Mexico, Ariel and Flounder under the sea, Lilo and Stitch in the South Pacific and Woody, Bullseye and Jessie in the southwestern U.S.A.

A Famous Façade

Don't miss the attraction's delightful moving façade, complete with spinning flowers, whirligigs and icons of famous world landmarks. Every 15 minutes, the 30-foot-tall clock tower opens to display a parade of 24 animated figures. Once the procession ends, 2 toy jesters appear and herald the current time.

The Song

"It's a Small World (After All)" is a timeless classic and one of the most well-known songs of all time. Walt Disney asked the Academy Award®-winning brothers, Richard and Robert Sherman, who were hard at work on Mary Poppins, to create a singular song that could be sung by Audio-Animatronics figures in multiple languages.

Designing a (Small) World

Walt Disney selected Mary Blair as art director and Alice Davis as costumer to bring "it's a small world" to life.

Classic Mary Blair Flair
With her distinctive use of color, geometric shapes and simple, childlike art style, art director Mary Blair was known for her unique visual aesthetic. Her colored paper collages give you the impression of sailing through an illustrated children's book.

Authentic Costumes
Under the direction of designer Alice Davis (with help from her husband, Imagineer Marc Davis), Disney seamstresses sewed over 300 costumes in all. Authentic materials were used for each region's traditional attire, from silks for the saris of India and fine wool for the Scottish bagpiper.

Disney History, After All

"it's a small world" was created for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Personally overseen by Walt Disney in support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the attraction was a huge hit for 2 seasons at the fair and was eventually shipped back to Disneyland park, where it opened on May 28, 1966.

Some familiar new faces debuted in 2009 with the addition of dolls representing Disney and Pixar characters—thoughtfully placed in the appropriate nations.

Due to its immense popularity, the attraction has been replicated around the world and is considered a Walt Disney classic.


https://mouseplanet.com/the-story-of-the-mickey-mouse-helium-balloons-part-one/4239/

https://mouseplanet.com/the-story-of-the-mickey-mouse-helium-balloons-part-two/4246/


Classic Mickey Balloons To Modern Mickey Balloons

A lot of people fondly remember when the classic Mickey-shaped balloons were sold without the protective 'bubble' they now have. These were fun and cute but not very practical, both for Disney and for the guests buying them. Vasts amounts of sunshine in both California and Florida caused rapid oxidization (quick breakdown of the latex) and popping from the heat.

Treb Henning, one of the original balloon sellers at Disneyland, invented the stretchy plastic 'bubble' balloon (that we sell all the time!), originally called 'glasshouse' balloons, in order to protect the latex Mickeys.

This did two things: both keep the Mickeys picture-perfect with no cloudy deterioration (the bubbles don't deteriorate, even in the sun) and protect them from popping. These balloons, when tied correctly, will also last two weeks or more. Since then, these balloons have also become a common product of the balloon industry as a whole. For the record, Treb also invented balloon columns and arches, which are also now one of the main staples of the balloon industry across the world.

https://www.queencityballoons.com/s/stories/mickey-balloons


Pricey? Maybe, But It Makes Sense

So, not only do these make a beautiful sight as you walk down Main Street U.S.A. or encounter balloon vendors in other parts of the park, they make a high-quality product that lasts. While they seem spendy, Disney's price for these is actually reasonable, especially knowing the wholesale costs for each part of them. $15 a pop seems like a lot for a light-up balloon, but when the little light-up sticks inside each cost over $3 each (wholesale!) you can see what you're paying for: the clear 'bubble', the latex Mickey, the light-up stick, the weight, and the expertise to inflate and tie them correctly! The classic Mickey Balloons or simple bubble with latex inside are only $10 at Disneyland Resort, which is actually a reasonable price within the balloon business as a whole.

Popped or Deflated Balloons

When you purchase a Disney balloon at the parks if any part of it pops or deflates you can walk up to a balloon vendor and swap it out for a new one, no questions asked. Disney cast members encourage you to do this as well. We had two balloons on this trip, both of which had flat ears. And with both, on the way out of the parks, we were told to bring them to a vendor and get them swapped out. If there are no balloon sellers out at the moment, bring your popped/deflated one to City Hall and they'll give you a voucher for a new one.

But How Do I Take Them Home?

People also avoid getting these fun balloons because they think they can't take them home if they're coming from out of the area. But you certainly can!

While you can't take them on the plane with you still inflated there are some very simple ways to take these with you and then enjoy them again at home.

Each of the 'bubble' Mickey Balloons has a zip tie used to seal it. Simply use a nail clipper (carefully!) to cut the zip tie, deflate both balloons, fold them up and bring them home.

From there you can bring your balloons to a professional balloon shop or artist like us to re-inflate! Be sure they have experience both with inflating Mickey ear balloons AND bubble balloons as well as know how to tie bubble balloons correctly. If the shop knows what they're doing the balloons will last a good couple weeks for you to enjoy at home!

If you'd rather not take them home but still want to enjoy them during your trip - do what we suggested above - spread some Disney magic at the end of the trip by gifting your balloon(s) to another family!