Fun-Fact Friday: WDW Main Street U.S.A.

August 17, 2012 in All Posts, Randy, walt disney world by Babes in Disneyland

Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom

If you’re a “Disneyland person” visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, your first stop will probably the Magic Kingdom Park. After all, it’s the “bigger Disneyland”, right? Not really. They really are different experiences. I remember my first trip there, in 2010. Main Street U.S.A. felt familiar, and yet different–with good reason.

There are some interesting comparisons, though, and for today’s Fun Fact Friday we’re going to look at the introduction to both parks: Main Street U.S.A.

Size: The Magic Kingdom’s Main Street is wider and longer than Disneyland’s. It has to be, since the castle at the end is so much larger. Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is 77 feet tall, while Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World is 189 feet tall!

Randy with the "Sharing the Magic" Statue

Me with the “Sharing the Magic” Statue

Statue: Both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom have a Partners Statue in the Central Hub. Florida’s park has another statue, though, at the other end of Main Street called “Sharing the Magic”. This is a statue of Roy O. Disney, Walt’s older brother and business partner, sitting on a bench with Minnie Mouse. There is a beautiful story behind the design of this statue, but this is for another time.

What’s better than getting your first
haircut in the Magic Kingdom?

A Unique Shop: Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has one shop in particular that I wish Disneyland had. In Town Square, just past City Hall, is the Harmony Baber Shop. For $15-$19, this real barber shop that welcomes about 400 Walt Disney World Resort guests a week. “First Haircuts” is the Harmony Barber Shop’s specialty. Children who get their first haircut here are treated to surprises, including a “My 1st Haircut” set of Mouse Ears, bubbles, Mickey Mouse stickers, special “pixie dust”, and a certificate for $18.

Time & Place: Both Main Streets are set in the same era, 1895-1910, but their locations are different. Disneyland’s is the main street of a small Midwestern town, while Walt Disney World’s has as its inspiration more of a larger and more prosperous New England town. Interestingly, the four corners in the middle of Main Street U.S.A. (where Center Street is) reflect four different architectural styles–New Orleans, New England, Chicago, and New York City!

A Walk Through Time: The “blessing of size” the Florida park enjoys allows Disney to tell a story that it isn’t as easy to do at Disneyland. As you walk down Main Street U.S.A. from Town Square towards the castle, pay special attention to the lamps. As you leave Town Square and stroll down the street, you’re also walking forwards in time. The lamps at the front of the park are gas lamps, but the farther along the street you go, they gradually start to transition to early electric lights. You’re walking through an important part of history, as towns and cities begin to embrace Thomas Edison’s “newfangled invention”.

For You to Discover: Main Street U.S.A. is one of at least three places where you walk through time” in a Walt Disney World park. What are the other two?

You can read more from Randy on his blog, Faith and the Magic Kingdom. Find him on Twitter (@Belgarion42) and on Facebook, and listen to his podcast, Stories of the Magic.

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