Trending badgeTrendingPosted 54 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret Down25 Disney Facts That Are So Surprising And Interesting That You'll Want To Share Them With EveryoneGet ready to sprinkle a little pixie dust on your day as we dive into some magical Disney facts that even Tinker Bell would find surprising.by Brian GalindoBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Disney 1. In 1930, a Mickey Mouse writing tablet became the first Disney character merchandise. Walt Disney agreed to license the character to a company in New York (for $300) because he needed the money at the time.
Mickey Mouse Writing TabletFirst Licensed Piece of Disney Character Merchandise1930#DisneyArchives50 pic.twitter.com/Ijy2w3eOGB- Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) June 11, 2020 D23.com / Via Twitter: @DisneyD23The writing tablet license made the studio realize they could increase their revenue through merchandise. 2. The first cartoon Disney made in color was the Silly Symphony short Flowers and Trees. The cartoon was also the first to be made in Technicolor (making it the first full-color cartoon). It was so innovative for the time, too, that it would earn Walt Disney his first Oscar - an Academy Award for Animated Short Subjects. Courtesy Everett Collection, / Everett Collection / Everett Collection 3. The term "Disney Vault" is actually a lot older than you might think. It was used to refer to movies that were taken out of "the vault" and re-released into theaters after their original run (this was way before home videos existed). Disney In the '80s and '90s, the term became a marketing tool to help sell VHS releases (and later DVDs and Blu-rays in the 2000s). 4. The first movie it re-released was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1944, during WWII. The studio was sort of forced to do so as they were cash-strapped at the time and were producing propaganda films for the government that weren't really made for profit. Disney The success of the Snow White re-release started the tradition of Disney re-releasing its films into theaters every 7-10 years. BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicObsessed with all things Disney? Join our fan community where you'll find hot topic discussions, quizzes, movie news, and more!See our Disney Discussions 5. During World War II, 90% of what Walt Disney Studios produced was for the Allies' war effort (i.e. propaganda films, training films, print campaigns, etc.). Galerie Bilderwelt / Getty Images, LMPC / LMPC via Getty Images 6. While Walt Disney always talked about how the carousel at Griffith Park inspired him to build Disneyland, it was actually several things that inspired him. One of them was Beverly Park Kiddieland, which he often visited with his daughters. Archive Photos / Getty Images The park (which used to sit where LA's Beverly Center is now) was owned by David Bradley, who held his park to higher standards than other parks at the time. 7. Walt actually told David about his plans to build Disneyland in 1950. He then hired David as a consultant. Earl Theisen Collection / Getty Images David was the one who told Walt to build Main Street, U.S.A. at 7/8th scale and to do themed-photo ops (among other things). 8. In 1954, as a way to help pay for the construction of Disneyland, Walt developed a Disneyland TV show (that would end up airing on ABC). Disney The show also served as a way to promote the park, as Walt would update viewers on its construction and what was being built. The series would go on to become The Wonderful World of Disney. 9. Also, in 1954, Alice in Wonderland became the first animated Disney movie to air on TV. Disney The movie aired as part of the Disneyland TV show. 10. Walt Disney hated how Alice in Wonderland turned out and refused to re-release the movie during his lifetime. However, in 1971, five years after Walt's death, the movie became a head film, and it had a huge cult following among college students, who would rent the 16-mm film and set up viewing parties. The movie's renewed popularity convinced Disney to re-release the film in 1974, where they really leaned into the psychedelic side of it (as you can see in the re-release poster below) and even used Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" in the radio ads for it. Walt Disney Co. / (C)Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection 11. According to Jeffery Sherman, son of Robert Sherman (of the famous Sherman Brothers), he inspired the Mary Poppins song "A Spoonful of Sugar" after he told his dad that he had gotten his polio vaccine on a sugar cube. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney When I was a kid we got the polio vaccine. My dad, working on Mary Poppins, asked how my day was. I told him about the vaccine. "Didn't it hurt? I said they put it on a sugar cube and you ate it. He called my uncle Dick and the next day they wrote "A Spoonful of Sugar." (1 of 2)- jsher88888 (@jsher88888) December 3, 2020 Twitter: @jsher88888 12. After Sleeping Beauty bombed at the box office, Disney deci