Orange Bird: The BEST Disney Character You’ve Never Seen on the Big Screen
Disney has quite a few feathers in its cap: duck, parrot, hornbill, even chicken! They come from their feathered stars, of course – the timeless Donald Duck, Iago from Aladdin, Zazu from Lion King, and the most recent, Hei Hei, the chicken from Moana. However, there’s another feather in Disney’s cap, and it’s bright orange, and it comes from their best bird of all: Orange Bird!
juice commercials.
Now, I know you might be thinking no one can compete with Zazu’s morning report (so many animal puns!) or Donald’s classic raspy quack (we’ve all tried to make an impression at least once). Still, I think once you meet Orange Bird – or take a stroll down memory lane with him – you’ll be tweeting a different tune.
The Origin of Orange Bird
Disney was taking the leap – they were going to jump from the West Coast to the East Coast, opening Disney World in sunny Orlando, Florida! Although Disney was highly successful, running an entire world would take money – a lot of money – so they welcomed sponsors with open arms.
One such sponsor was the Florida Citrus Commission (also known as Florida Citrus Growers).1 They were one of the first sponsors to sign on in support of Walt Disney World.2 They signed a three-million-dollar contract with Disney in 1969 for a “tropical bird show.”3
This “tropical bird show” became the Tropical Serenade, an attraction nearly identical to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland, California. It “was the first Disney attraction to use Audio-animatronics exclusively.”4 Of course, audio-animatronics were the idea of none other than Walt Disney himself, having been inspired by a toy that Walt found: a tiny, mechanical bird in a cage that could move and warble.5 The Tropical Serenade in Disney World was an ode to that little bird.
The Tropical Serenade differed from its Disneyland counterpart, adding a pre-show with two birds, Clyde and Claude, sitting on a Tiki statue, discussing the upcoming show.6 The Tropical Serenade had over 150 singing animatronic birds, flowers, and tikis to enchant guests and carry them away to an island paradise!7 There was also an orange juice and snack bar called the Sunshine Tree Terrace adjacent to the attraction where guests could continue their island experience. However, the best was yet to come!
As part of the sponsorship agreement, Disney was going to provide a character to endorse not only FCC’s in-park orange juice bar but also orange juice sales outside of the Magic Kingdom.8 Donald Duck had already been sponsoring orange juice for Florida’s Natural Growers cooperative since 1940, but to solidify the partnership, Disney crafted a brand-new character just for the FCC.9,10 This, in turn, really made the character all the more special. Thus Orange Bird was born, having “hopped out of a (1970) meeting with Disney marketing people.”11
Citrus Swirls and Orange Thoughts
Orange Bird was designed by Don Mclaughlin, with the final design being completed by C. Robert “Bob” Moore.12, 13 The character was (and still is!) utterly adorable! Today, the successful “Pokémon” franchise is known for its cutesy, hybrid animal creations that are part plant and part bird (or what have you), but as usual, Disney was way ahead of the curve. Orange Bird was part canary, part orange! He had a perfect round head – an orange! – and bright green leaves for wings. He also had big, puppy-dog eyes that could stare into your soul and capture your heart. (I would literally die for this bird.)
Orange Bird made his adorable debut at the Magic Kingdom in 1971 as a character that would meet and greet guests at the Sunshine Tree Terrace, located in Adventureland. (There was also a figurine of this character behind the counter of the Sunshine Tree Terrace.) Guests could give the walk-about character a big, squeezy hug while sipping freshly squeezed orange juice – or better yet, eating a Citrus Swirl made from frozen orange juice and vanilla soft serve. Yum!
(Is it just me, or are you suddenly feeling hungry?)
Orange Bird even flew to greet people in their own homes through the magic of television. He starred in orange juice commercials for the FCC and Disney shorts, like the educational (and entertaining!) Foods and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure from 1980. Not only did Foods and Fun instruct one on a proper diet, but it also gave Orange Bird a backstory, making him so much more than just a mascot.
Lonely little Orange Bird wanted a friend, so he flew from the chilly north to the sunny south, searching and searching until he was finally adopted by a family in – can you guess where? – Florida! He even had his very own picture book and record; the songs were written by the Sherman Brothers and sung by Anita Byrant, with back-up vocals by the Mike Sammes Singers of Beatles’ backup fame!14
He’s a fluffy little puffy sight to see
Sherman Brothers
He can turn your frown around,
When you see him looking down,
The Orange Bird up in the Sunshine Tree…
However, despite being on TV and a record, Orange Bird is conspicuously silent! That’s right – a song-less bird! And boy was he teased for it at the start of Foods and Fun, poor thing! He was a very blue Orange Bird.
Orange Bird had a different way of communicating – with smoky, orange thought bubbles! Whatever he wanted to say would appear in picture form above in head in a cloud. (And that brings our “cuteability quotient” to 9,000 and counting…) Many Disney characters are known for their voices – especially the birds, like Donald Duck! Silence makes this character so unique and all the more special, for there is truly no one else like him. It also shows you don’t always need words to make someone smile – sometimes you have to offer up a smile yourself!
Orange Bird and his happy, orange thoughts really helped “to put the Magic Kingdom on the map during its first decade of operation.”15 Unfortunately, by 1986, the contract between Disney and the FCC came to a close and was not renewed, halting Citrus Swirl production and leaving the little Orange Bird without any friends again…16
Once Upon a Now
Luckily, the little Orange Bird’s record starts with “once upon a now” because “through the miracle of your imagination, the story will be happening to you now!”17 Not yesterday, or last week, or many years ago like every other story, because once again, the Orange Bird has proved to be something special. Although by the 1990s he seemed to be a bird of the past (no more, ceased to be, pushing up oranges, an ex-Orange Bird), he was resting and pining for a friend!
In 2004, Orange Bird found a friend, not in Florida this time, but in Tokyo! He was adopted as the “unofficial symbol of Japan’s Orange Day – the April 14 holiday on which couples exchange citrus fruit in the declaration of their affection.”18 Aww, what a love bird! More Orange Bird merchandise was produced and purchased at Tokyo Disneyland in the name of love than was produced or purchased during Orange Bird’s entire nesting season at the Magic Kingdom!19
Nevertheless, Orange Bird would fly south once again, migrating back to his Magic Kingdom home in 2012, where he was welcomed with open arms. He returned home to the Sunshine Tree Terrace, to his spot behind the counter to oversee Citrus Swirl production and make friends with the customers. (Because that’s right, the Citrus Swirl made a comeback, too!)
at the Sunshine Tree Terrace in the Magic Kingdom. (Photo: MouseEars TV Creative Team)
Orange Bird’s Magic Kingdom homecoming was due mainly to Imagineer Jason Grandt, who had tracked down Orange Bird after his long hiatus. “Grandt revealed that the original Orange Bird figure had been located, hidden away in a drawer in the WDI Sculpture Studio in California…[It] was restored by Kevin Kidney and included in a new display behind the counter of the Sunshine Tree Terrace.”20
Although there hasn’t been a restoration of the walk-about Orange Bird – yet – you can still get a “virtual” photo with your favorite canary with PhotoPass “Magic Shots!” It’s also heartening to see the Orange Bird play such a big part in EPCOT’s famous annual Flower and Garden Festival, truly integrating Orange Bird back into the Magic Kingdom as a Disney staple.21 And of course, the Magic Kingdom, like Disneyland Tokyo, is all stocked up on Orange Bird merch, so you can buy an Orange Bird pin or plush to help you think “orange thoughts and sunny words!”
Orange, you glad you’ve met the Orange Bird? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) “Unlike other characters you’ll find around Walt Disney World, the Orange Bird has never appeared in a film, is not based on a classic fairy tale character, and isn’t featured in any attractions.”22 And yet he is a ray of Florida sunshine, bringing so much happiness to the “happiest place on earth.” Orange Bird is incredible because he doesn’t need to have a movie or a thrill ride to go with him. He doesn’t even need words. Orange Bird only needs to be himself to make someone smile – and that’s what makes him the best Disney character of all.
Cover Image
Photo: MouseEars TV Creative Team
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Additional Resources in Print
“Florida Orange Bird Returns.” 2014. American Road 12 (4): 18.
Watts, Steven. The Magic Kingdom : Walt Disney and the American Way of Life. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri, 2001.
