When Disneyland opened in 1955, surprisingly few of the park's employees actually worked for Disney. Most merchandise and food operations were handled by Operating Participants. Even such functions as Custodial and Security were initially contracted out. While Operating Participants continue to be a part of the park to this day, the contractors didn't last very long, as Walt quickly figured out that to maintain the standards he expected, he would have to hire and train his own staff.
When brought on board, the employees of Disneyland were made an integral part of the park's show. They were called Cast Members, wore costumes and worked on stage. To further personalize the show and enhance the sense of friendliness between Cast Members and Guests, Walt also phased out the original, generic Disneyland badges (with numbers, rather than names). In their place came name tags, so that everyone in the park - including Walt - could be on a first-name basis.
and soon Mr. Lincoln (again)
ReplyDeleteDo you happen to know what that symbol is at the top of the original badge? In the circle---(the first pic).
ReplyDeleteIt's a graphic of Sleeping Beauty Castle with the Disneyland "D" around it. In the early years, the park wasn't allowed to use Mickey or most of the other characters, just in case the venture was a failure. They didn't want their #1 character going down with the ship.
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