Making a Spectacle of Themselves

In 1986, Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne granted his daughter Breezy's wish to have their home covered in red Christmas lights. It was the beginning of a tradition that grew year after year. By the early 90s, Osborne had purchased the homes on either side of his and was decorating them, too. People came from miles around to see the display, but the Osborne family's neighbors were not fans of the lights, the noise or the traffic. They took Osborne to court and won, shutting down his holiday display.

At the same time, Disney was searching for just the right holiday feature to add to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Osborne family's lights seemed a perfect fit. On November 24, 1995, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights made its grand debut on the Residential Street backlot set.

When Residential Street was retired for the addition of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, the Spectacle of Lights moved to the Streets of America, where it continues to delight Guests.

Since coming to Florida, the display has expanded in scope from 3 million lights to nearly 5 million. Although none of the original lights remain (they've all been replaced with energy-efficient LED lights), all of the main features of Osborne's creation are still here. Believe it or not, everything from the 40-foot tree and flying Santa to the angels and giant earth globe were part of the display at the Osborne home in Arkansas.

Other enhancements to the show over the years have included the addition of a nightly snowfall and the dancing lights effect, added in 2007.

Like most kids, Breezy was a Disney fan, so images of Mickey Mouse were always part of the Christmas light display. Once the show moved to Walt Disney World, though, the Mickey factor increased considerably... all at the direction of the Osborne family. Today, Guests enjoy seeking out hidden images of Mickey in the lights. One of my favorites (although not particularly "hidden") is the toy soldier with mouse ears:

Aside from finding Hidden Mickeys, another popular challenge for visitors to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is to seek out the cat. The story goes that when all the Christmas lights were shipped to Florida back in '95, a Halloween decoration got slipped in by mistake. The team putting the show together at the Studios that first season were on a tight schedule and didn't have time to question it. They put the cat up anyway.

Today, the cat has become a traditional element of the Spectacle of Dancing Lights, with the Show Director and Technicians placing it in a different spot each year. The next time you're at the Studios during the holidays, see if you can spot the Halloween cat. You never know where he'll be hiding.