Good afternoon, Mr. Phelps.

Here are the latest conquests from the outer steppes of Mongolia.

We have for your enjoyment some Walt Disney World costume pieces. These are vintage, dating to the late 1970's or early 1980's. They are both hallmarked © WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS, and the Hostess badge is also hallmarked N.S. MEYER, NEW YORK, which is the company that made these pieces.



The Guest Relations cast member usually works with, well, guests at ticketing centers and such at Walt Disney World. The Hostess badge is worn by a female cast member giving the guided tours of Magic Kingdom Park.

The Disney Store

Good evening, dear friends. Here's the latest nametags from the Disney Store!

First off, is the nametag being worn in the Disney Stores with the new "Imagination Park" concept:

In case you haven't been to the new stores remodeled with the new concept, the tree on this new nametag is representative of a feature added to the new stores. The trees feature projections of Disney characters, and other promotional images.

For other Disney Stores that are not receiving the Imagination Park concept, they have received a new nametag...

Disneyland Ambassadors

here is the most recent addition to my collection..

This is the very beautifil badge that is given to Cast Members selected to be official Disneyland Ambassadors. What does that mean exactly? Well, I'm going to be lazy (again) and steal some info from wikipedia... "Disney ambassadors are selected cast members who are chosen and to represent and promote each Disney resort. The program started in 1965 by Walt Disney. For the 50th anniversary of Disneyland Park, actress and Disney Legend Julie Andrews was asked to be the honorary 50th anniversary ambassador."

Julie Reihm was selected to be the very first Disneyland Ambassador. Here she is..

My compliments to whoever designed this costume for the Tour Guides. Certainly easy on the eyes. Two weeks ago Disneyland selected the 2011/2012 Ambassador team. Here is one of them:

Her name is Jolie Hales, and she hails (pun intended) originally from the town just to the north of where I live. She is also an independent film director and producer. She wrote and directed a short film called "Latter Day Fake" which has won many awards at film festivals.

(if you ever read this, Jolie, and you are in search of a Disneyland-obsessed returned missionary who is also a film junkie, please don't hesitate to call me!)

A private club for our members (and their guests)

The above image is a recent addition to my collection. It's a very beautiful and detailed costume piece that's worn by the Maitre'D at Club 33. Below is the nametag worn at Club 33. A bit of Disney trivia... the Club 33 is the oldest nametag being used by Disney. It hasn't changed since the Club opened in 1967.

We Love To Fly, And It Shows

In 1989, Delta Airlines became the official airline of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts. These buttons were distributed to airline employees and travel agencies to promote Delta's connection with the Disney destinations.

It's been my pleasure

This week I picked up the above. It's the famous "D Pin" worn by female Cast Members who give the Guided Tour at Disneyland. You know them, they wear the sexy plaid costumes and tell special guests the history, people and places of Disneyland. The program began in 1959, and has been very popular ever since. Here's one of the wonderful girls I am talking about..


If you click on the above picture to enlarge it, you can see the red triangular paper badge that the boy is wearing. This was given to all participants in the Guided Tour. These paper badges came in many colors..

In addition to the boy's red, and this black, there was also green, yellow, and orange tags used. So now if you see a girl (or guy) wearing a plaid costume, walking around with his/her hand in the air, being followed around by a group of people, you know what's going down.

Walt Disney Special Events Group

So today I got the nametag that's worn by the Walt Disney Special Events Group. This division of the Disney Company creates special stage productions and other promotional events, like film premieres and such. For example, in 2000 they produced an event which celebrated the Disney Channel becoming a free channel on Time Warner Cable in New York. Christina Aguilera perfomed at the event, along with other Disney properties.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

So this has been my most-wanted nametag for the past 2 years. It's a nametag that was given to VIP's and special guests when they were invited to special functions at Disneyland. Things like press conferences, or banquets at Club 33. I've dreamed of this one, drooled over it, hunted high and low, and cursed the day I ever started this hobby. Well, today I finally found someone willing to sell this tag to me. I don't care that the price was high. So what? This nametag is quite rare, I have only seen four others in all my time doing this. So it's a welcome addition to my collection. And now we are so happy, we do the Dance of Joy!

Magic Kingdom Club Update badges

So here's some interesting badges in connection to Vintage Disneyland Ticket's recent posts about the Magic Kingdom Club (you can read his post here http://vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com/2010/09/magic-kingdom-club-membership-card-1979.html). These badges were used at the Magic Kingdom Club Update events in 1991, 1993 and 1994. I'm not exactly sure what the Magic Kingdom Club Update was exactly. There's not much information out there. You can watch a video about the Magic Kingdom Club Update here:

http://www.disneypix.com/Multimedia/Video/MKClub93/MKC93.htm

Anyone out there attend a Magic Kingdom Club Update?

Nametag archaeology: extinct theme parks of Florida

The year is 1973. The owners of Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus created a winter home for their organization in Florida. They also built a circus-themed resort, with all the trappings of the circus, including clowns, animals, and a huge striped big top. What did they name this place? Cirus World, of course!

This is where things get kind of sticky. The owners of Ringling Brothers, the Felds, sold Circus World to the Mattel Corportation, the same company that makes Barbie and Ken Dolls. Mattel added roller coasters and other theme park attractions to compete with Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in nearby Orlando, but it really didn't work. Mattel held on until 1986, when they sold the property to an investor named Jim Monaghan, who in turn sold it to Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. HBJ had also recently purchased other properties in Florida, including Sea World and Cypress Gardens. HBJ, however didn't think there was much future in the Circus theme. So, the clowns and elephants were fired, the tent folded up, and in 1987 the property reopened as..

Boardwalk and Baseball!

The former circus theme was transformed into a shrine for baseball. A new practice field and spring training facilities for the Kansas City Royals was built, and exhibits and relics from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown were brought to the property. A vintage seaside boardwalk was build, complete with gas lighting and authentic wood boardwalk. However, the park was not a financial success, and in 1989 HBJ sold its theme park assets to Busch Entertainment. In January 1990, Boardwalk and Baseball closed, and the park was demolished. The property sat abandoned for ten years, until it was reclaimed for retail and residential space.

Walt Disney World Golf Tournament ephemera

Since it opened in 1971, Walt Disney World has been home to several championship-quality golf courses, including the Oak Trail and Magnolia courses. Many PGA and other tournaments have been held at Walt Disney World over the years as well. Today I present you with several badges used by staff and volunteers working said events.

The Oldsmobile Golf Classic:

The Professional Golders Association Merchandise Show:

The National Car Rental Golf Classic:

EPCOT Center Opening press badges

It's 1982 all over again! Well, at least for the next few minutes. Today I present you with some of the badges issued to press at the grand opening of EPCOT Center, in October 1982. Why are these different colors? I think that each color enabled the bearer a different level of access to the opening events, like a VIP lounge or something like that. At least, that's how it's worked at all the other Disney event openings, so why break with tradition? And one other thing, there is a nametag worn by cast members at the EPCOT opening. It's a white oval, and features the EPCOT logo in dark blue or back. Anyone out there have one? I'll give you $$$ for it! =)

The Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade

I'm going to be lazy and steal Wikipedia's text about the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade:

"The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade is an American television special that airs on Christmas Day on the ABC, taped primarily inside the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, approximately one month prior to Christmas Day. Past shows have included segments featuring other Disney theme parks in Orlando, Florida, Anaheim, California, and around the world. The program has aired annually since 1983, with the exception of 2000 when Disney aired a Christmas Eve "Tracking Santa" special instead. In 1999, a nighttime version of the parade was shown on Christmas Day. In the 1980s and '90s, the program was known as The Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade or the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. In 2009, the show was expanded to include parades at Disneyland."

So in keeping with the theme of our blog, here are a selection of the temporary badges issued to crew working behind the scenes of the Parade taping and telecast:

In 2005, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa hosted the taping and broadcast...

Backstage, their dressing room doors were marked with a special "nametag"..

These "nametags" are very different from the regular ones worn at Walt Disney World. These are much larger, and are nearly 12 inches long. They are used at Walt Disney World in the Utilidors underneath the Magic Kingdom, to identify what a particular room is used for, and also as a personalization for a particular Cast Member's cubicle or office space.

Badges from the earliest days of Disneyland

Sorry about the long time since I posted last.. though of course since nobody reads me.. it doesn't matter... hahahah.. anywho...

Here are some truly unique pieces of early Disneyland history from my collection...

(you can click this image to see an ultra-high-rez-high-def version)

This is an original name badge from the opening days of Disneyland. This badge is quite different from the other original badges you might have seen. This badge has the Cast Member's full name engraved on it, where others just had a number. High-level WED Enterprises managers and executives working at Disneyland had their names engraved on their badge. This particular badge belonged to James Warrick, who was in charge of all the boats and water craft at Disneyland. The Coast Guard insisted that due to the large amounts of water at Disneyland, and the craft operating therein, that a skilled and licenced Captain be onsite at all times. Mr. Warrick was working at the Long Beach Boat Shop, who had been contracted to build some of the boats for Disneyland. He moved over to Disneyland to be the captain as required by the Coast Guard, and served in that capacity from 1955-1958. In 1958, the Coast Guard removed the captain requirement, and Mr. Warrick then moved to the Maintenance department, where he remained until his retirement. A bit of curious info about this badge, it is hallmarked by the Los Angeles Stamp and Stationery Company... (LAS&SCO on the back of the badge).

This next one is a piece of mystery meat...

I'm not exactly sure what it is. It's nearly identical to the above badge, just in a rougher condition. The backside of this item is still has some sharp edges, like it was just stamped from a sheet of brass. Why it wasn't ever finished, or perhaps served another purpose at Disneyland, is anyone's guess.

Next I present you the badge that was worn on the costumes of Cast Members working the new Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland, in 1959. From what I read, this badge was worn on the hats of the attraction costumes...

(you can click this image to see an ultra-high-rez-high-def version)

This badge is modeled after the badge that sailors in the Navy receive when they serve, or a qualified to serve, on a submarine. The Navy badge was customized for use at Disneyland, by adding the famous "D" crest to the conning tower of the sub.

Matterhorn1959 has another pair, which you can see in his post here...

http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2009/02/souvenir-friday-submarine-voyage-hat.html

These badges were made by the NS Meyer company. They are famous for making badges and jewelry for the military. Disneyland also used them to make the famous "D" badges worn by hostesses and tour guides. In case you wondered, the company that made plastic nametags for Disneyland, from the 1960's through the early 1980's was Western Plastics in Long Beach, California.

Walt Disney World Convention Badges

These Mickey head badges were used by Guests attending conventions at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. They were used from park opening, in 1971, up until around 1980.

Happy 55th Anniversary Disneyland!

Too bad Disneyland didn't get a new nametag for the 55th anniversary this year. =(

Disney Cast Member charitable organizations

For many years, Disney cast members have donated their time and resources for charity all around the world. In 1983, the Disneyland Community Action Team was started:

The Disneyland Community Action Team assisted with The Special Olympics, hospitals in Orance County, California, and other local organizations. In 1992, it became part of VoluntEARS, a corporate-wide group within the Disney Company.

Disneyland Paris also has their own volunteer organization, Club Bénévole was started in 1991.

Club Bénévole's mascot is the Fairy Merriweather from the film Sleeping Beauty. 'Bénévole' means "volunteer" in French. Made up of 350 cast members from more than 20 nations, Club Bénévole's primary mission is to help children in need throughout western Europe.

Director's Guild of America

Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry. This badge is from an event that they held at Disneyland. When exactly? I have no clue. The style of the Disneyland logo is from the 1950's, so I would assume it was from that era. Anyone out there know more about this event? One can only imagine which famous film directors of the era attended this event. Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock wore this badge at the event. No way to know of course, but it would be amazing to to attend the event and rub elbows with all the mavens and bosses of the Hollywood studios!

In honor of the MLB All-Star game in Anaheim, here is a piece of forgotten Disneyland history:

"The 1989 Cowboy Boot 'n' Ears Revue"

What exactly was the Cowboy Boot 'n' Ears Revue? The revue was a special event held at Disneyland in 1989, in conjunction with the MLB All Star game held at Angels Stadium. From an LA Times article about the event:

"For tonight's "Boots" bash, hosted by Major League Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, the Magic Kingdom's parking lot will be transformed into a rompin', stompin', sawdust-kickin' Western town. Even Giamatti is excited. "This is my first All-Star game as a commissioner," he said from his New York office last week. "So I'm really looking forward to the game and all of the fun attached to it. The gala at Disneyland will be especially exciting because it's a salute to Gene Autry."
For the tribute to Orange County's bat-and-ball-loving cowboy, 2,000 guests will be shuttled by bus from five area hotels to attend the "Boots 'n' Ears Revue," named for the symbols of Autry and Mickey Mouse. First on the agenda: Guests will be seated family-style (that means no reserved seats) at tables for 10 inside canvas walls set up next to buckboards, wagons and bales of hay. Party favors? Cowboy hats sprouting Mickey Mouse ears, of course.
Next, a "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" hoedown will be performed to put guests in a Western mood. After comments from gala emcee Johnny Grant--a.k.a. Mr. Hollywood--the crowd will hear from Giamatti, Autry (if he chooses to speak), Mickey Mouse and Jeffrey Katzenberg, president of Walt Disney Studios.
Then come the vittles--bucket after bucket of finger lickin' beef and pork ribs and crisp 'n' crunchy chicken and old-fashioned baked beans and potato salad--carried by 250 performing singers and dancers and the Disneyland characters. Disneyland promises that the food will be served to all the guests in 10 minutes.
After they've wolfed down the main course, guests will be served up an "Apple Pie Hoedown." High-kicking waiters and waitresses will bring on hundreds of warm pies gussied up with red, white and blue streamers and stuck with large kitchen knives. Guests will be invited to divvy up the pie themselves.
Next, a 25-minute performance by comedian Jay Leno.
And finally, in the "finale finish" as party organizers are calling it, all 40 of the Disneyland characters will join singers, dancers, riders and ropers as they wend their way through the tables and invite guests to enter the Magic Kingdom to enjoy the rides, view the Electrical Parade and get an eyeful of fireworks."

Quite a way to celebrate Orange County's connection to baseball. Of course, ten years later The Walt Disney Company would purchase the Anaheim Angels... but sold the franchise in 2003.

Here we go.. off to Neverland!

Hello to everyone in the Disney universe! This is my first post. Does everybody say that? I guess.
So who am I, and what am I doing here? Well, my name is Ben, and I am the curator of nametagmuseum.com. Blogspot seems to be the place of choice for all the leading Disney bloggers and collectors and preservers of Disney artifacts. So, I thought I could make a pitiful attempt to contribute to the Disney knowledge base.
I specialize in nametags, badges, and similar whatnots that are made for the use of the Walt Disney Company. Since Disneyland opened in 1955, the Company has created many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of nametags and badges for its various departments and events. So on this blog, I will show you a bit of what I have managed to gather in my six years of collecting. So let the magic carpet ride begin!


So what will be the first thing we will learn about today? How about the nametag worn at MAPO?

Founded in 1965, MAPO stands for Manufacturing And Production Organization. It was created as a subsidiary of WED Enterprises using profits from the theatrical Mary Poppins film. MAPO's main mission was to create and develop prototype entertainment and transportation systems. It is most famous for the creation of Audio Animatronics that are the signature feature of many Disney attractions, such as the denizens of the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. MAPO also developed the hardware systems that control many of the attractions at Disney parks.

So there you go. A bit of Disney you might not have known. Hopefully I will have some (!) readers here, of course not as many as the other bigger kids on the blog playground, but hopefully they won't come and beat me up and steal my lunch money.

=)