For many Disney visitors Main Street U.S.A. is the way you get to the Castle and then on the the rides. Perhaps you look in the shop windows and wander in to buy something. But have you ever looked up? On the second floor of the Main Street buildings most of the windows have writing on them. The old-fashioned writing gives the feeling that different proprietors run business in this turn-of-the-century town, but they are actually a code. Each of the windows honors a Disney cast member who contributed to the building of the park.
Walt Disney has several windows, and his are usually at the beginning and end of Main Street, like opening and closing credits. But there are many more and all of them have a story. Along with the name of the cast member there is a profession written on the window. Some describe what that person did for the park. Others tell of a hobby or pasttime the person enjoyed.
How can you know what story each window represents? As always, there is a book. Windows On Main Street by Chuck Snyder describes the story of each window in Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The windows are listed alphabetically and there is a picture to help with identification.
Want a to find the answer with your smart phone? There are many websites that can tell you what the windows represent. My favorite belongs to a great podcast, The Laughing Place. They have a list of the Disneyland windows and an app for the Walt Disney World windows.
So the next time you are on Main Street U.S.A. slow down and look up. With Disney every detail has a story to tell.
Goofy Tip: Make a game out of looking at the windows. See if you can guess the job or pasttime associated with each person. The book or websites can tell you if you are right or not, but it is fun to guess whether you know the answer or not. Bonus points for finding Walt Disney’s windows. Happiness squared.