Where Did the Orange Bird Come From?

The Orange Bird. What a cute little character. If you keep an eye open you can usually spot this bird over in Adventureland, and these days you can definitely spot the Orange Bird on countless pieces of Disney merchandise, from key-chains to magic bands to even dresses. That said many guests, especially younger ones, might be wondering “Just who is the Orange Bird, and where did he come from?”

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To find out we have to go back to 1969, just two years before the opening of Walt Disney World. Like much of the park, and like most of Disneyland over in California, Disney planned to use corporate sponsorships to help pay for the construction and upkeep of attractions.

One organization that was eager and willing to work with Disney was the Florida Citrus Commision, a board of appointed representatives of the state’s citrus growers, processors and packers. However they couldn’t really figure out what, exactly, to sponsor. There weren’t any rides or attractions that felt like a perfect fit. So at Disney’s suggestion they sponsored the closest fit which was the tropical themed Enchanted Tiki Room.

For $3 million dollars and a ten year commitment, the Florida Citrus Commision would sponsor the attraction, along with a connected juice bar that would sell orange juice and other snacks. As part of the sponsorship the attraction, which was named “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room” over in Disneyland would be renamed to the “Tropical Serenade” in the Magic Kingdom. This name would stick around until 1997 when it was eventually replaced with the “Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management”. The juice bar would be named the Sunshine Tree Terrace, and it’d would operate there for 44 years before switching locations with Aloha Isle Refreshments which was also in Adventureland.

The sponsorship would also call for one more thing. The Citrus Commission wanted some kind of character identifier with Disney that they could use for not only the park and juice bar, but also at events outside of The Magic Kingdom. Disney, however, was not about to let any of their iconic characters be used for that representation. They were very protective of that kind of thing. So instead Disney, opted to design a new character and mascot from scratch, and so the Orange Bird was born.

The character wasn’t wildly popular or anything, but the Orange Bird did well for himself all things considered. He could be found as a walk-around character in Adventureland near the Sunshine Tree Terrace. A cartoon version of the Orange Bird was also featured in commercials and two educational films, one called “Foods and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure” and the other being “The Orange Bird and the Nutrition Bandwagon.” There was even a record put out with songs written by the famous Sherman Brothers and performed by Anita Bryant that told the story of the Orange Bird.

Everything was just peachy, but it also turned out to be pricey for the Florida Citrus Commision. Since Disney owned the rights to the Orange Bird, they had to pay a fee for every appearance the bird made. On top of that when the sponsorship was renewed after the initial ten years, the rate for the sponsorship went up from $150,000 a year to $190,000 a year. Additionally they paid another $135,000 for a second juice bar in Fantasyland.

Ultimately the two bars wouldn’t end up selling enough snacks to make up the costs of the sponsorship.

So in 1987 when the sponsorship extension reached its end, the Florida Citrus Commision decided not to renew, and with the loss of the sponsorship came a loss of the Orange Bird. For 17 years the mascot wasn’t much but a memory for those who visited in the 70s and 80s. Then in 2004, in Japan of all places, the Orange Bird made a comeback.

Merchandise for the character was made for Tokyo Disneyland and guests loved it. They took to the cuteness of the character. The Orange Bird merch also made for a great gift for Orange Day, which took place on April 14th in Japan. Similar to Valentine’s Day, it was a holiday in which couples exchanged gifts, usually orange in color or in some cases literal oranges.

The character eventually found its way back to the states and by 2012 the Orange Bird was once again a featured character of the Sunshine Tree Terrace. Since then, his popularity has only grown, with all sorts of Orange Bird merch being introduced. The Orange Bird even made a cameo appearance in the 2016 comic book series “Disney Kingdoms: Enchanted Tiki Room”.