Walt Disney once said, “Laughter is America’s most important export.” I found that quote on a tee-shirt during a recent visit to Heritage Manor Gifts at The American Adventure in Epcot. I love reading quotes from Walt as they are often times filled with optimism, hope and joy. At Disney Theme Park Merchandise, we have used his quotes on a variety of merchandise items including hats, posters, shirts and more.
I’ve found most of the quotes that inspire me from two books pictured above. I’ve owned the now out-of-print, purple-covered one since the early 1990s. The other book pictured was first published ten years ago in 2001. Both contain quotes that I enjoy such as, “In bad times and good, I have never lost my sense of zest for life.” Another favorite quote is, “Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.”
One category at Disney Theme Park Merchandise that loves using quotes is Disney Pins. In my previous role on the Pin Trading Team, I recall using that purple covered book as a source of inspiration for an entire themed event in 2006 called “Disney Pin Celebration – It All Started With Walt.” I found a few pins that give examples of famous quotes.
The hinged pin pictured above is one of our most popular open edition pins that, when opened, reveals an image of Walt Disney on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland park. The bottom hinged pin is from the upcoming event in September 2011 called “The Florida Project” and contains a quote about my favorite Disney spot.
The last jumbo-sized pin pictured with the gears was released in 2008 at Disneyland Resort. It is the perfect pin for me right now as it reminds me to finish another article for the Disney Parks Blog.
What is your favorite quote from Walt Disney?
Comments
FANTASTIC blog!! After reading all the quotes, I’m off to find those books!
🙂 Love ya walt!
I love seeing all the cool things they are making, and reading all the quotes from walt! i was just thinking about how i’d like to someday work for disney, designing souviners and things like that. i love to decorate notebooks, make necklaces, cards, shirts, pretty much any craft project, really. do you have any advice for someone who dreams of working at disney?
Ive been going to Disneyland since 1955.Do they have pins from back then.I would love to get one.Disneyland is so cool.I wish my Calif. family and my East coast family could meet and spend the day and night at Disneyland Resort Calif.
Steven, your reply made my day. Because of that, I actually had a “moment” out of nowhere that same evening. A moment that stopped me in my tracks and made me cry. My dedication to be a Disney intern is my top priority. I want to make people’s dreams come true, like you are doing. I’m going to create a design image using the picture of me standing next to Walt’s quote and your reply as inspiration. Thank you so very much!
@Melissa – What a nice note! I do hope you make it one day. And when you do, please look me up.
“I get red, white, and blue at times”,
is my favorite Walt quote. It simply states Walt’s love for America which can be seen in Main Street being a memory of simple life in his growing up days and a generic midwestern American city street of the early 20th century. May we all share Walt’s love for the USA, especially as we approach her 235th birthday!
Thank you for responding, Steven. I will keep watching the Vinylmation blog for the pin pictures. I can’t wait to see the Vinylmation pins!
This blog inspired me to go check out some Walt quotes – here’s a few which weren’t previously mentioned, and that I really liked –
“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.”
“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”
“I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things.”
Great blog!! 🙂
@Miranda – Thank you! Wow – I love that quote about being unique. That is a great philosophy for life!
This leads to me saying, there needs to be more merchandise like this especially with walt and mickey in the form pins and t-shirts to come . I got bought into the retro scene through the disney parks and the web.
Dont forget about the orange bird, lol, a historic icon with figment only at Walt Disney World. and one of my favorite lands at the Magic Kingdom, Adventurelan, they havent been appreciated from back in the day :(.
Hopefully I get a reply from you guys, on how there is to be more items in the development like this. 😀
Once again great article Steven and I really appreciate you doing this especially for the fans and not just for your job. It seems that you are very enthusiastic and involved with the company. I am happy for you about for what you accomplished. I wanted to tell you that personally. Keep the articles coming, and more appreciation will be given. :;
“I go right straight out for the adult. As I say, for the honest adult. Not the sophisticates. Not these characters that think they know everything and you can’t thrill them anymore. I go for those people that retain that something, you know, no matter how old they are; that little spirit of adventure, that appreciation of the world of fantasy and things like that. I go for them. I play to them. There’s a lot of them. You know?”
having been born on the day walt passed away I am a huge fan of Walt’s there are many quotes that I like besides the obvious one It all started with a mouse.
one that has specially meaning to me was found on the With Walt pin series from 2002, “Everyone Has Been Remarkably Influenced By A Book, Or Books.”
this pin i got two of and gave one to my dad who was a Librarian and Bookmobile driver and he gave me my love for books at a very young age and it continues today!!
@Susan – I remember that pin (see: http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=554). It is a great quote and has inspired me to write another article 🙂 My mother was a librarian too, so books are quite important in my world! What a great story – thank you for sharing!
“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter. With the laughs, comes the tears…”
“Adults are only kids grown up…”
and my ALL TIME favorite:
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”
Walt is the man.
@Chris – Right on! 🙂
I really like that shirt! Hmmm..
I have a set of refrigerator magnets with Walt Disney Quotes. when I worked at the Disney Store, I would put them on my locker and rotate them. sadly, our store closed 3 yrs ago and they now are proudly displayed on my fridge. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my son’s Senior yearbook and read his ‘favorite quote” which said “Laughter is no enemy to learning”,Walt Disney. I was so proud that my son chose that. I said to him “hey you got that off my magnet” 🙂
“cody on June 17th, 2011 at 11:01 am
My favorite walt quote is
“All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.”
I would love to see that on a T-shirt!”
i used that quote in my yearbook for my senior pictures…i love it!!!
My favorite quote is one which I had custom made onto a travel mug from the Disney Store with a picture of Steamboat Willie on it “I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse”.
That Walt & Figment Jumbo is awesome. I’m definitely going to get it at the Florida Project Pin event! I’m also going to the Vinyl part and I noticed that the catalog doesn’t show pins this year. Last year every Vinylmation set came with a pin, when do we get to see the Vinylmation pins for this year’s event? I hope it is soon so I can decide which Vinylmations I want to get.
@Jerry – I’ll have to check with the Vinylmation team. Once known, I’ll post something on the Vinylmation Blog: http://eventservices.disney.go.com/static/vinylmation/blog.html
“Fantasy and Reality often overlap.” Love the Disney quote merchandise!
How can I get this shirt if I am not able to visit the parks to pick one up (live far away)? It is awesome!
“If nothing changed there’d be no butterflies.”
My favorite Walt Quote is in the Quotable Walt Disney book (pictured above) on page 256:
“I ask of myself, ‘Live a good Christian life.’ Toward that objective I bend every effort in shaping my personal, domestic, and professional activities and growth.”
I feel the best one is It makes no difference who you are!
My favorite is a long one but it is a great quote!
“Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children’s approach to life. They’re people who don’t give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought – sometimes it isn’t much, either.” – Walt Disney
“You don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them”. I’m a marketing major, and when I saw this quote on my WDW visit in January, it became my marketing goal. I hope to intern for Disney next year.
@Melissa – I hope you do! After my college program in summer 1997, I was a professional intern at the Casting Center in 1998. It is a wonderful experience (and even better today than when I was an intern). I wish you the best and hope you are a part of the Disney family one day 🙂
“PLUS it!”
@Jacqulyn – Awesome!! When I taught Traditions in the year 2000, I recall hearing the stories of Walt going through Disneyland and telling Cast to “Plus It!”
I have that “It all started with…” pin (It’s my favorite). <3
“If you can dream it, YOU CAN DO IT.” This quote is my favorite, because every time I look at it, I realize I can make any of my dreams a reality.
If I have a merchandise suggestion, who would I contact?
@Jeremy – Sorry to say this but unfortunately Disney doesn’t accept unsolicited ideas.
“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together-and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families – that’s what we hope to do.”
Is that shirt available to purchase? On-line? Or at WDW? I’d love to know where to find it. Thanks!
Great quotes above! Especially the “Quit talking…”
@Sariah – The shirt is not currently offered via the On-Line Theme Park Store (http://www.DisneyParks.com/Store). I found the shirt in Hertiage Manor Gifts a few weeks ago.
With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, I’m guessing you can find it in a variety of stores (like World of Disney, MouseGear, Emporium). I can check next week in our systems to see exact locations.I was able to check in our systems and it appears that only Heritage Manor Gifts is carrying the shirt. There are limited quantities remaining. If you are interested, you could call 1-877-560-6477 or send an email to – merchandiseguestservices@disney.com – to inquire about the shirt. One shirt SKU is – 400000677736My favorite walt quote is
“All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.”
I would love to see that on a T-shirt!
“Around here, we don’t look backwards… We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… And curiosity keeps leading is down new paths.”
<3 Love it.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
Comments are closed.