Who is Disney’s Orange Bird?

A little orange bird can be found all over Disney World in Florida, but if you aren’t from the Sunshine State, you may be confused as to who exactly, the Orange Bird is. Don’t worry — we’re here to provide answers!

We’re fascinated by Disney World’s history and are constantly reminded how far it has come over the decades. Disney’s Orange Bird’s origin and where it is now is no exception. From sponsorship to icon, the Orange Bird has had its ups and downs to finally have a resurgence at the Disney World theme parks. Let’s take a look at its history and how it has transformed over the years!

The Orange Bird is featured prominently in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland and is tied to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and Sunshine Tree Terrace. But why? It’s actually quite simple!

HISTORY

The Orange Bird made its debut on March 3rd, 1971 as a costumed character at a press event in Lakeland, Florida. Notably, this was six months before it even debuted at Walt Disney World. But to get into his earliest conception, we have to go back even further into 1967.

Back in 1967, Walt Disney Productions entered into negotiations with the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) for a Florida Citrus Growers-sponsored Magic Kingdom attraction that would be finalized two years later in 1969. That attraction would go on to become the Tropical Serenade show, and, later, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.

The Orange Bird’s final design was created by The Disney Company’s C. Robert “Bob” Moore and Disney artist Don MacLaughlin and was officially created in 1970.

Former Miss America contestant and singer Anita Bryant began to accompany the animated Orange Bird in all kinds of ads — whether it be national television, print, or radio ads for Florida oranges. In addition to singing “The Orange Bird Song” and Orange Tree, in 1971, she narrated an Orange Bird record album that was followed by a 10-page illustrated storybook!

The initial story of the Orange Bird followed our little protagonist as he migrated south by himself to then becoming adopted by a vacationing family. The official home of the little bird canonically became a perch at the Sunshine Tree Pavilion in Adventureland and an original song by the Sherman Brothers detailed this story.

Thanks in part to this partnership and the endless amount of advertising, Tropical Serenade was a rousing success when it opened in 1971.

When the Tropical Serenade show ended, guests passed Sunshine Tree Terrace, where they could not only grab dessert but — you guessed it — get a visit from the Orange Bird as well! We’re not kidding when we tell you the marketing was out of this world — and this is just the beginning!

In 1977, Anita Bryant left the campaign over Florida civil rights legislation, and the Orange Bird was forced to become a solo act. 

Still, the Orange Bird took major strides in the 1970s and ’80s. He had his own meet-and-greet at Magic Kingdom and starred in a few Disney pro-nutrition educational shorts in the 1980s, including Foods and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure and The Orange Bird and the Nutrition Bandwagon.

The little bird also got his own 32-page comic book in 1980 — “Orange Bird in Nutrition Adventures”, written by Diana Gabaldon and drawn by Tony Strobl.

In 1981 Disney and the FCC signed a new, five-year sponsorship agreement to maintain sponsorship over the Sunshine Tree Terrace and the Tropical Serenade, and a third location, Fantasyland’s Enchanted Grove (now known as the Cheshire Cafe) was added.

In the ’70s and ’80s, the Orange Bird dominated promotional material like billboards and souvenir stands, but it eventually stopped appearing in television commercials and, in 1986, the FCC and Disney declined to renew their contract.

The Florida Orange Bird — the face of freshly squeezed Florida orange juice for so many years and a Floridian staple for many kids and families disappeared — never to return.

Or so we thought.

In Tokyo, of all places, the Orange Bird started its comeback. In 2004, due to the character’s popularity in Japan, Disney produced merchandise to coincide with Japan’s annual Orange Day, April 14th. Disney didn’t stop there.

The bird soon came back stateside. Disney Imagineer Jason Grandt led the re-introduction of the Orange Bird in the 21st Century with new merchandise and a new campaign.

In 2012,  “Tweet Meet”, a special event for D23 (the official Disney fan club), introduced the re-recorded Orange Bird songs and revealed that the original Orange Bird figure had been found in the Disney Archives in great condition, restored, and put in a new display behind the counter of the Sunshine Tree Terrace. Not only that, but the Orange Bird became a primary fixture in the Sunshine Tree Terraces signage.

Although the Sunshine Tree Terrace moved spots in 2015, rest assured, the figure was relocated as well.

THE LAST DECADE TO TODAY

Today, the Orange Bird is experiencing a comfortable resurgence. Merchandise can be found at both the Disneyland Resort and Disney World in the form of nearly everything. It even received its own clothing line in 2021!

The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival has made the Orange Bird a centerpiece recently, putting it on all kinds of merchandise such as clothes, kitchenware, pins, magnets, bags, accessories, toys, MagicBands, and more.

The Orange Bird also lives on in Disney lore. An Orange Bird figure can be found at Disneyland’s Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar; a small flying image of the Orange Bird can be seen on a fake movie poster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios; a book called “Native Orange Birds of the Southeastern United States by Dr. Sid Truss” in Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom is an obvious allusion to the Orange Bird; an Orange Bird mural can be found at Disney Springs; and another figure is located on a shelf at Twenty-Eight & Main.

The Orange Bird has appeared in the “Disney Kingdoms”,  2015’s “The Bing Bong Book”, alongside Figment in the Disney Speedstorm video game, and a self-titled Little Golden Book that tells a new story of how he befriends a Florida grove’s farmer and protects his new bird friends from the farmer’s cat, Clementine.

The Orange Bird can also be found in exhibits at the Orange County Regional History Museum in Orlando and McKay Archives at Florida Southern College.

WHAT IS THE ORANGE BIRD LIKE?

The face of citrus in Florida, the little Orange Bird is an animated orange canary that is unlike any other animated bird. He has the characteristics of an orange head and green leaves for feathers.

The most interesting fact about this bird is that he can’t sing or speak. Instead, he communicates with orange-colored smoke clouds. The Orange Bird is incredibly friendly and is always in search of new friends during his travels.

There you have it! The Orange Bird has a long history with the Disney Parks and we hope that it continues for years to come. In the meantime, stay tuned here at AllEars for the latest news and tips, as well as other stories about the incredible history of the Disney Parks!

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What are some of your favorite Orange Bird memories or merchandise? Let us know in the comments!

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