Is This Extinct EPCOT Attraction Officially Coming Back From the Dead?!

As longtime Disney fans know, corporate sponsorships have been a part of Disney theme parks from the very beginning, sponsoring attractions, offering perks to employees, and sometimes even being involved in massive changes and closures.

Disney recently announced a new wide-ranging brand deal with Kraft Heinz, owners of multiple well-known brands including Heinz (best known for Ketchup), Philadelphia (cream cheese), and Kraft Mac & Cheese, among others. That news has us daydreaming about the return of a classic piece of EPCOT history.

According to Kraft, the partnership will begin with the debut of new sauces from Kraft’s Sauce Vault at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on August 14th to 16th. In the press release, it’s stated that “Ten Kraft Heinz brands—including HEINZ, Philadelphia, Kraft Mac & Cheese—will become part of Disney moments that guests and fans love most—bringing familiar favorites to settings as iconic as Main Street, U.S.A. and as adventurous as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The alliance will introduce new menu items, guest experiences and product offerings at hundreds of dining locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., and on Disney Cruise Line sailings out of North America.”

All of that theme park talk got us thinking about Kraft’s previous relationship with Disney, specifically at EPCOT’s Land Pavilion. From the park’s opening in 1982 through 1992, Kraft sponsored the pavilion and its attractions, including Listen to the Land (the original version of Living with the Land) and the show whose unlikely return we’re daydreaming about, Kitchen Kabaret!

An opening day EPCOT attraction, Kitchen Kabaret is surely one of the most… unique Disney attractions in history. D23, the company’s official history resource, describes the show as teaching “nutrition in an entertaining way by having representatives of all of the food groups sing about their value. The characters were led by Bonnie Appetit, and included Mr. Hamm and Mr. Eggz, the Cereal Sisters, and the Colander Combo.”

Yup, you read that right. The show was an animatronic musical revue featuring anthropomorphic foods and condiments (that look like Kraft products, of course) singing songs about healthy eating. Some of the tracks included “Boogie Woogie Bakery Boy” (a parody of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”), and “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit,” which was highlighted by broccoli, tomatoes, bananas, and other fruits and veggies chanting “Veggie-Veggie-Fruit-Fruit! Veggie-Veggie-Fruit-Fruit!” and Bonnie Appetite in a Carmen Miranda-style carnival outfit sitting on a crescent moon belting “I simply have to tell you that my friends who are singing are…delectable!” Yes, really.

This attraction closed in 1994 after the Kraft sponsorship ended to be replaced by Food Rocks, before the whole theater was removed to make room for Soarin’. As… interesting as Kitchen Kabaret may sound to modern ears, the show has developed a strong cult following over the years, with vintage souvenirs like toys, plush, coloring books, soundtracks, postcards, and pins becoming quite popular amongst collectors.

That all means that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this new Kraft partnership could bring Kitchen Kabaret back in some capacity. Realistically, not in its full animatronic glory, but possibly as characters, merchandise, or short-term installations. If that happens, we have one major request: It NEEDS to be tied into Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, as that Marvel ride’s pre-show features Star Lord himself, Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt), reminiscing about a childhood trip to EPCOT and referencing “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit” in a scene that’s become a bit of a meme amongst Disney aficionados.

Kraft and Disney have signed a massive deal that will bring the former company’s foods into Disney’s films, theme parks, cruises, and everywhere else… and hopefully bring back some reference to Kitchen Kabaret! Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney’s history!

“It was Better than Mission Space”; We Need to Talk About This ABANDONED EPCOT Pavilion

Would you like to see Kitchen Kabaret return to EPCOT in some fashion? Let us know in the comments below.

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