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About Walt Disney

Article Overview: Walt Disney may be one of America’s most beloved visionaries and entrepreneurs, but there is much about Walt Disney that his fans don’t know. For instance, did you know that Walt Disney’s actual autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo? Or that Walt Disney got his idea for Mickey Mouse while watching mice play in his garage one night? This was despite the fact that Walt Disney himself had a fear of mice.

About Walt Disney

Walt Disney may be one of America’s most beloved visionaries and entrepreneurs, but there is much about Walt Disney that his fans don’t know. For instance, did you know that his actual autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo? Or that Walt he got his idea for Mickey Mouse while watching mice play in his garage one night? This was despite the fact that he himself had a fear of mice.

To read about this entrepreneur is to read about the story of a family man with an out-of-this-world imagination. Born with three older brothers – Herbert, Raymond and Roy – and one younger sister – Ruth – Walt attended McKinley High School where he had creative freedom as art editor of the school newspaper. He also spent his Saturdays attending basic drawing classes at the Kansas City Art Institute.

He once said, “When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.” Could the same thing be said about himself? Was it his artistic talent alone that allowed this young dreamer to achieve the heights of success that he did? Or was there something else about him that pushed him to the top?

When colleagues talk about Walt Disney, they speak of a man with passion and determination. He was also resourceful and detail-oriented; in planning the layout of his theme park, Walt Disney did whatever he needed to ensure a flawless experience for his guests. Even the trash cans at Walt Disney World were placed 25 steps away from hot dog vendors – exactly the amount of time he had once taken to finish his hot dog.

Personal facts about the businessman can be hard to come by. In fact, Disney is actually a changed version of the cartoonist’s family name. Hailing from Isigny-Sur-Mer, France, the family’s original name was D’Isigny. However, over the years, it became anglicized into the name that is today recognized the world over.

America has come to love what they know about the Mickey creator; everyone even seems to have their own personal favourite Disney movie or character. His efforts were rewarded with 32 Oscars – more than anyone else in the award’s history. But, what did he himself love? What were some of his favourite things?

It might be a little known fact about Walt Disney that his personal favourite character was Goofy, while he was most excited about his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). In addition, his favourite meal was chili and beans, which he ate regularly with tomato juice and soda crackers.

John Ralston Saul once said of the man, “Marx was fortunate to have been born eighty years before Walt Disney. Disney also promised a child’s paradise and unlike Marx, delivered on his promise.” Whether you love his theme parks or you find yourself getting dizzy from the array of activities they offer and the long lineups, one thing for sure can be said: today, the child paradise that he created stands as a legacy to his outstanding vision and entrepreneurial drive.

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Article Tags: art editor, artistic talent, cartoonists, city art institute, creative freedom, disney logo, family man, fear of mice, hot dog vendors, isigny sur mer, kansas city art, kansas city art institute, mckinley high school, mer france, mickey mouse, personal facts, sister ruth, trash cans, walt disney, walt disney world



Related Forum Posts
Re: 2 New famous entrepreneur features - Thanks Evan These are truly inspirational, I really enjoyed them. Have Twittered the Walt Disney and will do the Hines one as well. It's true that to succeed in something you need to have a passion for it. MichelleJ
Re: My Favourite 7 Boldest Entrepreneur Moves of All Time - Lots of very bold moves in that list. I will vote for Walt Disney as the best. I'm not sure what I would add to the list. Too many of them to pick just one.
Re: 2 New famous entrepreneur features - John M. Rowley's "Believe it is Possible" speech is a great addition to the Walt Disney story as well. Very inspirational. Thanks for sharing Evan. I've seen the first one, but I'll have to check out the second one as well. It's good to view things like this every once in a while. Keeps you motivated when you don't feel like you can keep going.
Re: Disney to refund Baby Einstein DVDs for Marketing Blunder - Hi Kevin, I have found television and especially DVDs to be excellent sources of stimulation and education for my daughter. The opinion that exposing kids to tv is always harmful is a corruption of the sensible opinion that tv and DVDs should be used with discretion. If I remember rightly, my daughter had gone through a whole library of the Japanese Anpan Man DVDs, Winnie the Pooh and - this was my choice! - Tom and Jerry to name a few. She was also keen on the Pink Panther cartoon, but I was less keen on it because of the lack of dialogue (Okay, Tom and Jerry doesn't have much, but a lot more than the Pink Panther...). Watching stuff on tv did a lot to help my develop her English as well as Japanese language skills at exactly the age when you want that to start happening (er, "before they are two"). When I read the comments on the report, I realized that the fuss may have been about children not turning into geniuses because they were being left in front of the tv to watch the DVDs without any adult supervision. I doubt that was what Disney intended. I trust all those who receive refunds from Disney will feel ashamed enough to donate the cash to children's charities, and while they are at it, they might as well donate the DVDs to a charity shop.
Away on Vacation - As of today I’m officially on vacation! I’m heading to Europe for a family cruise with Disney and spending some extra time in London before the cruise and Madrid after the cruise. I won’t be posting while I’m gone and will be back in action on August 17th. Have a great couple of weeks!


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