VAN E ATO N GALLERIES PRESENTS
For decades, Walt Disney entertained the idea of building an amusement park style attraction. As a child growing up in Kansas City, Walt frequently visited Electric Park, which was located just 15 blocks from his family home. He continued these visits in adulthood. It has been noted that on one visit in 1920 with Rudy Ising, he declared “One of these days I’m going to build an amusement park... And it’s going to be clean!” As his studio grew, Walt built upon the memories of his childhood in the Midwest and the lessons of the early days of his studio, learning from these experiences as he pursued his vision. Through his triumphs and failures, he discovered how to achieve success, how to market his creations, and what it took to grab the attention of an audience. All these experiences greatly influenced him as he developed his idea for a theme park.
1. Walt Disney Hyperion Studios Sign Replica. (Disney, 2006) A limited edition replica of the Walt Disney Studios sign from the original Hyperion Avenue location. Created in metal, plastic, and wood by artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, the sign measures an impressive 19”x25”. The original sign used neon, which is colorfully represented in the blue and red lettering of this replica. The lights are turned on and off by moving Mickey’s arm at the top of the sign. The condition is fair with scratches to the surface from previous display and some touched up paint in a few of the letters. The sign comes in its original box, which features a wonderful vintage photo of the full-size sign in use at the studio. The box has some moisture staining in the top right corner, but this does not affect the sign. $1,000-$2,000 4