“it’s a small world” - Disneyland, Anaheim, CA - Permanent World Fair and Expo Structures on Waymarking.com

In the early 1960s, Walt Disney saw the upcoming New York World’s Fair as an opportunity to develop and showcase potential rides for his amusement park. He offered his services to various corporations seeking to participate in the fair. The Ford Motor Company, General Electric and the State of Illinois all contracted with Disney to develop rides for their pavilions. As a Johnny-come-lately (less than a year before the fair opened), Pepsi-Cola approached Disney to develop a ride for their pavilion which was to be a salute to UNICEF and the children of the world.

In spite of the short notice, Walt Disney enthusiastically embraced the project and assigned his top designers to the creative tasks. An original song was composed by Richard and Robert Sherman named “It’s a Small World.” The song’s title became the name of the attraction in which people rode around in boats as animated dolls representing children from all over the world, sang the song in different languages. The Pepsi pavilion was a big hit at the fair, and after it closed in 1965, the ride was moved to Disneyland in Anaheim where it has been a popular attraction ever since.

My mother loved the Pepsi pavilion at the New York World’s Fair and was thrilled to find out that it had been permanently installed in Disneyland. Over the years, very few changes have been made to this attraction, unlike the other Disney-designed pavilions, such as the “Carousel of Progress” and “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” which have been substantially altered. Duplicates of the “it’s a small world” attraction have been installed in most of the Disney theme parks all over the world.

Original Name of Structure (during fair): Pepsi-Cola pavilion Current Name of Structure: "it's a small world" attraction at Disneyland Architect/Designer: Walt Disney (concept), Mary Blair (art director), Richard & Robert Sherman (original song) Fair Name: New York World's Fair Location: New York, NY USA Year of Fair: 1964-1965 Theme of Fair: Peace Through Understanding Website Proof: [Web Link] Website Reference: [Web Link]

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