Where Did the Orange Bird Come From?

[@Kodachrome40]

The Orange Bird is one of best character designs ever.

[@Shoulderpads-mcgee]

My mom loves that he's back, as a child she always wanted one of the cups shaped like the orange bird's head but her mom would never buy her one. First chance she got after his return she fulfilled a childhood desire and got one. I'm happy for that.

[@ThatDisneyNerd]

Shoulderpads-mcgee my mom is the reason i love the orange bird as well! We buy every new piece of metch that comes out

[@gc4644]

My sister and me danced with the Orange Bird in the early-mid 70s (we were 12ish), the bird then walked us over to the Sunshine Tree Terrace counter and gave us an Orange Slush drink! To this day (45+ years later) I NEVER go to WDW without getting an orange Slush in Adventureland! Wonderful memories!!

[@Shoulderpads-mcgee]

He's just so cute! How could anyone not love him?

[@paper_pirate]

the orange bird is adorable!!! i'm glad he's making a comeback!

[@LoneStarRocker]

My little orange bird pal. When I was a kid the Orange Bird would come out and greet the kids at the Sunshine Tree Terrace. It's very unique to Florida and for WDW. Great vid Rob!

[@Dani-wq8zu]

I love him i have 4 pins

[@gc4644]

My sister and me danced with the Orange Bird in the early-mid 70s (we were 12ish), the bird then walked us over to the Sunshine Tree Terrace counter and gave us an Orange Slush drink! To this day (45+ years later) I NEVER go to WDW without getting an orange Slush in Adventureland! Wonderful memories!!

[@ThomasKrul]

Totally remember this little guy as a kid - I noticed that the large figurine over the Sunshine Terrace came back a few years ago... it's funny how he had helped liven up that little corner of the park. Oh, I wish you'd also made mention of the wonderful orange-and-vanilla ice cream swirl dessert they serve at that shop! Unlike the Dole Whip, it appeared to me that they made it with actual oranges (well, in the past they sure did).

[@katm82]

love this! I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom a few years ago and they mentioned this but I didn't really know who the orange bird was at the time. Glad to have the full story :)

[@IsaacCarlson]

When I got a pin lot I had an orange bird and never really thought much of it, but I'm so glad I know the history now! Great video.

[@micheleabbatemurray]

Wotso Videos me two never thought they were so rare until I saw the sign at the park

[@cassaroooo]

I love that little orange bird. Fell in love with him when that set of pins came out and think he's freaking adorable. I wish they had MORE merch with him on it, but the fact that they have as much as they do is kind of amazing.

[@FridayGirl822006]

They recently made a FunkoPop! Figure of him recently but that was how I learned about him

[@troodon1096]

Not a huge fan of Funko Pop but as they character kind of already looks like one I guess it works lol.

[@dantheman8103]

Orange Bird also had at least one comic book in the 80's, I know because I remember reading it over and over and over when I was a kid.

[@Misscoolfinds]

That orange bird is soooo cute 🍊🍊🍊

[@MattMcIrvin]

Also, I hadn't actually realized that the Dole Whip and Citrus Swirl stands switched places (I never made a point of visiting either until after the change), but now that you mention it, it makes sense--I'd always vaguely associated the Orange Bird with the spot where Aloha Isle is now.

[@theworldofchris6736]

Everything was just peachy, smh good one 😂😂😂

[@DrFeelGoood]

Got two figures of this cutie in a little baggie of vintage toys I bought from an antique shop, thank you for the video it's nice to find out who he is!

[@byakuyatogami2905]

My boyfriend's mom had like a plastic cup of this character with a straw and I had never heard of this bird so thank you

[@aross-hb6jl]

That was from the flower and garden festival of 2018

[@bluesnote1]

He's now a funko pop, exclusive to Disney World which was released on September 8th. Sold out fast. Woke up at 5am to get him in Disney Springs at 10am. Luckily I was on vacation so I was staying close to Disney Springs and I'm so glad to have him in my collection.

[@krock90]

Huh, I have vague childhood memories of the bird in ads for Floridana juices in the mid 90's when the deal with disney was long finished. Granted, the ads were in Iceland so maybe it's just remnants of the disney deal. There's no floridana bird in iceland now sadly. I really liked him as a mascot.

[@merrivideo]

I'm from Peru and started going to Disney World 3 years ago. As oranges seemed to be the symbol of the state, I assumed that the bird was like a Disney mascot for Florida XD

[@floridafamilyfun1597]

How do you not have a million subscribers?! Your videos are so well researched and informative! Very well done, as always!

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@yorkshirelassdiaries4841]

I freaking love orange bird

[@haileyrae3426]

tbh I didn't know about the orange bird until about two months ago when I moved to Florida from Southern California .. its weird but I think its really cute and it makes sense to me mostly because wdw is in Orange County and dlr is also in Orange County and both states are known for oranges

[@ShakeTheBox]

So Disney wouldn't let the Florida Citrus Commission use their iconic characters to represent their juice but let the Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative use Donald Duck for their juice? That must have been an awkward meeting.

[@diahannmc6948]

Shake The Box My thoughts exactly

[@theshape7214]

😂

[@jennamorningstar9744]

For years, I knew nothing about him. I remember the Enchanted Tiki Room as a kid, but not the Orange Bird. Then a year and a half ago, I started working for Disney's Epcot. When Flower & Garden Festival came rolling around, I discovered the Orange Bird. I fell in love immediately. He's just so absolutely adorable and warms my heart. 💓🍊🐦

[@gc4644]

Back in the mid 70s the Orange Bird danced with my sister and I (we were around 12) then walked us over to the counter at the Sunshine Tree Terrace and gave us an Orange Slush drink! To this day (45+ years later) I NEVER go to WDW without getting an OrangeSlush at Adventureland! I recall back in the 70s once we also saw Anita Bryant film an OJ commercial at the Sunshine Tree Terrace..

[@michaelvaldez3184]

I went to Disney world back in 2014 and I got a Orange bird magnet. I didn’t know who he was , but I thought he was cute . He has a Mickey Mouse hate on and says squeeze me! It says Disney and Florida to me . Now I know who is thanks you. My family and I are going back to Disney World in January I’ll be on the lookout for him .

[@wwood-ct7yn]

The orange bird is super cute!

[@AC-lc3tz]

Thanks. A couple years I went to Disney, I kept seeing the dress with the orange bird. I was wondering what's up with the cute bird. Thanks Rob.

[@Treasuredgirl]

I just bought the Funko Orange Bird because I'm a big Disney fan and he is fantastic. Seeing this video brought back a lot of memories of him. Thanks

[@lachrymarum_]

ahhh! 😍 omggg, orange bird is so dang cute! every time i see him i just wanna squeeze him, no pun intended! haha. he really did spark my interest into all things related to disney parks' past, plenty of which i've learned from you Rob :) now really is orange bird's time to shine and i'm so happy he's finally getting the respect & adoration he deserves! lol 🧡

[@SteveCarras]

Agreed...At Calif.,I was able to see the 1971 TV ads.

[@f050656]

Thanks for this one I really enjoyed watching it ... I always wondered about that little bird.

[@isla-gracedavies4318]

I went to Not So Scary as Orange Bird the week before last!

[@RaymondMulitalo]

Once again, thanks for the informative and entertaining video, Rob Plays. You tend to find the corners of my love for Disney that I didn't know about and bring them forward. Can't wait to get me some Orange Bird merch!

[@greg7869]

I was laughing the entire video because I still have no idea what orange bird is and after seeing it in magic kingdom I just give up and accepted the new character. This is a neat little tidbit on that small part of Disney and it's products on shelves now!

[@virginiad.1911]

With no context, I fell in love with this fantastic little bird as soon as I saw him. I hunted down the Orange Bird Bigfeet Plush online after failing miserably to find it in the parks. I have him now and his name is Juice and I love him.

[@funnysillyclown]

How have a never heard of this character. They're right up my alley.

[@kennethmanning6958]

Not just a Disney icon...a FLORIDA icon! And, it should be noted, little OB made appearances in the Miami Orange Bowl Parade; whether as a costumed character, or a parade float motif. Either way, just the sight of the little guy makes me crave all things orange: slices, juice, gumdrops, Tic-Tac candies, popsicles, etc. The Disneyland Records story & songs album was one of the first my parents bought for me as a 5-year-old kid. I even got a plushie of him perched in the middle branches of our living room Christmas tree. So to me, OB ranks right up there with Winnie the Pooh. (Hmm, would honey with oranges? Think-think-think...)

[@alixt.3090]

I wasn't very familiar with the Orange Bird. Great video! Do you know if the Orange Bird ever shows up in parades or shows?

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Nope. Not to my knowledge. As far as walk-around characters it seemed like he was more or less contained within Adventureland and today he's basically just in cartoon form. I wasn't able to find anything about him being used in parades.

[@akoww1000]

my grandma had a lot of items with the orange bird on it from the 70's and early 80's. Living in Florida we saw it all over "outside Disney" A local orange farm in Clearwater Florida had shirts ,cups and shot glasses for tourist . Most items had a type of Disney logo on them. My school in 2nd grade had a Orange day and someone came dressed up as the Orange bird from a orange juice company. I really forgot it about until I saw this video. I guess I grew up with the bird being a part of Florida orange juice/farmers companies so it never really seem like that big of deal. My sister ended up with all my grandma's collections . So today would this items be rare Disney things or more part of Florida OJ ? LOL

[@thebunnyfoofoo]

My favorite character! Well, top 5

[@shahram72]

I actually worked at Sunshine Tree Terrace and the bird was gone. Back then I didn't know what it was but when cleaning I found the pneumatic lines for him in the tree and the control box in the kitchen.

[@cxcmb]

i had that record as a kid, the first record i ever owned. thanks for the history lesson!

[@DistoryDan]

Hah! Great video. Was in the process of researching this topic for a video. Great stuff as always!

[@theowinters6314]

Love to here a history of Duffy and why he's suddenly everywhere at some parks.

[@andrewplantagenet5811]

I love the Orange Bird!!

[@SL-cl9gt]

Probably the cutest Disney chars

[@chainsawbarbarian]

Wow! I ave never heard of this lil bird! Cool vid! Ive never seen him here at Disneyland. I may have to do some research! Thanks!

[@MrKarmapolice97]

My niece ask me where it came from I just said because Florida goes oranges 🍊, and he became the character of the Florida parks, LOL 😂 if your ever at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival get the orange bird sipper drink it’s so good!

[@militarymeagan9816]

The enchanted Tiki Room is my absolute favorite!!! So magical!!!

[@gc4644]

Aaaatt the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room, at the tiki tiki tiki tiki room...

[@militarymeagan9816]

@@gc4644 I’ll be listening to it live in 3 weeks! I can’t wait!!

[@xanderwithashovel4111]

Everything was PEACHY? I thought it was an _ORANGE_ Bird!

[@gamergal4527]

No guys the orange bird looks kind of like Pablo from The Backyardigans but except he's Orange

[@claudiaryan7974]

Thanks for the video. Saw the orange bird on pins at Disneyland and had no idea who he was so this cleared it up.

[@kevintaylor3792]

Thank you Rob! My first Disney World trip is this Saturday (9/23/17) and I am very grateful for this video! Adventureland is my favorite part of Disneyland yet Orange Bird was always a mystery to me... but now I'll be prepared when I visit Florida in a few days!

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Nice! Have a fantastic trip!

[@deblixplier]

Thank you for this. He's so adorable but I never knew his story.

[@saraholwin1]

Thanks for clearing things up!

[@njuta]

he's outrageously cute!

[@debbabe2254]

Wow! I, too, wondered who that darn Orange Bird was when I started seeing him on merchandise at WDW several years ago. Paul, your thoroughly researched vlog on the Orange Bird makes me not only a fan of the O.B., but a fan of you! Now to watch all your videos. Hey, have you ever thought about doing a vlog on Kenny Ortega? I find his directorial history with Disney fascinating. He directed both "Newsies" and "Hocus Pocus", released in 1992 and 1993 respectively, and both bombed at the box office. He then went on to direct the monster Disney Channel smash "High School Musical." And his two early 'failures'? Well "Newsies" and "Hocus Pocus" have such strong cult followings that Disney finally brought "Newsies" to Broadway to great box office success and "Hocus Pocus" is now a Halloween staple and celebrated at the Magic Kingdom during MNSSHP. I would love you to delve into this story! Pleeeeze???

[@mickeyw.migraines5034]

Although oranges and orange juice give me migraines, I have fond memories of the Orange Bird from visiting WDW as a child. His cuteness leaves me conflicted. 😀

[@emily-yt4gh]

orange bird is so stinkin cute

[@matts.6904]

I love the Orange Bird- unfortunately it's bittersweet because the character and partnership were a sign of how healthy and robust the citrus industry in Florida (especially around Orlando) was back when Disney World was built. Now the citrus industry is floundering as most of the trees in the state are dying of greening disease. The groves that used to be around Orlando (and surrounded WDW in its early days) are all but completely gone thanks to severe freezes in the 1980's which killed many trees and drove farmers out of business. And today, any remaining groves that survived the freezes are being finished off by the greening disease. It has opened the land up to greedy developers who have built wall to wall houses and business on the once beautiful land. Now any remaining citrus groves, farms, or any rural land for that matter near Orlando is being paved over as more hordes of people move to the area each year. It's actually amazing at how long the land on the west and north side of WDW remained undeveloped. Only just recently, most of that remaining land which was once citrus groves is finally being developed. On the west side, they are making it into a huge residential community called "Horizon West." While WDW still has a lot of green belt that they own, they are quickly becoming completely surrounded by development.

[@borkbork4124]

I have always wondered where he came from. All I knew is that he was to represent Florida Citrus stuff, but I had no idea about the deals and the birds' citrus-themed snack bar. These videos just keep on coming and I am blown away every time; I always learn something new.

[@bobbyspapercraft]

I love orange bird and was sad not to be able to see him on my trip to Disney world,in august. Sunshine terrace was closed for Reno and yet it just went through one to reintroduce orange bird. I hope he is not disappearing again.

[@TheDAExperience]

Great video, I am a Funko Pop collector and they just released this character I'm a huge Disney fan but wasn't sure where the Orange Bird came from. This helped filling me in thanks

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

I think the sponsorship was a success. Just watching this video I am being strongly pulled to get orange juice.

[@Thoralmir]

Never underestimate Japan's obsession with cute characters.

[@GlenHallstrom]

Florida Orange Commission...Orange Bird...AH, now I get why I've never seen him in all my visits to Disneyland (native Californian, never been to WDW). Surprised he didn't make any appearances in Disneyland back then. Y'know, they grow oranges in California too (then again, Dole had the Tiki Room tied up there).

[@ridgedog2317]

I had no idea what the Orange Bird even was.

[@kingjames4886]

ok... this video keeps popping up in my feed... tell me about the orange bloody bird.

[@bobbyspapercraft]

Adore orange bird. It this was just part of the story.

[@longview1646]

4:20 yeah no wonder

[@slholland18]

This solved so many questions 😂

[@Stitchiot]

Very very interesting I'll be sure to look for him when I go next week

[@michaeljfan9720]

From the thumbnail, I thought it was a new Backyardigans character.

[@theamazingDrBob]

I bought an orange bird Creamsicle in the Canada pavilion at the Epcot international flower and Garden Festival. Is this the same orange bird?

[@melodydyk6170]

Does anyone know where I can find the Orange Bird and the Nutrition Bandwagon educational short?

[@johnnygrrl]

As a Californian, I was never aware of the Orange Bird in Orlando. Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it. But, can you explain why Duffy the Bear is so big in CA now? I've tried to figure it out, maybe I'm just not researching enough

[@nicolescholet691]

johnnygrrl I believe that it Duffy is Mickey Mouse's teddy bear, also became really huge in Japan and now is being introduced stateside I guess, very similar to the Orange Bird

[@SteveCarras]

You never saw the NATIONALLY broadcast ads or had the album?

[@trickycrayon]

Anita Bryant...what a lovely voice on what a horrid person! Great video- love the "back and forth of negotiating rates, advertising..." with the clip of the owl doctor piling onto our little orange friend. Excellent visual.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Yeah. I was torn about getting into the details of her career and eventual downfall, but I figured Disney had eventually done their distancing from her and I didn't want to pull focus away from the Orange Bird itself.

[@BalooDumptruck]

I'm glad you didn't get into detail with her. She's a very sick and demented person

[@Hessed3712]

Thanks for this. I thought the little guy was from Alice in Wonderland for some reason.

[@incrediblecooltubular2227]

Oh yeah, I saw an Orange Bird pin

[@mickeyp6371]

Thanks Rob always an enjoyable video vlog

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Thanks!

[@alexanimationss]

Lol the disneyland sponsorship (which is dole) sells one of the best things probably being sold in a disney park. DOLE WHIP. ITS SO GOOD

[@oakpineranch]

WDW sells Dole Whips too... Ironically it switched places with Florida Citrus from Aloha Isle which was a smaller stand because Dole sold more...

[@tsuyoikuma30]

Having now learned about the Orange Bird I want to know the history of the other Disney bird associated with Florida Orange Juice. Can you do an episode on Donald Duck Orange Juice?

[@warriorseamonkey1693]

Me: (sees someone with an orange bird dress) I like your orange bird dress Dad: who the hell is the orange bird

[@Blastfence1]

Excellent!

[@davidhinshaw2013]

Interesting Disney writer in this-Orange Bird in Nutrition Adventures (1980) is a 32-page comic book with three separate stories written by Diana Gabaldon and drawn by Tony Strobl. Diana Gabaldon is the writer of the Outlander series-definitely a not for Disney series.

[@hethrham123]

we have a history fragmented and held together by hope.

[@michaelhopp2700]

I never heard about the orange bird before I watch this video but I have heard of an other bird Disney made the aracuan bird😁

[@garywidom]

How about doing something on the airstrip just outside the Magic Kingdom parking lot that is now used as a parking lot itself?

[@virgenfj]

I wouldn't called the orange bird a "cult character. "

[@gabew4188]

Another great video

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Thanks!

[@RhettRicardo03]

interesting I always thought it was just a thing in disney world

[@gmccomiskey]

Someone's been reading Realityland again.

[@umamizaddy]

what is that song in the background on this video?

[@alexkring3414]

Does anyone else have weird suggestions on this video? Half of the suggested videos are toy videos... I mainly watch gaming and vlog type sfuff

[@uck6283]

Alex Kring its because of what he titled the video and what the youtube algorithm suggests due to it

[@MrSaratw]

Alex Kring same

[@ianmoone395]

They have a Funko pop of him now

[@Andrewsachsandrewandrew]

Hey rob u should make a video about the Epcot in disney land that was never made

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Westcot? It's something I plan to cover, but not until later this year, so keep an eye out! :)

[@NomeusRandoms]

just curious, where did you get your info from?

[@umamizaddy]

its called research and education.

[@exoticat]

Does anyone know who the artist is who first drew/created the Orange Bird?

[@exoticat]

I found it: Don McLaughlin 1970

[@MarkVerstappen93]

I've never even heard of this bird but he looks so cute! Where'd your facecam go though?!

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

I alternate between pure VOs and recording in my office space. This particular week my fall allergies were especially bad so I spared you all my red itchy eyes and runny nose. :P

[@MarkVerstappen93]

What is a VO? Internet tells me its an Asian girl with dimples. I don't think you mean that. xD

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Voice Over

[@MarkVerstappen93]

That makes way more sense. :D

[@sabis6111]

I never knew who this guy was... Tbh I've never even seen him before.