Today In Disney History ~ June 18th
The Main Street Bakery opened with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. Originally sponsored by Sarah Lee, the Main Street Bakery is themed as a turn of century tearoom. The Bakery remained essentially unchanged until 1985 when Sara Lee ended their sponsorship of the location. In 1986, the restaurant was referred to as the Main Street Bakery and Cookie Shop. Subsequently, in 1987 the name of the location was changed to the Main Street Bake Shop.
In 1993 Toll House assumed sponsorship of the Main Street Bake Shop. Following this change, the Bake Shop remained unchanged until 2001, when the restaurant was once again called the Main Street Bakery.
In 2012 Disney announced that the Main Street Bakery would be one of the six Starbucks locations opening in Disney Parks. This came to fruition on June 18, 2013 when the bakery reopened following a lengthy refurbishment with a new menu offering Starbucks products. During the time of the transition, the Main Street Bakery also underwent a exterior refurbishment.
The Main Street Bakery is located on Main Street, U.S.A. which is the first “themed land” inside the main entrance of the many ‘Disneyland’-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world.
Instead of being a replica of a small Midwestern American town, Main Street at Walt Disney World features some stylistic influences from around the country, such as New England and Missouri. This is most noticeable in the “four corners” area in the middle of Main Street where each of the four corner buildings represents a different architectural style. There is also no Opera House as there is at Disneyland; instead there is the Exposition Hall. Main Street is lined with shops selling merchandise and food.
The decor is early-20th-century small-town America, inspired by Walt Disney’s childhood and the film Lady and the Tramp. City Hall contains the Guest Relations lobby where cast members provide information and assistance. A real working barber shop gives haircuts for free. The Emporium carries a wide variety of Disney souvenirs such as plush toys, collectible pins, and Mickey-ear hats. Tony’s Town Square and the Plaza Restaurant are sit-down restaurants. Casey’s Corner is at the end of Main Street and sells traditional American ball park fare including burgers and fries.
In the distance beyond the end of Main Street stands Cinderella Castle. Though only 189 feet (55m) tall, it benefits from a technique known as forced perspective. The second stories of all the buildings along Main Street are shorter than the first stories, and the third stories are even shorter than the second, and the top windows of the castle are much smaller than standard. The resulting visual effect is that the buildings appear to be larger and taller than they really are. Main Street is considered the “opening credits” for the Magic Kingdom. Visitors pass under the train station (the opening curtain), and then view the opening credits on the upper stories of the main street buildings.
Each window has a business name on it, such as “Seven Summits Expeditions, Frank G. Wells President”; each of these people has a connection to Disney. The windows/credits are ordered as they would be for a movie. In addition to the bronze “Partners Statue” of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle; there is also the “Sharing the Magic Statue” of Roy O. Disney sitting with Minnie Mouse near the park’s entrance. Surrounding the “Partners Statue” at the central hub are several iconic Disney characters featured throughout the park. These include Minnie, Donald, Br’er Rabbit, Goofy, Chip and Dale, etc.
TMSM Today in Graphic by Sherry Rinaldi DeHart; Wiki
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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