Posted May 2017 Updated May 2021/Jun 22

Chapter 5 - Magic Kingdom - Town Square - East Side and Park

We've visited the West Side of Town Square in the previous Chapter (Link to Chapter 4 Magic Kingdom - Town Square - West Side)  Now we'll head to the other side, the East Side of Town Square.
For current Magic Kingdom Map:  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/magic-kingdom/maps/

Main St. Confectionery Store

The first stop is the Main St Confectionery. Just like the Emporium this store is on the corner of Town Square and Main St. This is the place to satisfy your sweet tooth with candies, cookies and confectioneries.
History
Before entering lets take a short trip down locations history, since has changed quite a number of times before settling in as the Sweets Center of Main St.
Before the Confectionery Store came into existence,  it was the former home of The Camera Center
GAF Sponsorship
In 1971, when the Magic Kingdom opened, it was known as the GAF Camera Center. Inside the store sold and processed film and supplies, performed minor repairs, and had cameras available for purchase or rental.

In 1972, GAF released its first park guide for Walt Disney World, it included helpful tips on photography to capture the perfect shot. To further develop the GAF Photo Trail, on each Magic Kingdom park map twenty-four locations were marked where camera tourists could get picture perfect photographs.
GAF sponsored the Camera Center from 1971 to 1977.
Polaroid Sponsorship
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Polaroid became the sponsor in 1979.  During Polaroid's tenure at the Camera Center, guests could borrow a Polaroid Sun Camera to use and only pay for the instant film.

Polaroid also offered picture backdrops where Guests could dress in vintage costumes and pose on the back of a Walt Disney World Railroad car for an instant picture. Film processing was offered by "Mickey's Film Express". The film could be dropped off throughout Walt Disney World property and then the developed pictures would be mailed home.The service could handle film, slides and movies and the price depended on the film size.

Polaroid operated the Camera Center on Main Street from 1979 to 1984.
Kodak Sponsorship
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Kodak was resident of the Main St Camera Center from 1984 to 1989.
Under Kodak, guests could get free use of a disc camera with the purchase of film.
 
Kodak kept the photo trail were the Kodak Spots, were marked with a sign to assist the photographers.
 
In 1989 Camera Center became the Main Street Confectionery and the camera supplies were moved to the Town Square Exposition Hall.
 
The Camera Center closed in 2010 at the Exposition Hall after Kodak ended its sponsorship.
 
Resource:
Now as we enter the Confectionery Store, just the smells alone will start you drooling. So make sure you stop in, even if only to watch the confectionery chef's making the delights. But be aware you probably wouldn't leave empty handed.
As you walk in you'll find showcases full of Mickey-shaped snacks including cookies, themed cupcakes, cake and brownies lining the display cases in all shapes and sizes. Even the old-fashioned caramel apple got a makeover. You can find apples shaped like Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck’s pants, of course the Krispy treats, and including seasonal and holiday-themed treats.
The Main St. Confectionery transforms you back in time to the candy stores of bygone days. Cast members wear turn-of-the-century costumes to reflect the time period. The interior designs, the walls, stain-glass windows, countertops, and floor tiles are light and in vivid colors, this help to create a very happy and fun atmosphere.
You’ll also find bagged candies, cotton candy, and other sweet treats. The Fudge and Peanut brittle are also made on-site.

Even though the store looks old-fashioned, still many of today’s sweet favorites can be found in the Confectionery. Plastic, self-serve containers filled with every color of jelly bean or powdered sugar stand front and center in the store.
The confectionery kitchen is a stage where you can watch all of the amazing snacks being made daily and up-close. The cast members will happily answer all of your questions as they worked to make the treats.

More on the treats:
 And check out the list of goodies available at The Main Street Confectionery at:

The Chapeau - Hat Store

If you need a set of Mouse Ears, the Chapeau located next to the Main St Confectionery in Town Square, is the place to go. But not only Mouse Ears, there are Goofy hats, baseball caps, Mickey Sorcerer hats, princess hats, the list goes on.
The Chapeau has a connecting entrance from the Main St Confectionery
The Chapeau is the blue building done in a Victorian style architecture. The inside is modeled after a turn-of-the-century store. The ceiling is just like the old tin ceilings prevalent during that era, black and white pictures of ladies wearing what else but hats also from that time period. Parquet wood floors, flowered wall paper and oak shelves for the hats complete the feeling you’ve stepped back in time.
If you're celebrating your honeymoon at Walt Disney World you get the white "bridal veil" Mouse Ears and the black-eared top hats at the Chapeau.

Chapeau is French for hat. The Chapeau’s street address is No. 63 which is a tribute to the year that Disney’s “Summer Magic” film starring Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, and Dorothy McGuire was released. According to the backstory of Main Street, USA the character of Nancy Carey from the film is the proprietor of the hat shop.
Color Cube Sudoku

The Phone

By the back entrance to the Chapeau is a turn of the century phone on the wall. Pick up the receiver and listen to the party line conversation. You'll get an idea about what life was like in the early 1900's. This is one of the many hidden magic you find throughout Walt Disney World.
If you wish to hear the phone conversation , click here

Most guests miss a lot of the Hidden Magic. The Hidden Magic is all around, you just need to slow down, stop and look around. The Walt Disney Imagineers put a lot of imagination into the design of Walt Disney World. Enjoy and Experience it!

More Links to the Chapeau:

Between the Chapeau and Tony’s you’ll come upon a large wall that hides a cast area. However, being Disney the serve areas are always decoratively covered.
Campark

Tony's Town Square Restaurant

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When Main Street U.S.A. opened at the Magic Kingdom in October 1971, in Town Square was the Town Square Cafe with its open air veranda. The dining offered breakfast, lunch and dinner and was themed to the elegant Victorian era.
It was sponsored by Oscar Mayer from 1971-1981. But not only a variety of Oscar Mayer hot dogs were served, but upscale fare like a Monte Cristo sandwich and Crepes Jambalaya. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola were available as well on the menu.
The Oscar-Mayer chef as portrayed by George Molchan.  In his role as company spokersperson he met with Town Square Cafe diners and handed out Oscar-Mayer "wiener whistles" to children.
From 1981 to 1989, Hormel took over the sponsorship and the operation. The menu was a large four page newspaper entitled “Town Square Times” with the first page devoted to the history of the Hormel company.
In 1989 Hormel discontinued sponsorship and the Disney Company did an extensive rehab of the restaurant converting it into Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.
 Tony's Town Square restaurant is themed after the Walt Disney animated film, Lady and the Tramp.  This is where they had their first kiss. Throughout restaurant you'll find references to the movie, from photos to a statue of the Lady and the Tramp. They have even left their paw prints in the sidewalk in front of the Restaurant. Another hidden magic most guests miss.

Another tribute to Lady and the Tramp is over at The Chapeau. Take note of the pink hatbox sign outside of the shop. It’s meant to resemble the pink hatbox that Jim Dear brings Lady home in as pup as a gift to Darling.

Tony's as you would expect is a traditional Italian Restaurant serving classical Italian dishes, pizza, but also steaks.

 Check out the latest menu on:
Of all the restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, this one is probably the easiest to get a reservation, but book it early.
Besides the Lady and Tramp theme in the restaurant, you’re also treated to a few other entertainments. In the lounge area guests can watch the Lady and the Tramp movie. On select days and evenings, an accordion player walks around the lounge playing songs dedicated to guests. If he notices it’s a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, he may play something extra special just for you. There is also outside patio for dining, this is a great spot for watching the parades in the Magic Kingdom.

 Other Links:
The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade from Tony's Veranda

Town Square Theater (Town Square Exposition Hall)

Town Square Theater (formerly Town Square Exposition Hall) is directly across from City Hall. The inside and outside of the building has a Victorian architecture influence, from large columns supporting a veranda in the front to the ornate interior moldings. To fit with the rest of Town Square the theater resembles what you would expect of a turn-of-the-century building in small town USA.
It is home to Tony’s Town Square Restaurant (which we already discussed), Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell Meet & Greets, the Box Office Gifts and Town Square Theater shop.
Changes over the years
This building has seen many changes since it opened in 1971.

From 1971-1979 this grand and elegant structure was called the Gulf Hospitality House, sponsored by Gulf Oil Corporation.. Throughout its history it has housed a number of attractions and restaurants.  In the early 1970’s it served as the guests relations where you could various reservations around Disney property (golf, tennis, restaurants, etc.).  At one point in the early stages of the design, it was being considered for a hotel, since there was plenty of space behind the building.

Back in the early 1970s the building housed a theater that showed Walt Disney Story, a short film that told Walt Disney's history.  This show remained open until 1987, and then it briefly returned to the Magic Kingdom from 1989 to 1991.  This show is now located in Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney: One Man's Dream attraction.
The Murial
In the lobby outside the old theater was the famous (now sadly gone) Bill Justice mural that uniquely represented all of the major Disney characters up to the time of the mural. Rumor has it that it is still there, but covered by plaster boards. We can only hope that it doesn't get destroyed.
From 1987 to 1988, the Town Square Theater hosted the Disney/MGM Studios Preview Center.  The preview center had a short film that told visitors about the next Walt Disney World theme park that was still under construction.  After viewing the film, visitors were able to view concept artwork and some models for the upcoming Disney-MGM Studios theme park.

After 1991, the Town Square Theater remained empty.

Then in 1995-1996 this building was used for guests to cast their ballot for the 1995-96 Main Street mascot election between Captain Hook and Winnie the Pooh. 

During October 1996, the building that once housed The Walt Disney Story became the home of the Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Welcome Center.

In 1997 it was again a preview center for Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.  That preview center was similar to the one for the Disney-MGM Studios where guests watched a short film and then saw scale models and concept artwork.

From 2001 to 2010, the Town Square Theater was called the Town Square Exposition Hall.  It was sponsored by Kodak and had a small museum showing the history of personal cameras and photography.  It also featured some history of the Magic Kingdom as well.  In addition to the small museum were various displays where you could pose with characters from some of the more popular Disney animated films.  The very back of the Exposition Hall had a small theater that continually played Disney cartoons.
The original exit from the film took Guests into the Disneyana Collectibles shop, which sadly is long gone. It can be argued that this store, with its wonderful collectibles, was the first of the trend toward having themed shops at the end of attractions. The shop is now called the Curtain Call Collectibles. (more about this shop below)
Unfortunately, the Town Square Exposition Hall was one of those overlooked treasures in the Magic Kingdom. 
In 2011, the Town Square Exposition Hall was changed to its current format of Town Square Theater, a Disney character meet-and-greet featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends.  This is also where you'll find more information about Disney's PhotoPass service.

In 2015, Tinker Bell has moved in next to Mickey and the sponsor changed from Kodak to Nikon.

Link to additional information on the Town Square Theater:

Meet & Greet

The Town Square Theater has been newly remodeled to provide a place to meet Disney characters. Most importantly, it's now the new home of Mickey Mouse. His old home in Mickey’s Toontown was demolished in preparation for the New Fantasyland expansion and Storybook Circus. We will visit the historical Mickey’s Toontown in another Chapter.
There are two Meet & Greet areas in the Town Square Theater, one for Mickey & Minnie and the other for meeting a visiting Princess or Tinker Bell, check the Times Guide to see who will be there. Young or old this is always fun.

More on the Theater Meet & Greet:

Tinker Bell Meet & Greet Queue

Tinker Bell has been located throughout the Magic Kingdom. She began her journey in the Tinker Bell’s Treasures Shoppe (see Chapter 20 – Fantasyland – Part 1) that was located in Fantasyland from 1992 to 2010. Tink moved to Mickey’s Toontown (see Chapter 22 – Fantasyland – That Once Was), then she flew to Adventureland for a short period, before finally get her own place in the Town Square Theater.
 
As always guests should look around, for in the Meet & Greet queue, guests will find an upside down teacup. On the bottom of the cup is inscripted "Honorable Barrie Bone China, England, Emerine-Rapport-Davis, 1906, Kensington Gardens"
 
The honorable Barrie is a reference to Author Sir James Barrie who was the author of Peter Pan. The story of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was originally found in a story written by James Barrie called The Little White Bird, which was the precursor for Tinker Bell!

Sources:
 http://www.fromscreentotheme.com/FunFindFriday.aspx

Box Office Gifts

Box Office Gifts is where you can view and purchase your PhotoPass pictures. It on your right side when entering the Town Square Theater.

Curtain Call Collectibles

After the meet & Greet, you’ll exit into the new Curtain Call Collectibles Gift Shop.

The merchandise at Curtain Call Collectibles includes Plush Toys, Princess themed costumes, Tangled toys and gifts, Pins, Kids clothing and hats. Same day embroidery service is available for hats and clothing purchased in the store.

You don’t need to go through the Meet & Greet, you can also access this store from the entrance located at the left side of the Town Square Theater.

More on Shopping in Curtain Call:

The Goofy Bench

Goofy was sitting on a bench in front of Tony’s. If you sit next to him, and listen closely, you might hear him talking to you.   However, the Goofy Bench isn't always there.

The Veranda
There isn’t much seating on Main Street USA. This is because it is primarily a thoroughfare used to enter and exit the park. Most guests have little need to sit down here since they’re too busy getting to the attractions or Castle. However, if you’re a people watcher there are a few rocking chairs on the Town Square veranda that are great for watching the crowd coming to and going from the Magic Kingdom.

Park in the Center of Town Square

The Park in the Center of Town Square is filled with activities all day.
From September to the first week in November the Park is decorated for the Not So Scary Halloween Party.

The Happiest Celebration On Earth was a global commemorate of the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. All of the Disney parks worldwide participated in this 17 month long celebration. From Paris to Tokyo, from Florida to California, each park has unveiled new attractions and entertainment to mark this occasion.
  • For more information on this past Celebration see:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/HappiestCelebration.htm
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For Walt Disney World's 50th Celebration, there were throughout the Parks Golden Statue of the Famous Disney Characters.

Meet & Greet in Town Square Park

click to enlarge
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It’s a place where you can Meet & Greeting many different famous and infamous Disney Characters from when the parks opens to mid-afternoon. Check the Times Guide to find out which Characters will be there during your visit.

Flag Retreat Ceremony

At 5 PM a Patriotic Ceremony takes place each day at the Flag Pole in the Town Square Park. The Walt Disney World Band will strike up a lively medley of American patriotic favorites. When the music concludes, they will march from the Train Station into Town Square followed by several security guards and the pre-selected Veteran of the Day. The band forms a semicircle around the flagpole and begins to play the Star Spangled Banner. As they do, the Stars and Stripes are slowly lowered. It is then retrieved by the guards and properly folded. It’s a moving ceremony.

Note: Magic Kingdom’s Main Street is lined with our nation’s flags—only they’re not traditional American flags. Because regulations require traditional flags be raised, lowered, and flown at half-mast. These flags are missing a star or a stripe so that they can be left up permanently. The flagpoles are actually lightning rods in disguise protecting guests below from inclement weather.

Roy Disney and Minnie Bench - "Sharing the Magic"

One of Disney’s Legend heroes and Imagineer is Blaine Gibson, the acclaimed animator artist and sculptor responsible for creating untold numbers of pirates, Indians, ghosts, presidents and other magical Disney figures. But his most recent works were delivered long after he retired in 1983, with the “Partners” statue depicting Walt and Mickey standing together first created for Disneyland Resort in 1993, then for Walt Disney World in 1995. In 1999, at the age of 81, Blaine delivered Roy and Minnie “Sharing the Magic” to Walt Disney World.
The iconic park bench occupied by co-founding father Roy O. Disney seated next to Minnie Mouse greets millions of guests each year and is one of the most prized photo locations ever. Is located just in the Town Square Park.  The empty space to the right of Minnie was Blaine’s intent to show Minnie’s conscious decision to sit right next to Roy as a way to make him more “approachable,” as he was rarely in the limelight as was Walt. Blaine also purposefully had Roy support Minnie’s hand from underneath, an acknowledgment of how Roy supported his brother in their new business venture.

The statue is located approximately where Roy did the dedication of the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World in October 1971.

Main St. USA Street Carts

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Coffee Cart which offered Coffee, Expresso, Cappuccino Water and other drinks. Unfortunately it’s no longer there, now you need to go up Main St to the Bakery to get your Morning Cup of Joe.




Main Street Transportation Company is one of two small kiosks that sells autograph books, mouse ear head bands and more. One is located on the City Hall side and the other is located on the Town Square Theater side.



Popcorn Snack Carts In front of the Chamber of Commerce and sometimes in front of Tony’s you will find one of the many popcorn carts in the Magic Kingdom. Its Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn, so you know its high quality, you can also get it a variety of special themed buckets. At Christmastime there are Christmas Mickey Buckets, Snowman Buckets, and every Holiday introduces new special Disney popcorn buckets.






Ice Cream Treats Cart – is in front of Town Square Theater. The #1 ice cream treat in Walt Disney World is the Mickey’s premium ice cream bar-creamy vanilla ice cream dipped in luscious milk chocolate. And the next is Mickey’s ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies. There are more, like a wild berry and zesty lemon ice pop, an orange and cream bar, a frozen strawberry bar, and the ever popular frozen banana. Just great during those hot summer days in Florida.

http://www.disneyfanatic.com/5-awesome-snack-carts-wdw/

Town Square Vehicles

Horse Drawn Trolley

The horse-drawn Trolley is used to pick guests up at Town Square and transport them to the front of Cinderella’s Castle. The carriage is a turn of the century trolley design, and it is pulled by either Belgian or Percheron horses. The Trolley it is often used for entertainment. Such as Trolley Show early in the day, where various cast members dressed up in turn of the century attire, board the trolley and perform a special Song and Dance show (more on that later). For the remainder of the morning, guests can ride the trolley up and down Main Street. The horses for the rest of the day are inside the Horse Car and at night are kept at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.
Special Note: Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground - Guests are welcome to visit the Cinderella's ponies and the beautiful horses that appear in parades or pulling trollies along Main Street U.S.A in the Magic Kingdom.   You might even be able to see the blacksmith at work making horseshoes and shoeing horses.   Step into the barn and see the Dragon Calliope, a horse-drawn musical instrument purchased by Walt Disney.
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Omnibus – two story buses

The omnibus is a double-decker bus modeled after a 1920's New York City Omnibus. The vehicle opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971. The omnibus features two levels of seating, taking guests up and down Main St USA and allowing guests to get a unique view of Main Street. The vehicle holds up to 45 guests, and it is also fitted with a motor that replicates the sound of a turn of the century motor.

The Omnibus is now back in use on Main Street USA.
In 1982, the Omnibus was moved to Epcot where it carried guests around World Showcase. In 1988 in honor of Mickey's 60th birthday, the bus was decorated for a party and it carried various charters around the lagoon for a show (called the Character Caravan). In 2005, the omnibus was once again in use, this time driving various characters around Future World, as part of a moving character meet and greet.
Jitneys

The horseless carriage (also known as the jitney) also picks up guests in Town Square, and it is modeled after a turn of the century car. There are actually two different cars that are used on Main Street. The first is yellow and black, while the second has a red and auburn color scheme. Both vehicles allow guests to sit in the front seat or the back bench of the car. The Jitney is equipped with a motor that replicates the putting sound of an authentic turn of the century car. 
Fire Engine

The Main Street fire engine picks up guests outside the Fire Station in Town Square. The vehicle is an old fashion red engine with Main Street Fire Department painted on it. The fire engine is #71 referencing the number on the Fire House and it has a working siren. Like the rest of Main Street's motorized vehicles, the fire engine is equipped with an engine that replicates the putting sound that turn of the century motors made.

Parades - just highlights

We can’t leave Town Square without mentioning that all of the Parades in the Magic Kingdom either start or end at Town Square.

 
As mentioned in Chapter 3 - Gateway and Train Station, the Train Station’s Balcony is a great place to watch the parades.

It's Goofy’s favorite too.


Just briefly here are a current daily parades. We will cover these and the history of the Magic Kingdom Parades in a later Chapter, so hang in there.
Publisher Clearing House
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Festival of Fantasy

In the afternoon typically at 3PM daily celebrate the Walt Disney magic with a eclectic mix of floats, costumes and original music. Enjoy the colorful tribute to the Land of Fantasy and its many inhabitants. The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is an exciting sight-and-sound spectacular.



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Move it! Shake it! Dance & Play it! Street Party

Several times daily join in the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. Five brightly colored floats enhanced with your favorite characters and dozens of dancers enthusiastically sing and dance while encouraging those lining the street to get involved.

  • Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play it! Street Party 2014 – 2018
Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party 2019 - present


We just complete the Tour of Town Square. Yes, there is a lot to see, that most people will pass by. There is still a lot more to Town Square. Disney Imagineers over the years have given it detailed attention. So now we're ready to continue down Main St. USA. Since the initial concept came from Walt Disney's childhood memories, here also attention was given to the detail and design. Most guests assume its only a shopping area (which it is), but its also an attraction and experience.

So join us for the next Chapter 6 - Main St. USA.
Afterword:
WDWMousing.com is designed to be a tour of Walt Disney World through photos. We have been to Walt Disney World countless times over the past 25 years and accumulated a magnitude of photos in that time. This website is an intention to combine two of our favorite pastimes, Walt Disney World and photography, and provide an insightful pictorial tour.
While doing so, we've done an extensive research of the internet and literary sources for background information on each area and attraction. The information is available, but most bits and pieces are scattered all over. WDWMousing doesn't intend to rewrite the stories, legends or data, but to try and collect it into one location with references and links to the original articles and authors, giving rightful credit. We've stumbled through quite a bit of misinformation, most of which came to life by fans because the origins were lost, forgotten or no one seems to remember. Over the past 25 years we've also lost most of the great Imagineers that helped develop, design and build the original concepts of Walt Disney World. So we believe it's extremely important to make sure that their efforts, intentions, details and creativity in making this Happiest Place on Earth isn't lost.
So we ask for feedback, insights, and suggestions.

Thanks,
WDWMousing

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