“Heart, We Did All That We Could” by one of the true stars of the show, Teddi Barra. Teddi makes a grand entrance as she is lowered from the ceiling on a rose-covered swing. During the performance, Henry, Buff, and Max gush over Teddi’s performance.
“Blood on the Saddle.” Performed by perhaps the most popular character in the entire attraction, Big Al. The bear is voiced by Tex Ritter, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame whose career spanned the 1930s through the 1960s. Tex was also the father of actor John Ritter who starred in the sitcom Three’s Company. Big Al appears without an introduction from Henry. You will quickly notice that his guitar is out of tune, and if you examine it closely, you’ll see that it is stamped with his name and a horseshoe.
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett.” Performed by Henry and Sammy, the raccoon. Sammy sits on top of Henry’s head, creating a real-life coonskin cap, which is appropriate for a song about Davy Crockett. In the middle of this performance, Big Al reappears once again singing “Blood on the Saddle,” as Henry instructs the fat bear to stop.
“Ole Slew-Foot.” Performed by all of the bears except for Ernest and Trixie. Henry rushes the finale in an effort to get the show finished. Big Al is undaunted, and continues singing “Blood on the Saddle.”
“Come Again.” Henry, Sammy, Melvin, Buff, and Max perform the farewell song.
Perhaps more so than any other Walt Disney World attraction, music plays a critical role in the Country Bear Jamboree. The Imagineers explained why:
This attraction also shows the power of a song as an anchor to an attraction. When guests walk out of the theatre humming a tune or singing it in their heads, it’s a sort of souvenir. Our show writers absolutely love taking liberties with the lyrics of the well-known and well-loved songs that make up the Country Bears’ repertoire.
More Magical Secrets of the Country Bear Jamboree
The Country Bear Jamboree was the first attraction to debut in Walt Disney World first, and Disneyland second.
The character of Big Al was inspired (including his appearance) by Disney Imagineer Al Bertino, who served as a show writer for the Country Bear Jamboree.
Pepsi and Frito Lay originally sponsored the attraction.
The Country Bear Jamboree is sometimes referred to as “Walt’s last laugh,” as it was one of the last attractions he consulted on prior to his death on December 15, 1966.
Teddi Barra is the only bear that does not appear on any of the theatre’s stages (she sits on a swing hanging from the ceiling).
The Country Bear Jamboree inspired the movie The Country Bears that was released in 2000. Unfortunately, it was a flop.
Real History
The Controversial Story of Mineral King
The real story behind the Country Bear Jamboree begins with the 1960 Winter Olympics. The Disney company had many connections to that particular Olympics, including Walt Disney being chosen as the “Chairman of Pageantry.” During that time, Walt became captivated with the natural beauty of Squaw Valley, California, the area where the 1960 Winter Olympics were held. In fact, Walt felt so strongly about the area’s natural beauty that he began looking for similar sites that might serve as a potential real estate investment opportunity for the Disney company. One such opportunity presented itself in 1965 when the United States Forest Service sought bids for development of an area known as Mineral King in the Sequoia National Park in California. Disney won that request for bids and was granted a three-year planning permit.
Mineral King would have been an enormous project. Disney’s plans contemplated a full-service ski resort complex complete with numerous ski runs, two resort hotels, ten restaurants, and a separate village with numerous shopping and entertainment options. Recognizing the need to preserve and maintain the surrounding natural environment, Disney’s plans also incorporated numerous mechanisms to minimize automobile and human encroachment on the surrounding Sequoia National Forest. In fact, guests travelling to Mineral King would have had to park in a completely different area, and then be transported to the resort by virtue of a “cog-assist” railway system.
Being the master entertainer that he was, Walt Disney did not want to settle for just another ski resort. He tasked Imagineer Marc Davis with developing a show featuring bears that would entertain visitors during the nighttime hours and would also tie in well with Mineral King’s surrounding environment. Over the next several months, Davis and other Imagineers developed a wide variety of “bear” show concepts. Unfortunately, Walt died unexpectedly on December 15, 1966, while this planning process was still underway. Following his death, it was ultimately decided that the proposed show would take place in one of the restaurants for Mineral King, and would focus on a country-western group of singing bears.
Disney’s master plan for Mineral King was approved in January 1969. The initial timeline contemplated a 1973 opening date. Unfortunately, that opening date would never arrive, due to a legal battle between the State of California and the United States Forest Service on one side and the Sierra Club on the other.
The Sierra Club was founded by noted conservationist John Muir in 1892, and focuses on protection of the Earth’s environment and natural resources. The organization filed a lawsuit in June 1969 to prevent the United States government from issuing additional permits that would be needed to actually commence work on the Mineral King project. (Disney was not formally named in the lawsuit).
In the 1969 Annual Report of Walt Disney Productions, Disney gave a thorough and scathing analysis of the history and status of its Mineral King project to its shareholders:
In 1960, after staging the pageantry for that year’s Winter Olympics, Walt Disney began a survey of existing and potential winter recreation sites throughout the United States, believing that the operation of a family-oriented outdoor recreational area would be a healthy diversification in a growing market for our company.
It was not until 1965, when the U.S. Forest Service sought competitive public bids for the development of Mineral King in Sequoia National Forest, that Walt Disney found an area he believed capable of becoming a prototype for future all-year recreational development.
Therefore, the Company entered the public bidding against five other organizations, and in December of that year, was selected as the permittee, and subsequently awarded a three-year planning permit.
In January, 1969, after direct expenditures of $750,000 in research and planning, the Disney organization obtained final approval of its developmental master plan, thereby fulfilling its obligations under the planning permit. This plan has been approved and endorsed at every level of State and Federal government, under two administrations and both political parties.
Its highlights include the complete elimination of visitor automobiles from Mineral King’s valley floor, a sub-level automobile reception center, and a completely self-contained village which may be reached via electric, cog-assist railway, all of which have been designed to ensure maximum protection and enhancement of the area’s unique scenic values.
Meanwhile, the State of California, aware of the need for additional recreational opportunities for its urban population, and recognizing the economic benefits this project would bring to the people of the San Joaquin Valley, expended $650,000 in surveying and designing the necessary all-weather access road.
This past summer, the Sierra Club, whose leadership has been taking an increasingly militant position in the field of conservation, began legal action against governmental officials, using the project to challenge the U.S. Forest Service’s overall management policies for National Forest lands.
Based upon legal technicalities which do not relate to the merits of the Disney plan or to the reputation of Walt Disney Productions as a world leader in the field of recreation and entertainment, the Sierra Club was able to obtain a preliminary injunction, which prevents the government from issuing the permits to construct and operate the necessary facilities, until these legal issues have been tried.
The order gran
ting the injunction is presently being appealed by the Department of Justice. No one can say with certainty how long it will be until the courts have rendered a final decision, but it could be as long as three years.
Walt Disney Productions continues to believe in the merits of this project—that Mineral King is uniquely qualified to help meet an ever-growing public recreational need—and we are supported in this belief by many of the nation’s most outstanding authorities in the field of conservation.
However, the Company, having met its obligations under the terms of the existing planning permit, will not make further investment in this project until the current legal issues are resolved and a 30-year term permit has been granted.
As we know today, the Mineral King project never came to be. In Disney circles, the project was “killed” because of ongoing issues that Imagineer Marty Sklar described as “lawsuits and political manipulating.”
A Walt Disney World Original
With the Mineral King project waning, Imagineers decided to move the bear show concept to Walt Disney World. The Country Bear Jamboree would become a much-needed marquee experience for Frontierland on opening day in 1971. Neither Splash Mountain nor Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was even on the drawing boards at that point for the Magic Kingdom. The plans for Thunder Mesa were on the drawing board, but for financial and other reasons that project was on hold in 1971 (permanently, as it were).
The Country Bear Jamboree opened with the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. The attraction pushed the boundaries of audio-animatronics technology at that time, most notably because it presented a completely unique challenge for Disney Imagineers:
The Country Bears represented a different kind of challenge for our character designers and animators. Unlike Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion, the performers in the Jamboree have to spend significant time on stage in front of an audience, and must remain believable for this longer period of time. The bears, while not needing to look realistic, nonetheless must sustain the illusion of being alive, which tests the capabilities of the Audio-Animatronics system.
[The Imagineers, The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom (2005), at p. 54.]
Although the Country Bear Jamboree is a Magic Kingdom original, the show has experienced numerous changes throughout the years. The Country Bear Christmas Special was a seasonal “changeout” for the show that appeared during the Christmas holidays between 1984 and 2005. The Christmas special featured new outfits for the Country Bears and new holiday songs.
The original show further changed to the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown in 1986 “and took the bear cast through the great American vacation tradition in song and humor.” The Hoedown also brought new outfits for the bears as well as new props that emphasized an outdoor vacation theme. This modified version lasted until 1992, when the original Country Bear Jamboree show returned.
In 2012, the Country Bear Jamboree once again closed, and some guests feared it might be for good. Fortunately for Walt Disney World nostalgics, the attraction reopened later that year. However, the attraction was shortened by several minutes and the bears received updated costumes and new “fur.”
The Country Bear Jamboree was so popular in Walt Disney World that it was replicated in Disneyland’s Bear Country, an entirely new land that debuted in California in 1972. In fact, the Magic Kingdom’s Country Bear Jamboree was such a runaway hit that Imagineers constructed two separate theatres in California to help deal with the large crowds that Disney expected for the attraction. Unfortunately, the Florida popularity of the attraction did not carry over to the West Coast. As such, Disneyland’s Country Bear Jamboree permanently closed on September 9, 2001.
Conclusion
Since the sun never sets on a Disney theme park, someone is smiling, laughing, singing, learning, caring, uniting, even forgetting about their most serious of worldly cares, even as you read these words. At this very moment, regardless of age, they are happily being swept away like a child in the magical embrace of a wondrous place created by those who build castles in the air as well as on the ground.
—Michael Eisner
Main Street, U.S.A., Liberty Square, and Frontierland are each filled with immersive stories that are painstakingly crafted by Disney Imagineers and conveyed to guests by virtue of thoughtful backstories, immersive queues, and other storytelling elements found inside those magical lands.
I hope that the stories and magical secrets recounted in this book give you reason to slow down on your next Walt Disney World vacation. I hope that they cause you to look up when walking down Main Street, U.S.A. and take notice of the windows that pay homage to Disney Imagineers, executives, and family members. I hope that these stories allow you to point out the hidden reference to Ichabod Crane at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe to a friend who loves “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I hope that this book inspires you to seek out Paul Bunyan’s axe while dining at the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, to appreciate the meaning behind the thirteen lanterns that hang from the Liberty Tree, and to laugh at the claw marks on the floors of the Country Bear Jamboree. But most of all, I hope that this book puts a smile on your face and helps you enjoy your next Disney World vacation just a little more than you would have otherwise.
Although this volume has come to an end, the “story” is far from over. The three remaining lands of the Magic Kingdom—Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Fantasyland—are filled with their own magic. Volume 2 of this series will recount the backstories and magical secrets behind Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, Storybook Circus, and many other Magic Kingdom attractions, restaurants, shops, and experiences. Later volumes will examine the backstories and magical secrets found in Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and many of Walt Disney World’s resort hotels.
Until then, keep following the second star to the right, and always stay a kid at heart!
Select Bibliography
I drew upon numerous resources during my research for this book. These resources include corporate records of the Disney company, marketing materials and brochures, and a multitude of books and online resources, including those listed below. The bulk of my research, however, came in the form of countless trips to the Magic Kingdom during which I did my best to examine every nook and cranny of that park. For the many guests whom I’m sure I frustrated while looking atop every shelf and behind every box in attraction queues (not to mention taking numerous pictures of the same), and needlessly backing up the line in the process, I offer my apologies.
Crump, Rolly. It’s Kind of a Cute Story (2012), p. 39, 49-51.
The Disney Company. 1967 Annual Report for Walt Disney Productions, p. 8.
The Disney Company. 1969 Annual Report for Walt Disney Productions, p. 14.
The Disney Company. 1991 Annual Report for The Walt Disney Company, p. 12.
The Disney Company. 1992 Annual Report for The Walt Disney Company, p. 10.
The Disney Company, “The Dapper Dans” (website description). https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/magic-kingdom/dapper-dans/.
The Disney Company, Preview Edition, Walt Disney World, The Vacation Kingdom of the World (1971), p. 3-4.
The Disney Company. Walt Disney World, 15th Anniversary Edition (1986), p. 52-53.
The Disney Company. Walt Disney World: 20 Magical Years, p. 54-55.
The Disney Company. Walt Disney World: The First Decade (1982), p 10, 44-45, 60-67.
The Disney Company. Walt Disney World, A Pictorial Souvenir Featuring The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center, p. 11.
Dunlop, Beth. Building A Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture (2011), p. 40.
Fickley-Baker, Jennifer (Disney Parks Blog). “Five Fun Facts About the Partners Statue at Magic Kingdom Park.” https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/06/five-fun-facts-about-the-partners-statue-at-magic-kingdom-park/.
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Blog). “Finding Your Way Around Magic Kingdom Park, 40 Years Ago.” https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/finding-your-way-around-magic-kingdom-park-40-years-ago/.
Fickley-Baker, Jennifer (Disney Parks Blog). “The Liberty Tree’s Patriotic Roots.” https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/07/the-liberty-trees-patriotic-roots/
Fickley-Baker, Jennifer (Disney Parks Blog). “Walt Disney Imagineers Unveil the Backstory of Barnabas T. Bullion, Founder and President of Big Thunder Mining Company.” https://disneyparks.disney.go.com /blog/2012/11/walt-disney-imagineers-unveil-the-backstory-of-barnabas-t-bullion-prioprietor-and-president-of-big-thunder-mining-company/.
Hench, John. Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show (2008), p. 57-58, 68-69, 132.
The Imagineers. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real (1996), p. 43.
The Imagineers. Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making MORE Magic Real (2010), p. 18, 26, 28, 62.
The Imagineers, The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World: An Imagineer’s-Eye Tour (2005), p. 21-23, 51-63, 66-75.
Korkis, Jim. “Summer Magic in Town Square.” http://www.mouseplanet.com/9834/Summer_Magic_in_Town_Square.
Korkis, Jim. Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never Knew You Never Knew (2015), pp. 21-22.
Kurtti, Jeff. Since the World Began: Walt Disney World The First 25 Years (1996), p. 45-52, 55-59.
Markey, Kevin. Around the World with Disney (2005), p. 76.
Sklar, Marty. Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms (2013).
Slater, Shawn. “Colonial Christmas.” http://disneyshawn.blogspot.com/2009/12/ colonial-christmas.html.
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