(June 23, 1963—Present) BACKSTORY: First Audio-Animatronic attraction to cost $1 million+. United Airlines was the first commercial sponsor, but it soon changed to Dole (try a delicious Dole Whip at the snack bar!). Originally owned by Walt Disney (through WED Enterprises) and was to be a restaurant featuring AA birds serenading guests as they dined. The “magic fountain” was to be a coffee station (a storage compartment remains in the base) and the restaurant would have shared its kitchen with the now-defunct Tahitian Terrace and Plaza Pavilion Restaurant. Since ownership was separate from the rest of the park, a small admission of 75¢ was charged. The Tiki Room was also Disneyland’s first fully air-conditioned building. The attraction was an immediate hit with its Hawaiian-themed musical show hosted by four macaws whose plumage matches their implied countries of origin. José is red, white, & green and speaks with a Mexican accent (Wally Boag); Michael is white & green with an Irish brogue (Fulton Burley); Pierre is red, white, & blue and has a French accent (Ernie Newton) while red, black, & white Fritz has a German accent (Thurl Ravenscroft, voice of Hawaiian God Tangaroa-Ru near the entrance). The birds have real feathers with the exception of the chest area which is covered in custom-woven cashmere, allowing the figures to “breathe” in a lifelike manner (inspired by an employee at a planning meeting who wore a cashmere sweater which moved at the elbows exactly the way the engineers envisioned).
225+ talking, singing, and dancing birds, flowers, the magic fountain, tiki drummers and tiki totem poles perform “In The Tiki Room” by the Sherman Brothers and “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing.” The finale has them performing a rousing version of The Hawaiian War Chant. Exit music is an arrangement of Snow White’s “Heigh Ho” with lyrics thanking guests while encouraging them to exit quickly!
An AA talking “barker” bird was once located near the walkway to beckon visitors inside, but was removed when he caused enormous traffic jams of gawking guests. While waiting outside in a lanai area for the show to start, visitors are serenaded by Hawaiian music which at one time included Martin Denny. Hawaiian gods are represented around the perimeter of the lanai and each has a story to tell via AAs. A brief documentary of the history of the pineapple is also presented. Filmed in the early 1960’s and updated at the end with a presentation of Dole products, it is shown on a screen on the rear of the roof of the Dole snack bar at the entrance to the lanai. Other than the removal of a minor musical number set to the “Barcarolle” from Jacques Offenbach’s opera “Tales of Hoffmann” and the final verse of “Let’s All Sing Like The Birdies Sing,” the show has remained otherwise unchanged since its debut, thanks to a stipulation in the Dole sponsorship contract that the attraction remain the same. As such, the attraction is somewhat dated, adding to its classic appeal. One chorus of “Let’s All Sing Like The Birdies Sing” has José crooning like Bing Crosby, Fritz scat-singing in a gravelly voice like that of Louis Armstrong, and Pierre singing like Maurice Chevalier.
The show re-opened after a 7 month hiatus in March 2005 for the park’s 50th birthday. After the renovation, the original show and storyline remained but with a digitally remastered audio, new sound systems, and completely new Audio-Animatronics which look the same but have a completely different infrastructure. Updates in technology allowed Imagineers to enhance the show while retaining its classic look & feel.
Most photos available as enlargements; email your request. To view photos allow popups in your browser & click thumbnails below. |
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Adventureland Gates, Official Disneyland Panavue Slide)
Koro, Dec. 1968)
Maui, Dec. 1968)
Dec. 1968)
Aug. 1974)
Aug. 1974)
Date unknown)
Courtyard trash can, 1970’s)
Courtyard trash can, 1970’s)
Courtyard trash can, 1970’s)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
