During the DIS Unplugged team’s visit to Disneyland earlier this year, Ryno Clavin and I had the opportunity to talk with a Disney cast member, Karlos Siqueiros, who is the Food & Beverage Concept Development Manager. Early one afternoon Ryno and I met up with Karlos at the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar in Disney California Adventure. Karlos was so kind in giving us his time to show us a little about what it takes to design and create some of Disneyland’s specialty items like popcorn buckets. It truly was a learning experience for both Ryno and I to learn what it takes to make such wonderful items.
One item that Karlos and his team has created was the Mickey Mouse Balloon Shape Premium Popcorn Bucket. This popcorn bucket is extremely popular, and for good reasons! The popcorn bucket is shaped like a Mickey Mouse Balloon that you might see on Main Street U.S.A. There is a lot that went into designing and creating this popcorn bucket. Karlos described the three main phases that the popcorn bucket went through.
The first phase was making a basic 3D printed version of their original concept to check the shape and size of the bucket. In this phase they made sure the bucket is practical to use. Phase two added color to phases one, and at that point they thought they were done. This prototype was mass-produced and sold in the parks, but as Karlos explained to Ryno and I, he and his team found the plastic they used for phase two didn’t look enough like a balloon in their opinion. So they brought it back to the drawing board. They decided that their prototype in phases two wasn’t opaque enough to look like an actual balloon. So after some small changes, and new opaque plastic, phase three became the final and current iteration.
There are three different colors that the Mickey Mouse Balloon Shape Premium Popcorn Buckets come in, which is Blue, Red, and Purple. Each color is sold throughout Disneyland Park, but the color of the bucket depends on where in the park you are. For example, the Purple buckets are only sold in New Orleans Square. If I was a Disneyland annual pass holder, I would certainly have all three.
Ryno and I were lucky enough to get Mickey Mouse Balloon Shape Premium Popcorn Buckets of our own during our trip. Now that I knew how these popcorn buckets were made I loved them so much more. Who would have thought that a popcorn bucket would have meant so much to me on a trip to Disneyland? On our visit we were celebrating the continued celebration of 60th Anniversary, and interestingly enough the Mickey Mouse Balloon Shape Premium Popcorn Buckets also had a connection to Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary. Mickey Mouse Balloons have been sold in Disneyland since 1955, and so to mark that commemoration the side of the popcorn buckets are stamped with the years 1955-2015, which are the opening year and the year of the 60th Anniversary of Disneyland. I thought this was a small detail that really made these popcorn buckets feel special.
This is just one small example of the great work that Karlos and his team has created. All of the sippers and specialty mugs seen throughout Disneyland Resort were created by Karlos and his team. These are high quality souvenirs that can be used for many purpose. Karlos explained he tries to think of at least three different things a specialty souvenir could be used for. He wants these items to be used at home, and not forgotten about once you leave the park.
Photo Credit: Disney
