Magic Kingdom Timeline Project and Posters

Background

This project started after many visits to Walt Disney World and our growing fascination with the parks, the Cast members, and the guests. My first visit was in the summer of 1973 and it started a lifelong quest to experience, share, and discuss everything about Walt Disney World. Over the years we have extended our group to include our children, neighbors, extended family, and friends. Our experiences have included Disney tours, adding our own self tours, challenging ourselves with quizzes, scavenger hunts, trivia, family competitions, RunDisney events, etc.

As a result of these experiences we collected quite a bit of data (approximately 40,000 lines in our database) and have recently been excited about sharing this information with other fans. Since there are many outstanding websites, books, podcasts, and other means to enjoy information about Disney, we decided to make this fan art poster. We hope it is a source of information, it triggers fond memories, and it motivates you to further research and enhance your WDW experiences. For us it has been a wonderful reminder of our Walt Disney World vacations.

Goals

The Magic Kingdom Timeline Project is an ongoing effort to accurately detail the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World from its opening in 1971 up to the present, using a graphic art format. The data included in this project are from numerous sources, all of which we have attempted to identify in the “Sources” section.

Even though there will be periodic printings of the posters, the request for feedback is ongoing. We have decided to pause collecting data at this time and publish the posters so we can share this information with other Disney fans and to solicit feedback. The current data is from Park Guides, Times Guides, books, maps, websites, and personal experiences.

Get Involved!

We would like to include additional information to enhance this project. We have set guidelines for ourselves to insure the highest level of accuracy. We value everyone’s experiences, information, and feedback, and will update the posters periodically with additional information that meets our accuracy requirements and is consistent with the spirit of this project. If we use your information, we will include your name and your source on our website and include the information in the subsequent printing. We hope this approach will expand the number and type of references for all Disney fans to access.

As you can see from the posters, the information we are looking for is
  1. The names of WDW Magic Kingdom attractions, stores, restaurants, etc.,
  2. The years they were open, and
  3. Where they were located.​

​Some excellent sources for this information would be any material that clearly identifies missing or incorrect information we have on the posters that would enable an update. Some excellent examples would be:
  • Pictures/videos you took in a specific year,
  • Times Guides (the daily sheet that identifies parade and entertainment times),
  • Books, websites, cast interviews, TV Shows, etc. that clearly and accurately support information that can be used to make updates.

Main Street, U.S.A. Poster

A main component of the Main Street, U.S.A. poster is the reproduction of the “Main Street” layout/diagram from the early 1970’s guides. This illustration highlights the center of the poster but also includes some noteworthy changes over the years. These guides were available when you entered The Magic Kingdom starting in 1972 and up to and including the 1975 Winter/Spring guide. The guide format changed later in 1975. We chose this image since it is one of our favorite reminders of the original Magic Kingdom. We removed the numbering system and color coded some of the structures to better identify what attractions and shops existed.

We have provided a few “indicators of change” to show where changes from the original 1972 layout took place:
  1. Purple center with white text is used to indicate a space or structure that existed in 1972 but was repurposed
  2. Blue center with red outline and white text is used to identify a space or structure not on the original 1972 footprint
  3. White center with red outline indicates added statues

How to use the poster: To determine what existed over the years in any location, simply identify the shape in the center layout and then locate the same shape to the left or right of the footprint and view the associated text. Note: Most of the information associated with the locations on the right side of the layout (the right/East side of Main Street) is on the right side of the poster. Consequently, most of the information associated with the locations on the left side of the layout (the left/West side of Main Street) is on the left side of the poster. Additional information is also provided for events and activities that are not location specific (i.e. parades, fireworks, etc.)

In addition, we have also recreated some of the Main Street, U.S.A. signage as a watermark so viewers can further reminisce about their personal experiences, spark conversation and kindle fond memories.

Authenticity

Each poster will be personalized to indicate the printing date, the specific print number of each batch printed, the data revision, and other identifying information verifying legitimacy

Sources

We would like to thank all the providers of the Sources we accessed in centralizing and summarizing this information. We hope you will use these wonderful Sources and Resources to research you own Disney interests and relive your personal experiences. Selected sources and resources include:
​
​​Books, Magazines and Newspapers Maps ​Websites Walt Disney World Park Guides
Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Times Guides