Posted 9 years ago
GoofyDad
(2 items)
Approximately 10" tall and super cute! The Disney Institute (resort) was the brainchild of Michael Eisner and was modeled after Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York. The Disney Institute (DI) existed from 1996 thru 2003 and sorry for being cliche' but it truly was a magical place, even by Disney standards. The programs (classes) that were taught there in subjects like culinary, photography, topiary, storytelling, animation and radio were taught by experts in those fields; sometimes even well-known "celebrity" teachers were invited. Here's a link for an old promotional video which really gives an idea of where they wanted to go with the resort: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ASuDMZCBMQ
What was unique about DI was that even though it was a Disney resort it was relatively unknown by the general public and enough of a secret that many famous-names enjoyed extended stays with us so they could reside in the middle of Disney and still remain anonymous. A couple were Oprah, Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson. For myself, I was brought on to the DI staff in 1995 as part of the pre-opening team and worked as the lead massage therapist at the Spa at the Disney Institute where I was lucky enough to give services to Whoopie Goldberg and Shaquile O'neil as well as other celebrities and professional athletes.
Needless to say we were all devastated when the announcement came that the Disney Institute was closing. I purchased as many DI items as I could as mementos including DI license plates, shot glasses, pens/pencils, Barlow ornaments and these Bellhop Mickeys to name a few. I've kept them stored over the years out of sentimentality. I'm not an Disney expert so I wanted to ask if anyone knows if Disney Institute items hold any value. You can contact me at rsosa23@tampabay.rr.com
I may post more pics of some of my other DI items in the near future. . . thanks for giving me this opportunity to walk down memory lane.
