It was December, 1966. Dick Nunis was listening to the radio as he drove to work at Disneyland. Over the air came the news that Walt Disney had died.
Nunis picked up the phone and called his boss, Card Walker, and asked whether the park should be opened. Walker said, “I don’t know, let me get back to you.” A few minutes later he called Nunis back and said, “Open it.”
“God, Card!” Nunis said. “I think our people are going to be really upset.”
Walker responded. “Lilly [Disney] made this decision and I’ll tell you what she said, ‘Walt would say the show must go on.'”
Nunis became emotional, but went ahead and opened the park. In doing so they received a lot of negative media attention. Nunis got with Van France and said, “Van, we’ve got to start worrying about the next training book.” That’s when Nunis and France came up with the idea of Disney Traditions. It was intended to remember the ideas, philosophies, and concepts that Walt had labored so hard to create around Disney. It was intended to preserve the culture. And by the end of that day, they had a rough format of what they wanted to do.
In reality, Nunis held to the premise that the show must go on.
Disney Traditions carries on today. It’s known as the official orientation that all Disney cast members attend when they begin their first days as a the company. Its roots are even further than the events surrounding Walt’s death. There was always an orientation associated with Disneyland. That first orientation was given Thursday, May 26, 1955, less than two months before Disneyland’s opening day of July 17. It was held in the White House. Not the White House, but an older building backstage that received such reference because it was painted white. Attending that day were Roy Disney, C. V. Wood, Card Walker, Don Tatum plus others such as key executives from Eastman Kodak, Swift and Company, and Bank of America.
After introducing each other and giving their home towns, Nunis gave a slide show revealing renderings of what Disneyland would be. France used a flannel board to describe the various Disney enterprises. After a break, the heart of this motivational program was introduced. It’s a phrase that has continued to this day:
“We’ll Create Happiness”
Actually, the phrase today is no longer in future tense as it was before Disneyland opened. It’s now “We Create Happiness.” And it’s been added to at lengths with phrases like “We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment to people of all ages, everywhere.” But the essence has remained the same.
- Additionally, other important concepts were introduced that have continued throughout the years.
- We are hosts and hostesses, regardless of our job title.
- We don’t have customers, we have guests. And as such, we should serve them as if they were guests in our own home.
- Everyone’s a VIP. Here kings are commoners and commoners are kings.
- People make the difference. After all, as Walt put it, “You can dream, create, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it still takes people to operate it.”
- We work while others play. This was set clear since Disneyland was anything but a 9-to-5 job, Monday through Friday. In fact, in the early years, Disneyland was not only open on weekends, but closed two days in the middle of the work week during the off season.
Also introduced was the concept of “The Disneyland Look.” Here was the idea that cast members were part of a show and that their appearance and costuming were essential to a good show. That meant extremes in styles common during the fifties like a beehive hairdo were out.
That first orientation was well received with a round of applause. And it has continued ever since. It’s also been added to over the years. One of the important additions was the development/implementation of four key standards. France described them as follows:
- Safety: When guests come to Disneyland, they put their safety in Walt Disney’s hands.
- Courtesy: We represent the entire Disney organization in the guests’ person-to-person contact with us.
- Show:Disneyland is a spectacular show, and we are show people. We may work On Stage or Backstage, but all our efforts combine to create the world’s greatest show.
- Capacity:We have a limited capacity. Every seat must be utilized.
In time Capacity was changed to Efficiency, but the concepts stuck, largely because they helped to operationalize on the idea of creating happiness.
Not long thereafter, these concepts were all immortalized under the title of Disney Traditions, with the expectation that everyone, not just those who worked at Disneyland but every employee of the Walt Disney Company, would be introduced to the heritage, culture, and ideas that made Disney what it is today. Over the years, there have been changes and modifications. Sometimes it has been longer than a day in length. Sometimes it’s been shorter. But since Walt’s passing, it’s become known as Disney Traditions. Sometimes new management would come in and want to make key changes. And there have been many efforts to cut the budget around it. But those who have been part of this tradition have locked arms and resisted.
After all, as Lilly suggested, “Walt would say the show must go on.”
