Disneyland and Disneyworld have been high profile vacation destinations for families, friend groups, couples, schools, and more for decades. Walt Disney wanted to capture the magic and joy that his comics, TV shows, and movies were creating and build amusement parks for them to live.
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Just like everyone else who’s ever had a dream they wanted to make come true, Walt Disney needed money to help make his amusement parks a reality. He turned to large companies to invest in the project and promising them promotion and putting their logos up in the parks in return for monetary sponsorship. What he didn’t know is that one of his friendships would present a unique partnership for the park.
Now, how does Kalamazoo have any significance to this story at all? Well, I’m glad you asked. Dr. William Upjohn is a familiar name to many people in the Kalamazoo area and his company, Pfizer, is known to many people worldwide. Turns out, a former General Manger of Upjohn was good friends with Walt Disney and jumped upon the opportunity to join his park and share his medical achievements.
Did You Know Kalamazoo Had A Connection To Disneyland In California?
MLive via MSN reports:
When it opened in 1955, Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A featured a Kalamazoo-area company. Main Street, U.S.A. was a reimagined reproduction of Walt Disney’s hometown at the turn of the century. The Upjohn exhibit was a replica of a Victorian-era pharmacy, Author Stephen Hall said. The Upjohn Company, founded in Portage in 1886, was a perfect fit for the 1890-1910 theme. It showcased the evolution of medicine since Upjohn’s inception, highlighting the invention of the friable pill by Dr. William Upjohn, with photos, tools, packaging and medicine. It also had a section dedicated to the future, Hall said, featuring a picture of Upjohn’s Building 41 at the Portage plant…