One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort is gazing at the elaborate store window displays, especially along Main Street, U.S.A., in Magic Kingdom Park and World of Disney at Disney Springs.
For our merchandise presentation team, the holiday season is the culmination of almost a year of work – they start planning for the holidays in January! They start with the concept phase, talking with the product and merchandise development team that gives them a glimpse of what the next season will bring. Then in summertime, they start working on the details of the design from ornaments, ribbons and everything that will be used to create their magic. Talk about Christmas in July, right?
As soon as Halloween ends, the teams start to work on the actual install of the window displays. At that point, they can finally share with our guests what they have worked on for the whole year.
Installing these window displays is no small task. There are around 30 windows on Main Street, U.S.A., and each one receives unique décor and theming. At the Emporium, for example, the team retells the story of the shop’s original proprietor, Osium Osh Popham, by re-creating how the windows would have looked at the turn of the 20th century.
At Disney Springs, the team ensures all of the displays continue the story of World of Disney, which is an artists’ loft. They “merried” the product and décor to the theming of the store, as well.
Check out this video to see how cast members bring these windows to life!
Next time you are on Main Street U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom Park or at World of Disney at Disney Springs, make sure to look inside the windows to see the holiday season come to life!