Former Imagineer and Disney Legend Joe Rohde has been sharing tidbits about DinoLand USA since it closed permanently to guests. One of the stories that Rohde shared was the spontaneous origin of the folk art dinosaur made from recycled materials that sat next to Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop. As it turns out, this one-of-a-kind piece of art wasn’t in the plans, but it became an iconic part of the land. Here’s the story!
DinoLand USA’s Folk Art Dinosaur Sculpture
As DinoLand USA continues to fade into Disney history, new stories are still emerging about how the land came together, and how some of its most memorable details weren’t planned years in advance, but born out of chance encounters and creative instinct.
In a recent recollection, legendary Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde shared insight into the origins of DinoLand USA’s iconic folk art dinosaur, the sculpture that stood outside Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Rohde recalls that the team was “very close to opening the park” when Downtown Disney’s expansion debuted, including the original House of Blues. The venue’s decor featured work by outsider artist Gregory Warmack, better known as Mr. Imagination. After attending the opening celebration, Rohde and others just happened to meet Mr. Imagination. What happened next wasn’t part of some grand plan by Walt Disney Imagineering. Instead, it was a lightbulb moment.
“And we thought, right at that moment, not as part of a plan, not two years earlier in a design studio, right there… ‘Dude! We should have one of your pieces at Dinoland!’” Rohde said.
A massive, handmade folk art dinosaur would feel perfectly at home in Dinoland’s fictional backstory – a former dig site turned roadside attraction run by budget-minded entrepreneurs Chester and Hester.
True to the spontaneous spirit of the decision, the process moved fast. Rohde says a contract was drawn up within days, and Mr. Imagination was brought on-site to create the sculpture in place.
Rohde said that he didn’t think Mr. Imagination was as famous back then as he would become. Today, Mr. Imagination’s work can be found in museums across the country, making the DinoLand USA folk art dinosaur a unique chapter in both Disney and art history. For years, the piece stood as one of his most monumental creations.
However, with DinoLand USA now being demolished to make way for new experiences, the fate of the sculpture remains uncertain. “I am not certain whether it was able to survive the dismantling of the land, just because of the logistics of how it was built and where it was built”, Rohde said.
Here are a few more detailed photos that we took before DinoLand USA closed to guests. Can you spot a very unique Hidden Mickey?
DinoLand USA is being reimagined into a Tropical Americas-themed land featuring an Encanto attraction, and an Indiana Jones attraction as headliners for the area. There will also be a carousel, and other elements to the land yet to be revealed.
In an earlier post, Rohde praised the team working on the Tropical Americas land, saying that he himself had tried for 15 years to get a Tropical Americas-themed land into the park. Rohde even revealed that many of those plans included gutting DinoLand USA – exactly what we’re seeing take place now.
For everything you need to know about the Tropical Americas retheme project for DinoLand USA, check out our article below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
