Historic Orange Bird Returns to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park

Well, isn’t this a surprise?

Early this morning, D23 representatives announced the return of the historic Orange Bird character live in Adventureland before a small group of D23 members.

In case you aren’t familiar, Orange Bird was a character who was developed specifically for Magic Kingdom Park in the 1970s. This cheerful bird originally greeted families at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland, where guests could also enjoy citrus drinks and buy Orange Bird gifts. At one time, the character even had his own record, which was released in 1971 to feature “The Orange Bird Song” – a tune penned by the Sherman Brothers (composers of the songs in “Mary Poppins” and “The Jungle Book”).

Beginning today, Orange Bird will return to Sunshine Tree Terrace signage and quirky drink cups, and a new line of Orange Bird merchandise has already appeared on the shelves! Also, an Orange Bird statue that was on display at Sunshine Tree Terrace in the 1970s was retrieved from the WDI Sculpture Studio in California, and is now on display.

We’ll have photos to share from the announcement shortly, but in the meantime, here’s a brand-new desktop wallpaper by Jason “Tiki” Tackett for you to enjoy!