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704

Walt Disney

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Walt Disney

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Auction Date:2010 Jul 14 @ 22:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
DS, signed “Walter E. Disney,” two pages, 8.5 x 11, September 29, 1953. Minutes from a special meeting of the Board of Directors of Walt Disney Incorporated. Document reads, in part: “The President then stated that the corporation was preparing to design amusement parks and to design and manufacture amusement park equipment and other products as entertainment, amusement, and educational nature and that such business should be transacted under a fictitious name. Whereupon, on motion duly made, seconded, and unanimously carries, it was RESOLVED that the corporation transact the aforesaid business under the fictitious name of WED Enterprises. Be it further RESOLVED that the Assistant Secretary of the corporation be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to prepare, sign, acknowledge, file and cause to be published on behalf of the corporation the certificate with respect to the use by the corporation of said fictitious name.” In fine, clean condition, with file holes to left edges, staple hole to top left corner, and a hint of subtle toning.

A name as synonymous with American life as hot dogs and apple pie, the origins of the iconic amusement park known as Disneyland is rooted in the events detailed in the very document presented here. Operating “under the fictitious name of WED Enterprises,” founded several months earlier to facilitate the design and construction of the now-iconic theme park, Disney’s purpose was establish a family-friendly center where adults and children could celebrate together. Disney was influenced by Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, which he visited as a child, as well as such theme parks as Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, where he traveled with his own children.

At this September 1953 meeting, Disney and his Board of Directors took the first step in “preparing to design amusement parks and to design and manufacture amusement park equipment and other products as entertainment, amusement, and educational nature.” To obtain funding for his vision of this unique playground, the company investigated various unconventional fundraising techniques, including using a new venue, television—and a program named Disneyland—to get the idea into America’s households. Construction eventually began on July 16, 1954 and cost $17 million to complete, with Disneyland Park and its 20 attractions opening to the public on July 18, 1955. Scarce paperwork from the conception of an ultimate tourist destination.
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