There are few things we enjoy more than looking through old family photos and seeing what Disney World used to look like.
1985 Magic Kingdom
Almost like a time capsule of sorts, these photos give us a glimpse into what Disney World was like back in the ’90s, ’80s, and even ’70s! We also get a fun reminder of what fashion and hairstyles used to look like as well. 😉
Pluto!
We had our writers and staff send in old family pictures and the results were AMAZING. We hope you enjoy looking through this digital album as much as we did!
Revisiting the Park Icons Over the Years!
While the Disney parks “will never be complete,” the park icons have (more or less) remained the same throughout the years! Here’s a photo we found of Cinderella Castle from 1980, less than ten years after the park first opened.
Cinderella Castle from 1980!
No matter where we visit from, our family photos have the same, beautiful castle in the background.
Cinderella Castle
In the past, we may notice that Main Street, U.S.A. seemed a lot “quieter” than it has been in recent years.
Look at how empty Main Street was!
Well, for every ‘quiet’ Main Street photo, we found a ‘busy’ photo to match! Here’s Main Street, U.S.A. from 1985, looking awfully similar to Main Street crowds these days (with the exception of a few different hair and fashion choices).
Main Street U.S.A. in 1985
There was one MASSIVE, noticeable change in 1996, however! Do you remember the castle’s complete transformation into a giant cake for Disney World’s 25th Anniversary?!
Who remembers the Castle Cake from Disney World’s 25th Anniversary!?
Speaking of anniversaries, here’s a picture we dug up from Disney World’s 15th Anniversary!
Way back from Disney World’s 15th Anniversary!
Here’s a facade that has seen some changes over the years, but to this day still stands: the replica Chinese Theater at the entrance of Hollywood Studios (although when this picture was taken, the park went by a different name…let us know in the comments if you know what we’re talking about)!
From back when Hollywood Studios went by a different name…
And here’s a snapshot from Animal Kingdom’s earliest years, in front of the iconic Tree of Life!
The whole family out in front of Tree of Life in its earliest years!
Meeting Beloved Characters For the First Time
We recently shared the “My First Disney Character Challenge,” in which fans are invited to share their earliest moments with some of their favorite Disney characters! We found tons of these special moments! Here’s an adorable moment with Snow White. (Yep, she’s wearing a watch! That’s a super sweet backstory where one of our photographer’s family members gave Snow a Snow White watch and she wore it for their photo!)
Two young princesses!
We all remember meeting Mickey Mouse, but Donald Duck might have a bone to pick if you don’t remember meeting HIM for the first time!
Donald Duck!
And here’s Friar Tuck from Robin Hood meeting one of his youngest admirers! Also, check out this old-school stroller… .
Friar Tuck!
And obviously we can’t forget including at least ONE photo of an early meet-and-greet with Mickey and Minnie Mouse! We’re obsessed with Minnie’s flower hat!
Minnie and Mickey!
In fact, meeting Mickey back then was a pretty different experience than meeting him now. Who else remembers character interactions being a bit of a “free for all?”
We swapped a couple of stories regarding the number of character photos we have in our collection with folks NOT from our family! Check out this photo as an example. These two aren’t related at all!
Meeting characters back in the day was a free-for-all!
And of course, meeting Goofy is always a special occasion, no matter how old you are! Does anyone else still have that 90s Daisy baseball hat? Or is it just us?
Goofy!
And here’s a fun parade moment for ya! Anyone else remember Mickey’s Street Party Parade from 1985?
Mickey’s Street Party Parade from 1985
Even MORE Amazing Photos Taken Throughout the Parks!
Whether it’s getting on a classic Disney World ride or sitting down to eat, we found a lot of one-of-a-kind photographs from past vacations.
One staff member found a duo of Dumbo photos, taken one year apart at both Disney World AND Disneyland (and no, the coordinating yellow Dumbo was NOT planned)! Can you tell which Dumbo is from which park?
Two Dumbos!
Anyone remember 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? We certainly do!
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
And here’s a blast from the past: our beloved Garden Grill Restaurant used to be called The Land Grille Room! It was super fancy and amazing and had MICKEY SHAPED BUTTER STATUES.
Who remembers when Garden Grill was called The Land Grille Room!?
One of the greatest gifts these photos give us every time we look at them is a stark reminder of the fashion trends and style choices we all made back in the day.
Smile!
Whether it was the clothes we chose to wear or the way we styled our hair, we were certainly not afraid to make some bold choices. We think we looked pretty fabulous back then if you ask us! And peep that fab Epcot merch bag!
Our FABULOUS 1980’s look at Epcot!
Here are some wonderful 80s hairstyles on Jungle Cruise!
LOTS of hair happening on Jungle Cruise.
We even gave those street performers a run for their money with our style choices!
One word: style.
But at the end of the day, fashion trends come and go, but we’re still reaching for our shades and Mickey Ice Cream Bar with our napkin bib on.
We had the MOST amount of style back in the day.
We hope you enjoyed our brief trip down Disney World Memory Lane! Over the years, much has changed (from the rides to restaurants to our hair and outfits), but a lot has remained the same: our love of Disney parks!
Want to share your earliest Disney World memories? Find out how you can do so here!
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Amazing past photo’s of families visiting Disney. Such a cute picture of the little girl with Goofy. I remember Daisy’s baseball hat. My granddaughter had one!
Feeling so old, you’re about the age of my kids! I had the ’80’s hair too, frizzy perm! My first trip was at age 14 the year WDW opened. I didn’t get back until 1985 with my then 5-year-old daughter, then 1988 with my 8-year-old daughter and 13-month-old son. We’ve gone every 2 years ever since, and in the lucky years we got to go twice in one year. We’ve hit all of the anniversaries, I’ll never forget the 25th with the birthday cake castle lol. It actually didn’t look as bad in person as it does in pictures. I loved the castle for the 30th? when it had all of the gold characters all around it, I was sorry to see that go. Since my 2019 and 2020 trips had to be cancelled I’ve got to try for 2021, I’m getting old lol.
Really fun pictures. I know that many people have negative opinions of the birthday cake castle, but we loved it. My daughter was young then, but she still remembers seeing the decorated castle for the first time. Coming up Main Street, she was captivated.
Disney has such happy memories for our children. Now, we can’t wait to take our granddaughter for her first visit.
Great pictures. I enjoyed them! I kept looking for myself in the 80’s photos. I have similar pictures from my trip with my family from 1983 and 1985!
The Disney/MGM Studios! I worked there from 1991-1995. I missed the Earful Tower.
Loved those blue metal strollers!! I’ve searched the Internet for one ever since they got rid of them just to have a piece of the past. Found plenty of seaworld dolphins, but never one of those.
Yes I remember Hollywood Studio‘a previous name Disney MGM Studios. I also remember 20000 leagues under the sea, I even went on that attraction. I would ask my daughter every year where would she like to go on holiday/vacation and the reply was always to Disney World. We visited when it was the 25th anniversary and can remember the castle has a birthday cake. We were also there in 2000 and we have just returned after celebrating the 50th anniversary. We just love Disney World.
Yes, I remember the Daisy Duck baseball hat from the 1990s and still have it! I have taken good care of it and have managed to bring it on all my Disney World trips since. It’s fun now for people to see my “vintage” Daisy hat. My husband bought the updated Donald Duck hat and wore it with me when we celebrated our 1st anniversary at Disney World for the 50th WDW anniversary. We had such a blast interacting with Donald and Daisy with our matching hats!!