The end of the sponsorship

Despite the Orange Bird's massive setback in the late 1970s in 1981, the Florida Citrus Commission elected to still renew its contract with Walt Disney World for another five years, extending its sponsorship of both the Sunshine Tree Terrance as well as the Tropical Serenade attraction. Although the aforementioned departure of Anita Bryant effectively killed the Orange Bird on TV, he was still very present both in Walt Disney World (both behind the counter at the Sunshine Tree Terrace and as a walk around character) and at local citrus shops around the state. 

However, when the contract between the Florida Citrus Commission and Walt Disney World came up for renewal again in 1986, the Florida Citrus Commission changed its mind and opted not to renew their contract, for reasons that are still unknown. The end of the official sponsorship resulted in the expulsion of the Orange Bird from the Magic Kingdom with the walk-around character disappearing overnight and the little Orange Bird figure that had long served as the icon for the Sunshine Tree Terrace vanishing in the mid-90s during a routine refurbishment.

Though the Orange Bird continued to have a life outside of Walt Disney World, as citrus stands around Florida became more of a rarity (and the connection with Walt Disney World lost), this happy little icon slowly vanished from local Florida culture, with many only vaguely recalling its former glory. 

Fortunately however, this was not the end of the story for this happy little bird... 

The Orange Bird reappears in…Tokyo? 

Though the Orange Bird was conceived as a character to help represent Florida’s citrus industry, after his disappearance following the 1986 dissolution of the contract with the Florida Citrus Commission, the next place the Orange Bird would find himself would be Tokyo Disneyland in the early 2000s.

Seemingly without any prompting, in 2004 the Orange Bird made his first international appearance as part of Tokyo Disneyland's "Orange Day" celebrations. Locals fell hard for the cute little character, with merchandise of all shapes and sizes featuring the Orange Bird literally flying off store shelves (pun intended). Even though its doubtful that many guests at Tokyo Disneyland (if any at all) remembered the Orange Bird from the early days of Walt Disney World, the character's immediate popularity in Japan helped put this little guy on the path to stage one of the biggest comebacks in Disney history...  

The return of the Orange Bird to Walt Disney World

Due to a combination of local nostalgia and the character’s growing popularity overseas, the Orange Bird began making a soft return to Walt Disney World in 2009. During this year, a number of short-run limited edition merchandise items featuring the park's former mascot were created as a way to "test the waters" and see if this little character still had appeal in his home market. 

However, response to these items was huge, with many of the limited-run items selling out as soon as they hit shelves. Clearly, Walt Disney World was ready for the return of its original mascot, and the timing seemed just about right as the Orange Bird was just about to celebrate his 40th birthday 

Though merchandise continued to trickle into Walt Disney World for the next few years, the Orange Bird’s return didn’t truly kick into high gear until 2012, when the iconic Orange Bird figure finally returned to his rightful place behind the counter of the Sunshine Tree Terrace, much to the delight of longtime fans. 

It addition to resuming his usual post, the Orange Bird even got a bit of an upgrade as he also got a new plum spot on the Sunshine Tree Terrace signage as well and his own line of drink cups

Orange Bird Mania returns

Though the Orange Bird was certainly popular in the 1970s (and the 1980s, albeit to a lesser extent), this little mascot has enjoyed quite the second life at Walt Disney World since his full return in 2015, and can be found in plenty of areas beyond the Sunshine Tree Terrace. In fact, in recent weeks a new poster featuring the Orange Bird has moved into the front of the Magic Kingdom park, reminding guests to enjoy a refreshing Citrus Swirl ice cream treat!

However, even though the Orange Bird has returned to his rightful home in Adventureland, the area where this returning mascot has really made the biggest impact is, unsurprisingly, in merchandise. Though the Orange Bird can only be found in the Magic Kingdom, you can find Orange Bird goodies all over Walt Disney World, with pins, ear hats, dishes, glasses, t-shirts and even plushes featuring this formerly "lost" mascot filling stores at all four theme parks and even around the Downtown Disney shopping district. Though the Orange Bird had a nearly two-decade absence from Walt Disney World, it's clear that this icon is back, and though he's still quite tiny, his influence is bigger than ever.  

Even though the Florida Citrus Commission never returned to sponsor any part of Walt Disney World, the legacy of the character that was born out of the partnership between these two entities has endured longer than either probably ever imagined it ever would. 

While the tale of the Orange Bird  does have quite a few twists and turns, his story is far from over, and we can't wait to see what's next for this quiet little bird who doesn't make a peep, but can think orange thoughts!