Behind-the-Scenes: Topiaries at ‘it’s a small world’

Here are some additional fun facts about topiaries:

• There were 24 original Disneyland Park topiaries premiering in 1963. They included a waltzing hippo, a poodle, a pig, bears, elephants, seals, and giraffes. In 1966, they were permanently planted at “it’s a small world.”
• Growing a typical shrub Character Topiary can take from 3-10 years for completion, depending on the size and complexity of the shape.
• Walt Disney got the idea of creating “living” topiaries by seeing traditional topiary gardening in Europe. He asked his film animators and Disneyland landscape team to work together to create the first living sculptures for Disneyland in 1963. They came up with several and one of those included Dumbo making his debut in Fantasyland.