Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DISNEY DISH WITH JIM HILL
SMALL WORLD'S CRAWFORD CONNECTION
Most folks credit Walt Disney with
the creation of It's a Small World. But we also have a friend of his—screen legend Joan
Crawford—to thank for bringing the original idea to fruition. Back in the early 1960s,
Pepsi-Cola was struggling to come up with a concept for its 1964 World's Fair pavilion.
Crawford, a member of the company's board of directors at the time, suggested that her
colleagues reach out to Disney. When the board later balked at funding the project, Craw-
ford declared, “We are going to do this!” And so they did.
Small boats carry visitors on a tour around the world, with singing and dancing dolls
showcasing the dress and culture of each nation. Of course, there's no escaping the
