Teddy and Kenny, The Shoeshine Boys

Before New Orleans Square came to be in 1966, The Shoeshine Boys (aka Teddy & Kenny) performed in Town Square, just outside the Opera House. Not very much has been written about these two; were they actually named Teddy & Kenny or was that just a Disney name for their "characters? In addition to showing Teddy & Kenny, this March 1965 image also shows some pretty serious vintage camera equipment!

This December 1962 shot shows that the Shoeshine stand was around for quite a number of years; again, whether Teddy & Kenny were always part of it is unknown to me.



Looking at the photos in my collection, it is at least apparent that their costume changed a little bit over the years, as the patterns on their shirts is different in almost every photo.





By August 1966, Teddy & Kenny had moved to New Orleans Square.



The 1967 Disneyland brochure gives this description of the two:

Shoeshine Boys — Teddy and Kenny are dancing and shining in New Orleans Square from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This publicity photo also shows the Royal Street Bachelors, who typically provided the music for Teddy & Kenny's dance routines:



The 1968 Disneyland brochure still mentions the duo:

Shoeshine Boys — Teddy and Kenny are dancing and shining in New Orleans Square.

By 1969 though, it appears that their time at Disneyland was over, as there is no mention of them in the park brochure.

See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland photo web pages.