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.

New Orleans Square Trio, April 1968

New Orleans Square was less than two years old when these colorful shots were taken, and The Pirates of the Caribbean was celebrating its one year anniversary. As you can see from the line, it was still packin’ ’em in!

The Royal Street Bachelors provide some authentic jazz, making guests feel as if they are really visiting the city by The Bayou.



This last photo shows some theming that will most likely not be seen again at Disneyland, as the shoe-shine boys interact with characters from “Song of the South.” I’m going to make a guess that the stuffed shirt and tie guy on the right with the determined walk is an employee of Disney!



View more Disneyland New Orleans Square photos at my main website.

Christmas in August: Main Street U.S.A., December 1962

With some of these temperatures lately, Christmas is really not at the forefront of my mind these days, however, this is a purty nice set of images so maybe by posting them things might start to cool off in anticipation of the holidays. We’ll begin (as we so often do here) at Main Street U.S.A., or more specifically, the Main Street Train Station. In December 1962, the Baggage Room sign is still posted on the right side of the station.

Things seem positively sleepy over in Town Square; with a wee bit of fog, this shot looks more like San Francisco than Anaheim.



In this closeup, you can see the shoe-shine stand in front of the Toy Store:



This vintage shot (probably from 1963/64) shows the same stand; the striped structure on the left is part of the Mickey Mouse Club that was housed inside the Opera House for a brief time before Mr. Lincoln came to town.



More from the Disney Family Museum: Here is a preview of the next Gallery:



Gallery 5 — New Success and Greater Ambitions:

The worldwide success of Snow White let Disney Studios create new studio buildings in Burbank, CA, and produce even more ambitious features, such as Bambi, Pinocchio and Fantasia. The last film featured classical music and an orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Although well regarded by critics, none of the films was immediately financially successful, in part because overseas revenues were affected by World War II.

Highlights of the gallery will include one of the studio’s original multiplane camera cranes, an animator’s desk, and rare production art.







Download a factsheet on the museum here.

See more Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. photos at my website.

Shoe Shine in New Orleans, August 1966

These early images from New Orleans Square show a little shoe-shine action (like this would ever happen today...) and some live music.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland New Orleans Square photos at my main website.