I Does What I Likes, And I Likes What I Do.

Over the weekend was Jenny’s birthday, and it can certainly be a challenge to celebrate a birthday during a shelter in place order, but we made the most of it! On Sunday afternoon I felt compelled to do something I haven’t done in years…broke out the sidewalk chalk and went to town!  Many people (kids) have been doing this a lot lately, and it was making my FOMO act up so I was glad to get outside and scratch the itch. I don’t remember it making you sore as a kid like I am today; bending, twisting, crouching, squatting and such. And yes, of COURSE I was reminded of the classic scene from Mary Poppins!

However, the chalk I had wasn’t going to create a country road, a circus, or anything worthy of jumping into…instead I settled mostly for some “Mary Blair inspired” designs. 

If you don’t know Mary Blair, she is the artist responsible for the look and design of “It’s a Small World” but there’s more to her story. She was an artist that got into animation in the early 1940’s, and was part of the crew on Walt Disney’s “Good Neighbor” trip to South America, which is the subject of the documentary Walt and El Grupo.

A trailblazing female presence in a space that was heavily dominated by men, she spent over a decade in the animation department at the Disney Studios where her unique and distinct style influenced the look of films like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. After resigning from the Disney Studios, she worked in graphic design for many prolific brands and as an illustrator of children’s books. She was lured back by Walt Disney in the early 1960s to work on one of the company’s projects for the 1964 New York World’s Fair: yes you guessed it, It’s a Small World! 

Did you know this ride was originally sponsored by Pepsi to benefit UNICEF at the World’s Fair? And that once the fair was done, Disney was able to keep the ride and put it into Disneyland (and subsequently every other Disney theme park around our small world). And the ride’s infamous theme song? Composed by the Sherman Brothers. 

I have always had a weird obsession with this Worlds Fair, and on a New York trip several years ago went to its site at Flushing Meadows Park just to walk around and see what I could still see. It was definitely not as busy that day as it was 50 years prior! While Mary Blair’s work was seen far and wide in other parts of the Disney theme parks (including the 90 ft high Grand Concourse mosaic mural you can still see while riding the monorail through Disney’s Contemporary Resort), It’s a Small World is no doubt her greatest legacy.

In the stage version of Mary Poppins, the song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious* takes place in “Mrs. Corry’s Talking Shop” a location from the books shoehorned into the stage adaptation. A few months ago, I decided that I would like this scene designed in the style of Mary Blair: simple, geometric, and busy with lots of colorful patterns! It feels fitting and allows us to tie it all together and come full circle: chalk drawings on the sidewalk > Mary Poppins > Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious > Sherman Brothers > It’s a Small World > Mary Blair > Mary Blair inspired chalk drawings. Are you starting to understand my brain yet? Because I don’t!

If you want to learn more about Mary Blair, a great place to start (besides Google) is this tribute website created by her family. Once you know her style, you’ll really start to see and recognize it, and hopefully note the influence in the show this August!

A lot of the chalk art I’m seeing out there offers positive and optimistic messages to those that pass, so I was sure to include one as well… 

While we may be "sheltered in place" through April 30th, auditions are not until May 16, 17 and 18! To audition you need to sign up for a time slot; they are continuing to fill, so click HERE to get one!

*AUTHOR NOTE: When writing this, I spelled “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” without looking and am proud to say I got it right on the first try!