2. Taking care of Buena Vista business
The mailbox references are just the beginning of the many tributes to Disney history that can be found along Buena Vista Street. Keep your eyes open for all the cleverly named businesses, bulletins, and vintage advertisements. For example, Mortimer’s Market is named for Mortimer the Mouse, which was originally the name Walt Disney had intended to give Mickey before his wife Lillian suggested he change it. The name Mortimer was eventually recycled and used for a rival to Mickey Mouse in a later cartoon. Then there’s Oswald’s Tires, a store named after Walt Disney’s earlier Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. Julius Katz & Sons is a nod to Disney’s first cartoon character Julius the Cat, which he created in the 1920s while still in Kansas City. Another business is the Atwater School of Art and Animation, an early favorite of Walt Disney’s, with window references to the “Nine Old Men,” as they were affectionately known. There’s also Elias & Co., named for Disney’s father, along with so many others. Many such businesses also have many unique bulletins that give significant references also. One example is the sign for Flora’s Beauty Parlor within Elias & Co., which refers to Disney’s mother.