On this day in 1971, the April 6th issue of LOOK magazine (volume 35 number 7) featured a cover shot of Mickey Mouse the "first citizen of Florida." At a mere cost of 35 cents, the over-sized LOOK featured multiple articles about the near completion of Disney World and Florida's booming economy.
The Contents page informed readers:
Mickey Mouse is 42. Hard to believe? He still looks ready for mischievous mousery. You've probably seen dozens of his 100 and some cartoons, shaken his hand at Disneyland in California or even joined the Mouseketeers yourself. Now he's about to be host of the new Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. There are more than 27,000 acres of it, opening in October. Mickey and his pals, Dumbo, Daisy Duck and the others, will gladly give you a preview. For a start, see page 17.
Page 17 began with the article "Boom! Boom! Boom?" - in which readers were informed that "money is creating new excitement in Florida."
Page 18 featured "Florida: Preview of The New Biggest Show on Earth" complete with color photos (albeit promo shots) of the new Magic Kingdom.
The article "Florida: What Hath Disney Wrought?" began on page 26. Readers were informed that "Walt Disney's decision to drop his billion-dollar Walt Disney World into 27,400 swampy, wooded acres in Central Florida has resulted in some of the wildest statistics in the history of land development."
Page 33 featured the article "Florida: Powder Keg Among The Palms" and told readers that "the sun-soaked funland is about to explode."
Page 38 featured a story titled "Florida: The Kids Play Outside Every Day," about a family originally from Virginia who happily moved to Florida.
A brand-new vacation world was about to take the decade by storm.
Click HERE for more April 06 Disney history.
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