Tag Archives: disney

“Jiminy Crickets!”

Nationality: American
Age: 60
Occupation: Writer
Language: English

Context

My mother often used the phrase “Jiminy Crickets!” as a response to something that shocked or surprised her. I mean she even does it to this day. “Jiminy Crickets!” is a reference to the character Jiminy Cricket from Disney’s Pinocchio (1940). Here, the name is a euphemism for “Jesus Christ,” another exclamation with more socially risky language given attitudes around using the Lord’s name “in vain.” This makes the phrase a minced oath: a watered-down substitute for another phrase the conveys the same sentiment.

Analysis

Like many minced oaths, this phrase is meant to avoid using words considered taboo by certain communities while still expressing the same meaning. This phrase is a prime example of popular culture influencing folk vernacular. Apparently, John Bartlett in his 1848 book Dictionary of Americanisms makes note of “by Jiminy,” another exclamation that is itself a corruption of the Greek gemini twins. It seems that the name Jiminy has come completely full circle within American vernacular. It started as folk speech before becoming subsumed by a popular character, only to resurrect itself as a minced oath in the present day. From mythology, to everyday speech, to pop culture icon, to minced oath. The cyclical journey of “Jiminy Crickets” tells us a lot about how our culture influences folk language and vice versa.

Haunted Winnie the Pooh Ride at Disneyland

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Cast Member at Disneyland
Residence: Fullerton, CA
Performance Date: 4/28/2020
Primary Language: English

KS is a cast member at Disneyland.

KS: Allegedly, in the New Orleans square/ Critter Country group of attractions the most haunted one is Winne the Pooh. You’ll hear little kids running. Winnie the Pooh, the whole building itself is super haunted because someone actually died in it. A cast member did. She was like crushed between two panels. (Upon my reaction) Yeah, it’s gross. So we hear like little kids running around. You’ll hear like laughter and shit. Sometime you’ll feel things like tugging on your clothing when it’s pitch black. Specifically in the Tigger scene, which I think is super ironic ‘cause he scares me in the daytime. Winnie the Pooh is the haunted building in that area.

Me: Do you have any experience with the hauntings in Winnie the Pooh. 

KS: One of my good friends was closing, and when you close a ride you have to do a walk through the ride. She was by herself for that part, and she felt something pull on her shirt. The shirts are billowy but not enough to even come close to getting caught on anything. So she looked over her shoulder and there was no one there, and then she heard laughter up ahead. The whole ride is completely powered off at this point. Only the lights are on so someone can walk the ride. There’s no reason or way she could’ve heard laughter, but she heard it. Then she ran out of the ride like a bat out of hell. She came back out and everyone was like “where the hell did you go?”, and she was like “there’s demons in there”.

Context:

Context:

I asked a friend who currently works at Disneyland if the Haunted Mansion was actually haunted, and this is what they had to say instead. 

Thoughts:

I find it very interesting that the “Haunted” Mansion, despite having a well known ghost attached to, is not regarded as the most haunted attraction. I’ve heard of the Haunted Mansion ghost, but never of the Winnie the Pooh haunting.

Happily Ever After – Server’s Edition

Nationality: American
Age: 26
Occupation: Status Coordinator at Walt Disney World
Residence: Orlando, Florida
Performance Date: 3/12/2018
Primary Language: English

Informant Info:   The informant is a 26-year-old female who was born in raised in Hickory, North Carolina. For the past 3 years, she has lived in Orlando, Florida and has worked for Walt Disney World as a Status Coordinator.

 

Interview Transcript:

Interviewer: You’ve worked for Disney for the past 3 years, almost 4 now. Have you ever encountered any traditions within locations that are outside of the realm of general work operations?

 

Interviewee: Well, I think I have one for you. When I was at Be Our Guest, there was a giant mosaic at the entrance of the restaurant. Every morning when opening, we would follow general opening procedures and then have the normal pre-shift meeting that all locations have… not that you would know since you were always closing at Satu’li (laugther)! Anyways, the mosaic, in case you don’t know, is one of the scenes of the Happily Ever After between Belle and the Beast. After pre-shift, we all had to walk outside to greet guests and drop the rope. But before doing so or starting any shift, every server would walk up to the mosaic and touch it. To them, it was like a good luck charm. In order to have a good shift, they needed to touch it and by doing so they would get lucky and have their own happily ever after by getting good tables and tips. Otherwise, without touching, they would likely have a bad shift. It sounds stupid, but it’s something I always witnessed them doing!

Analysis:

It seems almost natural that workers (or cast members, as they are called) are deriving their own superstitions off popular folklore. The mosaic that she is referring to in the story reflects the ending scene in Disney’s version of The Beauty and the Beast. It is a depiction of the ballroom scene of Belle and the Beast dancing, and the red rose blossoming in the background. This scene in the movie symbolizes the happy ending for the two, as the Belle and the (now) Prince can spend the rest of their lives together after the curse has been lifted. The superstition among the Disney servers just reflects variation on this by, as Kim points out, serving as a lucky charm for their own happily ever after… by the method of good tips!

BeautyBeast

 

Citations: Trousdale, Gary and Kirk Wise, directors. Beauty and the Beast. Walt Disney, 1991.

Photo from Google Images

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.

Nationality: American
Age: 61
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English

My mom repeatedly told me this phrase throughout my young childhood. It was usually when my sister and I would be fighting or have an argument. Sometimes I would be so angry with her, for what ever petty reason, and we would just go back and forth yelling and calling each other names. To get the initial arguing stopped, and curb the name calling, my mom would often sternly exclaim, “ Stop it right now! You know you’re not supposed to talk like that! If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

When my mom would say that to us our arguments would quickly come to an end. It just made sense, when she would say that I would quickly think to myself of anything I could say to my sister at that moment that was not malicious. Many times I would have to remain silent, but occasionally I could come up with something nice to say, and after that fighting just seemed stupid.

Annotation: This phrase can be found in the movie Bambi, by Walt Disney Productions (Which makes me think that’s where she got it from).

Contemporary Legend – American

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Houston, TX
Performance Date: April 22, 2007
Primary Language: English

In Disney’s Aladdin, Aladdin says “good teenagers, take off your clothes” while visiting

Jasmine on his magic carpet.

I heard this urban legend at the age of eleven in my fifth grade French class.  While we were watching Aladdin in French, my friend turned to me and told me this urban legend.  However, she told me you could only hear Aladdin say it if the volume is turned all the way up; when the time came for Aladdin to say “good teenagers, take off your clothes,” I could not hear it because our class was listening to the movie at a normal volume level.  I have heard this urban legend from several other people; however, I cannot remember when or where.

I have heard other urban legends that suggest Disney has put sexual references into several of their children’s movies.  I believe that it is possible for Disney to have sexual references in their movies; certain employees may find it entertaining to sexual subliminal messages in children’s movies.

Recently, I researched this urban legend on the Internet to see whether or not it is true. According to the Urban Legend Reference Pages, this urban legend is false.  Disney claims that the real script at this part of the movie is “C’mon, good kitty. Take off and go.”