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I should say that the seeds of this story start in Memphis,
Tennessee at The Peabody hotel. Every morning at 10:00 a selection of ducks
make their way down from the roof of the hotel to The Peabody lobby where the
spend their day swimming about in the lobby’s fountain. Then, at 5:00pm, they
make their way back to the elevator and up to their penthouse on the roof. The
story of how these ducks came to become a tradition has a lot to do with
bourbon and decoys and a drunken joke, but the point is people come from across
the world to see The Peabody ducks.
A part of the morning and evening ceremonies often involves
selecting a child to be the Honorary Duck Master. The child, accompanied by the
official Duck Master, usher the ducks to their home or to the fountain.
Think about how such a tradition could come to the Grand
Floridian Villas! Okay, so Walt Disney World wouldn’t want to copy that
tradition outright, nor would they want to send a platoon of penguins into the
fountain all day. Just think of the mess and management problems that could
cause! There are, however, a couple of other options for bringing an animal
mascot to the resort. Perhaps a swan or a couple of turtles could make their
home here during the days.
Obviously, the idea of an Audio-Animatronics caretaker comes
to mind, perhaps a cat or parrot that can tell a story or two, but the real
draw is that you have a living and breathing mascot. I know that may seem to
offer up an incredible number of challenges, but you need look no further than
Shadow at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort to see what a perfect match this
could be!
Do I have the perfect answer for what could be the fit to
the fountain, or the resort itself? Absolutely not. I do, however, think a
resort or two at Walt Disney World could do with a mascot that doesn’t require
a costume or programming, and who lives their lives in the lap, or fountain, of
luxury.
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