Goat-Choker Trivia

[Goofyernmost]

How many different "official" explanations have you been given for why the pavement on Main Street is red?

Only one explanation per person, please. Let's see if anyone's heard one I haven't.

:jeb:

My first thought was that in early days streets that were paved were paved with bricks. Most of the time the bricks were red. Living in the south though it could be a dirt street with the good old, iron laden, red soil of the south.

[Shorty82]

Okay Stripes, I see I'm going to have to get tough with you. Let's try something a bit different:

How many different "official" explanations have you been given for why the pavement on Main Street is red?

Only one explanation per person, please. Let's see if anyone's heard one I haven't.

:jeb:

I've heard 3 or 4 explanations. My favorite is that the entrance to the park is like a theatre and Main Street is the red carpet of the theatre.

[Buggy]

I was told on a backstage tour that it was a specially developed color which was more noticeable than other colors so people wouldn't trip. They also said the ride buildings were painted a shade of green that people tended not to notice so people wouldn't see the ride buildings. So, as far as I'm concerned, the answer is one.

[hhsrat]

My favorite explanation that I've heard is one of the "less common" ones ... As you know, newly poured concrete should be kept damp while it cures. When they turned the hose on it, the water that came out was rusty, staining the concrete a red color.

[YANXWIN]

I may have to return my Disney card. I have never even thought about the red pavement. I notice the asphalt throughout the parks, as that's what pays the bills at me house, but I don't even look at the concrete. May I'm racist against certain pavements.

[DisneyMom]

I thought it was red from the blood of the SGs who run through the park and fall, custodial leaves it there as a warning..... :twisted:

[YANXWIN]

That only works in the movie "Support Your Local Sherriff."

[Shorty82]

They also said the ride buildings were painted a shade of green that people tended not to notice so people wouldn't see the ride buildings.

Go-away green it's called. I don't know why but people tend to not notice buildings painted that color unless they are specifically looking for it. Most guests won't notice a building that color but the Imagineers can spot it so it helps them figure out where a facade or a different paint job is needed to disguise or hide the building. I understand there's a small section of facade all by it's lonesome on the Splash Mountain building that's there because years ago an Imagineer was walking through the park and saw the go-away green of part of the building.

[Zazu]

Lots of fun explanations here. A couple more:

* The red concrete at Magic Kingdom is to imitate the red bricks at Disneyland. (But the MK had red sidewalks before DL got bricks. For that matter, DL had red concrete before it had bricks.)

* "It represents the red carpet we roll out for our VIP guests." (Oh please!)

* Safety Dept. wanted something that would contrast with the street paving so folks would notice the curb. (But DL's original street paving was black, so a contrast already existed.)

* Imagineering chose that color to compliment the colors of the buildings. (But given the very different building colors used on the two coasts, why the same shade of red?)

* White concrete was too bright, and red was the cheapest coloring available. (Like Walt wouldn't have paid triple for blue if he wanted that.)

But my favorite -- and I'm not claiming this one's right -- is a variation on Stripes', in that it credits film:

My favorite is that Kodak decided. :flash: When the Magic Kingdom was built, Kodak was a major sponsor. In researching ways to help make
guest’s photos look great, Kodak decided that the shade of red used contrasted beautifully with the building facades and greenery allowing for 'richer' pictures than standard gray.

However, mine goes way back to the 1950s, when the color was first applied at DL.

The best selling color film in that era was Kodacolor. A nice film, but it had a tendency for the reds to fade if the film was heated above 85F before developing. And we all know how often Anaheim does that! This was particularly bad for pictures of faces (honky faces, anyway), because it turned people green.

By painting the sidewalks red, it reflected more red into the faces, and oversaturated the film. If it got hot, it faded back closer to normal. If it didn't get hot, it just looked like folks got sunburned, and that in itself was a pretty good argument for visiting California in the wintertime.

Next question:

Who held the franchise for selling film, flashbulbs, and cameras at Disneyland for its first ten years? And no, I don't meak Kodak.

:jeb:

[hhsrat]

Who held the franchise for selling film, flashbulbs, and cameras at Disneyland for its first ten years? And no, I don't meak Kodak.

I believe that would be Art Linkletter.