Listen to the Episode:
Welcome to Episode 93 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Birnbaum Guides – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between.
Listener Mail
We open the mailbag monthly and are ready to hear from you. Be sure to reach out with questions, stories, memories, and more. You never know if your letter will be read on a future episode: podcast@retrowdw.com
- Our first letter is from Scott, regarding our Contest Episode 91. He brings some cast member experience to us regarding the old pet care center. This starts us right off with Birnbaum’s and we get into what the kennel allowed, didn’t allow, and how it was used.
- John is up next and he takes us back down memory lane, into the world of screen savers. Remember those? Disney After Dark is discussed and shared, so we hope you enjoy!
- We head back to contests and Dane explains Canadian contests and how they work. He also gets into his winning contest experience which included a once-in-a-lifetime trip to WDW. Amazing story Dane!
- Franklin wanted to know about the Japan Pavillion drummers in Epcot. We were hoping How could help us, but obviously, he isn’t here… Let’s see what Birnbaum says.
- We take it back to 2021 when Andy asked us about Birnbaum guides from the 80s. This vintage letter should be answered throughout this episode, so we hope you enjoy it Andy!
Main Topic
We are down a man this month, as How has been working on rebuilding his house and dealing with hurricane fallout. We begin this episode with a special message from How and we hope he will be back for Episode 94. This episode focuses on Birnbaum’s guides, which still exist to this day. Join us as we embark on a nostalgic journey, exploring how these iconic travel guides shaped the way fans experienced Disney parks from the 70s to the 90s. We’ll discuss some unique aspects, behind-the-scenes insights, and personal anecdotes from our own Disney adventures using Birnbaum as our guide. Whether you’re a lifelong Disney enthusiast or a curious newcomer, this podcast will transport you back to the enchanting world of Disney, one Birnbaum Guide at a time!
The guides have changed over the years and when you locate a vintage copy, the notes and highlighted items are always fun, as we discuss in this episode. We get into guides from the 80s, how they have changed to the current day, and also dive into the kid editions. Birnbaum was the bible for some people before/during/after their WDW vacation, similar to the way you currently subscribe to your favorite blog or park-related social media account. As you listen to this episode, you may want to search eBay sooner rather than later, as the prices and availability may change for an old guide as people start searching after listening. Between all of us here at RetroWDW, we have a decent collection of these and have nearly every year represented. Sometimes things changed, other times it rolled over for multiple years and editions.
Throughout this episode, we hoped to capture the magic of vintage vacation planning and also how it used to be. We really all had no idea other than what we heard or what we learned from a travel agent. Birnbaum Guides really made it possible for someone to learn all about WDW while still keeping their sanity planning that trip.
RetroMagic Updates
We celebrated 40 years of EPCOT back in the fall. If you would like to relive that event, all the videos are now live: Click Here.
Our next big event is in the works and we are planning to be in Florida late September 26-28, 2025. As always, these things can change in dates, times, and venues. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions please let us know.
RetroWDW Film Archive
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
RetroWDW Merchandise
How designed some great new shirts for this month’s release, so be sure to check out the following: The Sun Care Center Logo and the famous ‘I’m a Winner’ collection. Both of these items have been in our discussions for a while now and we are excited to bring them to you.
Be sure to get your shirt, iPhone case, tote bag, pillow or coffee mug today: www.retrowdw.com/supportus
Some of Our Latest Designs
Post-Show Fun
- Join us next time for another amazing episode of the RetroWDW Podcast!
- Read for another movie night? Subscribe on YouTube & hit that notification bell so you are ready.
- Check out SpectroRadio for all their WDW music, including Throwback Thursday at 9am.
- Click Here to donate to the Lake Buena Vista Historical Society and join us on a future episode!
- Check out our friends at Mouse Adventure to see where you can join them next on a super fun adventure: Mouse Adventure
My favorite note from the Birnbaum guides: It’s a small world ride would be better if they gave each rider 3 baseballs! (I think 1998 or 1999 guide).
One other thing: I seem to recall for copyright purposes Birnbaum could not use any pictures or illustrations that looked like Disney parks or characters. Therefore their maps and illustrations were very generic. My 1999 guide is long gone but found a copy of the 1999 Kids guide that is full of Disney pictures and illustrations. Am I remembering this correctly and if so, why the difference?
I was the Art Director for the books in the early 2000s and by then we had been purchased by Disney. So we worked directly with Disney to get photos and character artwork. We still took our on photos because their libraries for attractions available to us was not that great.
When I left, I may have “borrowed” a bunch of official character guides and other pieces of art. lol
I cannot speak for the earlier books however.
I found a guidebook from 1972 I thought would be interesting to share here https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m48836749812?sv=0 (I am not the seller and I do not know the seller)