Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve is disappointed (2007)

In 2005, Disney theme parks around the world hosted a very successful celebration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary. The promotion resonated with guests due to its authenticity and historical nature.

As a follow-up promotion, Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts at the time, pushed through the "Year of a Million Dreams". This marketing event focused on awarding randomly chosen guests with "dreams" that varied from free food giveaways to spending a night inside Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World.

Coinciding with the launch of the "Year of a Million Dreams", California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World began being marketed together under the brand "Disney Parks".

The "Year of a Million Dreams" started on October 1, 2006, and was scheduled to run 15 months, ending December 31, 2007. However, the powers-that-be extended it another year, till the end of 2008.

As a Disney theme parks enthusiast, I was pretty disappointed in this entire promotion concept. Guest reaction was pretty "blah" at the time as well. Instead of investing in new infrastructure such as rides and attractions, a gimmicky give-a-way was passed off as something "magical." In addition, the forced co-branding of two unique Disney locations under the generic-sounding "Disney Parks" moniker hinted of clueless marketing folks who didn't understand the unique characteristics of completely different theme park resorts.

Comparison: Original Disney Logo vs. Parody Logo

In protest, I asked my friend Jamie Eggleston of Egg Creative to create a parody t-shirt concept promoting my idea of a "Year of a Million Disappointments". She came through with a look/feel that was just like the official Disney logo for the promotion. I uploaded the design to CafePress and was wearing it at the theme parks during a visit in September 2007. Needless to say, I got some interesting looks at the time.

So if you want to look like me in this photo, feel free to order a t-shirt today. It's still available!