The iconic sign that can be found atop the Walt Disney World Railroad Main Street USA Station has been changed after a recent refurbishment. The “The Magic Kingdom” sign that used to display a population of 600,000,000 and an elevation of 108 ft, now reads “Magic Kingdom” and Est. 1971.
Before we dive into the updated pictures, let’s first try to determine what the correct naming actually is. While I’m sure there have been various usages throughout the 45 years of operation, we have stumbled upon a guide that covers nomenclature for the park written by Imagineer Marty Sklar. The guide was written on February 8, 1971 and refers to the park as “The Magic Kingdom”.
So, by 1971 standards, it seems like dropping the ‘The’ is wrong. That said, Disney has dropped the ‘The’ from the park name for quite some time now.
At the risk of burying the lead any further, here’s a look at the changes.
Of course, it would be dereliction of duty if there wasn’t an accompanying video.