Disney Legend and Imagineer Tony Baxter receives Main Street USA window in historic Disneyland ceremony

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Entertainment, Events, Theme Parks

After decades of loyal creative contributions and sheer imagination, Disney Legend and longtime Imagineer Tony Baxter received the highest honor Disneyland can bestow, a personalized window on Main Street USA.

On November 1, 2013 before an attending crowd of theme park guests, press, and plenty of Disney dignitaries, Baxter’s window was unveiled next to the Magic Shop, reading “Main Street Marvels” on the top pane and “Tony Baxter, Inventor, Imagination is at the heart of our Creations” on the bottom, a fitting nod to a lyric from one of Baxter’s most famous attractions: Journey Into Imagination.

In attendance for the ceremony were notable names including Leonard Maltin, Marty Sklar, Bob Gurr, and Richard Sherman as well as Bruce Vaughn and Tom Staggs, both of whom spoke before the window was unveiled, as seen in the video below.


Video: Tony Baxter receives window on Disneyland’s Main Street USA


Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Tony Baxter Main Street USA window ceremony at Disneyland

Baxter, along with the rest of the world, first learned he would be receiving a Main Street USA window at the 2013 D23 Expo when Staggs made a surprise appearance with the announcement:

It was at the 2013 D23 Expo that Baxter also received the Disney Legends award, another of the Walt Disney Company’s highest honors:

Though Tony Baxter is no longer working full time at Walt Disney Imagineering, now serving as a part-time advisor / mentor, his contributions to Disney’s theme parks will forever be felt, having led teams that created such iconic attractions as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours – to name a few.

At the ceremony, Baxter reminded the crowd that Disneyland “is Walt’s park,” a spirit that he embodied throughout his career, now commemorated with a permanent and personal addition that guests can forever gaze up at when stepping onto Main Street USA to remember all the timeless work he has achieved.

More photos from Tony Baxter’s Main Street USA window ceremony:
(Video by Carmelle Marshall. Photos by Shawn Marshall.)

View Comments (3)