Disney nostalgia
Like many other Disney fans, I've grown up with Disney. My life has revolved around Disney throughout my whole life. I believe this has significantly impacted my love for Disney to this day. My first trip to Disneyland was when I was three. I particularly enjoyed It's a Small World. I must have gone on it more than 10 times during the vacation; on one of the evenings while at the park, we were there during the fireworks. Well, I was frightened by the fireworks at this age, and so my parents took me on Small World until the fireworks were finished.
Before my first trip to Disneyland, I frequently watched the 1991 VHS tape, A Day at Disneyland. I found the film posted on YouTube, and it was truly nostalgic to watch it again. I can pretty much remember each scene of this film, in which Mickey and friends lead the audience through the magic of a day at Disneyland and visiting attractions, such as The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion as well as previewing shows, including Fantasmic and The Main Street Electrical Parade. It's a wonderful film and a great way to get a glimpse into Disneyland. You will see many Disney characters in the film, who enjoy the day at Disneyland and even ride the attractions.
Growing up, a watched a lot of Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel. Bear in the Big Blue House was one of these shows. The show was about a bear named "Bear" who lived in a great blue house with his friends, including the mouse named Tutter and a Lemur named Treelo. There was a lot of singing in the show; the theme song itself was catchy as ever. Then, at the end of every episode, Bear sung the "Goodbye Song" with the moon named Luna. This show was aired on TV from 1997 until 2006.
When I went to Walt Disney World when I was six years old, I even got to see the Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! show at MGM Studios. The show featured multiple acts from the various shows on Playhouse Disney at the time, including Bear in the Big Blue House, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh. It was an interactive show; the characters invited all the youngsters in the audience to join along by dancing, singing along, and clapping.
I was about eight years old when the Lizzie McGuire Movie was released. I hadn't even watched it until I went to my friend's house, and I loved the film. The film was based on the Disney Channel show called Lizzie McGuire which followed the adventures of a young girl named, well, Lizzie McGuire. The show followed Lizzie's moments with her friends, and her awkward and clumsy moments in the school setting. Now, in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Lizzie has just "graduated" from junior high school. Literally, she just attended her junior high graduation ceremony (ceremonies for junior high...?) and is going on a trip to Rome with her classmates, before the next transition into high school. In Rome, Lizzie meets a famous pop singer named Paolo who asks her to impersonate his singing partner. I still watch this movie today.
Ever since I was young, I've loved playing computer games... like the Reader Rabbit CD-ROM, and the JumpStart CD-ROM games. Ahh, the memories. Arthur's Reading Race was one of my favorites, too, based on the PBS show, Arthur. Candyland was one of my favorites, inspired by the board game. You could interact with the characters along the way... like play hide-and-seek with Plumpy in the plum forest, and decorate ice cream sundaes with Queen Frostine. As I got older, I began taking an interest in virtual online games... like Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom (see the separate page on my website), Pixie Hollow, and Club Penguin. In each game, you created a character, played virtual games, shopped for virtual items, designed a place to live, and chatted with other users.
I was so inspired by nostalgic Disney memories that I decided to dedicate one of my radio shows to the topic. I had great fun planning the show and determining the nostalgic memories I wanted to emphasize during the shows (Playhouse Disney shows, Disney Channel shows, virtual Disney games, etc.). During my show, I played a variety of theme show songs from different shows, and even music from virtual games like Club Penguin, Pixie Hollow and Toontown.