DISNEY FOOD BLOG - Inside Story: Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

*Photo and story courtesy of Disney Food Blog

When you find yourself in the middle of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in need of something cold and creamy and delicious, I’m going to give you some odd advice: look for the big, green dinosaur.

ere, among the jungle trees, you’ll see a gentle giant, chomping on vegetation. And you know you’re in for a treat. (If Gertie’s is open for business, that is.)

If you’re lucky, Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction will be open, and serving up wonderful spirals of chocolate and vanilla (or swirled!) soft serve in cups and cones, both sugar and waffle. You’ll also find some of your favorite premium ice cream bars, as well as other snacks, like fresh fruit and trail mix.

But the best part about Gertie’s isn’t the ice cream. You can get that anywhere. What’s awesome about this place is the animation history you can encounter!!

Many of you probably wonder who in the world Gertie is, and why is she serving ice cream out of her middle?

Gertie isn’t just any big, green, perpetually-grass-eating dinosaur, it turns out. She is the creation of Winsor McCay, the New York Times cartoonist who is widely considered to be the father of animation.

When he created Gertie for his short way back in 1914, he used around 10,000 individual hand drawn images to bring his placid dinosaur to life.

While Gertie wasn’t the first cartoon, her likable personality and life-like movements made an enduring one. As a result, we know that McCay paved the way for Walt Disney. And the rest is, of course, history.

The biggest challenge when it comes to Gertie, though, is finding a time when the big green girl is actually serving!

But even if she isn’t, be sure to slow down, take notice, and appreciate this cool building in the shape of a “prehistoric” cartoon.

Reminiscent of kitschy roadside stops on Route 66, Gertie celebrates the heritage that made Disney great in the first place: unparalleled animation.

Is Gertie’s one of your favorite stops for a cold treat? Let us know in the comments below!