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!

DISNEY PARKS BLOG - Dinosaurs Say “Good Buy” at Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures in Dinoland, U.S.A., at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

*Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

From the Disney Parks Blog yesterday:

One of my favorite things to do on weekends is take a road trip in search of vintage roadside signs and attractions. I’ve photographed many of them in states like Florida, Ohio and California. My love for these roadside wonders is one reason I like Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures in Dinoland, U.S.A., at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In her book “The Making of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park,” Melody Malmberg described this location as “the ultimate affectionate tribute to roadside Americana.” I recently spent nearly 45 minutes taking photos in this location in anticipation of the park’s 15th anniversary (I was there so long that a retail manager almost scheduled me for work).

Located off US 498 in Diggs County, the shop is only a short distance from the Dino Institute, home to DINOSAUR, which my fellow author Nate Rasmussen recently featured on the Disney Parks Blog.

According to Malmberg, the shop was founded by Chester and Hester, dinosaur aficionados who turned a gas station into the ultimate dinosaur destination. The Dino Institute wants to “buy and raze the place, but Chester and Hester’s unidentified heirs have as good a sense of humor as the originators.” The heirs refuse to sell, and have kept the shop filled with countless dinosaur toys, figures, images and more.

I love the little vignettes found throughout the shop like “Hester’s Dino Rocks,” which feature a dinosaur band, or the western town overrun with dinosaurs. The outside of the shop is just as much fun as the inside with huge playful signs. You can even see a painted over gas sign on the back roof of the shop.

This location contains a good mixture of merchandise items including apparel, toys, hats, coffee mugs and even D-Tech electronic accessories. There are also a few DINOSAUR attraction themed items like Carnotaurus latex figures or radio controlled Time Rover ride vehicles.

I invite you to stop by Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures next time you are in Dinoland, U.S.A. Here are a few additional photos from my expedition.