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2023

Costume Design Concept - Theme Park Attractions

Jungle Cruise, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

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Location History

The World Famous Jungle Cruise, famous for being... world famous! This classic Disney attraction opened with the Magic kingdom on October 1st, 1971 and has been entertaining guests for over 50 years. The attraction is a simulated riverboat cruise that travels along a waterway through areas with Asian, African, and South American themes. Park guests board replica steam launches from a 1930s British explorers' lodge, and Audio-Animatronic exotic animals are displayed throughout the ride. A live Disney cast member acts as a tour guide and boat skipper that loosely follows a rehearsed script, providing passengers with a comedic narrative.

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Design Inspiration

The Jungle Cruise takes place in the 1930's along various African and Asian rivers of the world. I was inspired by Period fashion of the era and safari style garments, and designed these looks to be fashionable and functionable. The costume has interchangeable "mix and match" garments where Cast are able to select one top, bottom, outerwear piece, and accessories - regardless of their gender. I've designed female-cut coulotte pants, long trousers/pants with a slight flared hem, and a pair of cuffed jodhpurs. For the tops I've created an ivory collared blouse with a cuffed puff sleeve with open air venting in the back for air flow, and an ivory and sage green striped shirt with standard collar and cuffs. For outerwear I selected an olive vest in both a female and male cut with many pockets and gold button accents. To finish the look it is accessorized with a neck scarf that may be worn as a tie in both red and olive colors, and a special faux leather water bottle holder so cast have themed access to hydration. And no Skipper costume would be complete without their signature hat and brown boots!

Jungle Cruise Hostess
Jungle Cruise Host
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Personal Connections

When I first started my Disney career journey, I was a participant of the Disney College Program in 2013, where I worked as a Jungle Cruise Skipper! I quickly fell in love with the attraction, the Cast, and the exceptional experience of making magic for our guests. Fast forward a few years and my (now) husband joined as a new Jungle Cruise Cast Member, where we met 10 years ago. We even had a Jungle Cruise wedding and exchanged our vows riding the attraction, at the "Backside of Water"!

 

Because I have first hand experience as an Operational Cast Member working in Attractions, I know what it is like to wear a costume while working outdoors in the Florida sun for 12 hours a day. With comfort, safety, and time-period theming in mind, I designed these looks to be both functional and comfortable for our Cast.

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