Hallmark Cancels Release of Mickey Mouse Disney Ornament that Plays “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”

Matthew Soberman

Hallmark Cancels Release of Mickey Mouse Disney Ornament that Plays “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”

As Disney continues to reckon with its past, Hallmark has cancelled the release of a Mickey Mouse ornament that was supposed to play “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

Disney Mickey Mouse Mickey the Musician Musical Ornament With Motion Hallmark cancelled 2
Image Credit: Hallmark via Debby’s Hallmark

The ornament, designed by Nello Williams, featured Mickey playing a xylophone rendered in the style of vintage toys. When the crank on the side is turned, a rendition of the song, from the 1946 film Song of the South, would be heard.

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Image Credit: Hallmark via Debby’s Hallmark

Hallmark has removed it from its listings, though retailer Debby’s Hallmark still has it up and marked as “Canceled Release – Not Available.”

Disney Mickey Mouse Mickey the Musician Musical Ornament With Motion Hallmark cancelled 1

A WDWNT reader sent in this screenshot of the cancelled item on Hallmark’s website, which retailed for $29.99, and was supposed to be released July 11th along with other Disney ornaments.

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Image Credit: Hallmark via Debby’s Hallmark

Though it’s not been available from Disney in decades, the company has recently made efforts to remove the last references from Song of the South, which has been accused of whitewashing the horrors of slavery, from its theme parks. It’s been publicly announced that Splash Mountain, based on characters from the film, will be replaced at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom with an attraction themed to The Princess and the Frog, with the attraction’s “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day” game recently removed from the Disney Parks Play app. “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” has also been removed from the background music loops at the Disneyland Resort. Disney issued a statement on the removal, saying “The removal of the song from Downtown Disney’s background music is part of a continuous process to deliver an environment that features stories that are relevant and inclusive.”

Disney Mickey Mouse Mickey the Musician Musical Ornament With Motion Hallmark cancelled 5
Image Credit: Hallmark via Debby’s Hallmark

Splash Mountain is currently expected to stay open at Tokyo Disneyland, which will soon be the last place in the world to ride the attraction, and possibly the last link to the controversial film.

Keep reading WDWNT for any updates on this ongoing story.

Featured Image: Hallmark via Debby’s Hallmark

11 thoughts on “Hallmark Cancels Release of Mickey Mouse Disney Ornament that Plays “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah””

  1. Still a great song! How can that upbeat tune not bring a smile to your face? That song is not going to hurt anyone, just like the ride. I’ve seen plenty of people of all colors in line for it over the years. Didn’t seem to bother them too much.

  2. This is ridiculous. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t say or do anything without offending someone.

  3. It’s a shame that such a nice song has to go away because of foolish political correctness. I saw a bootleg version of the film and I got the impression that this was post-Civil War, and those were free people working on the plantation, given as to Uncle Remus was going to leave of his own free will near the end. During its time, James Bassett, who played Uncle Remus, was given a special Oscar. He helped build a bridge to connect black and white folks. Now the film and everything around it is wrongly seen as just prejudice. I bet in 40 years, Princess and the Frog will suffer the same treatment.

    • It was an unrealistic view of post slavery. Everything wasn’t all roses and clouds as you would like to imagine it. Yes slaves were free but they weren’t as happy to lucky as the movie depicted. They still had to work with their former slave owners because they didn’t have enough money to move. It’s not like they were up living in “the big house” living their best lives. But believe what you will…

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