An $1,800 “it’s a small world” hippo figurine is available at Walt Disney World Resort. The figurine is made out of salvaged ancient redwood trees by Ron and John Daniels of Daniels Wood Land. It’s available at the Art of Disney store in Disney Springs.
“it’s a small world” Wooden Hippo Figurine – $1,800
The figurine looks like the hippo animatronic that is on multiple versions of “it’s a small world.” Though it has a brown finish, it most closely resembles the hippo on the Disneyland version of the ride, which is pink with five-petaled flowers across it and a bird perched on top.
The figurine is actually a box. The bird acts as the handle of the lid.
The figurine is intricately carved, with even the feathers of the bird’s wings visible.
During D23 Expo last year, Disney announced that they would be teaming up with Daniels Wood Land to salvage trees that had completed their “circle of life” and recycle them into keepsake Disney products. End-of-life trees must be removed from Disney Parks for safety, but the upcycling process gives them a second life and supports sustainability.
The effort was founded by Disneyland Resort Cast Member Ronda Wood, who started at the resort as a gardener over 25 years ago.
“These are living elements that have been in the park for generations,” Wood said of the trees, “and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to create a program that can give those trees a new path.”
At the time, Disney donated $25,000 to the non-profit TreePeople, which plants and cares for trees in mountains and urban neighborhoods in Southern California. They also gave away 1,000 unique wooden medallions to D23 Expo attendees.
See the life-size hippo animatronic in this video of “it’s a small world” Holiday at Disneyland Resort:
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.