Disney in a Minute: What is a “Wienie”?

You might see the title and think you already know, but nope, it’s not the hot dogs you can buy in the parks. If you’ve been reading about Disney World or Disneyland and keep seeing the word “wienie” come up, we’re here to tell you what it means at theme parks.

In Disney-speak, a wienie can be defined as “the architectural visual icon that causes people to gravitate naturally toward a location.” An easier way to say that is that it’s a visual magnet. It’s something that catches your eye and draws you toward it.

The story goes that Walt Disney came up with the idea after watching his dog. He would come home from work, open the fridge, and take out two hot dogs. (He called them wienies, so you weren’t all wrong if you had that hot dog thought.) That dog would follow him wherever he went in hopes of getting one of them as her treat.

His genius was to apply that principle to the parks. Walt had the Imagineers build structures like Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castle. These attractions can be seen from a distance and draw guests toward them. You can see that in the picture of Astro-Orbiter below. You can see it from outside of Tomorrowland – and doesn’t it kind of make you want to go in? When guests finally stand in front of a park’s wienie, Walt’s hope was that guests would feel like they’ve gotten a treat.

Imagineers have since utilized that concept at all the parks and the lands within them. Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom, and the various mountains, including Space and Big Thunder, can all be considered Disney wienies. And of course, the park Castles are some of the most famous wienies of all.

Here’s one final word about the word “wienie.” You’ll sometimes see people spell it “weenie,” but the proper spelling is “wienie.” The word is short for “wiener,” which refers to a hot dog, originating from the German “wiener wurst” meaning “Viennese sausage.” (And yes, there’s a less than polite association that word has taken on, but this is a G-rated blog.)

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Enjoy!

Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments.