By Steven Vagnini

As D23 celebrates the tenth anniversary of Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros—which opened April 6, 2007, in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot—we commemorate the grand return of three beloved Audio-Animatronics® feathered friends on December 4, 2015…

After 35 years on world tour, three historic Audio-Animatronics® figures have returned home to Walt Disney World Resort. Originally premiering in the Mickey Mouse Revue attraction at Magic Kingdom Park on October 1, 1971, and later performing in the same attraction at Tokyo Disneyland, the memorable Panchito, José Carioca, and Donald Duck figures appeared today in the grand finale of Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros at Epcot. And D23 Members were among the first to see them in action again as part of a special Tweet Meet!

The happy amigos hold a special place in Walt Disney World history, going back to April 1969, when government and media officials gathered in Ocoee for a first glimpse at the long-awaited “Project Florida.” Among the imaginative pieces showcased at the unveiling were concept artwork, a massive scale model of the master plan, figures from the Tropical Serenade attraction… and these happy chappies.

The preview event—which coincided with the first full-scale construction of Disney’s Florida property—affirmed that Walt’s dream was well on its way to magnificent reality. One reporter called the occasion “a shindig like Central Florida had never seen before. . . There could not be a single lingering doubt of their ability to do what they said they were going to do.”

The Three Caballeros figure models, accompanying maestro Mickey Mouse, represented an attraction first conceived in the mind of Walt Disney that would be totally unique to the Magic Kingdom at its opening.

The Mickey Mouse Revue would feature 96 Audio-Animatronics® Disney characters, who performed favorite songs under the baton of show business impresario, Mickey Mouse. The show’s figures were designed and programmed by none other than Disney Legend and animator Bill Justice (pictured below at the controls.)

As one of the show’s memorable highlights, the Three Caballeros sang their catchy theme song from their 1944 feature film, magically transporting across the theater with each shot from a pair of pistolas. Then, for the grand finale, all of the characters returned to the stage for an energizing rendition of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

The Mickey Mouse Revue closed at Magic Kingdom on September 14, 1980, in preparation for its move to Tokyo Disneyland, where Donald, Panchito, and José returned to the stage for opening day, April 15, 1983. There, the birds of a feather performed for some 26 years, until the final curtain fell to make way for Mickey’s PhilharMagic in 2009.

Migrating back across the globe, the figures made their next public appearance at Disney’s Contemporary Resort as part of D23’s Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th in May 2011, when the Walt Disney Archives curated a special exhibit honoring four decades of the Vacation Kingdom.

On December 4, 2015, the figures made a grand return to Walt Disney World Resort when they surprised D23 Members and World Showcase guests in the finale of Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, where they sing and samba again. To celebrate the occasion, Merchandise Communications Manager Steven Miller and Disney Design Group artist Richard Terpstra joined D23 Members and showcased artwork for a brand new t-shirt released that day via the Disney Parks online store.

Richard (seen above, second from right) designed the Hanes Nano-T shirt in partnership with the Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Imagineering, with special inspiration from an original theatrical poster of The Three Caballeros used in Mexico. The limited edition shirt was available through December 10, 2015.