Name: Manufactured Authenticity: Examining the Use of Hungarian Kalocsa Embroidery in It’s a Small World
Start: 2026-10-08T15:00:00-0400
End: 2026-10-08T15:30:00-0400

Manufactured Authenticity: Examining the Use of Hungarian Kalocsa Embroidery in It’s a Small World

Thursday October 8, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

Studio

With its infectious theme song and iconic visual design, It’s a Small World is possibly the most instantly recognizable attraction within the Disney Theme Parks family. Millions of people have experienced Disney’s interpretation of the world’s countries, cultures, and people since its installation at Disneyland in 1965. What is less known are the origins of the ride, which was created for UNICEF’s pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. The work of Disney Legend and costumer Alice Davis was critical to the attraction’s success, but her research methods raised some questions regarding authenticity as related to cultural traditions, clothing, and landscapes. Unable to complete research travel in the nine months Disney’s team had to design and build the attraction, Davis turned to popular anthropological publications, such as National Geographic, for inspiration. While this was a creative workaround, a quick survey of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century National Geographic issues reveals these articles were typically presented through the lens of Western anthropologists, which often provided a reductionist view of the people and cultures under study. Thus, Davis’ cultural imagination in regard to the costumes for the children of Small World raises questions regarding the extent and type of authenticity of the clothing that was based on nostalgic portrayals of traditional costumes, some of which may have only been worn for specific cultural, regional, or religious ceremonies but co-opted as representative of their nations based on their perceived festive, colorful, or entertaining components. With 26 nations or regions represented in Small World, it would be impossible to identify them all in this presentation, so the use of Kalocsa embroidery in the Hungarian portion of the attraction will be used as a case study for understanding how Davis borrowed culturally significant iconography to create a lasting, but fabricated, visual impression of global traditions and people. This examination of Davis’ contributions is still relevant today as It’s a Small World is the only attraction found in all Disney Parks around the world, thus emphasizing its sustained impact on reinforcing cultural stereotypes and narratives more than 60 years after its creation.

Speakers

Michelle Demeter

Head of Undergraduate and Instructional Services, New York University

Michelle Demeter is the Head of Undergraduate and Instructional Services at New York University Libraries. She leads the development and facilitation of in-person and remote instructional services that support the research and creative endeavors of faculty and students across campus. Her... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
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