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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 |
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The big cheese in this part of Yester California Adventure is a rat with a jacket, not a mouse with red pants. He’s Rizzo the Rat—or just Rizzo for short. |
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Rizzo is a Muppet character. His impersonation of Mickey Mouse during the pre-show for Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D is memorable. After you watch the movie, Rizzo has more in store for you—literally a store—Rizzo’s Prop & Pawn Shop. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2003 Sitting in a sea of concrete |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 Facing Hollywood Boulevard |
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The first thing you’ll notice is that the shop sits next to utility poles. The poles aren’t functional. They’re decor. This part of the park’s Hollywood Studios Backlot has a gritty, industrial look. It’s supposed to remind you of a working movie studio. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2002 Rizzo’s modifications to the painted Prop Shop sign |
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It appears that Rizzo has turned the studio’s Prop Shop into a commercial enterprise—undoubtedly without the permission of of the studio. The shop has a haphazard arrangement of boxes, bins, barrels, and drawers serving as merchandise counters. |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2002 Muppet “merch” |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 Muppet plush |
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Rizzo invites you to shop for Muppet-themed clothes, toys, and souvenirs. Here’s your chance to buy plush toys of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, Bean Bunny, and even Scooter the errand boy. Let’s walk around the store. Each side of the shop has it own personality. |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 Ground themed as a concrete parking lot, with Superstar Limo nearby |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2002 An intentional mess |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 Moving around some more |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 Lots of corrugated metal |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2001 A glimpse at the fourth (rear) side |
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Photo by Tony “WisebearAZ” Moore, 2003 Mostly hidden behind studio props |
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The fourth side of the building is plain, but it’s hidden behind a bunch of junk. Oh, wait. That’s not junk. Those are movie props—part of the movie backlot theme. |
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Rizzo’s Prop & Pawn Shop was one of the original features of Disney’s California Adventure when the park opened in February 2001. Located a short distance from Muppet*Vision 3D, the intentionally grungy freestanding store served as the gift shop for that attraction. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Same shop. New paint. New sign. New merchandise. |
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In late 2005, the Hollywood Studios Backlot received a “placemaking” makeover to make it more inviting to guests. Rizzo’s Prop & Pawn Shop became the Studio Store. The store and the “soundstages” around it were repainted in the standard colors of Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Resort Paris. New landscaping interrupted and softened the expanse of concrete. The look was still industrial, but no longer junk-strewn industrial. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Still with boxes, bins, barrels, and drawers as merchandise counters |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Sully plush from Monsters, Inc. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Monsters, Inc. and Muppets on the same store fixture |
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Nearby, in the former Superstar Limo space, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! had its grand opening on January 23, 2006, with a soft opening the prior month. The Studio Store became a combination Muppets, Monsters Inc., and Disney character shop—and a candy store too. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post |
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In Disney’s Frozen (2013), Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post is a snow-covered wooden cabin deep in the forest outside Arendelle. During the Disneyland Resort’s Frozen Fun promotion in 2015, the Studio Store temporarily played the part of that store, complete with a new sign, wood-look siding, Norwegian trim, “snow” on the roof, and plenty of Frozen merchandise. When Frozen Fun ended, the store reverted to the Studio Store. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2017 No longer Wandering Oaken’s, but still with a wooden look |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2017 Summer of Heroes Studio Store |
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During the Disneyland Resort’s Summer of Heroes promotion in 2017, the Studio Store temporarily took on Summer of Heroes branding and sold Marvel merchandise. When the promotion ended, the Studio Store returned. The Backlot section of Hollywood Land, where the Studio Store is located, is arguably the most problematic part of Disney California Adventure. It wasn’t convincing as a movie studio when it opened, and almost two decades of tinkering—without a comprehensive “re-Imagineering” vision—has left it a hodgepodge. In hindsight, Rizzo’s Prop & Pawn Shop was rather clever, and it shared a theme with Muppet*Vision 3D. But Rizzo the Rat and Muppet*Vision 3D are long gone from the park. The theater has been Mickey’s PhilharMagic since April 26, 2019, after years of showing sneak peek previews of new Disney movies. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Pizzerizzo at Grand Avenue, Disney’s Hollywood Studios |
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Don’t worry about Rizzo. He now has a large pizza restaurant at Walt Disney World. He’s once again right across from Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D. |
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© 2007-2020 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated June 26, 2020 |
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