Weenie (design)

The term first developed in film production as a name for the sausages used to train dog actors.^[1] In serials and films, it later began to be known in a similar way as the MacGuffin. In this form, Ronald Davidson defined a weenie as "the object of all the mayhem. The weenie can be a map, a document, a mine, an oriental scarab with mystical powers, an invention, or a Nazi plot to gain control of Middle Africa."^[2]

Though it is disputed whether Walt Disney developed the concept originally, he popularized it in the building of Disneyland.^[1] In the context of Disney parks, Disney described a weenie as saying "to people 'come this way.' People won't go down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to have something that beckons to them."^[2] John Hench likewise called the weenie "a beckoning finger."^[3] In 1991, Walt Disney Imagineering president Marty Sklar identified the creation of weenies as one of the "ten commandments" of good theme park design.^[4]

The Sleeping Beauty Castle at the entrance to Fantasyland in Disneyland is regarded as a prime example of the weenie in Disney parks.^[2][5] Other major weenies include Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World,^[6] a reproduction of Grauman's Chinese Theatre at Disney's Hollywood Studios,^[3] and Spaceship Earth at Epcot.^[7] In addition to central structures, objects like a moving paddle-wheel boat can serve as weenies.^[7] Some areas of the park are designed intentionally without using nearby landmarks as weenies, so as to create an isolated atmosphere.^[8]