This past May, while on vacation in Walt Disney World, I found myself in the Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream gallery. The attraction is described as “a multimedia gallery exhibit of rare artifacts and an inspiring 15-minute film [that] bring[s] the story of Walt Disney to life.” One of those exhibits, I discovered, is a reconstruction of Walt’s Burbank office circa 1940-1966.
The office features a re-creation of Walt’s desk, complete with sketches, magazines, notes and pencils, including three very distinct pencils in the pencil holders at the front of the desk.
These pencils are, of course, Blackwing 602s. We’ve known Disney animators and artists past and present use Blackwing pencils, but this is the first time I’ve seen Blackwings tied directly to Walt himself. The Blackwings on Walt’s desk are of the Eberhard Faber variety (Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602s were still in production up until 1998), and their varying lengths indicate that these pencils were, in fact, used.
Rare artifacts indeed.