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Disney Pins on Wings
The Insignia Art of Walt Disney Productions:
Walt Disney Productions created approximately 1,200 designs during World War II for both American and Allied military units. Designs were also created for other organizations such as civil defense and war industries. All of this work was done by the studio free-of-charge as a donation to the war effort.
Walt Disney served in World War I when he was 16 years old as a Red Cross ambulance driver. He understood the value of cartoon humor to unit morale and esprit-de-corps. Throughout his service in France, he embellished his ambulance and others in his unit with drawings and cartoons, much to the delight of all.
Walt Disney Productions created their first military insignia in 1933 at the request of a Naval Reserve Squadron stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in New York with other random requests following over the next few years. During America's military mobilization in 1940-1941, however, hundreds of new military units were created and the Disney Studios were soon flooded with requests for insignia designs.
The Disney Studios were heavily committed to critical contract war work. They created many public information and training films during the war years. In addition to this effort, time and resources were found to create the many hundreds of insignia designs.
Throughout the war, the Disney insignia designs helped keep up the morale of Allied fighting forces. While Walt Disney Productions made many award-winning contributions to the war effort, none of these achievements provided the personal satisfaction and pride than that of the unit insignia designs. |