Don’t Miss Your Toy Bird

The initial spark of creativity is fascinating to me. After the initial “how did they do that?” astonishment at a new invention passes, I wonder what inspired the creation process? What was the impetus for this new thing? It can often come from the simplest of things. But if we are not careful we can miss it.

I recently had the opportunity to tour The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The historic soundstages and storied Animation Building on the Disney lot saw the creation of generations of classic films, invention of animated movie technology, and the origins of Disneyland. Tucked in the top corner of the Animation Building resides the nucleus of it all, suite 3H: Walt’s office.

Fully restored with Walt’s original furnishings and personal artifacts, the multi-room office suite is a museum of movie-making and theme park history. Among the photographs, maps, books, and ashtrays (I counted eight, each with a studio-branded matchbook), an unassuming golden birdcage with a small singing toy bird inside hangs in the corner above the sofa. Walt purchased it while traveling, and brought it back to his studio, because it inspired the idea for something far greater—the lifelike, moving, speaking, singing, robotics we know as the audio-animatronic.

This simple toy bird sitting in an antique shop captivated a man who was always innovating, leading to the creation of multiple generations of continually-advancing technology that has fascinated children and adults alike for nearly 70 years. The singing birds of the Enchanted Tiki Room. The charming children of It’s a Small World. The serenading buccaneers of Pirates of the Caribbean. The next-generation immersion of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Surely thousands of others had browsed the same shop, saw the same bird, and passed by without another thought. But one day that bird became the little spark of inspiration for decades of innovations that have brought joy and excitement and wonder to hundreds of millions of people around the world. The difference? Walt never stopped looking for new ideas, even when browsing an antique shop on vacation.

Whether you create technology, business processes, legal arguments, or anything else, slow down and observe the simple things. Don't be a passerby.

Be on the lookout for your toy bird.