Mickey's 10 Commandments, by Marty Sklar

[Lou Mongello]

Marty Sklar, recenty retired President of WDI, came up with the following guidelines for Walt Disney Theme Parks. Thought you'd enjoy this:


Every theme park designer should know what's been done in the past. Benchmarks and precedents are extremely important. With that in mind, you should learn the ten guidelines to theme park design developed by Walt Disney Imagineering President Marty Sklar.

Mickey's 10 Commandments

1. Know your audience - Don't bore people, talk down to them or lose them by
assuming that they know what you know.

2. Wear your guest's shoes - Insist that designers, staff and your board members experience your facility as visitors as often as possible.

3. Organize the flow of people and ideas - Use good story telling techniques, tell good stories not lectures, lay out your exhibit with a clear logic.

4. Create a weenie - Lead visitors from one area to another by creating visual magnets and giving visitors rewards for making the journey

5. Communicate with visual literacy - Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication - color, shape, form, texture.

6. Avoid overload - Resist the temptation to tell too much, to have too many objects, don't force people to swallow more than they can digest, try to stimulate and provide guidance to those who want more.

7. Tell one story at a time - If you have a lot of information divide it into distinct,
logical, organized stories, people can absorb and retain information more clearly if the path to the next concept is clear and logical.

8. Avoid contradiction - Clear institutional identity helps give you the competitive
edge. Public needs to know who you are and what differentiates you from other
institutions they may have seen.

9. For every ounce of treatment , provide a ton of fun - How do you woo people from all other temptations? Give people plenty of opportunity to enjoy themselves by emphasizing ways that let people participate in the experience and by making your environment rich and appealing to all senses.

10. Keep it up - Never underestimate the importance of cleanliness and routine
maintenance, people expect to get a good show every time, people will comment
more on broken and dirty stuff.

Martin Sklar, Walt Disney Imagineering, Education vs. Entertainment: Competing for audiences, AAM Annual meeting, 1987

[disneydame2004]

1987? I guess they stuck these in the drawer for the '90s when #10 was often broken, and a pile of them were ignored for Animal Kingdom and California Adventure. I just recently heard these told by Martin Sklar on the February 6th "The Gears Behind the Ears" podcast. Hopefully they are putting new emphasis on these commandments for the parks in the future.

[AlecTronic]

in high school, the only thing in my locker was Mickey's 10 comanndments

[Big Cheese]

3. Organize the flow of people...
Martin Sklar, Walt Disney Imagineering, Education vs. Entertainment: Competing for audiences, AAM Annual meeting, 1987

Boy, this one could use some help after the fireworks on Xmas Eve!