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Lined with palm trees and frequented by Disney characters, the Disneyland Resort Esplanade is a pathway paved with family keepsakes commemorating their spot on Disney grounds.
While the Esplanade isn’t quite Sleeping Beauty Castle or Walt Disney World’s Main Street, U.S.A., it’s the glue between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. A short walkway marking the Park’s main entrances, the Esplanade is prime for fireworks views and all kinds of Disneyland nostalgia.
From 2000 and 2011, the Disneyland Resort celebrated its 50th Anniversary by inviting families and friends to purchase a personalized brick on the Esplanade. With a similar concept to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Walt Disney Company introduced the Walk of Magical Memories, featuring cemented spots for Guests to visit with every Disneyland Park experience.
Credit: Disney
The bricks on the Walk of Magical Memories are etched with the name, hometown, date, and unique design for the year they were purchased, each with a signature 50th Anniversary “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” medallion. The personalization and installation of the bricks cost $150 a piece for fans in the early aughts, a worthy cost for Disney enthusiasts to have a permanent place in the Disneyland Resort.
With preserving Disney Park memories as the goal, brick buyers have been less than pleased to see many medallions stolen over the years, leaving empty spaces on the magical walkway. Not only have Park-goers stolen property, but the condition of the medallions has taken a turn. With blackish tones and weathered appearances, Disney fans have urged the Resort to make replacements in recent years.
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In a tweet from @33_Wonderland, it appears Esplanade brick owners are getting their wish. The poster reported:
“DON’T BELIEVE IT
They replaced the missing medallions”
They haven’t done all of them yet. #DLR #Disneyland #DCA pic.twitter.com/8iEH6bwjMS
— 33_Wonderland (@33_Wonderland) May 14, 2023
@FussBoss added:
It was really looking BAD out there with all the missing medallions. Ours looks bad, now I wish someone would have taken it so we could have a new one lol oh well.
It was really looking BAD out there with all the missing medallions. Ours looks bad, now I wish someone would have taken it so we could have a new one lol oh well.
— Mark (@FussBoss) May 14, 2023
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While the Disneyland Resort has yet to replace all the stolen medallions, revamping the walkways is a work in progress. Guests like @FussBoss hope their nearly 20-year-old, weathered medallions can also be replaced, but at least this is a step in the right direction for the Walk of Magical Memories.
