Walt Disney initially had two of the Audio-Animatronics® Abraham Lincolns constructed. The one for the 1964 World’s Fair so impressed Mr. Disney that he had the second made for Disneyland. Whatever happened to the original that was displayed at the World’s Fair?
The very first Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronics® head is part of the collection of the Walt Disney Archives.
The first Disneyland version of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – named after the World's Fair attraction – opened on July 18, 1965, in honor of the official 10th anniversary of the park, in the new Opera House on Main Street, USA. The show in the main theater with Mr. Lincoln was a duplicate of the World's Fair attraction. The exterior and interiors of the building were given a new theme using Abraham Lincoln and Walt Disney exhibits, displays and films as the attraction was presented by Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, not the state of Illinois. It did not require an "A" through "E" attraction admission ticket. This version of the attraction ended January 1, 1973, along with the sponsorship by Lincoln Savings.
