Small World Zoology: The Giraffes

These wonderful giraffes are charming enough in a still photo. In person, bobbing their heads to and fro, they're one of my favorite sights in Disneyland. I love their flower-patterned fur, slightly dazed expressions and pom-pom ossicones (yes, that's what they're called. Thanks, Google!)

It's a Small World has become the butt of many jokes and snarky comments. Even by Disney standards, it can seem overly saccharine and a bit eerie to some folks. To those guests, I say, "Pay more attention to the animals!" That's where you find the ride's humor and best designs. If you don't like the smug singing child dolls, don't look at 'em. Small World bursts at the seams with delightful stylized wildlife, and that's the element that makes this ride such a joy for me.

We'll feature more of Small World's animal stars from time to time in the coming weeks. When it came to picking a kick-off species to get things started, all thoughts went immediately to the giraffe herd.

We can tell these are all female giraffes, because apparently only females get the tufts of fur atop their ossicones. Males go bald there. See what you learn at Mouse Troop?