Disney Woodcraft: Raymond Kinman's Marquees & Hand-Carved Magic

Disney's Woodcraft Treasures

• 💡 The Arribas Brothers have introduced a new wood collection for 2025, featuring personalized photo albums and frames with carved designs like Cinderella's Castle and classic characters.
• 📌 Collectors can find wood inlay trading pins featuring characters like Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Goofy, blending metal enamel with real wood grain.
• 🎄 A popular seasonal item, the Mickey Christmas Truck popcorn bucket with a tree in the back, returns for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

The Art of Disney Marquees

• 🎭 Master woodcarver Raymond Kinman explains that Disney attractions use the term "marquees" instead of "signs," emphasizing the theatrical storytelling of each park element.
• 🎨 Kinman specializes in traditional hand-tool carving, providing a human touch that contrasts with modern digital fabrication and 3D printing.
• 🧠 He notes that slight imperfections, or "wiggleness," in hand-carved work are perceived as pleasurable by the human eye.

Kinman's Disney Journey

• 🚀 Kinman's Disney career began after a chance encounter with a senior graphic designer who saw his work at a restaurant, leading to an interview for the Indiana Jones Adventure marquee project.
• 🔨 His first major project, the Indiana Jones Adventure marquee, was an 8-foot mahogany piece, carved entirely by hand.
• 🐻 Kinman's notable projects include marquees for Country Bear Playhouse, Pooh Corner, and the original Big Al for Country Bear Jamboree.

Overcoming Challenges & Teaching the Craft

• 🤕 Kinman recounts carving the Country Bear Playhouse marquee with one hand after a power tool accident, highlighting his dedication to meeting deadlines.
• 🌲 He now hosts