And you thought Cracker barrel had a bad promotion.
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Disney hired some ‘little people’ to dress as Pinocchio and wave at people at the premiere of Pinocchio. They left them on a balcony with enough food and wine for the day but by late afternoon they were all naked (the costumes were too hot), drunk and screaming swear words at people.
In 1940, Walt Disney pulled out all the stops for the New York premiere of Pinocchio and things quickly went off script. To liven up the event, Disney hired eleven little people to dress as Pinocchio and wave from the theater’s marquee. It was supposed to be a whimsical spectacle, but the costumes proved too hot, tempers frayed, and chaos followed.
By midday, the performers had reportedly shed their costumes, gotten drunk, and began cursing and stomping around on the marquee. At that point, police were summoned to restore order and escort the party off the roof.
This moment of runaway theatricality stands out as one of the most bizarre promotional stunts in Hollywood history.
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Hilarious.
