Originally Posted By ctdsnark I just returned from a haircut,where among the many topics my barber and I discussed,was his recent trip to WDW,and a question that's been on both our minds since we first saw the Dolphin hotel:Why don't the mammoth fish statues atop the building bear ANY sort of resemblance to a DOLPHIN? I don't claim to be any sort of expert on identifying fish---I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between---oh,say,a northeastern muskie and a Washington State pike{not real species,I just improvised}.But I,and 7/8ths of the human race know what a dolphin looks like,and it DOESN'T look like those pseudo-catfish statues atop the Dolphin! Okay,okay---since it's highly improbable the Disney people would make such a ridiculous error in design,I KNOW there has to be a reason.I just don't know what it is---in writing this,I hoped somebody with more Disney-savvy than I could provide the answer.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 They are stylized, much like the swans ... they are supposed to represent dolphins more so then actually be them ... if that makes sense. I happen to find both resorts very kewl, even if they were misplaced.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA This from wikipedia... <A strange aspect of the Dolphin hotel is that the statues on the roof are clearly not dolphins but are in fact a stylised type of fish. The design of the creatures is based on Triton Fountain in Rome, which was designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini around 1643> Here's a copy of the Triton Fountain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RomaBerniniFontanaTritone.JPG" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I mage:RomaBerniniFontanaTritone.JPG</a>
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I always heard it was a dolphin tuna???Apparently an edible fish maybe?Anybody know for sure?
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <I happen to find both resorts very kewl, even if they were misplaced.> Agree on both counts... Especially the location. With all the property in Walt Disney World, did they have to build a multi-story hotel that YOU CAN SEE FROM EPCOT WORLD SHOWCASE??? WTF?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 There are actually dolphin fish, which are what these are supposed to be. Not the cute, likely smarter than most people mammals you see on football helmets in Miami. As to the location, there are many conflicting stories as to why they were placed there ... but the bottom line was that's where Michael Eisner allowed them to be placed. Remember, these hotels were built in the 1987-90 period when land was open all around property.
Originally Posted By Roger55 They are indeed Dolphin FISH, not the more well know dolphins. The US Navy also uses these same dolphin fish as part of their insignia for their submarine fleet personnel. Take a look at the USN submarine insignias and you will see a strong resemblance. <a href="http://www.subshipstore.com/ovalplaque.html" target="_blank">http://www.subshipstore.com/ov alplaque.html</a>
Originally Posted By wahooskipper If you have ever had mahi mahi then you've had dophin...a fish...as they are one in the same. Since there are the squeamish amongst us who prefer not to eat Flipper, "mahi mahi" was an attempt to rename the fish so that folks would eat it. But yes...the Dolphin hotel is for the fish...and not the mammal.
Originally Posted By Rsey103 Many years ago I took the Disney architecture tour/class given by the Disney Institute. This was one of the things discussed on the tour. Something about----mythology? Can't remember. Lot of good I am. I do know there is a reason or story behind everything at the Swan and Dolphin Resorts. I mean every little thing.... BTW, I like the Triton fountain explanation. Hadn't heard that one before.
Originally Posted By Mr X Speaking of that, here's a weird "factoid"... According to some cast member boat chick who was babbling on her microphone on some boat, those dolphin/fish things are supposed to be fully REMOVABLE in the event of a hurricane. However, I happened to be staying at the resort during the time Hurricane Floyd was menacing Florida, and at the same time that they were closing all the parks, battening down the hatches, sending memos to guest rooms instructing guests to fill up their bathtubs, I happened to drive by the Swan/Dolphin (Burgers and Beer run)... And the dolphins were still on the building. So, if they're so removable, wouldn't THAT have been the perfect opportunity to remove them? I am such a geek.
Originally Posted By Roger55 I wonder if that is a twist on the urban myth that during a hurricane the SB castle spires can be removed and taken down???
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Thanks Roger55 for the link. I have a son on a sub. Have to check the site out better later.
Originally Posted By Mr X Or that spaceship will go rolling down the road? I dunno, but you're probably right (given the fact that I was there at the EXACT time that they would DEFINITELY have been removed, if such a plan were ever in place). She sure said it like it was fact though (is it possible that Epcot/MGM shuttle boat drivers are not well informed??).
Originally Posted By AuroraRose <<So, if they're so removable, wouldn't THAT have been the perfect opportunity to remove them?>> Maybe they're built to withstand a certain speed of wind, and after that they come down. {since i don't think people would try to move them off in the middle of a hurricane,) i should ammend that statement to: maybe they only take them down if the hurricane force winds are predicted to be over a certain speed?
Originally Posted By nbodyhome Some of the boat drivers also said that there was supposed to be a monorail station in them (sigh). I somehow doubt that they would build something where they'd need a HUGE crane right before a storm.
Originally Posted By kennect Check out the history books and you will find this type of fish design called a dolphin....It is definitefly nothing Disney or Michael Graves designed as an original...In fact my dining room table is a dolphin based pedestal...Not quite as cute as the Dolphin hotel dolphin but very much the same trend....
Originally Posted By twirlnhurl "maybe they only take them down if the hurricane force winds are predicted to be over a certain speed?" Hurricane Floyd was predicted (in he week before it went offshore up the Florida coast) to go directly over Orlando with category 4 winds. If they could take the statues down, Floyd would have been a great opportunity.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Most important factoid about Swan/Dolphin... They're based on Empire style archtiecture but presented in a post-modern manner. In Empire architecture/decor there was dolphin and swan furniture with carved legs, bookcase tops, etc.. It was a mark of that period. In the fabric styles they also had bold wide stripes and patterns with small repeating marks - think of the fabric on a Napoleon period chair (if you can). That got turned into a whole Florida-goes-Empire look when the Swan and Dolphin were created. The royal colors of empire became earth tone pastels (the "Florida" look) but stripes, patterns, etc all reflected the empire sensibility. Also, the swans and dolphins. It's witty, a little ugly, but witty. the interiors of the resorts have been redone, but the originals greatly reflected this in their treatments, fabrics, etc. Now it's more pan-asian.
Originally Posted By ctdsnark <The design of the creatures is based on Triton Fountain in Rome,which was designed bt Gianlorenzo Bernini around 1643> Thanks,Jim in Merced CA. While the reasoning behind using this design still eludes me,that's probably what I was looking for.
Originally Posted By Mr X >>>Maybe they're built to withstand a certain speed of wind, and after that they come down. {since i don't think people would try to move them off in the middle of a hurricane,) i should ammend that statement to: maybe they only take them down if the hurricane force winds are predicted to be over a certain speed?<<< As someone already mentioned, Floyd was expected to FLATTEN Florida. Any and all precautions were being made (including some first ever plans to evacuate hotel guests to the convention centers and stuff like that, I later learned). We got very lucky, and Floyd headed North after all, but at the time nobody knew and everyone was expecting "the big one" (very weird and surreal "Disney" experience, that I happened to be staying in one of their hotels at the time, DisneyWorld was like a ghost town with all the parks closed and all that!). So, if they could have, I'm sure they WOULD have taken the things down (it must take time...you're not going to wait until it hits and then check the wind speeds and send out a crew!).
