Mark Twain Google Doodle

I first heard about Mark Twain at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, and it would be fair to say that learning about these special additions in Disney have shaped me to the person that I am. Funnily enough, the Mark Twain issue has its own little story.

As a child, I remember visiting the Magic Kingdom and taking the “wooden rafts” across to the “island” over in Frontierland. Being the inquisitive one, I remember asking my parents each trip if the rafts were real or not. I wanted to know how they could float so easily, and I was in awe at how the crewmen could steer those rafts so well. I remember taking laps around the “island” on the “big boat with the wheel”, and yet again… I wanted to learn about how the water-wheel could propel such a massive boat through the water.

As the years passed, I’d run through the winding paths on the island and hide in the dark, spooky caves. I’d visit the Native American hide-out and peer at the audio-anamatronic animals. I was oblivious to the obvious importance of these areas; failing to understand that they were references to some of the biggest publications in American Literature.

I learnt that the name of that large, white boat was the “Mark Twain Riverboat,” and I came to realise that it sailed around “Tom Sawyer’s Island” on the “Rivers of America”. Those caves belonged to a chap named “Injun Joe,” and the rafts were built by him and Huckleberry Finn. Still, I had no idea who these people were, but I was working on it.

It wasn’t until I was attending a school fair at my old primary school that I made the connection. I must have been just 9 or 10 years old and I had some spare money on me. Twain’s most famous book, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” was sat there, available for purchase. I noticed it was written by Mark Twain and I instantly recognised both names from Disney. I simply had to show my parents! I bought it.

I remember trying my hardest to read it, but my reading ability just wasn’t that advanced. I tried getting through the first page but I just couldn’t manage it. I think I tried a couple of years later, and it was still difficult. 7 years on, it is still in my book cupboard ready to read!

It wasn’t until some 16 months ago that we placed a rather large book order from Amazon. After receiving the reading list for my AS English Literature course, I decided to start reading the classics. “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was on that list, and I finally got round to reading it not too long ago. I also have a copy of it on my iPad and I try to read a few pages when I can. I’m up to the part where Huckleberry Finn and Injun Joe are sailing down the river on their raft. Brilliant.

I’m just thankful that I was exposed to so much as a child. Without visiting the Magic Kingdom on several occasions, I may never have known who Mark Twain even was. Despite him being studied by hundreds of classes each year in the USA, the clear culture difference means I would be clueless about his existence. The exposure and awareness of different cultures is what makes someone one step closing to feeling complete, and Disney has countless nods to these issues everywhere you look. The turn-of-the-century Main Street USA itself is representative of Marceline, Missouri; the town where Walt Disney himself grew up.

So there we have it. You can imagine the thoughts and memories that are sparked in my head when I load up Google and notice Mark Twain’s history being celebrated. Despite not knowing his true nature until quite recently, he is definitely a childhood figure. What a true genius. Happy 176th Birthday, Mark Twain!