The children of the 1950's were crazy about the old west. Much like scientific crime shows are all the rage on TVs today, westerns were the major force on 1950's TV. So it was only natural that when Walt Disney started his Disneyland TV series that there might be an occasional western thrown into the mix. That western was Davy Crockett.
Starring the relatively unknown Fess Parker and the Hollywood legend Buddy Ebsen, Disney's Davy Crockett was a phenomenon. Every boy wanted a coonskin cap, their own Ol' Betsy and more importantly, more Crockett adventures. Davy Crockett played a big role in Frontierland and even helped open DISNEYLAND on July 17, 1955. As a matter of fact, the first number one selling hat at the Magic Kingdom was not Mickey Mouse ears, but Davy Crockett's coonskin cap.
While the Davy Crockett craze eventually cooled off, he still has a presence at the Magic Kingdom- the canoe ride is named after him. Disneyland Paris even has an entire resort hotel named after him.
