My illustration of Mary Blair’s Five Legged Goat, seen in Disney’s Contemporary Resort lobby.
The History of Disney’s Five-Legged Goat:
The five-legged goat lives inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World, embedded in a massive mural designed by Mary Blair, the iconic artist behind It’s a Small World and much of Disney’s mid-century modern aesthetic.
The mural is a 90-foot-tall tile installation that stretches through the central atrium of the resort’s A-frame tower. Installed in the early 1970s, it’s made up of more than 18,000 hand-painted tiles and celebrates the spirit of the American Southwest, featuring animals, children, and stylized nature in Blair’s whimsical, geometric style.
Among the animals is a goat with—yep—five legs. Blair intentionally added the extra limb as a playful imperfection, subscribing to the artistic philosophy that nothing made by humans should be “too perfect”. It’s a reminder that art, like life, is a little weird and a little off—and that’s what makes it beautiful.
Stats
- Located in: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Artist: Mary Blair
- Installed: Early 1970s
- Meaning: Intentional imperfection in a sea of mass-produced perfection
- Cult-favorite Easter egg for Disney fans
