This isn’t just any trashcan, it’s a Walt Disney trashcan.
While most people know Walt Disney as the man who created our first theme park, it is a lesser known fact that he revolutionalized the trash tossing experience and created our modern day trashcan design. His objective was to encourage parkgoers to throw away trash more frequently so the theme park could be kept clean.
Before Walt’s innovation, trashcans were uncovered mesh cans with holes in them. What this meant was that the trash inside was both visible and smelly. This didn’t exactly beckon for people to come hither, nor did it promote Disney’s vision of “the happiest place on earth”.
The old trashcans simply stunk.
Walt combated the immodest trashcans of his era with a revolutionary new design — a rectangularly shaped bin with a lid and two flaps. Not only did this new trashcan conceal the unsightly trash within, but it also cleverly trapped the smell. However, his vision did not end there.
Walt wanted to do more than merely change the design of a trashcan, he wanted to change the experience of throwing away trash and make it more accessible.
To do this, he would pick a starting point and begin walking while eating a hotdog. When he finished his hotdog about 30 steps in, he would place another trashcan. In this way, he imagined that parkgoers would always have a place to conveniently throw away trash.
Since then, Disneyland trashcans have become so iconic that the theme park sells salt and pepper shakers in the shape of trashcans. Disneyland even has a robot mascot by the name of Push the Talking Trash Can. This just goes to show how the power of design can turn something seemingly gross into a lovable attraction.
Hi Grace this is such a great example from the company in our backyard. Disney has long been known for valuing “user experience” prior before this term has gone popular. I think the trashcan example really reminds me of many innovative designs in this artifact, for instance, this basketball trash can (https://bullseyeoffice.com/products/basketball-themed-trash-can?variant=5588285816863) is a perfect example of how the throwing experience can be redesigned to be purposeful and playful. I know gamification is a loaded term nowadays but the “throwing” mechanic has been very popular in many game genres and I think often times, great game and art designers already know the recipe for good user experience design.