It’s a Small World Clock

The “It’s a Small World” ride at Tokyo Disneyland was once sponsored by Sogo, one of Japan’s major department store chains. Due to this connection, a number of Sogo branches across Japan were adorned with a large clock containing replicas of the It’s a Small World dolls that would put on a show every hour, much like the original at Disney.

When the sponsorship was terminated in 2008, however, all of the mechanical clocks were put into disuse – that is, except for one location.

Fascinatingly, the only surviving “It’s a Small World” clock is found not in Japan, but in Taiwan. In Da’an District, Taipei, the whimsical clock continues to tick right above the entrance of the Zhongxiao branch of Far Eastern Sogo, complete with the unmistakable, iconic “Glockenspiel” face designed by Rolly Crump.

This particular clock was saved just in time in 2008 when the Taiwanese Sogo stepped in to sponsor Hong Kong Disneyland, and its logo can be seen at the bottom left today, replacing the Tokyo one. It may be nothing significant to those unaware of its history, but it is an unexpected piece of nostalgia for longtime Disney fans in Asia.