Betsy (also known as the Bird in a Gilded Cage), as named as such by herself, is a character from the Disney Parks.
History[]
Background[]
The Bird in a Gilded Cage is a singing bird who performs with a singing fox during the attraction's third act singing the song "A Bird in a Gilded Cage", hence her namesake. She is seen in a golden-colored cage seen on the center of the stage, where the two perform their act. While singing, the stage opens to reveal a group of performers on stage singing "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" where the Bird in a Gilded Cage and the fox participate with them.
Development[]
The Bird in a Gilded Cage was created for the now-defunct America Sings attraction at Disneyland in California where she was seen during the attraction's third act, which opened on June 29, 1974. However, America Sings closed on April 10, 1988 in order to retheme the attraction to Innoventions. The Bird in a Gilded Cage and most of the animatronics were moved to Splash Mountain, which opened in the Critter Country area in 1989.
As of 2020, Splash Mountain has been announced for closure to retheme the attraction into a Princess and the Frog-themed attraction in order to remove all references to Song of the South due to controversy surrounding the film Song of the South which the attraction is themed after. Therefore, it is currently unknown what will replace the Bird in a Gilded Cage in the rethemed version of the attraction. The Disneyland version of Splash Mountain permanently closed on May 31, 2023.
Appearances[]
America Sings[]
The Bird in a Gilded Cage was seen in a golden-colored cage seen on the center of the stage where she sang with a fox who sang with her just as the two performed their act in a slow romantic tune together. Just as the two of them sang with each other, the stage opened to reveal a group of performers - the Geese Can-Can Dancers and Singing Storks, on stage singing "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" where the Bird in a Gilded Cage and the fox participated with them. The scene then looped into the attraction's final act "Modern Times".
Splash Mountain[]
Exclusive to the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain, Betsy appeared during the "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place" sequence. However, unlike in America Sings, there was no cage surrounding her in the attraction; instead, she was seen sitting under a mushroom while singing with the other critters during the sequence.
In the Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland version of the attraction, her vocals can be heard for a brief moment in the "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place" sequence in the mine and cavern, as guests would go down.