Attractions Experts Q&A: Bonnie Sinclair

By Kendall Wolf

Bonnie Sinclair co-owns The Costume Connection, a design and development company specializing in themed entertainment wardrobe and costumes that provide costume design, project management, budgeting, master planning, and financial administration. They also offer development for corporate identity and branding programs utilizing costume and uniform design.

What theme park souvenir might we be surprised to find on your shelf, and what’s its story?

I have the three Good Fairies (the large size, five or six inches tall), which are my favorite things. I had the little two-inch ceramic ones I bought at Disneyland when I was young. My mom had given me an allowance for the day, and I saved all my money and didn’t eat so I could buy the ceramic fairies. Sadly, they broke, so my husband got me these large-scale ones, and I love them.

I also have Tinkerbell artwork I carried home on the train from New York. When I found it, I knew I had to have it, and I carried that big picture all the way home (it was like 20×30). Everyone would laugh because I carried the biggest things on the train to Connecticut, where I lived for 20 years.

I have an original 101 Dalmatians poster, an original 101 Dalmatians vintage toy from when I first saw the movie (they sold little corduroy characters in the lobby), and an animatronic Dalmatian puppet from when they did the movie windows on Disneyland’s Main Street that was given to me by a prop master.

One of my other favorite things was also given to me by a prop master: a giant teddy bear [from a Disney parade float]. When the big parade float traveled down the freeway from the Tujunga Disney building to Disneyland with giant teddy bears sitting on swings, it stopped traffic – and made the news.

What theme park have you always wanted to visit but have never been to?

Tokyo DisneySea. My husband Scott was on the team of eight people that conceptualized it. Frank Wells even had his picture taken for their Annual Report with the model that Scott and his architect partner, James Wassell, built – and behind it was a rendering that Scott did.

Was there a theme park, ride, or attraction that made you want to be in this industry, and how did it inspire you?

It was really Disneyland. When I was young, my girlfriends and I went once a year to celebrate all our birthdays, and we had our rituals. We would always go on Pirates of the Caribbean (I was so enamored with the costumes on the characters and the animatronics) and the Haunted Mansion. I would go home and draw the period garments.

I actually saw “It’s a Small World” in New York in 1964 because that’s where I lived, which was really magical. Growing up in New York until I was 10, I went to Broadway and off-Broadway shows all the time, and those costumes really impressed me. So, costumes altogether (but especially period costumes) amazed me. I would draw them, and I would dress up myself – and I always made my own costumes for Halloween.

What was your favorite ride or attraction as a child, and why?

Probably Pirates of the Caribbean. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was loaded with visuals and intrigue and was very New Orleans. The whole ambiance as you go through it, and then you go down the falls, and it starts to feel cool and misty. And the lighting always amazed me. It was the magic of what they did.

Was there a ride, attraction, or character that frightened you as a child?

No. I just really took it all apart in my brain.

What was your oddest or coolest job in a theme park?

To me, working on Captain EO for Disneyland was the coolest. I had been working in film and television and was recommended to a costume designer by the name of Betty Madden.

I made friends with the director, Francis Ford Coppola, and the director of photography (DP). I would sit next to the DP and learned when the director would call the shots for what they wanted the cameraman to do, whether it was a closeup or far away shot, as to how tight I needed to get with the wardrobe. In other words, if it’s a closeup of Michael Jackson, I had better make sure his collar is right and buttoned. That was important to understand in film. Because Michael Jackson was a celebrity’s celebrity, George Lucas was there – and one day I was walking out of the stage and literally ran into Sophia Loren. It was a really great job.

I ended up being one of Michael Jackson’s dressers and became very close friends with him. I worked on his next five projects, including all the shows in Smooth Criminal.

What ride or attraction do you think everyone needs to experience and why?

That’s [The Wizarding World of Harry Potter] at Universal Studios. I really like the Florida park; it’s my favorite. They took attractions to the next level. The way the Hogwarts Express takes you from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley is very sophisticated and magical. Even as an adult, being in that environment is amazing. In Diagon Alley, with the wand you can use to make things move, it is so much fun! I love it!

One of the things I do as a costume designer is go to the parks and do “benchmarking,” so when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, we talked to employees and asked them, “Do you like your wardrobe? Are you comfortable?” They would tell us they were uncomfortable and couldn’t lift their arms to get merchandise off the shelves because the costumes were too tight. That’s always good information for costume designers because we do a lot of uniforms for attractions. I love the themed wardrobe – it’s just beautiful!

You’re a walk-around character for a day; who do you choose?

I have been there because I’ve done the Disney Way (the three-day program to train you to be a Disney employee). I participated because I worked for the Disney stores, making costumes for the mannequins.

I had to be a walk-around character [as part of the program], which was Minnie, because I’m small, but I’ve been in character costumes for a really long time, having built them for several companies since early in my career. I worked on two Disney Channel shows, Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo’s Circus in the early ’80s. But the Disney Way made everybody be a character and I did enjoy being Minnie.

What types of attractions would you like to see more of and why?

I think the Harry Potter attractions are so sophisticated and “loaded” (I use the term loaded because they are so visually exciting with so many layers and textures). Once Harry Potter came, they couldn’t go backward. Kids are sophisticated now because of video games and other entertainment. You can do Mario Brothers or Legoland because that’s a genre, but even young kids are advanced now. I’d like to see more sophisticated attractions.

One of the other things I always wanted to see was more adult theme park areas. They did that with California Adventure, where you can go to the wine bar and watch the fireworks show over the lagoon. I think catering to adults is great because we all work hard, so you can go and not think about your work and anxieties and have a fun day, enjoying yourself, digging into the fantasy, and using your imagination. I love that.

I’d also like to go to some of the places in Lord of the Rings – to me that would be really wonderful. But there are so many great stories out there. I also really like the whole Dreamworks Kung Fu Panda Land [at Universal Beijing Resort]. I would love to visit. My son did all the graphics and my husband designed it; it looks really fun and beautiful.

What challenges have you encountered in your career?

I had designed the costumes for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi before the pandemic (and also for two of the lands at Epic Universe), but during the pandemic, I had to learn to art direct on Zoom because the costume shop that built the entertainment costumes was in Hong Kong, so we learned to do that.

The funniest story about that was that once the pandemic was over, I went to IAAPA, and because I had a swimming mermaid in the show in Abu Dhabi, I did an underwater costume fitting. We shipped the costume from Hong Kong to SeaWorld in Orlando, and I was in Discovery Cove with the model while the manta rays and the fish were swimming around.

Can you talk about what you are working on these days?

Yes and no. We design unique uniforms as well as theme park costumes – as my partner Karen says, “We do from the practical to the theatrical” – so I can talk about the uniforms we did for Hudson Yards in New York. Many attractions like Hudson Yards want themed wardrobe, and that’s something in our wheelhouse. We’re also doing the uniforms for a themed restaurant in New York, a chocolate and champagne bar.

You are going to your favorite theme park or attraction; which industry people (dead or alive) are you taking with you?

I’d like to go to Disneyland with Walt Disney and tell him how much I enjoy the park.

Also, Mary Blair. She was one of my favorite artists. She designed “It’s a Small World” and was the concept designer for the animated features Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. I would enjoy going separately or as a group.

Writer Kendall Wolf is a long-time consultant in the themed entertainment industry. She has worked with designers, producers, and fabricators to help developers create unique and successful projects around the world. In 2017, she introduced Merlin Entertainments to a development group in Sichuan province for the first Legoland park in China. Kendall continues to consult for the developer to open more themed resorts in China.