1964 World's Fair Florida Citrus Commission Souvenir Orange

Description:

This plastic orange is a souvenir from the Florida state pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Visitors to the pavilion’s “Florida Citrus Tower” and Minute Maid Company exhibit were invited to taste juices, see a live porpoise show, and watch the “Florida Citrus Water Ski Show.” The surface of the plastic orange is embossed with a porpoise shape and the message: “I’ve seen the fabulous Florida Porpoise Show, New York World’s Fair,” “The real thing - O.J. from Florida,” and “Compliments of the Florida Citrus Commission.”

The Florida Citrus Commission is a 12-member board, appointed by the Governor of Florida to oversee the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). The FDOC, a separate agency from the state’s Department of Agriculture, includes citrus growers, processors, and packers, and is responsible for the marketing, research, and regulation of the state’s citrus industry. In cooperation with the state government, the citrus industry helped promote Florida to tourists. While orange trees were not native to Florida, they—and the warm climate they depended on—became powerful symbols of the sunshine state.

In 1967, the Florida State Legislature declared "the juice obtained from mature oranges of the species Citrus sinensis and hybrids” as the official beverage of the State of Florida (Fla. Stat. 15.032). However, since the 1960s, citrus cultivation rapidly decreased as Florida's population increased and land was developed for other uses. Orange County, Florida, home of Disneyland and Orlando, for example, produced 95% less citrus in 1990 than in 1970.