Here's one of two dioramas I entered in the 2004 National Barbie Convention competition.  This entry was placed in the category 'Family Vacation.'  I entered a scene in front of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom.  The entry earned first prize.

The backdrop was constructed from a school science board which was a tri-fold design.  The ground was constructed from a thick piece of foam core board.  I actually went to the Magic Kingdom laid on the ground in front of Cinderella Castle and took the photo. I was fortunate that it was a great day in terms of weather.  I took the digital image to a local photo store that printed the photo in a 60 inch photo, which I sprayed with adhesive and affixed it to the foam core background.

The fenced area coordinated with the photo backdrop.  I spray painted a readymade wooden fence with black glossy paint.  I sprayed adhesive to the foam core board and sectioned off an area that I glued green ground cover intended for model trains. I found small artificial flowers and plants that I inserted into the foam core ground to give the illusion of actual landscaping that coordinated with the photo.  The darker area beyond the fence was sprayed with black and grey fleckstone paint to give the illusion of asphalt. I sprayed the bottom of the doll stands in order to blend them with the ground cover.

Doll placement was important to add to the realism of the setting.  I used a Hunchback of Notre Dame Phoebus doll body with a Ken head in order to have a dad able to kneel down to take a photo.  His arms were articulated enough to hold a camera in his hands.  Snow White is posing with Kelly and Tommy.  Kelly is holding a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal, while Tommy is holding a mylar balloon.  The mylar ballon was constructed from two round pieces of a actual mylar balloon that had long since deflated. I inserted a cotton ball to give it volume and added a Disney sticker to the front and back of the balloon.

See more Disney details NEXT.