CINCINNATI -- It's a small world, after all.
Only one spinning Mad Hatter tea cup was installed for the Williams family for HGTV's "My Yard Goes Disney" makeover show.
But it's the only one in this neighborhood north of Cincinnati -- or the nation. It sits by an "It's A Small World" play area, Chip 'n' Dale playhouse and Alice in Wonderland clock garden and tea party set.
"It's amazing. You only see these things in Disneyland -- and it's in my backyard!" said Zuri Williams, 10.
"This is the perfect place to play. It's awesome," said her sister, Zoe, 7.
The girls saw their Disney-inspired yard in May as cameras captured their excitement. They also were thrilled to meet R. Brandon Johnson, the Disney Channel star ("Shake It Up") who will host the HGTV summer series premiering at 8 p.m. June 6. The Williams' "Small World" episode airs July 4.
The Williams family was one of six selected -- from more than 500 -- because of their love for all things Disney, said executive producer Jay Shatz, whose JayTV in nearby Covington, Ky., produces "Desperate Landscapes" for the DIY Network.
Until 2010, Maronica and Larry Williams had taken their daughters and both sets of grandparents on Christmas vacations to Disney World or Disneyland.
But they couldn't go in December because Larry had been unemployed for several months, and the couple faced big medical bills after the premature birth of their third child, Lawrence General, now 18 months old.
"We're able to create long-lasting memories, a real gift to people who had such hardships. There's no price tag for that," said Johnson, who also has appeared on "Hannah Montana" and hosted HGTV's "Get Out, Way Out" yard makeover show.
In two days, crews removed trees and an old wooden swing set. Then they installed mulch, flowers, shrubs and the one-of-a-kind Disney-inspired pieces made by Cincinnati companies.
The Mad Hatter tea cups are the girls' favorite Disney ride, said their father, an account executive for Quest Diagnostics since October.
"This is pretty amazing," said neighbor Melissa Prohaska, who watched the construction with her daughters this week from an upstairs bedroom.
Cincinnati firms also created a "Princess Dot Puddle Park" wet play area installed at another suburban Cincinnati home, and a miniature Magic Kingdom train ride, Animal King safari play set and "Pirates of the Caribbean" ship for Orland homes, Shatz said. "My Yard Goes Disney" debuts with the hand-operated train ride show.
Maronica Williams, a human resources officer, said the new play area more than made up for her daughters missing a few days at Disney World last year.
"This is Disney in my backyard every day," she said. "...I'm sure this will be the place where all the kids in the neighborhood come to play."
