Madame Vidalia Onionski Zarkov is a Disney Parks character who is the apparent head of the Museum of the Weird.
Description[]
Background[]
During the latter end of the 19th century, Vidalia Onionski Zarkov was member of the arcane institute known as the Museum of the Weird. Through this she developed associations with the Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its then head, Jason Chandler.
By the 1880s, Jason came into contact with Zarkov to ask for assistance upon learning from fellow Society-member Barnabus T. Bullion (owner of the Big Thunder Mining Company) of strange occurrences happening at Big Thunder Mountain. Due to the ghosts and Spirit of Big Thunder Mountain, Zarkov urged Chandler to instruct Bullion to abandon Big Thunder Mountain.
By the 1930s, Zarkov would attend the S.E.A.-affiliated Adventurer's Club of Pleasure Island, Florida. Notably, Zarkov would attend the New Year's Eve Party of S.E.A. member Merriweather Adam Pleasure in 1937 although she was considerably elusive at said events.
History[]
Zarkov was created to be a live-performed character at the now defunct Walt Disney World restaurant, The Adventurer's Club. Said club partially inspired the creation of the S.E.A. mega-theme found throughout the Disney Parks with allusions to it being fairly common. Zarkov is identified as being the head of the Museum of the Weird is a reference to the never built Disneyland attraction of the same name which was planned as a sister-attraction to the Haunted Mansion by imagineer Rolly Crump.
Appearances[]
The Adventurer's Club[]
Zarkov initially would appear as a recurring live-performed character in this attraction, making inconsistent appearances.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad[]
A letter addressed to Barnabus T. Bullion from Jason Chandler mentions Zarkov by name as being the head of the Museum of the Weird and urging Bullion to abandon his operations.
Trivia[]
Marc Davis' "Madame Z"
- Zarkov's position as head of the Museum of the Weird could likely be an allusion to Madame Z, an unused character who would come to evolve into Madame Leota.
- Rolly Crump's Museum of the Weird often featured Romani fortune-tellers