For this week, I’d like to dive into the world of mythology and mystery surrounding Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Lots of rumors have surfaced over the years about both of these parks, some of which are true and some of which are not 100% true, but let’s go on this little journey together! This article won’t follow the usual story-like flow of past articles, so it’s going to look more like a BuzzFeed article than anything else. Enjoy, and Disney On!
Walt Disney is Frozen?
Although I have talked about Walt’s Frozen Head being my favorite Twitter account (don’t forget about their movie coming out in 2017), this myth is false. Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 from complications surrounding lung cancer. He was soon cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. He did not have a funeral service, as per his request. The first cryogenic freezing didn’t occur until the spring of 1967, well after his ashes were installed in the Disney Family mausoleum. Today, many members of the Disney family, including spouses and descendants, are buried there.
The Disney family mausoleum in Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean
This myth is partially true…. Sometimes, Johnny Depp does sneak into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and replace his Audio-Animatronics figure. He has also stood in for Cast Members dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow during the interactive pirates training activity outside of the attraction. In both cases, he plays the part as you would expect: perfectly. So if you are in Disney and think that you might’ve just seen the actual Captain Jack, you might be right!
The real Johnny Depp next to the animatronic version of his world-famous character
The Disney Dome
No, unfortunately, there is not a dome over Walt Disney World that controls the weather for the property. And even if there was, it wouldn’t be operated by cast members. While there are a number of Weather Team members that determined whether or not an attraction should stay open during bad weather, the idea of a climate-controlled dome is no true. There are some instances of environmental control within the parks, however: a number of insects are kept out through a natural pesticide around Disney’s property, and birds are deterred from perching on attraction buildings through speakers that emit a low frequency pitch. Seeing a regular-sized bird on an Eiffel tower built at 1/10th scale would make a pigeon look gigantic in comparison.
Government in Epcot, Courtesy of Morocco
Do all governments have to give money for Epcot’s international pavilions? No! But some still do. In the case of Morocco, King Hassan II sent money to finance the pavilion and workers to help with the construction of Islamic structures, including its many mosaics. Since so many of the buildings are religious structures, they do not light up during IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. One more fun fact: The Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios can be seen from the Morocco pavilion, and the portion of the tower that can be seen is designed to fit the Moroccan architecture.
One of the many beautiful mosaics in the Morocco pavilion
No Gum for You!
Gum isn’t sold in any of Disney’s candy stores or gift shops, because Disney employees don’t want to clean up gum stuck to attractions or benches. Other nifty things that involve gift shops: there are secret Disney security guards that chill out in gift shops dressed as regular park guests that keep an eye out for shoplifters…. so DON’T DO IT! And, no, there is not a gift shop at the end of every ride, but it’s a brilliant marketing strategy. Gift shops will almost always be themed directly to the ride that they are adjacent to, as in the case of Tatooine Traders next to Star Tours or Momento Mori across the way from the Haunted Mansion.
Trash, Trash, Who’s Got the Trash?
There are no dumpsters in Disney World. How do they move all that garbage out of the park? Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has a Swedish trash collection system that accumulates garbage at seven different underground locations around the park and then rockets them at 35 miles per hour to an industrial warehouse through a vacuum. The garbage is then compacted in the warehouse behind Splash Mountain. Large fans on top of the building blow the smell westward, away from the park, so no odors float into the park. And as for the garbage cans, you’re never farther than 27 feet away from one. Walt Disney would stand at the front gate in Disneyland and pass out small candies to people and wait to see how long they would walk before they threw the trash on the ground. The average distance of 27 feet made Walt place garbage cans no farther than 27 feet from any place you are standing. When we went to Disney in April 2014 with my marching band, I told my friends about this and they didn’t believe me, so I asked them to turn around in a circle and count the garbage cans. Eight. Eight garbage cans in the immediate area.
One more garbage fun fact (who knew you could talk so much about trash?) This is PUSH, the talking trash can. He resides in Tomorrowland and has a cousin recycling container in Animal Kingdom. He’s hard to find, but he’ll beg you to put garbage in him when you do.
Hall of Presidents… and other nifty historical items
So you’ve all seen the Hall of Presidents, or at least heard of it, and there’s a lot of interesting information surrounding this particular patriotic pageant. The Presidential Seal carpet in the attraction is only one of three in existence; the other two are in the Oval Office and in the hall containing the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. This installment was only permitted through an Act of Congress.
The Presidential Seal in the rotunda of the Hall of Presidents
Liberty Square, the area surrounding the Hall of Presidents, pays homage to our colonial past in a number of ways as well. The two lanterns hanging in the window near the Hall of Presidents reference the Longfellow poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.” The brownish path that winds throughout the streets is representative of raw sewage that used to openly flow in colonial streets before indoor plumbing (kinda gross, not going to lie about that). And the shutters hanging next to windows are intentionally set at a slanted angle; during colonial times, metal braces were a rare commodity, so leather straps were used to hold shutters, which eventually stretched over time. Although Disney World’s brackets are metal, they are slanted for historical accuracy.
An example of the crooked shutters in Liberty Square
Let’s Go Clubbin’… in New Orleans Square
Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, the last land built under Walt’s supervision, houses the infamous Club 33. The club’s name has some speculation as to its origin: some believe it is simply from the address of 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square, while others believe it was in honor of the 33 sponsors of the park’s various attractions from 1966-67 when the club was being built. The waiting list for new membership is currently 14 years long and individual new members must pay an initiation fee of $27,000 with $12,000 in annual dues. More on this next week…..
The entrance to Club 33 (note the 33 next to the doorway), tucked away in secrecy
Whew, Clubbing Was Fun! How about some basketball?
Where do you go to play basketball in Disneyland? The hotel? A recreation center? How about the Matterhorn mountain? The 1959 attraction features a half-sized basketball court used as a break room for cast members that would dress as mountain climbers and scale the side of the mountain. The court is still in operation today in its original purpose.
The Matterhorn Mountain….
…and its basketball court. Not much to look at, but you have to admit, that’s pretty cool.
What a Fun Day! Let’s Go Relax… in Walt’s Apartment
Yes, it is true! Walt Disney had an apartment built over the fire station on Main Street so he could watch the hustle and bustle of the park in comfort. The apartment was decorated in patriotic colors to fit the firehouse theme and even featured a bathroom, vanity, and kitchenette. Walt insisted on no photographs of his family in the apartment, until National Geographic was granted permission for a 1963 edition of their magazine.
The only picture of Walt Disney in his apartment, from a 1963 publication of National Geographic Magazine
M-I-C… I see you!
And to round out our tales of folklore and legend, let’s visit an old favorite: Hidden Mickeys! Yes, Hidden Mickeys are indeed a real thing and are whimsically incorporated into several designs of attractions, signs, restaurants, walkways, decorations, and a number of other things within the Disney property. Sometimes they can be seen as a silhouette of the famous mouse, other times as three separate circles or spheres connected in such a way that resembles his general head shape. This is a popular game among repeat visitors, and there are in fact entire books written on the subject of hunting down these shapes.
It is rare, though possible, to see a Hidden Mickey in full Mickey form, complete with a full body and facial details. Other famous hidden characters include Donald Duck, along with Mickey, in the waiting queue for the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland and R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Raiders of the Lost Ark section of The Great Movie Ride in WDW’s Hollywood Studios.
Examples of Hidden Mickeys throughout Walt Disney World. Next time you go, try to find some!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of some interesting tidbits and facts throughout Disney history and culture. Next week, we will further explore the legendary Club 33, something I think you’ll all be interested to discover!
Sean Saltzgaber says
I absolutely love the fact that the portion of the Tower of Terror that is seen from the Morocco Pavilion actually fits in with the architecture of the area. To me, that’s the details and thought that go into an attraction that really makes something stand out at a better grade than the rest.
Ryan Hannon says
Loved this post. I didn’t know about majority of these, and I especially liked the Johnny Depp one, the Morocco one, and the trashcan one. It’s cool to think of all the thought that went into Disneyland and Disney World. Can’t wait to see what you do next week!
Jack Shean says
Walt Disney isn’t frozen?! Where did this rumor originate and why do so many people (myself included) not know the truth? Also the trash management system at Disney sounds very neat. If only major American cities were that clean. Great blog! I am always amazed by the fun and intricate designs of Disney Parks!
Lexie says
Low key taking credit for the idea to do this post