Disneyland has to be one of Walt Disney’s biggest legacies, second only to the cinematic empire that continues to expand as the years pass. Contemporary Disney owns a number of big franchises (i.e. Star Wars) and companies (i.e. Marvel and Pixar). The more movies are released, the more attractions are bound to fill the grounds of the world’s biggest theme park.
Since its initial opening on July 17th, 1955 in Anaheim, California, Disneyland has tripled in size and expanded beyond the American borders. This is how Europe got Disneyland Paris, previously known as the Euro-Disneyland. It’s every kid’s biggest dream, one that parents can easily get invested in too because Disneyland is timeless and ageless. So, without further ado, here are the 20 Most Interesting Facts About Disneyland.
#1. Visiting the park in 1955 only cost $1, according to PBS. Today’s Disneyland tickets are purchased for $99. Let’s not mention the fact that there are various types of tickets that you can acquire, like the popular Disneyland annual pass. But, still, $99? That’s nearly one hundred times more than the initial price!
#2. The original Disneyland California opened its gates with a total of 18 attractions. Today, the park has 51 attractions, which makes it almost impossible to visit them all in the span of a single cycle of Disneyland hours.
#3. A Disneyland PR declared that the park has welcomed over 700 million visitors since 2014 alone. Can you imagine how many people stepped through the gates and enjoyed the many Disneyland rides since its initial opening in 1955? I pity whoever needs to do those calculations.
#4. The Tomorrowland attraction features flora that is entirely edible. Does this have any actual practicality? Don’t eat the Tomorrowland flowers, people – just pack some lunch when leaving your Disneyland hotel or enjoy a meal at one of the cafes or restaurants in the resort.
#5. One of Disneyland’s greatest attractions is the Haunted Mansion, which also hides a nice, little Easter egg – a pet cemetery. Sorry, did I say “nice?” Don’t worry about it, though. There are no real pets buried in there. In fact, it’s mostly a humorous location curtsy of the funny writings on the gravestones.
#6. Since the opening of the first Disneyland resort, over 84 million Mickey Mouse ears have been sold. I assume they aren’t really cheap either, but that didn’t stop guests from purchasing them and turning them into Disneyland’s hottest souvenir.
#7. Disneyland is both a family and a business for a lifetime, it seems. Oscar Martinez is the park’s most faithful employee, working at the resort since 1956. The longest-serving cast member can be chatted up at the Carnation Café if you’re curious about him.
#8. How much do you reckon it took workers to build this phenomenal park? Surprisingly, not more than a year. Constructions went smoothly, so in roughly twelve months, the Anaheim resort was up and running.
#9. Walt Disney actually had an apartment on Main Street, right above the fire department. The flat is still there today and if you happen to pass by and notice a light flickering in the window, don’t worry – it’s not haunted. The light is meant to symbolize how Disney will always be present. That didn’t actually sound less terrifying, did it?
#10. The Disneyland monorail has been up and working since 1959. One of the most interesting facts about it, though, is that it was, at the time, the first daily operating Monorail of the Western hemisphere.
#11. In case you’re wondering how Disneyland deals with various rodents threatening the status quo of the park (probably not), the secret is cats. Allegedly, over two hundred feral cats roam the streets at night, helping to cleanse the resort of unwanted rodent guests.
#12. The famed Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was based on the Disneyland ride – we all know that by now. But did you know that the skeletons used for the attraction were actually human skeletons? Don’t fret, though; they were nicely handed over by the UCLA medical center.
#13. LA Weekly revealed that there is only one place in the whole park that serves alcohol. Disneyland’s Clubb 33 used to be the place where Walt Disney would host meetings with important people.
#14. In 1995, a time capsule was buried in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. It’s due to be opened 50 years following its burial, which is July 17th, 2045. This will mark the park’s 90th anniversary. Well, 2015 was the year of the Disneyland 60th anniversary, so there are only 30 more years to go!
#15. A man by the name of Thurl Ravenscroft was the voice behind Frosted Flake’s commercial’s Tony the Tiger, as well as the one who sang the infamous You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. He’s also the voice for many of the Disneyland attractions, including the monorail and the Haunted Mansion.
#16. Disneyland employees use the term “code V” as a means to communicate that someone has thrown up in the park. Yikes.
#17. Apparently, when waiting in line for the Star Tours ride, guests are able to hear an announcement which requests for a certain passenger referred to as “Mr. Egroeg Sacul.” That’s a blatant case of backwards spelling if I ever saw one. “George Lucas” spelled backwards, to be exact.
#18. Before reaching stardom, Steve Martin and Michelle Pfeiffer used to be Disneyland employees. Pfeiffer was allegedly playing the role of Alice in Wonderland’s Alice and Martin was some sort of magician.
#19. The book Things to Do at Disneyland 2013 revealed the fact that the façade of the building which houses the It’s A Small World ride is covered in actual gold leaves.
#20. Inside Disneyland’s Matterhorn is a basketball court. Don’t get too excited, though – it’s only for the park’s employees. Imagine how fun their breaks must be, right? Well-deserved too, especially after having to deal with a “code V” situation.
It’s been 60 years since Disneyland first opened its gates. With such a long history, it’s only natural for many secrets and interesting facts to exist. So, whether you’ve never been there or you’re preparing for a second trip to the park, these 20 Most Interesting Facts About Disneyland are a delight for anyone.
Leave a Reply