Karen’s Disneyland Trivia Page

Main Street USA

  • The ornate base of the Town Square flag pole was discovered in 1955 on Wilshire Blvd. at the scene of a traffic accident - a car ran into a lamp post and the base was bought for $5.00.
  • The cannons in Town Square are actual cannons used by the French Army in the 19th Century.
  • The streets lamps on Main Street are 150 years old and were purchased in Baltimore for $.03 a pound.
  • Walt refused to allow sharp 90 degree corners on Main Street sidewalks. He felt they would be too rigid and threatening, and therefore all curbs have gentle, rounded corners.
  • The train engines were named after the founders of the Santa Fe Railroad: C.K. Holiday, E.P. Ripley, Ernest S. Marsh and Fred Gurley.
  • The engine of the first train in the park was a larger scale reproduction of Walt’s toy engine the “Lilly Belle”, named after his wife, Lillian.
  • Abe Lincoln’s speech in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” is actually a composite of various speeches delivered by the Great Emancipator.

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    Adventureland

  • Original plans for “The Jungle Cruise” called for real wild animals, but zoologists warned Walt that the animals would always be asleep during operating hours.
  • Jose the Macaw, star of the “Enchanted Tiki Room”, used to sit perched above the entrance to Adventureland greeting guests. But he was soon removed because he proved too popular and created crowd congestion at the entrance to Adventureland.
  • “The Jungle Cruise”, especially the boats, were inspired by the Humphrey Bogart/ Katharine Hepburn film, “The African Queen”.

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    New Orleans Square

  • Facial designs for the figures in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” were modeled after staff members at Walt Disney Imagineering.
  • The organ in the “Haunted Mansion” is the same one used in the movie “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.”
  • The two rides that are actually haunted according to many of the park's employees are "The Haunted Mansion" and "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"
  • In order to fit the attraction in the available space, the “Haunted Mansion” utilizes an elevator in the “stretching room” to lower guests to a tunnel which crosses underneath the railroad tracks.

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    Critter Country

  • The Indian Burial Ground on Tom Sawyer Island was originally located in the old Indian Village (present site of Critter Country).
  • The current site of “Splash Mountain” was formerly the den of a snoring, hibernating bear named Rufus.
  • Critter Country was formerly called Bear Country (1972-1988)

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    Frontierland

  • The pond along Big Thunder Trail still contains jumping fish left there from the Old Mine Train Attraction.
  • The steam engine on display in the queue of “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” was used in the movie “Hot Lead & Cold Feet.”
  • In the early years of the Park, the Rivers of America was stocked with catfish and fishing was allowed off the docks of “Tom Sawyer Island”.
  • The maiden voyage of the “Mark Twain” was made before opening day, during Walt’s wedding anniversary celebration.
  • The “Columbia Sailing Ship” was the first three-masted windjammer built in the United States in over one hundred years.
  • The water tower adjacent to the Frontierland Train Station is an actual, functioning water tower used for Disneyland’s authentic steam trains.
  • The first two keelboats at Disneyland, the Gullywhumper and the Bertha Mae, were the original boats used in the Disney film, “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.”

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    Fantasyland

  • Walt Disney’s family crest can be seen above the archway at the entrance to “Sleeping Beauty Castle.”
  • “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” was originally planned as a roller-coaster type attraction. Walt toned it down, feeling that adults would shy away from such a “wild” Wild Ride.
  • Fantasyland was totally remodeled and reconstructed in 1983, featuring new versions of favorite attractions.

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    Tomorrowland

  • In the early years of the “Submarine Voyage”, “real” mermaids could be found atop the coral reef in the lagoon.
  • The "Tron" sequence in the "PeopleMover" contains footage from the 1982 movie of the same name. The same sequences are used in "Horizons" in EPCOT Center.
  • Originally, the “Autopia Freeway” cars were supposed to teach young people how to drive safely. The young test drivers, however, reduced the original 36 cars to 6 by smashing into each other. Therefore, large bumpers were incorporated into the design of the cars.

    • General

  • Names of important Disneylanders can be found on the windows above Main Street, on crates floating in the river of “The Jungle Cruise”, on boxes on the “Mark Twain” dock and on kegs at “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.”.
  • Wild cats are allowed to roam the entire park, coming out only at night, to kill the rats which once infested much of the park.

    • . One of comedian Steve Martin’s first jobs was as a clerk in the old Merlin’s Magic Shop.
  • Disneyland greeted its one-millionth guest after only seven weeks of operation.

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    References:

  • “Disneyland - Your Official Souvenir Guide” circa 1992.
  • “Mouse Tales: A behind-the-ears look at DISNEYLAND”, David Koenig, Bonaventure Press
  • “Trivial Pursuit Featuring The Magic of Disney”, Selchow & Righter

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