113 Mind-Blowing Disneyland Facts That Will Make You See Disneyland Differently

1. When Disneyland opened in 1955, the cost of admission was $1 (which is $11 adjusted for inflation in 2022).

2. Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because he had made “that disgusting movie Psycho”.

3. An Orange County man named Jeff Reitz went to Disneyland every day for over 8 years, 2,995 consecutive days, and only stopped because of COVID-19 on March 14, 2020.

4. Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise is now a self-sustaining ecosystem and requires very little landscaping.

5. Kim Jong-un’s Older brother lost his favour to succeed because he was caught attempting to use a fake passport to go to Japan’s Tokyo Disneyland.

6. Upon being told he couldn’t go to Disneyland due to security concerns, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev went berserk. He said afterwards, “Is there an epidemic of cholera there or something? Or have gangsters taken hold of the place that can destroy me?” Khrushchev left LA the next morning.

7. Until the late ’60s, Disneyland banned male guests who had long hair.

8. Disneyland is home to dozens of feral cats that Disney captured, spayed and neutered, then rereleased to control the rodent population.

9. Doritos were invented at Disneyland to help curb the costs of leftover tortillas. Doritos were originally Disneyland trash. In the early days of Disneyland, a restaurant named Casa de Fritos invented Doritos by repurposing stale tortillas they bought from a local vendor. The chips proved to be so popular they were eventually rolled out nationally by Frito-Lay in 1966.

10. It’s forbidden to fly over Disneyland and you will be intercepted by fighter jets, just like near the White House Airspace.

11. One of the reasons why Walt Disney decided to build Disney World in the eastern US is because only 5% of Disneyland’s visitors came from east of the Mississippi River.

12. Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride used real human skeletons for display. When the engineers couldn’t recreate skeletons, they asked the cadaver lab at UCLA for some.

13. California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disneyworld have a chronic issue of people spreading the ashes of their loved ones on rides. It happens at least once a month, and rides have to be shut so they can be cleaned.

14. The first guest to enter Disneyland was college student Dave MacPherson. He didn’t ride a single attraction because he had to get back to school. He was awarded a lifelong ticket to Disneyland (with up to 3 guests). The ticket has since been extended to include Disney parks around the world.

15. Until 2001 workers at Disneyland had to wear “communal underwear” while in character because normal undies would bunch up and become visible. After several outbreaks of pubic lice, the performers got the Teamsters Union involved and Disney finally agreed to employees wearing their underpants.

16. When Disneyland opened, visitors had the option of arriving by highway or skyway (helicopter). However in 1968, 12 years after Disneyland opened, the skyway ended after a crash took the lives of 23 people (20 passengers and 3 crew members), the worst civilian helicopter crash in U.S. history.

17. The Tiki Room at Disneyland was originally intended to be a restaurant and was also the first fully air-conditioned building at Disneyland.

18. Disneyland used to have a “land” called Holidayland. It opened in 1957 but was so unsuccessful that it closed less than five years later. It has since been replaced by New Orleans Square, home of Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.

19. Famous actor Gary Sinise took over 1,000 children of fallen soldiers to Disneyland, free of charge.

20. On July 17, 1955, within a week of Disneyland opening, an operator error resulted in the caboose of the Disneyland Railroad crashing and derailing. During the ensuing commotion, the brakeman at fault “quietly left the scene of the accident, exited the park, and was not seen again”.

21. On Disneyland’s opening day in 1955, an invitation-only crowd of 15,000 was expected, but thanks to counterfeit tickets, 28,154 entered the gates. A few more even scaled a fence, using a ladder erected by an entrepreneur who charged $5 a head. On the Santa Ana Freeway, there was a 7-mile backup

22. In 2001, Disneyland tried to re-theme its ageing “Submarine Voyage” attraction around Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but the movie flopped. They tried again with Treasure Planet, but that was a flop too. They finally succeeded with Finding Nemo in 2005.

23. When Disneyland Anaheim opened, the pavement was so fresh that high heels sunk into it and got stuck.

24. There was almost a Disneyland for Slavery in Virginia where Disney wanted to “make you feel what it was like to be a slave, and what it was like to escape through the Underground Railroad.” This did not go over well.

25. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened at Disneyland in 1967 and the movies are based on the ride.

26. John Stamos has a lifetime pass to Disneyland. Also, they give away lifetime passes to Disneyland.

27. A restaurant manager at Disneyland Paris killed himself in 2010 and scratched a message on a wall saying “Je ne veux pas retourner chez Mickey” which translates to “I don’t want to work for Mickey any more.”

28. Disneyland had to close the “It’s a Small World” ride for several months in 2007 for renovations because people were too fat for the ride and the boats were regularly getting stuck

29. There’s an abandoned island in Disneyland.

30. In 1973, two brothers, an 18-year-old and a 10-year-old stayed in Tom Sawyer’s River at Disneyland past closing time. When they tried to swim to leave, the older brother carried his younger brother, who didn’t know how to swim, on his back and drowned. The younger survived.

31. When Princess Diana went to Disneyland she made her sons Harry and William wait in line just like everyone else.

32. In 1963, Alweg (known for Disneyland’s Monorail) offered to fund/build a monorail transit system throughout Los Angeles County at no cost to county taxpayers. Instead, L.A. County authorities killed off the project due to being pressured by Standard Oil of California and General Motors.

33. Walt Disney negotiated the rights to build a nuclear reactor in 1967, after hiring a German physicist, Heinz Haber, to lay the groundwork for research into nuclear energy, which would be used to power Disneyland.

34. There is a secret, invite-only, club inside Disneyland called Club 33. Club 33, is a super exclusive club at Disneyland that has a 5+ year waiting list and a price tag of $40k to join plus $12k annually.

35. Walt Disney had a secret apartment built in Disneyland so he could watch the crowds in his theme park.

36. Disneyland had an Aunt Jemima restaurant with an Aunt Jemima character.

37. Disney’s Fireworks use pneumatic launch technology, developed for Disneyland as required by CA’s South Coast AQMD. This uses compressed air instead of gunpowder to launch shells into the air. This eliminates the trail of the igniting firework and permits tight control over height and timing.

38. Disneyland does not sell chewing gum because Walt Disney did not want guests inconvenienced by stepping on gum purchased in the park.

39. Before Walt Disney opened Disneyland he ran out of cash and was unable to remove all the weeds & finish the landscaping. So he wrote the Latin names of the weeds on little signs giving them them the appearance they belonged.

40. Tokyo Disney is not owned or operated by The Walt Disney Company in any way but merely licenses Disney’s intellectual property.

41. When President Harry S. Truman visited Disneyland in 1957, he refused to come aboard the popular Dumbo attraction. Truman, a Democrat, didn’t want to be seen riding in the symbol of the Republican Party.

42. Employees of Disney World and Disneyland were prohibited from having moustaches, beards and goatees for nearly 50 years until the ban was lifted in 2012. Soul patches are still banned.

43. All of Disneyland’s one million plants are taken care of by a troupe of nocturnal gardeners.

44. There’s an annual festival for goths at Disneyland. It’s called “Bats Day at the Fun Park”.

45. Stanford University’s Band has been banned from several campuses and even Disneyland. Some of their offences include mocking a case of a missing girl at Southern Cal during halftime and playing outside OJ Simpson’s trial.

46. Disneyland used to issue company jockstraps to male employees. Wearing your underwear was not permitted.

47. Wernher von Braun and Walt Disney collaborated on three 50s ‘space-related’ television films, and Disney eager to promote Disneyland.

48. Walt Disney fired the General Manager of Disneyland during its design and construction. The disagreement was so severe that C. V. Wood’s name has been completely removed from all official Park history.

49. There hasn’t been a single reported kidnapping at Disneyland.

50. A Disneyland guest attempted to pull the entire “Excalibur” sword from the stone (displayed in front of the “King Arthur Carousel”) when his friend said he’d win a prize if he pulled it out. The man succeeded in breaking off the top portion of the sword.

51. People scatter their beloved’s ashes at Disneyland so much, that Disney has a specific code for it. When they catch someone doing it on a ride, they close the ride for clean-up, tell everyone in line there are “technical difficulties” and give them all ‘Fast Passes’ for all the other rides.

52. Disney/Disneyland formulated 2 specific colours (Go Away Green and Blending Blue) to help “erase” backstage buildings and camouflage parts of the park that are under construction.

53. In 1981, Disneyland was sued by the family of a nine-year-old girl, claiming that a performer in a Winnie the Pooh suit had hit her in the face, causing brain damage. The performer defended himself in court by wearing the costume and demonstrating that he was unable to hit anyone.

54. Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle served as an inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.

55. Despite being on opposite ends of the country, Disneyland and Disneyworld are both located in Orange County.

56. When it opened in 1955, Disneyland featured an educational attraction themed around the history of women’s underwear, sponsored by the Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Company. It even featured its animatronic mascot, the Wonderful Wizard of Bras.

57. Thomas Kincaid, who described himself as a born-again Christian and painter of a “morally superior art,” pissed in public on a Winnie the Pooh figure at the Disneyland Hotel while saying, “This one’s for you, Walt.” He died from overdosing on alcohol and valium in 2012.

58. Disneyland has a dress code. Unsure what to wear, just ask yourself, “Will this outfit spoil someone’s Disney magic?”

59. For their California Adventure expansion, Disneyland planned a ride themed as a thrilling limo drive evading paparazzi. The experience had to be completely redesigned in the wake of Princess Diana’s death, and the final product was closed after less than a year.

60. In the ’60s, Disneyland had women dressed as mermaids sunning themselves and performing synchronized swimming in the lagoon of the Submarine Voyage. Male guests would sometimes jump into the lagoon to try to talk to them.

61. Emperor Hirohito of Japan was a huge fan of Mickey Mouse. He was given a Mickey Mouse watch as a gift during his special tour of Disneyland in 1975. For years, even on formal occasions, His Majesty was observed wearing the watch.

62. “Pleasure Island” a 100-acre amusement park billed as “Disneyland called operated from 1959-1969 in Wakefield, MA.

63. The music that plays during Disneyland’s “Space Mountain” ride (from 1996 to 2003) is not original. It’s a rock remix of a movement from the 1886 orchestral composition, “Carnival of the Animals” (Aquarium movement).

64. There is a huge system of tunnels running underneath Disneyland.

65. In 1956 a family made a home movie at Disneyland, and they happened to film an 11-year-old Steve Martin, working his first job. The footage was turned into a short (now on the National Film Registry), technically making it Steve Martin’s first film appearance — 16 years before his first role.

66. That Disneyland Used Real Human Bones to Decorate the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride.

67. Doritos were originally unflavored (plain) when they were invented at Disneyland in the 1960s and their name is Spanish for “little golden things”.

68. The French philosopher Jean Baudrillard (who wrote about the nature of reality and the hyperreality) has called Disneyland the most real place in the U.S., “because it is not pretending to be anything more than it is, a theme park”.

69. In 2013, Escape from Tomorrow was covertly filmed on location at Disneyland and Walt Disney World without Disney’s permission or knowledge, keeping their scripts on their iPhones and shooting on handheld video cameras similar to those used by park visitors.

70. Until the late 1960s, men with long hair were prohibited from entering Disneyland because it did not meet the standards of Disney’s unwritten dress code. Employees were also prohibited from having any facial hair because visitors would associate it with un-American activities.

71. A woman attempted to sue Disneyland for claimed humiliation and the gain of 50 pounds among other things, claiming she was fondled by one of the Three Little Pigs in “It’s a Small World” charges were dropped when it was brought up that the costume had stiff, inoperable arms.

72. There is a basketball court in Disneyland’s Matterhorn. The small half-court is in an attic-like room at the top of the mountain. This room is used as a resting and preparation area for costumed climbers who scale the mountain.. In their downtime, they shoot some hoops!

73. In 1997, Disney offered to purchase Knott’s Berry Farm, which would have been part of the Disneyland Resort and converted to Disney’s America, originally meant to be built near D.C. The Knotts refused to sell the park to Disney out of fear most of what Walter Knott had built would be eliminated.

74. Disney is said to spend $10.68 billion every single year to keep their parks open and functional. If you were to split that evenly, each park would cost roughly $3.25 million per day to stay open.

75. You will never see a bin being emptied in Disneyland because of a series of hidden tunnels.

76. Disney never sought legal action against Escape From Tomorrow (a movie shot illegally inside Disneyland featuring among other things Disney princesses as prostitutes) in order to avoid giving it extra publicity. The movie ended up only making $171,962 theatrically.

77. Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt got thrown out of Disneyland in 1984 because their bandanas were considered “gang wear”.

78. Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland was once home to the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour, an attraction involving encounters with classic Disney villains. This featured a finale with The Horned King from The Black Cauldron, making it one of the only uses of that movie in Disney Parks.

79. Richard Nixon and his family were the first guests to ride the monorail at Disneyland.

80. Disneyland has a robot named Push the Talking Trash Can.

81. In 1966, water was flown to Disneyland from seas around the world to pour into the “It’s a Small World” ride as a way to signify union and peace in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

82. Jenna Jameson Worked At Disneyland Before Starting Her Porn Career.

83. Disney pioneered the switchback queue/line system to keep crowds from blocking attractions at the worlds fair. It became ubiquitous after they began using it at Disneyland.

84. You can hear and sometimes see Disney Land’s fireworks from over 20 miles away, like Irvine or Orange County.

85. McDonalds head Ray Kroc wrote Walt Disney a letter regarding the possibility of opening a McDonalds’ in his new Disneyland.Disney sent a cordial reply and forwarded the proposal to a concessions executive. McDonalds’ was declined while other foodstands such as Welch’s, and Aunt Jemima’s opened.

86. West Edmonton Mall attracts more than 30 million visitors a year, twice as many as Disneyland. The facility, which has more than 800 stores and services, employs almost 24,000 people, and is still the largest mall in North America.

87. The Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park in China is called “Fake Disney” due to the broad use of unauthorized Disney and Dreamworks characters. It’s slogan is “Disneyland is too far to go, please come to Shijingshan!”

88. At the end of Disneyland’s “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride”, passengers are taken to a tongue in cheek depiction of Hell. There is no explanation as to why this final scene was included in the ride.

89. The Disneyland ride Splash Mountain is based on the characters, stories, and songs from the 1946 Disney film Song of the South.

90. Disney owns an enormous amount of land in Florida (Nearly 40 Square Miles). All of Disneyland could fit in the Magic Kingdom parking lot.

91. 9 people have been killed at Disneyland.

92. The singing voices of Homer, Apu, Barney, and Skinner in The Simpsons episode “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” were provided by Disneyland’s The Dapper Dans.

93. Steve Martin’s first job was at Disneyland. He frequented the Main Street Magic shop and demonstrated tricks to potential customers. He was captured in the background of a home movie that was made into the short film Disneyland Dream, incidentally becoming his first film appearance.

94. Walt Disney was inspired by Copenhagens Tivoli when he built Disneyland.

95. Disney parks allow people with wheelchairs to cut in line with 6 guests, which led to the formation of a black market where the rich could hire disabled tour guides.

96. Two guys wore hi-vis vests to get into places like the zoo and Disneyland for free.

97. Harper Goff designed much of the original Disneyland, sets for classic films (Casablanca, Captain Blood, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), and the submarines in Fantastic Voyage and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Captain Nemo’s baroque Nautilus helped inspire the Steampunk movement.

98. Disney makes twice as much money from their theme parks than what they make from their actual movies.

99. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion used to have a cast member dressed as a Knight who jumped out at guests.

100. Julie Andrews initially refused the role of Mary Poppins because she was pregnant. Walt Disney however insisted that she played the nanny, saying, “We’ll wait for you”.

101. There is a cologne that is specifically designed to make you smell like the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland.

102. In 1970, about 200 members of the Youth International Party, AKA Yippies, invaded and occupied Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer Island and had to be removed by riot police, causing the 2nd of only 4 unscheduled closings in Disneyland history.

103. ABC-Walt Disney Company merger in 1995 required family shows to feature Disney World or Disneyland. Boys Meets World, Step by Step, Full House, and Family Matters all had at least one Disney Park episode.

104. There are more than 90 gang-like social clubs that have an abiding love for Disneyland and roam the park multiple times a week.

105. Steve Martin’s Rope Tricks in the “3 Amigos” Were a Skill He Picked Up While Working at Disneyland in His Younger Days.

106. Disney World’s employees managed to efficiently evacuate everyone on the morning of 9/11 without causing a stampede.

107. Walt Disney was never accused of infidelity. When he heard some Disneyland construction workers were having a “wild time at nights” away from family, he remarked “I can’t understand that…it’s like women were their hobby. This is my hobby”, as he gestured towards Disneyland.

108. Monsanto’s House of the Future in Disneyland was so sturdy that when demolition crews failed to demolish the house using wrecking balls, torches, chainsaws and jackhammers, the building was ultimately demolished by using choker chains to crush it into smaller parts.

109. Saddam Hussein rebuilt Babylon as a Disneyland-esque shrine to his ego.

110. Disneyland cast members are required to always point with at least two fingers.

111. There’s a tiny Leprechaun house next to the Indiana Jones Ride at Disneyland.

112. If you share the same first name as an employee while working at Disneyland, if you’re called John, someone else can’t be called John B. for example. You must change it to something else because Disneyland doesn’t want any duplicate names.

113. Disney isn’t legally allowed to develop Marvel attractions based on X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers, and their “families” on its East Coast theme parks, nor use the Marvel name in both of its West/East Coast parks due to the 1994 contract Marvel signed with Universal Studios.