Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
A hilarious race through the streets of Old London Town, inspired by the adventures of Mr. Toad from the story, Wind in the Willows.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Photos:
I Found Secret Book Reserved For One Guest Per Day
Dateline: September 25, 2023
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
There are two kinds of Disneyland fans: the ones who ride some rides, have some fun and go home, and the ones who go so often that they 're looking for something more. Some of those people get obsessive about collecting merch or sampling every new food item. Some of those people dig deep into obscure historical tidbits about the park. And some of them push
Opening Day Attractions You Can Still Enjoy At Disney
Dateline: September 1, 2023
Status: Current
Source: disneydining.com
Opening on July 17, 1955, Disneyland Park changed the world.
Over the past few decades since then, it has undergone multiple changes, including the addition of adjacent hotels, Downtown Disney, and Disney California Adventure Park. But let 's explore the attractions that were there from the very beginning.
The Mad Tea Party
Several Classic Rides To Temporarily Close
Dateline: April 25, 2023
Status: Current
Source: ktla.com
Guests visiting the Disneyland Resort in June won 't be able to enjoy several classic rides due to scheduled refurbishments.
Beginning on June 5, Peter Pan 's Flight, Mr. Toad 's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel 's Undersea Adventure will be closed. The resort hasn 't provided a specific reopening date for the rides.
Attractions That Typically Do Not Have Long Lines
Dateline: April 22, 2023
Status: Current
Source: ktla.com
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are filled with various attractions, restaurants and retail shops that make for a magical visit, at least for the part of the visit where you aren 't in line.
For Disneyland Resort fans and first-time visitors who want to enjoy the park more and spend less time standing in line, here are some attractions and
These Are The Best Rides
Dateline: February 10, 2023
Status: Current
Source: thepointsguy.com
While there are two main Disney theme park resort complexes in the U.S., they are not duplicates of each other.
In fact, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort are distinctly different with their own set of hotels, restaurants and attractions. Even when Disney rides and attractions share the same name at multiple parks, they are often very
Along With Splash Mountain Another Longtime Attraction Is Getting A Retheme
Dateline: April 18, 2022
Status: Current
Source: cinemablend.com
Disneyland and Disney World are constantly making changes to the parks, and when those changes happen, sometimes that means a re-theme is on the way. For example, Splash Mountain will be re-themed to a Princess and The Frog ride coming up and now another longtime attraction is set to get its own re-theme. That attraction would be none other than Tarzan 's Treehouse.
Disney Announces Splash Mountain Will Soon Reopen After Refurbishment Closure
Dateline: January 27, 2022
Status: Current
Source: insidethemagic.net
Pirates of the Caribbean, “it 's a small world,” Matterhorn Bobsleds, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones Adventure, Peter Pan 's Flight, Buzz Lightyear 's Astro Blasters, Roger Rabbit 's Toon Spin, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Astro Orbiter, Disneyland Railroad, Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Millennium
Secret Way To Make This Ride Even More Terrifying
Dateline: January 5, 2022
Status: Current
Source: insidethemagic.net
While Walt Disney World is a huge Resort featuring tons of attractions within its four Parks, many Guests prefer the iconic Disneyland when on going on vacation. Something about Disneyland is so magical and so, well, “Disney”. From classic rides like Mr. Toad 's Wild Ride, Space Mountain , and Peter Pan 's Flight to the original Sleeping Beauty Castle at the end of Main
Does It Pass The Smell Test Rides Ranked By Their Scents
Dateline: December 31, 2021
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
In an era when social media has made everyone with an annual pass a theme park influencer, it seems like we 've got rankings of every Disneyland ride, wait time, snack, souvenir and entertainment offering. But no one is talking about one of the most crucial elements to the park experience: the smell. Walt Disney himself knew that scents were important to forming positive
Is It Possible To Escape This Disney Ride During A Breakdown
Dateline: December 21, 2021
Status: Current
Source: insidethemagic.net
You may need to come up for air at some point.
Disneyland is home to some of the most iconic and classic Disney attractions like Splash Mountain, Mr. Toad 's Wild Ride, and Space Mountain. But one ride tends to get overlooked sometimes when discussing classic Disney rides. Disneyland 's Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is an amazing attraction that takes Guests
11 Attractions From Opening Day
Dateline: July 11, 2021
Status: Current
Source: mentalfloss.com
When Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, it wasn 't an immediate success. The park experienced numerous setbacks, including counterfeit tickets, concession shortages, and malfunctioning rides. But it also featured many rides and attractions that are considered classic parts of the Wonderful World of Disney today. Here are 11 attractions guests got
How Disneyland Made Snow White Ride Less Scary And More Happily Ever After
Dateline: April 27, 2021
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
Walt Disney Imagineering 's Dave Caranci remembers feeling a mix of trepidation and excitement about riding the Snow White dark ride in Fantasyland for the first time as a 5-year-old visiting Disneyland with his family.
“The first time I rode it was in the early ‘70s and it scared me to death,” said Caranci, Imagineering 's manager of creative development.
A Mane Attraction Trots Out A Fresh Look
Dateline: April 19, 2021
Status: Current
Source: nbclosangeles.com
The heart of Disneyland park? Just about every guest would name something that means a lot, in their own mind, whether it is a particular ride, or memory, or cast member, or experience.
But there's neigh, er, no way to deny what's at the physical, easy-to-see heart of Fantasyland: It's the King Arthur Carrousel, one of the first attractions to debut
How 50 Attractions Could Change When The Parks Reopen
Dateline: August 1, 2020
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
Virtually every Disneyland ride and attraction will change in some way to accommodate the new normal of COVID-19 health and safety protocols when the Anaheim theme parks reopen following an extended coronavirus closure.
Visitors returning to Disneyland will find social distancing measures stretching from attraction queues to the rides themselves with
10 Major Rides In Disneyland That Are Not At Disney World
Dateline: March 21, 2020
Status: Current
Source: screenrant.com
When it comes to the American Disney Parks, it's a regular Battle Royale between the east coast and the west coast. On the one hand, Disneyland is Walt's original park. On the other, you have a bigger, better, and brighter version of the California classic. In our humble opinion, it all comes down to a matter of attraction.
Walt Disney World in Orlando
45 Surprising Secrets About Disneyland
Dateline: January 15, 2020
Status: Current
Source: Eonline.com
It's been 45 years since Disney Parks first took intrepid thrill seekers into the darkest corners of outer space.
We're talking, of course, about Space Mountain.
And while it's true that the iconic indoor roller coaster opened first at Walt Disney World in Florida on January 15, 1975, did you know that it was first dreamed up, at the
Refurbishing Snow Whites Scary Adventures
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Dateline: November 28, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: coaster101.com
Disneyland officially announced that they are refurbishing one of their classic dark rides next year, Snow White 's Scary Adventures. The Disney Parks blog announced that Disneyland plans to update the ride “with new magic inside and out in 2020.”
Snow White 's Scary Adventures will still have familiar elements when updated, but will implement new effects,
Snow Whites Scary Adventures Dark Ride A Major Facelift In 2020
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Dateline: November 8, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Snow White 's Scary Adventures is about to become the latest classic Fantasyland dark ride to undergo a major refurbishment when the Disneyland opening day attraction goes under the knife in 2020.
Disneyland filed a building permit with the city of Anaheim for a $445,000 refurbishment of Snow White 's Scary Adventures, according to city records.
Behind The Ride Mad Tea Party
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Dateline: November 2, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: themeparktourist.com
Quick! Name an attraction that everyone knows but not everyone wants to ride. Out of all theme park options in the entire world, a singular name should spring to mind. Mad Tea Party somehow claims the sort of branding that corporations spend millions of dollars trying to earn.
Yet, despite the fact that everyone can recognize Mad Tea Party at first sight or
8 Rides In Under 25 Hours These Rides May Be Underrated
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Dateline: September 30, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Arizona Republic
There comes a time in every adult's visit to Disneyland that you 're so tired of the lines that you 're happy to ride anything, even the kiddie attractions that offer little in the way of excitement or legroom.
That 's exactly how Melissa and I felt on a recent trip as we bobbed in a sea of people in the middle of Fantasyland
A check of the
Longest And Shortest Waits
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Dateline: September 28, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: themeparktourist.com
When you 're at the Happiest Place on Earth, you want to feel, you know, happy. Waiting too long in line is the ideal way to feel decidedly displeased. My goal here is to arm you with the best information so that you 'll know which FastPasses to target and which lines aren 't that long. Here are the longest and shortest Disneyland wait-times.
6. Haunted
Ride Capacity How Long Will You Have To Wait In Line
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Dateline: August 16, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Arizona Republic
Many a Disneyland guest has walked past the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and been struck by the long line pushing through the attraction 's entry arch. Yet the posted wait time is a reasonable 20 minutes.
Conversely, those drawn to the Astro Orbiter 's short line tend to think the wait time on the sign is wrong. How could it be possibly be 40 minutes?
20 Surprising Things You Can And Can Not See Do And Taste At Your Next Visit
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Dateline: August 13, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: idaily.com
Blue milk. Human ashes. Feral cats.
Disneyland may be 85 acres of carefully curated mirth, but even after nearly 65 years of operation in Anaheim, Calif., the vacation destination can still surprise -- as park-goers who 've encountered the blue milk, human ashes and, yes, feral cats can attest.
Before you next pass through the turnstile en route
10 Hidden Details Only True Fans Noticed
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Dateline: June 14, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: thetravel.com
All Disney fans know that Disney parks are full of surprises and hidden Easter eggs. Many of these hidden details pay tribute to creator and cartoonist Walt Disney and the long, celebrated history of the parks. Others are just fun little gags that are sure to delight children and adults alike. Disneyland in Anaheim, California was the first park to be opened by Walt
Celebrating 70 Years Of KTTV Opening Day At Disneyland
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Dateline: January 17, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: FOX 11
It was July 17, 1955 in Southern California. The greatest Imagineer to ever live unveiled his personal dream come true. KTTV cameras were there, Opening Day at the "happiest place on Earth."
Everyone wanted to be first to see what iconic showman Walt Disney spent decades dreaming about.
The ceremony was full of pomp and pageantry, hosted by TV legend Art
10 Tips For Visiting With Toddlers And Preschoolers
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Dateline: January 11, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: thepantheronline.com
Toddlers and preschoolers can be challenging travel companions, but travel destinations like Disneyland are made for them. I've never been a parent to wait until a certain age to travel with my kids anywhere, and there was no way I was going to miss out on the magic of Disney when my kids believed in it the most (and kids are free until they turn 3 at Disney).
24 Surprising Things About Disneyland We Did Not Know But Should
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Dateline: December 2, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: thetravel.com
Disneyland is said to be the "Happiest Place on Earth." For one day (or several depending on your trip schedule) people of all ages from toddlers to seniors can have fun, let loose and become a kid again. It's a place filled with magic, music, your favourite characters and rides to fit whatever you're in the mood for.
It opened its doors on July 17, 1955, and was the
Every Attraction Ranked By Three Disney Superfans
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Dateline: August 15, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: cinemablend.com
While pretty much everybody loves Disneyland to one degree or another, for some of us, love borders on obsession. Three of us in particular at CinemaBlend have been to Disneyland so many times that we've lost track. Jessica and Mack are both former Southern California residents who used to frequent the park regularly and still make a yearly pilgrimage back. While I live a
From Dumbo To Mr Toad Disneyland Collection Goes Up For Auction
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Dateline: July 23, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: Reuters
For years, Dumbo the Flying Elephant hung from his living room ceiling, a Mr. Toad Wild Ride car was parked in his library and Bashful's cart from Snow White's Scary Adventures sat on his front lawn in suburban California.
Now collector Richard Kraft is selling off his 750-item collection of theme park vehicles, props and artifacts spanning six decades of Disneyland
5 Best Rides 5 Things To Avoid
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Dateline: April 7, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: startribune.com
Five can't-miss Disneyland rides
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: A gold-mine-themed runaway train ride, it has nothing to do with Disney characters, except you'll yelp as high-pitched as Minnie Mouse through its twists and turns. And yet it wasn't too much for our 6-year-old.
Space Mountain: Of course! The famed inner-space thrill ride hasn't lost its starry
There Is 1 Wild Ride At Disneyland That Even Freaks Out Employees
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Dateline: March 10, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: cheatsheet.com
There is 1 Wild Ride at Disneyland That Even Freaks Out Employees
For riders who pay close attention to the themes of a ride, Mr. Toad's Wild ride can be pretty jarring. Luckily, most child passengers don't realize what exactly is going on (a sinful journey complete with terrorizing townspeople, drunk driving, and a trip to hell). But, even for adults, the ride can leave
12 Fun Things You May Not Know About Disneyland
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Dateline: December 26, 2017
Status: Archive
Source: Mercury News
Test your Disney trivia mojo here. How many of these items do you already know?
1. King Arthur Carousel. The lead horse on the iconic Fantasyland carousel is named Jingles. Walt Disney wanted all horses on the carousel, and he wanted them all to be leaping, so when a classic carousel was purchased, it was supplemented with other horses and those that had straight
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 13
Dateline: July 14, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
Disneyland, the idea, came from the mind of Walt Disney, but Disneyland, the theme park, was a collaborative effort. It took a great many men and women to create it. Since all men are created equal, everyone who contributed should be credited. I've known about C.V. Wood for many years, and although he was not an Imagineer, he was a land developer who made significant
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 12
Dateline: May 15, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
Although Disney had a dislike for the typical carnivals of the time, it wasn't so much the content, but the environment and the lack of attention to detail. Long before the park was built, after one of his frequent visits to Griffith Park with his daughters, he stated, "Things could be done better than this. A park should be designed for total family enjoyment. Besides a
Disney Getting Good At Recycling Movie Ideas From Disneyland Rides
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Dateline: April 19, 2017
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
If Disney CEO Bob Iger ends up running for California governor - as has been rumored - I'm sure that the environment will stand atop his platform, because nobody in the entertainment business recycles more than Disney.
Animated movies becoming live action films, movies becoming theme park rides, theme park rides becoming movies. It's the Circle of Life, Hollywood
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 11
Dateline: March 12, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
The Storm before the Storm
It was becoming increasingly clear that the year-long struggle to get the park opened was wearing on everyone involved. No one was more affected than Disney himself. Many around him had noticed a change in his behavior. He seemed uneasy and unsure of himself. His wife Lillian was worried that with previous warnings from his doctor about
Todays Future
Dateline: January 9, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
During the rush of getting the Park constructed, "Tomorrowland" was the last land finished. Budget cuts didn't allow all of its attractions to be opened that first day. One of those cuts was to use the "Nautilus" sets from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" as a walk-through. When it closed in 1966, the organ belonging to Captain Nemo was moved to the ballroom of the "Haunted
This Day In History Disneyland Opened 61 Years Ago Today
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Dateline: July 17, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: abc7
Disneyland, the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955. Construction lasted for exactly one year, and cost only $17 million to complete.
The opening was only intended for about 11,000 invited guests and press, though a total of 28,000 attended due to a rush of counterfeit tickets. The event was
This Is How Disneyland Changed In The 1980s
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Dateline: July 14, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Changes at Disneyland in the 1980s started slow, then ended in a splash down a mountain.
During the first couple years of the decade, Disney Imagineers were busy with the design and building of Epcot Center (as it was called then) at Walt Disney World. But they were also planning a project for Disneyland - rebuilding Fantasyland.
1980-83
In early 1982, most
This Is How Disneyland Looked In 1955
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Dateline: July 11, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, there were sections of it that were not done. A reporter noticed all the construction still ongoing and asked Walt Disney if Disneyland would ever be finished. Disney replied in what has become an oft quoted quote: "Disneyland will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world."
Disney was true to his
Here Are 5 Films Based On Disneyland Rides That Should Be Made
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Dateline: February 19, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Deseret Morning News
A few months ago, I saw the news that Disney is developing a movie based on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. It will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The news reports also mentioned that it will likely take place not in the present day, but in the past. I imagine it's a past where obscene amounts of protein powder was available so that they can explain how the Rock
Dangerous Disneyland Mental Fatigue Part 1
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Dateline: January 6, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
Disneyland gets sued for injuries and deaths all of the time. Believe me, I get that accidents happen, but most of these tourists are simply victims of their own stupidity. Mild disclaimer: a few of these I've read about on only one site, so I'm not entirely sure they happened. Now, let's get down to business.
Matterhorn, Space, and Thunder Mountains are not most
Disneyland Ride Review Take A Wild Ride With Mr Toad
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Dateline: December 10, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Turn the steering wheel all you want, but you will still careen out of control from the moment you set out on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland.
Your frenzied ride starts off with a crash as you bang through the door of Toad Hall's parlor into the library, where your car seemingly knocks down stacks of books before crashing through the fireplace, knocking "sparks"
Disneyland Ride Review Pinocchios Daring Journey Is A Little Wooden
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Dateline: November 9, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
It's time to take a ride on Pinocchio's Daring Journey at Disneyland, which is based on Walt Disney's second animated feature film, "Pinocchio," which was based on the children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi.
This attraction appeared in 1983, occupying the space that once held the Fantasyland Theater. Above the entrance there is a small figure
Disney Voice Over Actors Bring Theme Park Rides To Life
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Dateline: July 28, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
Voice-over actors are the hidden artists who provide the audio atmosphere and essential back stories that bring theme parks to life..
From the parking lot tram spiel to park-wide announcements to ride narrations, the best work of voice-over actors often goes unnoticed simply because it blends so seamlessly into the overall theme park experience.
During the
Disneyland 60 Things You Might Not Know About The Magic Kingdom
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Dateline: July 17, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
TV show named "Gunsmoke" made its debut, and another named "Make Room for Daddy" won two Emmys. Elvis Presley and Pat Boone had young hearts all shook up, and for the first time, they could listen to those crooners and others on a new gadget called a pocket transistor radio. A new car cost $1,900, gasoline was 23 cents a gallon and rents averaged $87 a month..
It was
Disneyland Turns 60 Ranking Its Attractions by Land
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Dateline: May 22, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Eonline.com
Oh, boy! The Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration begins today!
Disneyland Park opened in Anaheim, Calif., on July 17, 1955, and ever since, it has entertained millions of guests from all over the world. That's no small feat!
"It's amazing to contemplate all that Disneyland has come to mean to so many people around the world," Tom Staggs, COO of the Walt Disney
Disneyland For Adults Without Kids A Primer
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Dateline: May 2, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Sacramento Bee
Disneyland overlords, all about branding and stealth marketing, apparently have an in-house name for the likes of me: "nonfamily guests."
I've been called worse.
It's nothing derisive - derision and mockery, after all, is verboten at "The Happiest Place on Earth" - but I cannot help but feel the term connotes something vaguely sad and pathetic, a sense of
Disney Fast Pass Program Datacenter Style
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Dateline: August 25, 2014
Status: Archive
Source: sys-con.com
My wife and I have 21-month-old identical twin boys. Maybe a month ago we took them down south for their first trip to Disneyland (and the companion park California Adventure). As a southern California native (I still cannot bring myself to type out SoCal), I had been to Disneyland enough that once I headed north, I had no real urge to go back. So this particular trip was
Disneyland In 1955 Rides Now Long Gone Weird Glitches On Opening Day
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Dateline: July 18, 2014
Status: Archive
Source: Mercury News
Disneyland was dedicated during a special preview opening day on July 17, 1955. The public opening was July 18. The dedication aired on ABC at 4:30 p.m. July 17. Some details of the opening:
Park attendance: 6,000 guests were invited for the special preview opening, but an additional 22,000 showed up with counterfeit tickets, making for a total of 28,000 guests that
How Counterfeiters Nearly Ruined Opening Day At Disneyland
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Dateline: May 11, 2014
Status: Archive
Source: msn.com
When ABC television host Art Linkletter greeted viewers from Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he marveled that 15,000 happy visitors were in attendance. Beaming and resplendent in his suit, Linkletter was unaware of the seven-mile gridlock backing up the Santa Ana Freeway, that children who had been trapped in cars for hours were relieving their overtaxed bladders in the
Much Has Changed Much Thankfully Remains The Same
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Dateline: December 5, 2013
Status: Archive
Source: silive.com
It had been more than seven years since we last visited the Disneyland Resort.
So much has changed since 2006 ... and, thankfully, so much remains the same at Walt Disney's ground-breaking theme park, known universally as The Happiest Place on Earth.
Disney fans who live on the East Coast and spend the majority of their vacation time in Walt Disney World in
Is Tomorrowland Movie Tied To Disneyland Area
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Dateline: January 28, 2013
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
An upcoming George Clooney movie is called "Tomorrowland" but is it tied to that famous, futuristic area of Disneyland?
Walt Disney Studios announced Monday that it was producing the live-action movie in which Clooney will star; the film was written by Damon Lindelof of "Lost" and Brad Bird of "The Incredibles."
While the studio is secretive about the
A Guy A Girl And 366 Straight Days At Disneyland
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Dateline: September 14, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: New Republic
If, like Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh, you go to Disneyland oftenvery oftenyou know that asking for a roast beef melt made without horseradish, as opposed to a roast beef melt with horseradish removed after the fact, will require a ten-minute wait at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. You know that, if conditions are right, you may ride in the wheelhouse of the Mark Twain
Couple Tries For Year Of Daily Disneyland Visits
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Dateline: July 3, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: CBS
It seems like a dream as flighty as Tinkerbell and as quirky as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
Yet a Southern California couple have passed the halfway mark in their quest to visit Disneyland every day this year.
"We joke around that we're here more than the cast members are," Jeff Reitz said Tuesday.
Reitz, 39, of Huntington Beach, and Tonya Mickesh, 45, of Lake
Grown-Up Gals Have Fun Like Kids But Without Kids At Disneyland
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Dateline: May 21, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Associated Press
Disneyland is not just for sugar-soaked kids. Consider, all you grown-up women out there, going for a gals' day out.
That's exactly what my childhood friend Joanna and I, both of us in our 30s, recently did instead of heading to the beach or shopping. Did we channel our inner princesses? Nope. Did we regress to a state of childlike delight and strategically map out
New Star Tours Is More Transporting Than Expected
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Dateline: March 6, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: hitfix.com
Disney did more than just update the ride to make the ride brand-new again
I am not what you would call a Disney nerd. At least, not compared to the truly hardcore. However, I think it's safe to say that Disney's various parks have always been part of my life.
I grew up in Florida, and many of my formative memories come from time spent at Walt Disney World.
7 Tips For Tackling Disneyland In A Day
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Dateline: February 28, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times over the last two decades and have been writing the Funland theme park blog for about four years now. As a result, people are always asking me how to do everything at Disneyland in a single day.
The short answer is you probably can't. It can be a struggle for even hard-core fans with military assault-like strategies. The
Five Unique Artifacts From Disneyland's Opening That Remain At The Park
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Dateline: January 18, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Weekly
A lot has changed at Disneyland since the park first opened in 1955.
Over the nearly six decades that have passed since its debut, many things at the Happiest Place on Earth have either been lost over time or met with a wrecking ball during one of the park's many expansions and refurbishments.
We list five original Disneyland artifacts that existed in the park
Environmental Group Files Suit Against The Happiest Place On Earth
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Dateline: October 18, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: International Business Times
Minnie's House, the Haunted Mansion and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are all attractions families may want to avoid during their next Disneyland adventure, according to an environmental group alleging the California theme park is riddled with attractions that can expose children to potentially dangerous levels of lead.
The Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation filed an
California vs. Blackpool: General
Dateline: September 1, 2011
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
Earlier in the year, I wrote an article for DLDHistory.com comparing the Alice in Wonderland ride in Disneyland to Alice's Wonderland at Pleasure Beach Blackpool (the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom).
As I have recently come back from a week's vacation in Blackpool (and seeing as my main article this month was shorter than usual) I thought I would
Storm In A Teacup
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Dateline: July 30, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
With a boy of his own, Stephen Lacey makes his first visit to the Disneyland of his childhood.
When I was a boy, my idea of Disneyland was pretty sketchy; it was where Mickey and Donald lived. And there was a ride where you sat in a giant spinning teacup.
I knew only one kid who had been, a boy in third class named Brian. He was terribly thin, with bruises all
Disneyland's VIPs: Five Things You Didn't Know About Disney's Star Treatment
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Dateline: July 14, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Weekly
Celebrities get the star treatment everywhere they go and Disneyland is no exception. For years now, Disney has offered VIP guides (usually seen walking throughout the parks donning their red and blue plaid vests) to the families of film, television and sports stars.
But one might be surprised by how unglamorous the star treatment can be at the Happiest Place on
A Brief History Of Disneyland, An American Classic
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Dateline: July 5, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: breitbart.com
"The thing will get more beautiful year after year. And it will get better as I find out what the public likes; I can't do that with a picture it's finished and unchangeable before I find out whether the public likes it or not." Walt Disney on Disneyland.
Walt Disney found different reasons to build his seventeen million dollar Magic Kingdom in Anaheim in 1955.
Give Em Hill Huffing The Fairy Dust At Disneyland
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Dateline: May 8, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: Oakland Tribune
The morning after President Barack Obama interrupted "The Simpsons" to inform the country about the death of Osama bin Laden, my husband and I drove down to Disneyland.
Now this was not a spur-of-the-moment, Munchkin-style "the wicked old witch at last is dead" kind of celebration. That would just be wrong. Instead, we'd had this excursion planned for a couple of
California vs. Paris: Fantasyland
Dateline: May 1, 2011
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
My articles so far, in which I have compared the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris), have focused on individual attractions found in Fantasyland. This month, after previewing what I shall be writing for the site in the future, I shall be looking at any aspect of Fantasyland which does not fit into any of my other articles (past or future).
As
California vs. Paris: Alice In Wonderland
Dateline: April 7, 2011
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
In the seventh of my series comparing the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris), I shall be looking at selected references to Disney's 1951 animated movie Alice in Wonderland within the parks.
The best place to start is perhaps the "Teacups ride", officially known as Mad Tea Party (MTP) in California, and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups (MHTC) in Paris.
Most Disney Rides Re-Opened After Smoke
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Dateline: December 2, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Disneyland has re-opened seven Fantasyland rides shut down this afternoon because of smoke behind the scenes.
More than 20 firefighters were sent to the park about 12:07 p.m. regarding smoke coming from a large electrical conduit inside the wall behind Pinocchio's Daring Journey ride, said Maria Sabol, an Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman.
That ride, as of
Six Disney Attractions To Temporarily Close For Rehab
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Dateline: December 1, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Six attractions at the two Disneyland Resort parks will be closed for rehabilitation for at least part of this month.
Most rides will stay open because of high traffic during the holiday season. Crews usually do longer renovation projects in the spring, starting in January, when attendance is lighter.
Most of the closures are for routine maintenance. The
A 6-Year-Old's First Visit To Disneyland Hits Some Attractions, Misses Others
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Dateline: November 14, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
You can't do it all, and truth be told, a child doesn't miss what she doesn't know about. A look back at what we saw and did -- and didn't do -- in one day.
Don't miss the Toontown roller coaster, somebody said. Don't bother with Toontown, somebody else said. Don't risk the Matterhorn with a first-grader, somebody said. Don't miss the Matterhorn with a first-grader,
Disney Parks Temporarily Close 10 Rides
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Dateline: November 2, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Ten attractions at two Disney parks will be closed for refurbishments for at least part of this month.
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin in Disneyland has among the longest closures in November. The Mickey's Toontown ride closed Sept. 20 and is set to reopen Dec. 17.
Most rides are scheduled for routine maintenance and refurbishments. The schedule is subject to
Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom
Dateline: October 1, 2010
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
About five or six months ago I received an e-mail from the 1313 Club & Ape Pen Publishing Informing me of an event to take place at the Disneyland Hotel. The event, "The Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom" was to feature the talents and stories of current and former employees and imagineers as they worked for Walt over the years. The 1313 Club and Ape Pen are both are
Family Fun At Disneyland
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Dateline: August 18, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: CityNews.ca
With the recent launch of a new direct flight between Toronto's Pearson International Airport and the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA, Air Canada teamed up with the folks at Disneyland and the tourism boards of Orange County, Anaheim, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach to send a select group of Toronto-based media to tour the West Coast paradise in
Disneyland Marks Birthday With First-Day Guests
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Dateline: July 17, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Fifty-five years later, Fischle remains at Disneyland as a security guard. And on Saturday, Fischle gave a speech about his first experience at the park during a rededication ceremony on Disneyland's 55th birthday.
"The thing I remember most about the day is it was hot," Fischle said to laughs. "Much like today."
Fischle was one of the people who were present on
Happy Birthday, Disneyland
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Dateline: July 16, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: silive.com
Disneyland was Walt Disney's baby, a dream he nurtured for years which eventually turned into a flat-out obsession ... an obsession that had as many skeptics as it had bank creditors demanding that Disney make good on all the loans he needed to make his pie-in-the-sky come true.
Tomorrow, The Happiest Place on Earth celebrates its 55th anniversary. Five and a half
Cool Clear Water Water
Dateline: June 5, 2010
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
My how time fly's, seems like yesterday I was asking about when the Rivers of America would be filled again. I never like to visit the park when any of the water is not working. It even bummed me out during the renovation of It's a Small World when I saw the canals were dry. I know, weird eh? Yeah that's me; the water kind of calms me down. Those of you that
Trivial Pursuit At The Venerable California Theme Park
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Dateline: April 22, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Disneyland, the theme park that bills itself as "the happiest place on Earth," filled with people during a recent spring-break April day when the temperature hovered near 90.
People waited for more than two hours for a chance to ride Splash Mountain. Finding a bench to sit for a moment with a napping grandson proved challenging. Lines formed to use restrooms or
To The Lands Of Make-Believe
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Dateline: April 2, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Depending on your view of the world's most famous rodent, a plan to visit Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, one after the other, is either a dream or a nightmare. Those in support of an oversized mousetrap would warn that dragging an adventurous seven-year-old and a jet-lagged nine-year-old across the US to do it is a sign of madness.
Separated by
Kids These Days: Babes in Disneyland
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Dateline: February 7, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Daily Titan
Ah, the magical world of Disneyland: $12 balloons, gooey churros, themed trash cans and gaggles of teenagers squawking like magpies on crack. Nothing ruins an afternoon at the happiest place on earth quite like a herd of 15 year-olds trying to out-loud each other as they race to Space Mountain, knocking over toddlers and swearing like sailors.
What is it about this
Margaret's Musings: Mickey And Me
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Dateline: January 15, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Hudson Star-Observer
It is hard to tell when exactly this affair of over 50 years started. This year, the land where we met is celebrating its founding after 55 years. The "government' runs smoothly, cleanliness is number one and no one is privy to the inner workings, even the public restrooms are discreet and nearly invisible.
New Year's Eve weekend we had a family reunion of sorts.
Disney Parks Offer Devices For Visually Impaired Visitors
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Dateline: November 3, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
After becoming legally blind at age 30, Brenda Woodrum missed seeing the details of one of her favorite Disneyland rides, Pirates of the Caribbean.
So, Woodrum teared up when she heard a description of cannons shooting from pirate ships on the ride using a new listening device that just became available at Disney parks.
"It was really an emotional experience,"
Memorable Meeting With Man Behind The Mouse
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Dateline: August 17, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: bakersfield.com
For a kid growing up in the '50s, "The Mickey Mouse Club" was required TV viewing. Even as an adult, whenever anyone sings "M-I-C-K-E-Y" it's hard for me to resist finishing the chorus. Come on, you know you want to.
I grew up in a small town near Sonora in the Mother Lode country, and every Christmas vacation we traveled to Los Angeles to stay with relatives.
Disneyland For Haters
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Dateline: June 25, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: Las Vegas Weekly
Think you're too cynical, sophisticated, debauched or underfunded to visit the Happiest Place on Earth? This one's for you.
I am of Disneyland. My love for Walt Disney's 54-year-old theme park can move (space!) mountains. In fact, my love for Disneyland is so perfect and so complete that I don't really mind if you hate it.
Somehow I've managed to acquire a
Disneyland On A Date: Perfect For A Couple
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Dateline: June 15, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: Examiner
If you live within an hour of the Disneyland Resort, you might want to have your next date at the Park. I mean if you think about it, Disneyland is made for fun and what could be more fun than getting a chance to know someone while playing a little too. It could ease the tension and bring a delightful evening. Plus, and I do mean this is a good way, those who love
Only Half A Day For Disneyland? GO!
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Dateline: April 16, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: disunplugged.com
So you've just flown across the country, and arrived in California. You're excited to start your vacation, but wonder, is it worth heading right to the park? Maybe you're tired from a long flight. Maybe it's already after noon, and you're thinking how much can you really see? Maybe you're flying in for work, you only have a half day, and you're considering going to
Birthdays At Disneyland Really Are Free Heres How It Works
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Dateline: February 5, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: laist.com
When we heard that Disneyland was giving free tickets on your birthday, we thought the least we could do was go check it out.
The process for getting into Disneyland free on your birthday is pretty simple. The rules say bring a driver's license or passport for adults and a certified birth certificate for kids. The offer gets you into one park. Or you can upgrade to a
Silicon Valley Innovator Left Legacy Of Fun And Thrills
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Dateline: December 9, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: Mercury News
Karl Bacon was a quiet guy who never wanted much of a fuss. So when he died last month at 98, he almost slipped away from us without being noticed.
And that just wouldn't have been right.
Bacon was a Silicon Valley inventor who did as much for the business of laughs, squeals and butterflies in the stomach as Bill Hewlett and David Packard did for the test
Will I Love Disneyland As Much As Disneyworld?
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Dateline: November 12, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: Times Online
Some years ago, we took our two young boys to Disneyworld in Florida. They are grown up and my wife and I are going to California next year. Should we visit Disneyland, or is it a squib after the Florida park?
It's true that the Disneyland complex in Anaheim is smaller than the newer Disneyworld in Orlando, even the iconic Disneyland Castle and the peaks of Big
Imagineering Field Guide Lets Disneyland Fans Walk In Walt's Shoes
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Dateline: November 6, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
The new pocket-sized "Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland" answers the question, "What would it be like to walk through Disneyland with Walt by your side?"
The 128-page paperback takes readers land by land through the Anaheim theme park, offering anecdotes, history and trivia from Disney Imagineers as well as early concept art, sketches and schematics of many
The Best Disneyland Ride Of All Time
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Dateline: June 10, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: SFGate
After our E Ticket discussion from last week, I thought picking the best Disneyland rides would be fun. I might follow up with a worst rides post, although I'm not sure if I want to relive this again.
As I've been riding the local roller coasters for a Chronicle magazine article I'm working on, I've noticed how little concern the newer rides place on production
Gone But Not Forgotten The Disneyland E Ticket
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Dateline: May 30, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: SFGate
I've been working on a Chronicle magazine article about Bay Area roller coasters, which doesn't suck as far as assignments go. You can expect a lot of coaster-themed posts when it comes out in July.
While conducting my research, I ran into an article about the Disneyland ticketing system, which I remember from when I went to the park in 1978. Up until 1982,
Growing Up In Disneyland
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Dateline: October 11, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: yourhub.com
It has been said children grow up way too quickly these days, but every generation must have their own version of this story. At the same time it is also said that youth is wasted on the young. Thanks to the Disney Corporation, we now have indisputable, verifiable evidence that something is actually being done about all this.
Disneyland now considers a 10-year old
Taking The Kids - To Disneyland
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Dateline: August 4, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: Dallas Morning News
It's sweltering and Disneyland is packed, but 8-year-old Katie Grace Dhority and her 6-year-old sister, Laurel, are too excited to care that it's at least 90 degrees in the shade and there are lines everywhere, even at the water fountains.
This is, after all, their first trip to Mouseville, and since they live in Pocahontas, Ark., they aren't sure when they'll be
23-year-old Disneyland Die-Hard Still Feels Magic
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Dateline: July 6, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: Bakersfield Californian
Sometimes he makes the two- to three-hour drive just for dinner. Lorenzo Salazar, 23, of Bakersfield goes to Disneyland at least two times a month, but in the last week, he has gone four times.
"For as long as I can remember, I've loved Disney. It is like I was born with it," Salazar said.
Recently, while at work, Salazar began to crave fried chicken and
Oakland Museum's Disneyland Exhibition
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Dateline: May 4, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: CBS
Walter Disney's daughter and a longtime collaborator were in Oakland Wednesday to launch the Oakland Museum of California's new exhibition "Behind the Magic -- 50 Years of Disneyland.''
Diane Disney Miller and Martin (Marty) Sklar, vice chairman and principal creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, were on hand to talk about the exhibit and the idea behind
50 Years Of Disneyland
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Dateline: January 31, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: boxofficemojo.com
Disneyland spokesman Tim O'Day, hired as a parade performer in 1976 and knowledgeable about virtually every Disneyland detail, is practically the grand marshal of the theme park's rich history, including its integration to motion pictures. The co-author of Disneyland: Then, Now and Forever talked with Box Office Mojo about the Happiest Place on Earth.
Box Office
Disneyland From A to Z
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Dateline: January 31, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: boxofficemojo.com
A recent four-night stay at Disneyland proves that this rich, glorious theme park, celebrating its 50th anniversary from now until 2007, is best enjoyed as a planned excursion, not as a whim.
Begin with Birnbaum's, an indispensable annual paperback that's available for around twelve dollars. The goal-oriented guide should be read by every visitor to insure unit
Disneyland Marks 50 Years Of Magic
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Dateline: November 26, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
To build his dream theme park a half-century ago, Walt Disney borrowed against his life-insurance policy and cashed in property, including a vacation home in Palm Springs, to pay the $17 million construction bill.When the theme park opened July 17, 1955, on a sweltering day, toilets clogged, the food ran out and women's high heels sank into wet asphalt. Disney officials
50 Things You Didn't Know About Disneyland
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Dateline: November 23, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
In honor of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, we present 50 cool, obscure and simply odd things you probably didn't know about the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth. Many were culled from Mouse Tales by David Koenig (Bonaventure, $19.95). Some were provided by Disney archivist Dave Smith, and others came from 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland by former park
Horoscopes
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Dateline: October 17, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Daily Orange
This week, our unlicensed astrologers tell your fortune based on your favorite attraction at Disneyland.
Splash Mountain
Drinking a can of beer through a straw is totally unclassy, but drinking an entire pitcher that way will make you the biggest badass in a 12-mile radius.
Dumbo
You'll attend a "Funk and Waffles" party. Waffles - $1. Funk - free. Funk
Disneyland In Dearborn
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Dateline: October 2, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: pressandguide.com
The Henry Ford is collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering, to create an unprecedented exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland -- Disney's original theme park. Titled "Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland," the exhibit brings to life Walt Disney's creation that established a brand new genre of family entertainment.
This rare and innovative
Behind The Magic: 50 Years Of Disneyland
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Dateline: September 20, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: AntiquesAndTheArts.com
The Henry Ford Museum is collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering to create an exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, Disney's original theme park, titled "Behind the Magic - 50 Years of Disneyland." This exhibit debuts at The Henry Ford Museum on September 23. "Behind the Magic" is the first exhibition of Walt Disney Imagineering art and artifacts
Disneyland Marks A Half Century
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Dateline: July 31, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
Disneyland is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a bang. A lot of them, actually. A pyrotechnic extravaganza is being unleashed nightly as the latest manifestation of the park's fireworks show, and it's an impressive one.
As Disneyland pays homage to some of its most popular attractions down through the years, fireworks are not aimed straight into the sky but at
The Kingdom Was His Glory
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Dateline: July 31, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
To build his dream theme park in Anaheim a half-century ago, Walt Disney borrowed against his life insurance policy and cashed in property, including a vacation home in Palm Springs, to pay the $17 million construction bill.
When the park opened July 17, 1955, toilets clogged, the food ran out and women's high heels sank into wet asphalt. Disney officials still refer
A Park With A Powerful Spell
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Dateline: July 17, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
Disneyland opened on this day in 1955. For five decades, the Anaheim attraction has worked its magic on our culture and transformed the entertainment industry.
To build his dream theme park in Anaheim a half-century ago, Walt Disney borrowed against his life insurance policy and cashed in property, including a vacation home in Palm Springs, to pay the $17-million
Disneyland Turns 50 Magic Kingdom's Opening In 1955 Was Treat For All
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Dateline: June 19, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: TheReporter.Com
The summer of 1955 was magical for two children living in Southern California. Like thousands of others, they visited Disneyland.
But, unlike their peers, the visit by cousins Bill Krauch and Sybil Stanton was part of a revealing peak at the Magic Kingdom weeks before the park opened to the public. Walt Disney personally served as their host and tour guide.
Two Magic-Makers Celebrate Life After Disneyland
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Dateline: June 14, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Knight-Ridder
The two old men are holding hands. In the sunlight outside the Mountain View, Calif., rest home, while a parakeet sings in the lobby, Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon reach across 60 years of being each other's muse. Among the wrinkles in their faces there are twinkles in their eyes.
They are laughing about the time the elephants refused to fly.
It was opening day at
Age Doesn't Fade The Magic
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Dateline: May 12, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Calgary Sun
Fifty-years seems all too short a time to go from not existing at all, to being the most famous holiday destination on earth.
Indeed, it's doubtful Walt Disney himself - whose opening-day optimism was only slightly shaken by melting asphalt and overflowing toilets - could have imagined the enduring omnipresence of what is, essentially, a glorified fun fair.
Dear Walt, Thanks For The Memories
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Dateline: May 10, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Seattle Times
From smooching in the tunnels to wide-eyed kids and sobbing adults, our readers have been through it all in Disneyland's 50 years.
We've chosen excerpts from our favorite stories and photos among scores of tales told by readers who've paid countless visits to "The Happiest Place on Earth."
Disney's celebration begins this week and runs for 18 months - some
Dizzy For Disneyland
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Dateline: May 6, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: USA Today
Mickey and Minnie Mouse welcomed some famous friends to their Disneyland home Wednesday to help the theme park kick off its Happiest Homecoming 50th anniversary celebration, which continues through the end of 2006.
Former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera was spotted in the Haunted Mansion, wrapped in the arms of her fiance, music exec Jordan Bratman.
Jim
Disneyland At 50: Readers Share Past Disneyland Delights
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Dateline: May 5, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Arizona Republic
It was the summer before first grade, and John Quisling had learned a new word. He'd heard it on the radio and listened to his parents talk about it and wondered if it could be as magical as everyone said.
Disneyland did not disappoint.
The Santa Ana, Calif., boy and his family visited the innovative park just days after it opened 50 years ago this summer on
Disneyland Begins 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Dateline: May 5, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: North County Times
Backed by the sound of trumpets, the release of doves and the explosion of fireworks, Julie Andrews stood before Sleeping Beauty Castle Thursday to kick off Disneyland's 18-month birthday celebration.
Andrews, dressed in a white suit, stood with Dakota Sandak, who has appeared in a Disney commercial, and said, "Do it together, one, two, Welcome Home!"
Art
Disneyland Then And Now
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Dateline: May 1, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Sacramento Bee
1955
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week in summer; closed Mondays the rest of the year.
Size: 60 acres, plus 100 acres for parking.
Zones: Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Main Street USA 18 attarctions
Admission: $1 (including tax) for adults. 50 cents for children. Ride tickets, sold separately, priced from 10 to 35
Discovering Disneyland
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Dateline: May 1, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
You have to look quickly, and you have to know exactly where to look. But if you do, you'll catch a pretty cool inside joke at Disneyland.
On the Star Tours ride, just before your runaway Starspeeder exits the space station, keep your eye on the lower right side of the screen: You flash past what looks like a giant electron microscope. Old-timers will recognize it
Your Best Or Worst Memory Of Disneyland?
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Dateline: May 1, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Donna Cleveland, San Francisco
Disneyland '59 was the scene of a double date gone bad. My boyfriend and my best friend were sneaking around the attractions behind my back. Her "date" was in on the deception. At a serendipitous Disneyland reunion in '94, the same old boyfriend belatedly apologized with an expensive gift..
MaryAnn Wofford, Fremont
My
Magical Memories
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Dateline: April 30, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Disneyland was built on a dream. And it was Walt Disney's dream that has made millions of wishes come true during the past 50 years.
Hundreds of millions of wishes, really. And also special moments - first dates and honeymoons, birthdays and anniversaries, and fun days spent with kids and later with grandkids.
Several weeks ago, we asked readers to recall their
Glaring Glitches Aside, The Debut Was Glorious
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Dateline: April 29, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Knight-Ridder
It was sweltering that day. And crowded. People swarmed to the entrance to Disneyland even if they didn't have tickets, that's how eager they were to get inside.
"Hotter than hell" is how Art Linkletter, the emcee and Walt Disney's longtime friend, remembers the opening day of Disneyland July 17, 1955.
"The asphalt had just been rolled, and people's shoes got
Disneyland At 50: Walt's Wild Ride
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Dateline: April 17, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Mercury News
"Hotter than hell" is how Art Linkletter, the emcee and Walt Disney's longtime friend, remembers it. "The asphalt had just been rolled and people's shoes got stuck in it. But we carried on. We didn't worry about stuff like that."
Fifty years is a long time, but those who were there when Disneyland opened its gates on July 17, 1955, still remember the tiniest details
Frantic Kingdom: A Wild Ride In Search Of Lost Sister
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Dateline: March 25, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Seattle Times
It was 1968, and Mom had volunteered to take us four girls from Portland to Disneyland while Dad was on a business trip.
We were a handful - I was the oldest at 13; Mary was 9; Jean, 5; and Sarah, 3. And we had big plans: the Matterhorn, Teacups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Sleeping Beauty's Castle and those nutty submarines that weren't even completely submerged.
The Henry Ford to Create Traveling Exhibit Celebrating 50 Years of Disneyland
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Dateline: September 27, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: The Henry Ford Press Release
The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, will research and develop a traveling exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. The exhibit will be created by The Henry Ford in association with Walt Disney Imagineering and The Walt Disney Company.
In an unprecedented agreement, Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative design organization behind Walt Disney
Disneyland Turning 50
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Dateline: September 26, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Knight-Ridder
Here's the deal with Disneyland. The two women ahead of me in line were Elizabeth and Lexi, twins fromWinnetka, Ill. Elizabeth is a communications and political science major at the University of Southern California. Lexi is a philosophy major atYale.
They knew the words to ''We Can Fly,'' a song from Walt Disney's ''PeterPan.'' It's the song the chorus sings when
Still Magic In The Kingdom
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Dateline: June 6, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Disneyland is a place where a grown man looks perfectly normal wearing Mickey Mouse ears and where a little girl can feel like a princess.
The first true theme park also is a melting pot where an Indian woman in traditional dress poses for a photo in front of the Small World ride featuring children from around the world and where instructions to ride the Winnie
Think You've Grown Up? See How You Handle Rides, Wonder, And Snot At The Happiest Place On Earth
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Dateline: June 4, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Boston Phonex
In the movies, people usually come of age in the great outdoors. You know, the coming-of-age stories that involve summer camp or baseball or a week on your crotchety-but-ultimately-lovable uncle's farm. Movies with trailers that begin like, "When Billy left to spend the summer shelling crawfish on his stepfather's boat, the last thing he expected to learn about was
See You In Disneyland
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Dateline: September 1, 2001
Status: Archive
Source: Design Quarterly
As he was led manacled away after his conviction, serial killer Richard Ramirez, Los Angeles's infamous "Night Stalker," turned to the courtroom audience and snarled "See you in Disneyland." America recognized the turn of phrase from the familiar TV as that invariably follows the World Series or Super Bowl. After a montage of key plays - with "When You Wish upon a Star"
King Arthur Carrousel
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Dateline: March 1, 2001
Status: Archive
Source: E Ticket
On July 17, 1955, an excited crowd of Disneyland visitors ... the first ever ... waited at the Park's central hub for the signal to rush across the drawbridge and enter Walt Disney's magical Fantasyland realm. As the television cameras rolled, a heroic mounted "knight in armor" advanced towards the crowd from along the castle wall, signalled with his lance, then turned
Disneyland In One Day
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Dateline: March 1, 2000
Status: Archive
Source: Disney Magazine
The First Hint that my mission will be daunting: I tell the cast member in Guest Relations the title of the article I'm researching, and she starts to giggle. Disneyland in a day? Who am I kidding? "It might be a little hard," she says, handing me my tickets, "to do it all in a day."
Disneyland has its own special feel, and nostalgia is only part of it. Yes, it's
The Inner Child Gets His Kicks All Alone And Feeling Childish:
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Dateline: May 18, 1997
Status: Archive
Source: Seattle Times
But I wanted more of Disney's new Indiana Jones Adventure ride.
So I climbed aboard again. And again. And again.
And again. And again. And again.
And again.
Eight times altogether.
And why not?
At age 48, I was in Disneyland. Alone. I was vacationing for the first time without my wife, without kids, without anyone else. My time was my own. The choices
Disneyland: A Parents' Survival Guide
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Dateline: June 1, 1989
Status: Archive
Source: California
Disneyland, a monument to childhood, is also a test of how well you've grown up. Your first visit is guaranteed to be interesting, just as the first time you drive a car, have sex or spend a night by yourself is filled with wonder. But by the tenth or hundredth time you do it, amazement will elude you unless you apply an adult imagination to the experience.
The adults
Disney Coast To Coast
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Dateline: February 1, 1987
Status: Archive
Source: American Heritage
When I was ten years old, my parents entrusted me to TWA for a rumbling eternity in a prop-driven plane that pulled me across the continent to California. I was going to visit my aunt and uncle, but they were merely the agents of my real goal: Disneyland. The park had opened two years before, in 1955, and its effect on me was every bit as magical as the publicists had
New Fun For The Whole Family At Disneyland
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Dateline: January 1, 1969
Status: Archive
Source: Better Homes & Gardens
Imagine it's 200 years ago and you're a passenger on a small boat picking its way carefully along a dark and treacherous stretch of coastline on the Spanish Main. Suddenly pandemonium breaks loose. The air resounds with the roar of cannons and the crack of muskets. A band of pirates is attacking a town and you're right in the middle! The rogues are everywhere-taunting the
Autumn And Disneyland
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Dateline: October 1, 1959
Status: Archive
Source: Vacationland
It's a wonderful, leisurely time of year to visit Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom!
Anytime is a "good time" to visit Walt Disney unique Magic Kingdom - just ask the 12 million adults and 4 million children who've already been here!
But with the Fall season, there is particular appeal and a still different enchantment about Disneyland, where guests find themselves
Disneyland And Las Vegas
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Dateline: June 7, 1958
Status: Archive
Source: Nation
This is written in Mexico, my home in recent years. I've just returned from a visit to the United States, and am now once more enjoying the taste of unfrozen orange juice and fresh fish, conversations lasting four or five hours in which all sorts of cabbages and kings are discussed, meetings with friends where no one asks if I watched TV last night to see Mickey Rooney
Walt Disney's Mechanical Wonderland
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Dateline: November 1, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Popular Mechanics
Take one creative genius with idea, engineers with mechanical know-how, a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, Calif., and mix thoroughly with $19,000,000. The result? Disneyland, U.S.A.
Walt Disney, the genius behind this playground, has a mind that is constantly busy with new ideas, In fact, he used to bemoan the fact that there was little to do on weekends.
But that
If You Plan To Visit Disneyland
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Dateline: August 1, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Sunset
The wonderful world of make-believe called Disneyland is now two years old, and it continues to delight Westerners by the thousands-small children, teen-agers, adults alike. What's more, it doesn't lose it's luster in a day's visit, nor in two or three. Possibly it never will for a good many visitors.
We won't try to describe in detail this imaginative combination of
What Is Disneyland
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Dateline: June 1, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland Holiday
An entirely new concept in family entertainment awaits visitors at Disneyland.
From the moment you enter its nostalgic Main Street of early America, you are transported out of the world of today into a realm where time seems to stand still, where memories of the past and dreams of the future combine to ensure a day in your life that will never be forgotten.
Magic Kingdom One Year After
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Dateline: September 1, 1956
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland News
Above is pictured Disneyland as it looks today, some 14 months after the Grand Opening, of July 18, 1955. In that brief span of time the Anaheim Magic Kingdom has come to rank as the number one visitor attraction in the United States. It is expected that the Park will great its five millionth-visitor sometime during the current month.
The now familiar "heart" shape
Disneyland
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Dateline: August 15, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Life
It may be more than the kids can bear. It has an Adventureland from Tahiti, a Frontierland entered through the log gates of an old fort complete with a Davy Crockett museum, a Fantasyland full Snow White, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and all their associates, and a Tomorrowland with a Space Port. Walt Disney arranged it all, of course, and then named it Disneyland. Sprawled
Disneyland Gates Open Celebrity Throng At Premier
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Dateline: July 18, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
Disneyland, a $17,000,000 fairyland dedicated to the pleasure of children, opened Sunday in a special preview of 35,000 invited guests whose enthusiasm indicated that Walt Disney's dream had lived up to expectations.
The spectacular park will be opened officially to the public at 10 a. m. today and upward of 50,000 persons are expected for the event.
Sunday the
Celebrities Officials Join Walt Disney To Dedicate New Era In Entertainment
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Dateline: July 18, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland News
More than 50,000 visitors were attracted to Disneyland on Monday, July 18, when the Park officially opened its gates to the general public. Reactions were mixed but highly enthusiastic, ranging from exclamations of "fantastic" to "unbelievable" and "too terrific for words to describe. Governor Goodwin J.. Knight of the State of California assisted Walt Disney and some
Areas Of Disneyland Provide Visitors Wide Entertainment Choice
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Dateline: July 18, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland News
Adventure, fantasy, the future, the past, the modern the old and the outdated-all are present in quality and quantity at the Disneyland world of entertainment, enchantment and variety.
Starting with their entrance into the Park leading onto Main Street; U.S.A., visitors can project themselves into any one of four worlds which await them during their 1
Story Book Adventures Live Again In Fantasyland
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Dateline: July 18, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland News
Story-book adventures have long fascinated and excited the imagination of young and old alike. The stories of the escapades of Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and a whole host of other unforgettable tales have been read through the years, and passed on from generation to generation.
Recognizing this and desiring that the youth of all ages have the
Disneyland Opened To Public
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Dateline: July 17, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Valley News
Walt Disney's $17,000,000 Disneyland was formally opened to the public yesterday at 10 a.m.
The 60-acre wonderland at 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim was previewed for the press civic officials and entertainment industry Sunday.
Disneyland was formally dedicated by Disney "to the people of the world young and old with a dream in their hearts." Gov. Goodwin J Knight
All Aboard For Disneyland
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Dateline: July 1, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Westways
Byways, streets and rail lines of yesteryear, rivers of today, super freeways and sky-trails of the future, paths and celestial seas in the ageless realm of make-believe are ready for travel-and all can be traversed in a single day at Disneyland.
Tours into four centuries in horse-drawn streetcars, stagecoaches. Mississippi stern-wheelers, old-time trains,
Disneyland A New Wonder Of The Amusement World Nears Completion
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Dateline: May 29, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Sunday News Journal
A wonderland of delights such as the World may never have seen before is rising out of the orange groves in this sunny suburb of Los Angeles.
It is Disneyland, a 17 million dollar paradise for children. When the gates are opened on July 19, customers will see an amusement built on the scale of a World's Fair. The fantastic world of Disney films will be transformed
A Wonderful World
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Dateline: April 18, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Newsweek
The saga of the aging cinema star is a part of American folklore-the heady upward trajectory, the few brief seasons on the summit, and the swift descent to "B" pictures, guest appearances, and, of late, odd jobs on television. Next October the saga will be re-enacted again, but with one big difference. The old friend taking a job as TV master of ceremonies will have all
Disneyland Digs In At Anaheim
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Dateline: February 13, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
With opening date set for July 15, construction is going full speed ahead on Disneyland, multi-million dollar wonder of the entertainment world at Anaheim in Orange County. The total investment is expected to approximate $17 million.Grading and bulldozing are completed. Excavation of the various waterways in Disneyland is finished. Construction has started on several
Disneyland
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Dateline: January 1, 1955
Status: Archive
Source: McCalls
This July, Walt Disney will realize a lifelong dream, when the fabulous wonderland he is raising out of the dust of a 160-acre tract in the heart of California's orange-growing country opens to the public. The 5 million young at heart who are expected to visit it annually will know it as Disneyland-"a place where you can leave Today, with its cares and worries, behind and
There is a shadow of Sherlock Holmes (Complete with pipe and cap) in the second-story window of the manor that houses Mr. Toads wild ride.
Ride Information:
Maximum seating capacity: 2 per car
Track Length: 424 feet
Average attraction speed 4 feet per second
Dispatch interval: 11 seconds
Number of A.A Figures:0
Voices:
Judge - Corey Burton
Cop - Corey Burton
Farmer - Corey Burton
Original Names Of Cars:
1. Toady
2. Mr. Toad
3. Mac Badger
4. Moley S. Ratty
6. Cyril
7. Winky
8. Weasel
Bill Martin did the ride layout, Claude Coates drew the interiors, Ken Anderson designed the sets and Bob Gurr built the vehicles
Required a "C" ticket in 1955-1957
In 1956 the phone extension for Mr Toad was 385
Required a "D" ticket in 1959
Required a "D" ticket in 1964-1965
From Attractions Report 1965
Lowered to a "C" coupon in order to balance the capacity and also because of criticism received regarding the length of these rides.
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968
Is a hilarious race through the streets of Old London Town, inspired by the adventures of Mr. Toad from the story, Wind in the Willows
Required a "C" ticket in 1970's
From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982:
Based on the October 1949 Disney release The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad-which itself was inspired by Kenneth Grahame's classic novel, The Wind in the Willows-this attraction is one of those involved in the 1982-83 Fantasyland renovation. The designs have made what was originally a fairly primitive experience into something altogether splendid, from the queue area-an exterior view of Mr. Toad's ancestral mansion that looks very much like the Toad Hall seen on the Storybook Land Canal Boat cruise to the jigging and jagging, frenetic, and cacophonous experience inside.
