Random Facts

[DisneyIzz]

Re: Random Facts

There is a basketball hoop within Matterhorn not a basketball court as it is often believed.When the attraction was being constructed, Californian law proclaimed a complex of its size could only be governmental or sports-related. Disney later worked around this roadblock in court. The basketball hoop was installed as a reminder of this event.

I heard that it was a half-court

[Datameister]

Re: Random Facts

There is a basketball hoop within Matterhorn not a basketball court as it is often believed.When the attraction was being constructed, Californian law proclaimed a complex of its size could only be governmental or sports-related. Disney later worked around this roadblock in court. The basketball hoop was installed as a reminder of this event.

Also false. The hoop was just installed for the heck of it.

[Bob Weaver]

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Random Facts

Inside the Matterhorn:

http://www.invisiblethemepark.com/wp...tballcourt.jpg

http://www.makersofuniverses.com/wp-...erhorn0617.gif

[BrodyDanger]

Re: Random Facts

Any credibility to Tom Sawyer Island being annexed by Missouri and having a MO zip code?

[dead_Mau5]

Re: Random Facts

BTMR isn't a original feat of imagineering, rather just a recycled one. Big Thunder Mountain was featured in the 1968 musical "The One and Only,Genuine,Original Family Band".Also the peaks of MK's version have been named. They are(in order of height) Big Thunder,Langhorn,Little Thunder and Elias.

[GummiBears_Rock]

Re: Random Facts

the king of hearts is the only king without a moustashe.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Random Facts

Any credibility to Tom Sawyer Island being annexed by Missouri and having a MO zip code?

No.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Random Facts

The best part about the ladies in heels is that the only place to buy shoes in the park on opening day was the indian village, they had moccasins. To get to the village you had to go through Frontierland which was a dirt path, the dirt got kicked up so much that they had to spray it down so people could breathe... So in order to go get new shoes the ladies had to walk through mud!

People who were there opening day will tell you that Frontierland was paved.

The Morse code is the opening day speech, but it didn't used to be. It used to be how they kept the trains on schedule before phones and computers. They had two operators communicating when the trains arrived and left. The problem was that they got bored and started to send messages about guests and cast memebers figuring that no one could translate Morse code. One person could... Lilly Disney. They were replaced with the recording and computers.

You are mostly incorrect. The clacking was always tape recorded. The original tape was bawdy. Llillian Disney did know, and the tape was changed. Live telegraphers were never used to "keep the trains on schedule."

[JungleCruiseFan]

Re: Random Facts

About the Tiki Room, the fountain in the middle actually has cabinets for storing silverware. That was made back when it was supposed to be a restaurant.

I've never actually seen this, but I've heard there's a wall over by the restrooms next to the Bank on Main Street that has a bunch of different brick patterns. When the park was being built, they were testing different patterns on that wall, and for whatever reason they never painted over it. Can anyone confirm that?

Walt had the display windows on Main Street placed low to the ground so kids could see in.

Harper Goff, when building Jungle Cruise, went through drawing lines with his foot for where the river was to be dug.

One concept for Indiana Jones Adventure was for it to be a huge attraction that would incorporate EMV's, a roller coaster, the Jungle Cruise, and another ride which I can't seem to remember. This was scrapped because it would have been way too expensive.

The mayor of New Orelans came to the opening of New Orelans Square, and said it looked just like the real city. Walt joked that New Orleans Square was cleaner. The mayor wasn't pleased.

New Orleans Square, like Main Street, was built using forced perspective. The first story is 13 feet, the second 8 feet, 9 inches, and the third 7 feet, 11 inches.

About Dumbo- it was originally going to be Pink Elephants, but Walt thought that segment from the movie was too scary for little kids.

Most (maybe all) of the Fantasyland dark rides were originally intended to have you playing the main character. However, people didn't get this and wondered why Snow White wasn't in her Scary Adventures. So they added her.

Sleeping Beauty Castle was built 4 years before the movie even came out.

Space Mountain originally wasn't an indoor coaster- the track would be on top of the mountain.

The Jungle Cruise was inspired by the (non-Disney) movie the African Queen.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Random Facts

Walt had the display windows on Main Street placed low to the ground so kids could see in.

If you've ever been on a real "Main Street," (there are many, many left in the country) the windows on the buildings are often placed low. Not a "Walt" invention at all.

[HiddenMickeyBook]

Re: Random Facts

Fulton Burley, who starred in the Golden Horseshoe Review forever, voiced Michael the Irish parrot in the Tiki Room. Betty Taylor, who also starred in the Golden Horseshoe Review, sang 'Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey' in America Sings, I believe, as one of the pigs in that scene! And - correct me here, folks if I am wrong - Jim Stafford voiced Henry the emcee bear in Country Bear Jamboree.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Random Facts

By prior arrangement, the first printed ticket to Disneyland was purchased in advance by Walt's brother Roy, as memoribilia to give to his grandchildren. Ticket #2 was purchased by 22-year-old Dave MacPherson of Long Beach, California, who rode his bike to the park at 2:00 a.m. on July 18, 1955, the first day the park was open to the public. A famous picture of Walt Disney that day shows him admitting the first two official guests, Michael Schwartner, 7 and Christine Vess, 5 (now Christine Vess Watkins). Walt awarded each of them lifetime passes to Disneyland, and not long afterwards Dave MacPherson was notified that he would also receive a lifetime pass. He has received an annual card every year since 1955, and his lifetime pass has also been extended to include every Disney-owned park worldwide. He is now 76 or 77 and lives in Monticello, Utah. You can see a picture of his pass at Disneyland

On May 2, 2006, Disneyland honored Emmalee Mason, 12, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the 2 billionth guest at a Disney park. She received a giant golden key and a lifetime pass for her and her family (all ten of them) to all eleven Disney Parks around the world.

[Datameister]

Re: Random Facts

Space Mountain originally wasn't an indoor coaster- the track would be on top of the mountain.

Just to clarify so that no one misinterprets this - there were early concepts for Space Mountain that showed the track running around the outside of the building. Later, the Imagineers decided to try a mostly indoor approach, but the idea of having short stretches of track that left the show building (as well as protruding "satelloids" on the exterior) persisted for a while. But the actual attraction was never built with outdoor sections of the track. (Of course, Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris is a slightly different story, since it starts with a launch along the outside of the mountain, but the coaster itself is still all indoors.)

[JungleCruiseFan]

Re: Random Facts

Here's the concept art I was talking about

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Random Facts

The term "E-ticket" is still used today to describe the best and most elaborate attractions even though E-tickets are part of Disneyland history. Technically there have been 23 attractions in the history of Disneyland for which E tickets were collected during some or all of the attraction's history:

America Sings
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree
Disneyland Monorail
Enchanted Tiki Room
Flying Saucers
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Haunted Mansion
"it's a small world"
Jungle Cruise
Mark Twain Steamboat
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland
Papotin's Revue
Pirates of the Caribbean
Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island
Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches
Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules/Pack Mules thru Nature's Wonderland
Sailing Ship Columbia
Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad
Space Mountain
Submarine Voyage
TWA Rocket to the Moon

Some of those listed above spent some time at ticket levels other than "E," but for all of those listed above, "E" tickets were collected at one time or another. More recent attractions considered of "E-ticket quality" such as Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, and anything in DCA, opened after E-tickets were discontinued.

[Datameister]

Re: Random Facts

Here's the concept art I was talking about

Yup. They later toned it down to something much closer to what we see in the park, but there were still outdoor sections till rather late in the design process, I believe.

[dmtnt55]

Re: Random Facts

Since the height limitations limited it from being built, the Matterhorn has a basketball court at the top inside of it because California height restrictions made it so the limits of height must be for athletic venues.

[Alex E]

Re: Random Facts

Splash Mountain was constructed from April 24, 1987 to (I think) sometime in January 1989.

I learned this year that Dumbo was actually replaced in 1990 by the current one, which was originally built for Disneyland Paris.

[JungleCruiseFan]

Re: Random Facts

The Haunted Mansion's exterior was built in 1963, building inside didn't start until '67, and the ride uponed up in '69.