"The Happiest Place on Earth" is a pretty well-known place. That's right, I'm talking about Disney World. While everyone knows of Disney, there are bound to be somethings that not everyone knows. I'll admit that I know some random Disney trivia. Using my knowledge of this company, and with the help of the internet, here's a list of unknown facts about Disney World.
1. You can't buy gum in the parks.
That's right folks, you can chew gum in the parks but you can't purchase any from any of the shops. The reason is because it is part of the effort to keep the parks clean. If you plan on chewing on some Hubba Bubba bubble gum while there, better stock up before hand.
2. EPCOT wasn't supposed to be a park.
While EPCOT is one of the four main parks in Walt Disney World, that isn't what Walt had in mind when he first designed it. EPCOT stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow," and it was originally supposed to be a living, working city of the future. But, due to Walt's death, the plan was scraped. Instead, the builders, also know as Imagineers, couldn't decide between the future concept or the world showcase concept. Supposedly, one Imagineer had the brilliant idea to just push together the two tables with the separate park models on them, thus merging them into one mega park.
3. Abandoned Water Park
Disney's first waterpark, River Country, now lays abandoned. Opening in 1976 and closing in 2001, the park's life was short lived. Today it is over grown with trees and it's often a place for curious adventurers sneak in and explore the grounds. Following it's 2001 season, the Walt Disney Company announced that the park would be closed, and it never reopened. Could this be because of the ameba that was found in the water and the deaths that had taken place in relation to the park? The world may never know.
4. Animal Kingdom and paper products
You might know this if you have been to the parks. While visiting Animal Kingdom, you may notice that drinks do not have lids and that the straws are actually made of paper. Why you ask? For the protection of the animals. One could only imagine the health problems that could result from an animal eating a part of a plastic lid or eating a straw.
5. Main Street U.S.A.
Made to replicate turn of the 20th century homes, the street that visitors to Magic Kingdom walk up as they enter the park was loosely based on Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri. Also, when you walk up the street you may smell scents from inside the shops, which are created by scent emitters. Oh, and another thing, it was all built using forced perspective. This gives the guests the idea that these buildings are a lot bigger than they really are. If you go up close and really look at the size of these buildings, ESPECIALLY from the first floor up, you’ll see the detail and innovation that went into this.
6. Disneyland Firehouse
Yeah, I know most of this list is on Disney World, but I wanted to include this fact. Walt Disney built an apartment for his family above the 'Fire Department' on Main Street. In the window that faces Main Street U.S.A., there was a lamp that would be lit when Walt was in residence. Now, it is always lit in memory of the creator.
7. Characters of Few Words
Two characters of classic Disney movies are very quiet. First, Dumbo, a flying elephant, doesn't speak at all. Close behind him, is Princess Aurora, from Sleeping Beauty. Even as the title character of the movie the princess has a total of 18 lines of dialogue and a mere 18 minutes of screentime. So much for be the main character
8. Mickey and Minnie Were Married
Now I don't mean the animated characters. I'm talking about the voices behind them. Wayne Anthony Allwine, who was the voice of Mickey Mouse for 32 years, got hitched to Russi Taylor, who played Minnie, in 1991. The two remained happily married until his death in 2009.
9. Trash Cans
In the parks, the trash cans are no more than 30 feet apart, as this is what Walt determined would be how far until someone would drop their trash. In addition, when trash is on the ground, employees that pick it up cannot simply bend over and pick it up, they must swoop and scoop, all in one swift motion.
10. Hidden Mickeys
Well this isn't a super unknown fact, but through out all the parks, if you can look hard enough, you can find Hidden Mickeys. They can be three circles placed together, or even a side profile of Mickey's head. If you want, you can find guide books or internet resources online to help you fin more rarely found ones. I always enjoy finding some while in line for rides.
Next time you travel to "The Happiest Place on Earth" think about these facts and be sure to say hi to Mickey for me!
