Disney World is a magical place filled with countless wonders. With all the care and work that is put into the rides, character, encounters, and the upkeep of the park, it is easy to how it has become one of America's most visited attraction. The Imagineers take into account every single tiny detail when designing the parks to make sure the park lands are historically accurate, live up to Disney's reputation, and provide the best experiences possible for guests. They even hide homages to Disney's movies and employees in the decor. This article is the beginning of a series in which I will list ten facts about each park at Disney World. Here are ten facts about Magic Kingdom, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these the next time you go.
1. Almost all the flags on Main Street U.S.A are not real
Due to regulations, American flags have to be raised at the beginning of the day and lowered in the evening and flown at half mast during times of national mourning. Raising and lowering all the flags on Main Street U.S.A would be a nightmare, so in order to get around the rules, all the flags, except for one that they do raise and lower during ceremonies in the morning and evening every day, are missing a stripe or a star. This means that they are not true American flags and are not subject to the regulations.
2. All the costumes at the Hall of Presidents are historically accurate
Each costume worn by the animatronic presidents in the attraction were made using the sewing techniques employed during that president's time period. This means that suits for presidents like George Washington and John Adams were hand sewn while the ones for newer presidents such as George Bush and Bill Clinton were made with a sewing machine.
3. The Secret Wedding Ring
While waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion, look closely at the pavement as you go along, and you might spot the wedding ring embedded in the concrete. Legend has it that it belongs to the hanging bride that guests see while riding through the attraction.
4. The oldest ride at Magic Kingdom
While some people might think that the original rides that were present at the opening of Disney World, like It's a Small World and Splash Mountain, would be the oldest rides, that is not technically true. The oldest ride in Magic Kingdom is the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. It was constructed in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, and it originally had 90 wooden hand-carved horses. Disney has since added 11 more fiberglass ones.
Bonus Fact: If you ride the carousel, hop on the horse with the golden ribbon tied around its tail. It is Cinderella's horse.
5. The Liberty Bell
The replica of the Liberty Bell in Liberty Square was cast in the same mold that the original bell was made from in Annecy-le Vieux by the Paccard Fonderie.
6. The Houses at Liberty Square
If you look closely at the houses in Liberty Square, you will notice that they all have two-digit addresses on the facades. If you add an 18 before each pair of numbers, it is representative of the year that that type of architecture was used.
7. The wooden leg at the Frontierland Railroad Station
While you are waiting for the train at the Frontierland Rail Road Station look for the wooden leg named Smith in the Lost and Found along the top of the wall. It pays homage to a joke made by Bert and Uncle Albert in the movie Mary Poppins. Bert: "I knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith."
Uncle Albert: "What's the name of his other leg?"
8. The "palm trees" in Tomorrowland
The metal palm trees in Tomorrowland fold up at night and back out in the morning like flowers. They also collect solar energy during the day.
9. No restrooms in Liberty Square
If you haven't guessed already, Disney Imagineers went to great lengths to make Liberty Square look authentic. As a result, there are no restrooms in Liberty Square because people during that time did not have indoor plumbing. There are, however, restrooms at the Columbia Harbour House and the Liberty Tree Tavern because they are technically not in Liberty Square. The back half of the Columbia Harbor House is in Fantasyland, and restrooms in the Liberty Tree Tavern are also far enough in the back of the restaurant to be considered as not part of Liberty Square.
10. The 200 feet rule
All of the buildings at Disney World are less than 200 feet tall, including Cinderella Castle which is 189 feet tall. This is because, according to the Federal Aviation Authority, if a building is 200 feet or taller, it has to be equipped with flashing red lights in order for pilots to see it at night.
Bonus Fact: Imagineers used forced perspective to make the castle look taller than it actually is. The width of the castle becomes smaller as it goes up. This tricks the human eye and makes the castle seem taller.
