Random Facts

[disneyDragon923]

I'm amazed nobody has said this yet:

Indiana Jones was built on the spot that used to be the Eeyore parking lot. As a tribute to it, Disney Imagineers put the Eeyore parking sign in the video room. Ask a cast member, they are more then happy to point it out to anyone who asks.

[Bob Weaver]

The original Disneyland parking lot had spaces for 15,167 cars.
The Mickey and Friends parking structure has spaces for 10,200 cars.

[Nautilus]

The "basement" section of Space Mountain where the track goes below ground level is known as the "tuna can", because of it's overall proportion. If you want to act more like an Imagineer, start saying "tuna can" when on Space Mountain.

[disneyDragon923]

Hey everyone, got some more for you all that I remembered:

The Moose, Deer and Bear from Country Bear Jamboree can be seen on the Winnie the Pooh ride if you look back behind you after you pass the Heffalumps scene

Everyone knows that Walt Disney had an apartment above the Fire Station next to City Hall. If you look up, there is a light that is always on to remind everyone entering the park that he's always with us. The only time it's off is when Walts daughters are in the park.

Originally Posted by BrodyDanger

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

I heard a Cast Member talking about this once and they said that this is actually true about Tom Sawyer Island having a Missouri zip code. As far as it being annexed by Missouri, not quite sure about that.

Ever wonder what the deal with the cats in the park is? There is actually a cat kennel located behind Hungry Bear that can be seen when you are on the Disneyland Railroad on the right side.

The Mercedes Truck right outside of the Indiana Jones attraction is the actual truck used in the infamous chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

On Tarzans Treehouse, Mrs Potts and Chip from Beauty and the Beast can be seen in the kitchen sitting on wood crates.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Originally Posted by dmtnt55

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.

Not true, as noted above. A Disneyland urban myth that refuses to die.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Originally Posted by Bob Weaver

Main Street is based in part on the downtown section of Marceline, Missouri, where Walt Disney spent part of his childhood. There is now a Main St. Emporium in Marceline, which sells collectibles and Disneyana. Main Street is supposed to represent Marceline in 1910. Tomorrowland was originally supposed to represent the year of 1986. 1910 and 1986 were the years of Halley's Comet's appearances in the 20th century.

Main Street USA bears little to zero resemblance to Kansas Avenue (Marceline's Main Street). The Main Street Walt knew was a dirt road, smelling of horse urine in summer and a muddy quagmire in winter, lined on both sides with telephone poles that were never really straight. The buildings portrayed a ragged profile, although many were two stories--indicating substantial commercial progress. Often, there were large empty spaces and vacant lots between the buildings. There were no mansard-roofed buildings that I can see in historic photos.

Walt's recollections of his happy times in Marceline led to Main Street USA's development--it was not the model.

Also--as Walt stated, Main Street USA represents "America from 1890 to 1910." The year 1910 was not chosen because it had anything to do with Halley's Comet. The two-decade span across the turn of the century allowed Walt wide lattitude in presenting the idealized image of Main Street. As he said, this was "the crossroads of an era." Which is why you have gas powered "Horseless carriages" sharing the road with the horse-drawn streetcar; also why you have electric lights in town square (where such a miraculous invention would no doubt first have been installed), but gas lamps everywhere else.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Originally Posted by disneyDragon923

I heard a Cast Member talking about this once and they said that this is actually true about Tom Sawyer Island having a Missouri zip code.

Cast members are frequently wrong. As in this case.

[Datameister]

Steve, I am really getting a kick out of reading your posts in this thread. No offense to anyone who's inadvertently posted a false rumor, but sometimes these sorts of threads are actually more useful for debunking myths than providing new information.

Nautilus, that's interesting about the "tuna can" thing, especially since that basement level's walls are at a 45-degree angle.

[matterhornlove31]

This one is more of a "you choose to believe it or not" fact. In Indiana Jones, if you look VERY hard, you can almost make out Indy's body complexion in the screen room to the right.
I asked a CM to point it out to me and he told me that it was mainly just a coincidence and never intended to be there as a hidden treat. As far as I could tell it really did need a lot of imagination to actually see it, but I suppose you could make out somewhat Indy. Just ask a CM to point it out to you as well as the Eeyore parking sign.

There is also a skeleton in the exit line queue of Indiana Jones right where you're about to exit to the left there is a hole about 8 feet up and if you look through it there's the skeleton.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride's ending is not a direct reference to the ending of film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, but its own entity that the Imagineers came up with. That's why there is no actual hell in the film, just in the ride.

Finding Nemo Subs were originally going to be based off the film Atlantis, but due to its lackluster reception (though, i do wish more people would watch it, it is a good film) the idea was scrapped. They wanted to have some sort of interactive claw while on the sub where gusts could "claw" for treasure.

Matterhorn doesn't have a halfcourt because of some California regulations that required it to be a sports arena due to its size.

The skull above the skeleton in the bed near the beginning of POTC is an actual human skull

The caterpillar from Alice In Wonderland was once over the mushroom in the line queue, but now only his shoes remain (which you can spot when your in the second floor of the outside portion of the ride)

[Bob Weaver]

Los Angeles Airways was a helicopter airline that operated in southern California, providing passenger service on helicopters between various regional airports and Los Angeles International Airport as well as helicopter mail services. They were the first airline to provide regular helicopter mail service, starting on October 1, 1947. They also provided helicopter service to Disneyland for paying passengers, starting when the park opened. Over the period of time when service was provided, there were a total of 3 locations where the helicopters landed, two just outside the park east of Tomorrowland and the final location west of the Disneyland Hotel. The flight from LAX to Disneyland took 15 minutes. The congressional subisdy for helicopter airlines expired in 1965 and helicopter airlines were no longer financially viable. On May 22, 1968, a helicopter left Disneyland for LAX but crashed in Paramount, California, killing all 20 passengers and 3 crew members. On August 14, 1968, a helicopter left LAX bound for Disneyland but crashed into a park in Compton, California, killing all 18 passengers and 3 crew members. Among the passengers killed was the 13-year-old grandson of the founder and president of Los Angeles Airways. Helicopter service to Disneyland was discontinued. Los Angeles Airways ceased all operations when it was bought by Golden West Airlines in 1971. Now, of course, air traffic in the airspace over Disneyland is prohibited.

[disneyDragon923]

Originally Posted by Steve DeGaetano

Cast members are frequently wrong. As in this case.

Cool, thanks for clarifying, I thought it wasn't true, I put it here to see if anyone could clarify it's authenticity, which of course isn't true.

I got some more facts that I heard that maybe someone could varify for me.

This really isn't a fact more then a Hidden Mickey that someone told me about. On Pirates of the Carribean, when Davy Jones is in the mist, if you look to the right of his hat, there is a Hidden Mickey (can someone please varify this, with a picture if possible!)

Also, I heard if you ask a CM at the beginning of the train station, you can actually ride up front with the conductor. I also heard you can do the same thing with the monorail. Anyone know if this is true?

[Steve DeGaetano]

Originally Posted by disneyDragon923

Also, I heard if you ask a CM at the beginning of the train station, you can actually ride up front with the conductor....Anyone know if this is true?

This is true, but with caveats: Only engines 1 and 2 (C.K. Holliday and E.P. Ripley) are able to accommodate passengers. Two adults; maybe an adult and two small children.

And the ride is at the discretion of the engine crew. They may have to take water or fuel, or "blow down" the locomotives, in which case the answer will be "No." They also might be training other engine crew, so you wouldn't be able to ride then either. And, they just might not want to have riders aboard. It's all up to them.

You will need to ride all the way around. Although I'm not sure why anyone would want to end the run short.

But it is always worth a try to score a ride, so it never hurts to ask!

[JungleCruiseFan]

Originally Posted by disneyDragon923

Ever wonder what the deal with the cats in the park is? There is actually a cat kennel located behind Hungry Bear that can be seen when you are on the Disneyland Railroad on the right side.

The cats are there to help get rid of the mice (with the exception of Mickey and Minnie).
Disneyland also releases "killler" bugs to eat other, more annoying bugs.

[Bob Weaver]

Steve, what fuel do the trains use?

[fourmountain]

Someone above wrote that airspace over Disney is prohibited. I'm curious about that because the last two times we've been there, a helicopter has jetted over us while we were in New Orlean's Square/RoA. Once while waiting for Fantasmic and another time while eating an early dinner at the Cafe. Who do these choppers belong to?