[Political Junkie Too]

Many of these tidbits are told to people who take a special walking tour of the park (you can sign up at City Hall).

#2 (basketball court) was because the Matterhorn violated Anaheim building codes (too tall), so the Disney team found a loophole and put the basketball court on the "second floor" in order to reclassify the Matterhorn as a mult-use building, which then made it legal.

-PJ

[logician2u]

Lots of territory is covered on that list. Thanks for posting it!

An interesting sidelight on the original Disney rides and attractions: most of them were sponsored. The Disney-Alweg monorail was already mentioned, but I can think of a few more:

• Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad
• TWA (later, Douglas) Rocket to the Moon
• General Dynamics Submarine Voyage
• Pepsi-Cola Golden Horseshoe Music Hall
• Richfield Autopia
• Monsanto Hall of Chemistry
• AT&T Circarama (America the Beautiful)
• Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship
• Casa de Fritos
• United Airlines Tiki Hut (talking bird show)

In addition, Kodak had an early presence at Disneyland, with a photo shop on Main Street and, as I recall, film booths in each of the four "lands." They also had markers at points that would make a good "Kodak moment" around the park.

Disney believed in competition, though, so GAF also sold film and cameras. You could buy Coke as well as Pepsi, just not at the same place.

Those traveling with pets were also accommodated. Disneyland had a Ken-L-Ration Pet Motel at the main entrance.

As popular as Disneyland was when it opened and is still, even Walt Disney hedged his bets, prefering to share the risk with (at the time) more established businesses. Unlike Disney World, the Disney company bought just enough land for the park and acres and acres of parking. This created an enormous opportunity for hotels, restaurants and other tourist-oriented businesses, which very soon proliferated as the Magic Kingdom attracted families from all over the country and the world.

[indcons]

27. Sleeping Beauty Castle is based largely on “Mad King” Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, but with one big difference: The top is on backward. Disney didn’t want it to look too much like the real thing.

The original is a true masterpiece....

[Nam Vet]

I went to Disneyland the third day it was open. Half the rides (or better) were not completed yet.

Nam Vet

[Psycho_Bunny]

23. In New Orleans Square, near the Pirates of the Caribbean exit, a door marked “33” leads to an ultra-secret, ultra-exclusive private club. Club 33 is the only place in the park that serves alcohol (including a Chardonnay specially bottled for the club by Fess “Davy Crockett” Parker).

Interesting....when I was young I had lunch in Club 33.  It's very nice in there.  It's a pity I was too young to appreciate it.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Wew!...at first I thought the title said "NEVERland...and I wuz thinkin' I DON'"T WANNA KNOW!!!!

[harrowup]

6. The sailing ship Columbia, which is supposed to be a replica of the first U.S. ship to circumvent the globe, actually was built in large part from the plans for the HMS Bounty, of mutiny fame. Disney’s shipbuilders couldn’t find plans for the original Columbia, so they relied heavily on those of Capt. William Bligh’s ship, which had similar dimensions.

At best, that would be John Glenn in Mercury...

[youthgonewild]

Thanks for this informative thread. I just got done reading Disneywar, a crazy book about Disney in the Eisner years, its an excellent book and I definitely recommend it. The weirdest thing I did not know about Disneyland not mentioned here is that before one can become an executive, they work in a Disney costume in a park interacting with people to understand the "Disney Magic".

[woofie]

Since 1955, 3562 divorces were initiated in the Disneyland parking lot

[BurbankKarl]

A basketball court can be found within the top of Matterhorn mountain at Disneyland. Status: True.

Origins: A small, attic-like space near the top of the Matterhorn structure does indeed contain a basketball rim, backboard, and floor markings. (This cramped area is smaller in size than a regulation half-court, so the term "basketball court" is used rather loosely here.) This common piece of Disney lore has it that Disneyland's Matterhorn house a basketball court because at the time it was built, an Anaheim city ordinance prohibited the building of structures exceeding a certain height — with the single exception of sports facilities. In order to skirt this law, crafty ol' Walt Disney supposedly had a "basketball court" installed within the Matterhorn so that he could claim the structure to be a sports arena and thereby avoid the height restrictions. This legend is nothing more than a bit of fanciful fun: the Matterhorn was finished in 1959, but the city of Anaheim did not have regulations restricting the height of structures until the 1970s (and even if they had, they wouldn't have allowed Disney to get away with such a blatant violation of them based on semantic trickery). The small area atop the Matterhorn is used as a rest and preparation area for the costumed climbers who sometimes entertain park guests by scaling the mountain. According to the Disney Channel program "Inside Out," the basketball court came to be when one of these climbers brought in and installed a basketball hoop and backboard for use as an amusement to pass the time when inclement weather or other conditions prevented the climbers from working outside the mountain.

[Loud Mime]

51. The name of the song for the Electric Light Parade is Baroque Hoe-down.

52. There's lots of plain clothes Disney people present. Ond day in the California Adventure some girl got hurt from a fall, people with hidden walkie talkies were there immediately.

53. How much does that new fireworks display cost, anyway?

[Jeff Chandler]

And don't forget: Yesterland.

[Political Junkie Too]

Does anyone remember Michael Iceberg and his Iceberg Machine in Tomorrowland? Here's a link to a copy of a 30-minute show.

-PJ

[Political Junkie Too]

Here's a link to a site with a 40-minute tribute video of the Carousel of Progress. Talk about memories!

-PJ

[SkyPilot]

Walt Disney kept a 600-square-foot studio apartment above the firehouse on Main Street. It’s maintained as a shrine to the park’s founder and kept just as he left it, with Victorian antiques, red velvet carpeting and a device for making grilled cheese sandwiches. Outsiders are rarely allowed inside. A light shines from the window at all times as a symbol of Disney’s eternal presence.

Weird.

[Bender2]

Re: “...but they can’t pee in the street.”

Evidently, he hasn't been to the West Coast lately...

[bigsigh]

My neice is a spoon in the current parade.

[bigsigh]

The city council of Pomona, CA turned down Disney after walking through the fields by the LA County Fairgrounds while he described his project. They said they had the Fair and that was enough.

[bigsigh]

There was a Japanese family which owned a strawberry field near D-Land. Disney tried for decades to buy them out. The elders died and the family sold out in the mid 90s. Don't know the exact location.

In the 80s, Long Beach turned down a Disney Park which would have been mostly on the water.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Of the fifty, the only ones I didn't know were 4, 6, 7, 11, 16, 22, and 29. Then again, I grew up about fifteen miles from Disneyland.

According to what Disney teaches their own employees, the real story about Khrushchev is simply that Walt didn't want the commie in his park. The security story was just an excuse. Also, I am skeptical about number 44.