THE SECRETS AND HISTORY BEHIND DISNEYLANDBy: Kristin Elberling

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.“

-Walt Disney

THESIS:

As one of the worlds most known trademarks Disney has made it’s place in American and world history through its Theme Parks and controversies that are heard and visited by people all over the globe.

RANDOM SECRETS

The employee break room is located inside the Matterhorn bobsled mountain and has a basketball court inside.

Where does Disneyland's trash go? Many people ask this question around the park the truth is the trash is shot from little pipes that go to under the castle, the trash can go to as fast as 60 mph.

On opening day Walt had to chose between drinking fountains or bathroom. The next new attraction opened in tomorrowland

was Crane’s Bathroom of Tomorrow.

HOW DISNEYLAND CAME TO A REALITY

July 21, 1954: The ground was broken in Anaheim California.

July 17, 1955:Disneyland opened to invited guests.

July 18, 1955: Disneyland is opened to the public the original admission price was one dollar. The cost of rides was 10 cents to 35 cents.

September 8, 1955: Disneyland has its one millionth guest.

THE BLACKEST SUNDAY

On July 17, 1955: Disneyland opened to invited guests.

But Walt opened the doors to soon and Disneyland had its malfunctions. Rides broke down. Rides had to be closed down for television crews. The freshly poured asphalt was not set yet and

many women wearing high heels lost their shoe. Many reporters said Disneyland was overpriced

and would close down soon due to the malfunctions and price.

DISNEYLAND'S TIME LINE

1959: Walt denied the Soviet leader Khrushchev a visit due to security concerns.

1964: Disneyland makes more money than Disney films.

1966: Disneyland's saddest year. Walt Disney passes away.

1982: Disneyland stops using ticket books and introduce the passport good for all rides any number of times during that day.

1985: The park is opened year round. 1999: The fast pass is introduced.

WHAT GOES ON THAT THE PUBLIC DOES NOT SEE…

If you are employee after 2000 and a male you are no longer allowed to have facial hair. But since Walt himself had a moustache. Men are allowed to have a small nicely trimmed one.

Women were allowed to wear eyeliner and eye shadow finally in 1994.

Every day Disney’s 11 hair stylists fix the cartoons wigs throughout the park.

All the spare change found on rides and throughout the park is given to charity.

Oh Mickey, Your So Fine!

“Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner.”

-Walt Disney

HOW WAS MICKEY NAMED?

Mickey’s original name to be was Mortimer. No one really knows what made Walt really change the name to Mickey it is known that it was suggested due to it was a more pleasant name. It took a while for Mickey to become a hit but once he did Mickey blew up all over the place and was later a household name.

MICKEY MOUSE VS. DONALD DUCK

Donald Duck is rumored to be more popular then Mickey Mouse in Finland. In 1977 when it is rumored Donald Duck was banned from Finland because he parades around with no pants and a sailor hat. The truth behind the story is that schools and many other children communities had to cut their budgets and decided to get rid of Donald Duck cartoons.

DONALD DUCK PARTY (KALLE ANKA-PARTIET)

As a joke to the controversy Donald created, as a joke the Donald Duck Party was formed not being an official party until Bosse Person registered it and became the only member. The Donald Duck party has scored enough write in votes to be the ninth most popular.

In the 2006 election is placed 21st place out of 40 parties with the most votes. It received 225 votes that year all hand written in.

ARCHITECTURE OF DISNEYLAND

To create the feeling of a Main Street Disney made the buildings nine-tenths the scale on the first level, seven-eighths the scale on the second level, and five-eighths the scale on the third level. Disney used forced perspective on this street by

angling all the buildings a little towards the magic castle making the walk there seem longer then the walk back.

When Disneyland first opened he had an agreement with the town of Anaheim that no buildings outside the park could be tall enough to be seen from inside the park.

THE LEGEND OF THE HIDDEN MICKEY'S

There is a hidden Mickey outline everywhere in the park. The hidden Mickey's are also in movies, the shape of buildings and the shape of gardens that can only be seen by planes.

CLUB 33

Club 33 is a private VIP club located in Disneyland's New Orleans Square on 33 Royal Street. This is the only place in the theme parks that serve alcohol. It is rumored the name “33” has many different reasoning's but have all been ruled out to it was simply the address of the location in the park. Walt got the idea when he attended the world fair in New York and saw many VIP sections. The club was first opened up for sponsors of the park, celebrities, and royalty. It wasn’t till after Walt Disney died that the club was opened up to the public.

CLUB 33 CONT.

The current wait time to join the club is now at 14 years. This changes time to time depending on if the club is either allowing new members or not that year and if they have many openings that year. Club 33 is kept very well hidden from the public eye and many pass by it everyday with out recognizing it’s there.

THE LEGEND OF WALT STILL LIVES ON

Walt Disney had an apartment over the fire station on Main Street. The apartment was 600 sq feet. The apartment is still maintained and kept to honor Walt Disney. It is left just as the apartment was when Walt lived there with antique furniture, red velvet carpet and an original grilled cheese maker. If you look you can still see the light shining in the apartment at all times to show Walt’s life is eternal.

You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway. -Walt Disney

WORKS SITED Brad Aldridge Productions. "Disneyland Timeline." Just Disney. Aug.

2002. 20 May 2009 <http://www.justdisney.com/disneyland/timeline/index.html>.

Malloy, Betsy. Disneyland History. 22 May 2009 <http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/cadisneyland/a/history.htm>.

Witworth, Ken, et al. "Club 33 History." Club 33. 20 May 2009      <http://www.disneylandclub33.com/index.html>.

Wolf, Buck. "A Strange Ride Through Disney Theme Parks." ABC News. 4 May 2005.      19 May 2009 <http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/      Story?id=744199&page=1>.