Hakuna Matata Monday-Disneyland Fun Facts

Disneyland Fun Facts

In honor of Labor Day, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the behind the scenes “secrets” that make Disneyland the magical place “Where you leave the world of today and enter the world of yesterday, today and fantasy.”  In talking about the beginnings of Disneyland Resort, Walt would recount, “I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953. In those days it was all flat- no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships-just orange groves and a few acres of walnut trees….We believed in our idea-a family park where parents and children could have fun together.  Disneyland is a show…the star, everything else is the supporting role. Disneyland will never be completed.  It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”  Here are some secrets, fun facts and even some pieces of trivia about the “Happiest Place.”

Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, with 18 major attractions.  Today there are more than 60 major adventures and attractions with the newest being the addition of Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park.

Speaking of California Adventure, did you know it was built on top of what was once the Disneyland Parking Lot?

    When Disneyland first opened, Anaheim had five hotels and two motels with a total of 87 rooms and 34 restaurants in the city. Today, Anaheim is the able to provide guests from around the world with a choice of 18.000 rooms at some 150 motels and hotels as well as over 450 restaurants to choose room I can remember on one of my earliest visits to Disneyland getting to stay at the Disneyland Hotel itself which was a two story building back in the day.  One of the biggest thrills for me was being transported around the grounds in a golf cart and playing in the little patio area off our room. 

From groundbreaking to opening day, Disneyland was completed in just 365 days.
   
The very first ticket to Disneyland was sold to Walt’s brother Roy for $1.00. A few days prior to Disneyland’s official opening, Walt went to visit some of the local area churches in search of the best-behaved children in Sunday School. He invited a handful of these children to come to the Park for Opening Day. One of the earliest patrons of Disneyland was a then 11-year-old boy by the name of George Lucas.

The official address of Disneyland is 1313 South Harbor Blvd.  The 13^th letter of the alphabet is “M”.  Could it mean Mickey Mouse or is it merely a coincidence?

Disneyland does not have any employees but does have between 55,000-58,000 Cast members that have catered to over 600 million guests since opening day.  Collectively they contribute more than 500 arts, crafts, professions and other skills to the operations. 

Every Cast Member wears a nametag, even the draft horses that pull the trolleys up and down Main Street, U.S.A.  No Disney Cast member at the Disney Reservation Center has the same name. If there are more than two with the same name, one of them is “given” a new name to avoid confusion.
The millionth guest was welcomed to Disneyland within a month of the park opening. 

As a reminder to the construction workers that built Disneyland the he was working as hard as they were when the park was being built, Walt Disney kept the light on in the window of the apartment he had built for himself over the Fire Station on Main Street, U.S,A.  Since his death in 1966, that light has been kept on 24/7 as a reminder of Walt Disney’s hard work and dedication.

A firefighter’s pole connected Disney’s private apartment to the bottom floor of the firehouse.  Walt was usually eager to start his work day and often would slide down the pole.  The hole at the top of the pole was sealed up after an enthusiastic guest climbed up the pole one day and introduced himself to the Disney family.

Disneyland used to have its own postmark so when you mailed a postcard on Main Street, your recipient knew it had been mailed from Disneyland.  Main Street also used to have a bank where you could actually open an account in and a printing press that published an actual newspaper.

A baby was born at Disneyland near Main Street on July 4, 1979. Mickey Mouse presented baby Teresa Salcedo with an official Disneyland birth certificate.

Ever feel like it takes longer to walk into Disneyland than it does to leave? That’s a trick purposely played on your senses.  The Disneyland architects used “forced perspective” on Main Street make the road going toward Sleeping Beauty Castle seem longer than when you’re on your way out.  The windows on the second floor of the buildings are smaller than the first, the buildings curve in slightly, and other subtle tricks make the excitement of entering Disneyland seem to last longer.

Walt Disney never owned Disneyland.  He was the creative genius behind the concept, and had stock in the company, but he never owned a controlling share.

Come back next week for more fulfilled facts, trivia and secrets about Walt’s original Park, Disneyland Resort!

Gayle is a Disney Gal that loves churros for breakfast, still gets giddy with delight at the first sight of the “Disneyland next exit sign”, loves the overwhelming emotions and memories that come with each and every return to the Happiest Place on Earth and dreams of one day being the Captain of the Jungle Boat. To learn more about Gayle, click here