10 Things You Didn’t Know About Disneyland

Filled with all your favourite childhood characters, fun rides, and an awful lot of amazing things to do, Disneyland is one of the happiest places on Earth. While there are over a million visitors visiting Disneyland every year, there are plenty unknown to the outside world. Here are the top 10 things you didn’t know about Disneyland.

1. Matterhorn has a basketball court

While this seemed like a rumour for most of the time, Matterhorn actually has a compact basketball court inside the premises. As you climb two-thirds of the Matterhorn, you will see a small-attic, inside which you will find the cramped up basketball court. When they were not performing, climbers and cast members used the space to pass time.

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2. No beard for six decades

As crazy as it sounds, Disneyland did really have a beard ban for over six decades. Starting from the 1950s, Disneyland employees were banned from growing a facial hair. While Walt Disney himself had a moustache, the employees weren’t allowed to sport one until 2000. After lasting for over six decades, Disneyland finally revoked the beard ban in 2012 with one condition that the employees keep it short.

3. Touch Snow White’s apple for a spooky surprise

Snow White’s Scary Adventures follows the suspenseful journey of Snow White as she tries to escape from the evil wrath of the queen. But wait, don’t just jump in on the ride yet. Stop by the entrance and touch the brass apple. You will hear a witch’s crackle followed by a loud thunder. Also while you are waiting in line to get in, take a look at the upper window. You might find the evil queen suddenly appearing and glaring at you with cold eyes.

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4. Disneyland has seen 4 baby births

Disneyland is where all the children rejoice with laughter and happiness, but it is all the place where four of them cried. I mean in a good way. Disneyland has seen four childbirths so far and counting. It was on July 4, 1979, Disneyland had its first baby birth – Teresa Salcedo. After Teresa, there were three more. One in 1984 born at the Disneyland First Aid Station, two in 2002 at the back room office, three in Disneyland’s parking lot.

Teresa was presented with a birth certificate that said ‘Disneyland Birth certificate No.1’ and she was also visited by Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy in the hospital. How sweet! On the other hand, these children weren’t awarded a lifetime pass as per the popular rumour.

5. There are 200 Feral cats in the park

Everday Disneyland has a huge number of kids as visitors and they drop food occasionally. Actually, they drop food all the time. And these litters invite rodents. Best way to get rid of rodents? Cats. Disneyland has over 200 feral cats just to keep the population of the rodents in check. They get unleashed in the nights and they roam around hunting. Just like Batman, the nights in Disneyland belongs to them. They are the heroes we need but not the ones we deserve. The cats are looked after and feed during the day by the staffs.

6. Real Human Skeletons props in Pirates of the Caribbean

If you go around asking the Disneyland visitors what their most famous experience was, you would definitely hear more than half of them mention ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ at least once. That is how popular and amazing the ride is. But, when the ride first opened in 1967, Walt Disney Imagineers, the creative minds behind the design and the build of Disneyland world over were not happy with the authenticity of the human skeletons that they went to the extreme to get cadaver skeletons from UCLA Medical Centre.

Along the way, as there were technological advancements, these real skeletons were believed to be replaced by fake ones. Do find it for yourself and let us know. 😉

7. A store to buy lingerie and other unmentionables

The first thing that comes to our mind when someone says Disneyland is ‘Family fun’. But, when it was first opened in 1955, Main Street Disneyland had an Intimate Apparel store run by the Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Co. of Los Angeles. And it was not all store. A part of it was a museum where you could learn the history of undergarments. That’ so cool and weird as well right. Wait, there’s more. The store also had an interesting mechanical robot called ‘The Wizard of Bras’ that was able to interact using tape recorder technology.

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8. Plants in Tomorrowland are edible

Opened in 1955, Tomorrowland is one of the five original lands in Disneyland. It is also where you will find futuristic rides. From Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters to Space Station 77 to Jedi Training: Trails of the Temple, the list of futuristic attractions that will teleport you to a whole new world is innumerable. Tired after all the futuristic fun? Nibble on the plants in Tomorrowland. Landscaped keeping the ecology in mind, all the plants in Tomorrowland are edible. Just like the rides, you have a wide range of options to choose from here too,

Some of the plants you can get your hands at include strawberries, oregano, rosemary, sage, lettuce, lavender, chilli, and kale. But the way it is beautifully arranged will also make it hard for you to disrupt.

9. Club 33 is the only place in Disneyland where you can get alcohol

Shocked after reading the title and wondering if you can actually get alcohol in Disneyland? Welcome to Club 33. Exclusive only to a select few, Club 33 is the only place inside Disneyland where you can purchase alcohol. But to get inside Club 33, you have to be a member first. And, it’s not cheap. The membership has an initiation fee of $25,000 to $100,000 and an annual fee of $12,500 to $30,000 depending on the type of membership. Till now, the whole experience inside Club 33 is kept a secret. So, if you happen to visit the restaurant, do share your experience. 😉

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10. Michelle Pfeiffer worked as Alice in Disneyland

Remember Michelle Pfeiffer from Scarface? In mid-1970’s before she was famous, Michelle Pfeiffer essayed the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland in the main street electrical parade. Little did she knew that she was going to be a great star in the future.

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Interested to fact check this in real time? Go on. Plan a trip to Disneyland now!

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