Next time you visit Magic Kingdom, impress your group with your inside knowledge! Read through this fact sheet for 15 details you didn’t know about Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. I love all the details put into Disney parks and Magic Kingdom is full of fun facts. Do you know the first Audio-Animatronics Show? Or which land in Magic Kingdom has no restrooms? Learn these facts and more now.
1. Walt Disney personally helped make Country Bear Jamboree come to life.. In fact, it is one of the very last attractions he personally worked on. The show was originally thought up for a ski resort in Mineral King, California but was never used or built. Instead the show received a home at Magic Kingdom in 1971.
2. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was the first Audio-Animatronics show, it debuted at Disneyland Park in 1963. This was groundbreaking technology for the times. Since then, many attractions have adopted this technology such as it’s a small world and Pirates of the Caribbean.
3. Happily Ever After uses the most special effects and fireworks of any Nighttime spectacular to date. Disney knew they had to make the follow up to Wishes special. Wishes lasted approximately 15 minutes, while Happily Ever After lasts for 18 minutes. Meaning guests today are beholding history with Happily Ever After as the biggest fireworks show to date.
4. To keep with the accuracy of the times, Liberty Square has no restrooms. However, Liberty Tree Tavern does indeed have restrooms for dining guests, with the bathroom area technically located outside of Liberty Square land perimeter to get around this!
5. The Hall of Presidents was thought up by Walt Disney. However, the original idea for wax figures in the show was not realistic enough for Walt Disney. Therefore, Disney and a team of his Imagineers came up with the first human Audio-Animatronic figures for The Hall of Presidents.
6. It’s a Small World attraction was originally created for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Walt Disney himself oversaw the project. The attraction did very well at the fair (for 2 seasons) before opening at Disneyland park in 1966. The attraction became so popular that it has been recreated at every Disney Resort Worldwide. No matter which Disney park you visit, guests will find a version of it’s a small world.
7. Space Mountain, which opened at Magic Kingdom in 1975, had help from a NASA astronaut. Walt Disney had the idea in the 1960s but needed to wait for technology to catch up. Years later when the attraction was approved it was overseen by Mercury 9 and Gemini 5 astronaut Gordon Cooper. His expertise ensured the attraction felt like a space flight and had accurate information from NASA’s early space missions. Take flight knowing it is NASA astronaut approved.
8. A variation of the Mad Tea Party style attraction can be found at every Disney Parks location worldwide. Find at Disney Parks in: Florida, California, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The Shanghai Disneyland version is Winnie the Pooh themed.
9. The figures of Grumpy, Sleepy, Doc, Happy and Bashful in the cottage of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were from Snow White’s Scary Adventure ride. This ride is now closed and the Princess Fairytale Hall is housed there. The vultures near the mine entrance are also from Snow White’s Scary Adventure.
10. The Brown pavement in Liberty Square has a historical reference. There are many amazing historical facts about Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom. If guests are not looking down while they pass through Liberty square, (such as rushing to Haunted Mansion), they may not notice the brown pavement running through. This does has a significance, of a brown river of trash and waste. Since during Colonial America, people would throw trash from their window. There was no curbside trash pick-up!
11. Cast Members use underground tunnels to keep the magic alive, call the Utilidor system. Such as, cast members using tunnels to exit for shift breaks, as to not have cast members of different lands walking around outside their area. See these tunnels during the Keys to the Kingdom tour.
12. There is only one True American Flag at Magic Kingdom, found on the flag pole in Town Square. This is due to the work involved in to complete the nightly protocol of lowering each flag each night. Guests can watch the daily Flag Retreat in Town Square daily at 5:30pm. As for the other flags, count the stars and you will not find 50.
13. Magic Kingdom is home to a Presidential Seal. Located in Hall of Presidents in the center of the waiting area is a Presidential Seal that is surrounded by a gate. This is the only place other than the White House where this seal can be found.
14. A scene and character cut from the Haunted Mansion can be found in the queue, the Sea Captain. It was going to be a scene featuring the sea Captain surrounded by water, when all the sudden a ghost flies by guests. However, guests can find a tribute to this character in the queue, and see his tomb, at the Haunted Mansion. The idea came from legends, Rolly Crump and Yale Gracey of Disney.
15. The Prince Charming Regal Carousel was actually originally built in 1917. Having a home in Detroit, Michigan then Maplewood, New Jersey before making it to Magic Kingdom in 1971. This makes it the oldest attraction in Fantasyland.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Parks including attractions, secrets, tips and more. Plus my friends at Destinations in Florida can help you plan your perfect Walt Disney World vacation.