Walt Disney World is over fifty years old! That’s five decades of magic! Still, for all the iconic and memorable moments at the parks, there are a few that have slipped from the public consciousness… mostly for being weird.

Here we take a walk through the past to take a look at some unexpected moments at Walt Disney World!

1987: The Daredevil Circus at Epcot

Back when EPCOT was young, fresh, and didn’t know what to do with itself, it was home to an entire circus. 

Inspired by the popular Circus Fantasy event at Disneyland, this event featured acrobats, tightrope walkers, and live elephants! It was a wild spectacle, but also one that wasn’t likely to be repeated. Budget issues, lack of space, damage to infrastructure, and the fact that EPCOT guests weren’t really interested in a circus meant that this event folded after just five months rather than the planned year.

1988: Mickey’s Birthdayland

In 1988, Mickey Mouse turned 60 years old! To celebrate, the Magic Kingdom opened an entire land to celebrate!

The land, which was built in the current location of Storybook Circus, was themed to the city of Duckburg and featured a replica of Mickey’s House! To get there, guests would board a train past signs wishing the big Mouse a happy birthday!

Once you arrived, you could explore the city of Duckburg and meet all of the Fab Five in person! You could even meet Minnie Moo, a cow with a very distinctive pattern on her side.

The land was so popular that, after the celebration was over, it was converted to Mickey’s Starland in 1990, then Mickey’s Toyland in late 1995, before settling on the familiar Toontown Fair for 1996. It’s also noteworthy in that this was the first ever Toontown themed land at any Disney Park! Who Framed Roger Rabbit? came out a few weeks after this land was opened. That’s why the land looks a bit more pedestrian than the wacky streets of Toontown. We still love it, though.

1990: Dick Tracy in Diamond Double Cross

In 1990, Disney was making a big push for Dick Tracy to make a comeback. The popular comic franchise had been relegated to the realm of parody for years, but with a new live action film in the works, Disney was sure the yellow-hatted detective would be a hit! There were even plans for an elaborate Dark Ride at Disney-MGM Studios! Unfortunately, the movie flopped… but that didn’t stop Dick Tracy from having a major presence at the park for a while.

Located at the Theater of the Stars, Diamond Double Cross was a full-fledged musical with elaborate, comic inspired set design. Neon lights above the stage would type out captions during scene transitions as Tracy and his foes zipped across the city pursuing the world-famous Balonian Diamond. While the show lasted only a year, it was memorable for being a spectacular (if unusual) feat of Imagineering. But those masks though… ugh.

1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! TURTLES AT… Disney World?

So, let’s just get this out of the way. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are not, nor have they ever been owned by Disney. They’re a ViacomCBS Franchise. That didn’t stop the wildly popular characters from appearing at Disney-MGM Studios, however. Riding through New York in their Turtle Party Wagon, the turtles would put on shows, sign autographs, and even sing! They were a band in the 90s. Everyone was a band in the 90s. It was a weird decade.

The deal ended in 1995, with the turtles going back into the sewers from which they came, leaving guests to wonder what the heck that was all about.

1991: Dinosaurs LIVE!

Jim Henson’s Dinosaurs, also known as the sitcom with the most depressing ending ever, is an often overlooked Disney franchise.

In this short-lived parade and show, the Sinclair family was chosen as “Guests of Extinction” and brought to the front of the Chinese Theater to perform “Walk the Dinosaur” for guests. The premise was that they, like you, were just on vacation and happened to be chosen to lead the parade. It was cute, if not particularly memorable.

1994: Barbie’s Birthday Party at Epcot

In 1994, Barbie was turning 35! Also, Mattel had become a major park sponsor. This meant that Barbie was given the cushy gig of being Ambassador of Friendship at Epcot ’94! It was, in fact, called Epcot ’94 in 1994. The 90s were weird, man.

The gig came with a hot pink limo she’d drive through the World Showcase (which seems unimaginable now. How many festival booths would she crash into?!) and a show at the American Adventure featuring her and all of her friends. There was even a limited edition video released to celebrate, which remains a cult classic among collectors to this day.

1995: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

In another confusing crossover (as Disney has no connection with Ace Ventura), Jim Carrey’s wacky Pet Detective made an appearance at Disney MGM-Studios for what was supposed to be a meet and greet but quickly turned into a stunt show as Ace tried to rescue a giant spider.

While the show was memorable, the stunt performers couldn’t live up to Carrey’s elastic personality, making some iconic catchphrases feel forced. A few “ALLLLLL RIGHTY THEN”s into the show, and you’d be cringing.

1996: The Cake Castle

For the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World, Disney wanted a BIG celebration. So they turned the castle into a cake.

A huge, gaudy, bounce-house looking castle. While other castle makeovers have been done over the years, this is one of the most infamous. Not only did it completely change the castle’s profile for a whole year, but it also looked like a tacky Candy Land knock off of the real thing. Still, Disney pushed the image really hard, with merchandise, promotions, and advertisements. I still have an etched glass of this thing I got from McDonald’s as a kid!

1997: Goosebumps

Few things are as distinctly 90s as Goosebumps; the popular series of children’s horror novels. However, few people remember the franchise had such a major presence at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

The main attraction was the Horrorland Frightshow, a magic show that quickly turned into a kid-friendly nightmare as monsters like Slappy the Dummy, Curly the Skeleton, and Cuddles the Mutant Hamster menaced the crowd. Afterwards, you could explore the Horrorland Funhouse; a mirror maze featuring characters from the series. That’s right! Disney had a scare maze! It wasn’t even Halloween!

2004: Stitch TP’s the Castle

In 2004, Stitch’s Great Escape opened in Tomorrowland. This ride featured Stitch at his naughtiest, just before he escaped to Hawaii to start all of that adorable character development! So, much like the irreverent parodies of other Disney posters Disney made to promote the film, they decided to poke a bit of fun at themselves.

So, they vandalized the castle with TP and graffiti. This… was a controversial look. Guests were furious that the iconic landmark was trashed for what was their only day at the Magic Kingdom. While the decoration lasted only one day, this, combined with general bitterness toward Stitch for replacing the popular (but horrifying) Alien Encounter ride, meant that the blue alien wasn’t exactly a welcome addition to the park.

There is so much more strange, unusual, and forgotten history behind the Disney Parks. If you liked this article, leave a comment below telling us that you want more, and stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney history!

 

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