Researching the urban legends surrounding Disneyland is entertaining. The secrets surrounding the original Disney park are sought after by many. Unfortunately, many of the urban legends are untrue, but have been passed down over the years. Some of the urban legends surrounding Disneyland have been around for so long that they are believed to be fact. I am here to dispel some of these==. Here are four untrue myths of Disneyland:
4) Walt Disney Is One Of The Singing Busts In The Graveyard In The Haunted Mansion
The deep-voiced member of the marble bust quintet is often mistaken for Walt Disney. It is easy to see why this urban legend was started as their faces do share some similarity, but the face is actually of Thurl Ravenscroft. Thurl Ravenscroft was also one of the actual singers in that sequence, but Mr. Ravenscroft is probably best known for being the voice of Tony the Tiger. I thought it was interesting that while the bust isn’t of Walt Disney, it is of someone that is of somewhat significant entertainment history.
3) Yelling “Andy’s Coming!” Will Make The Toy Story Characters Fall To The Ground
Yelling “Andy’s Coming!” will not make the Toy Story Characters fall to the ground. This rumor was all started by an internet meme in which Woody and Jessie were on the ground. The internet meme stated that Woody and Jessie fall to the ground when you yell “Andy’s coming!” While this may have worked for a very brief amount of time Disney quickly stopped this practice. It is unsafe for the characters to be on the ground, and character attendants will actually ask guests to stop yelling at the characters. Now that Big Thunder Ranch has been taken down you don’t see as many Toy Story characters in Disneyland, but regardless this rumor remains untrue.
2) The Hearse In Front Of The Haunted Mansion Was Brigham Young’s
It is believed by some guests of Disneyland that the horse-drawn hearse that stands in front of the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square is the actual white hearse that carried Brigham Young’s body to his grave in 1877. This is simply untrue. No one is quite sure how this rumor started, but according to Deseret News, Glen M. Leonard the director of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Museum of Church History and Art said, “Historical evidence shows no hearse was used.” In fact, Leonard said “pall bearers hand-carried the casket” and that no wheeled device was used at his funeral. According to Deseret News, the Disney Archives had no more information on the hearse.
1) Walt Disney’s Head Is Frozen Under Pirates Of The Caribbean
Last but not least, Walt Disney’s head is not cryogenically frozen under Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, he wasn’t cryogenically frozen at all. The first person to be cryogenically frozen wasn’t until months after Walt Disney’s passing. Walt Disney was cremated after his death in 1966, and brought to his final resting place in Glendale, California’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park. No one is sure how this urban legend got started, but Walt Disney’s family having a very private burial may have played a part in the public creating such an outlandish rumor. Sadly, this outlandish urban legend is something Walt Disney is well known for, and to some non-Disney fans this urban legend might be one of a few things they know about Walt, which really diminishes the actual brilliant things that he accomplished. For that reason, I despise this urban legend and it is what inspired me to write this article.
Stephen "Steve" Porter started going to the parks with his family in 1996. Since then he hasn't looked back! Steve was a cast member participating in the Disney College Program in 2013. Most recently he graduated from Penn State University!
