Celebrate 70 years of Disneyland with these facts about its disastrous first day, the attractions than never saw the light of day, the one ride with actual human bones and more
21 Magical, Mind-Blowing Facts About Disneyland
Updated on Jun. 28, 2025
Disneyland was almost built in Burbank, California
Before Disney chose Anaheim, he almost built his park on a seven-acre studio lot in Burbank. The meager playground would be called “Walt Disney’s America.” Fortunately for us all, his dreams grew quickly.
The amusement park was built on a 160-acre orange grove
Disneyland displaced more than 12,000 orange trees. Park landscapers Jack and Bill Evans tried to make up for it though: More than 40 species of plants and 700 exotic trees grow along the Jungle Cruise alone, and the iconic Mickey-head topiary out front contains about 10,000 flowers—replanted six times a year.
Disney nicknamed the park’s opening day “Black Sunday”
The very first opening day at Disneyland was a complete madhouse! As more and more people crowded into the amusement park, masses of food, drink, and bathroom shortages abounded. But wait, it gets worse. The summer heat even melted the freshly poured pavement, which trapped some women who wore high heels. Plus, the large crowds nearly tilted the Mark Twain Riverboat over into the lake because the ride had exceeded its passenger capacity. Don’t get any Disneyland facts confused with Disney World’s, though.
Many initial press reviews were scathing, but inconsequential
Despite the bad reviews, approximately 50,000 people attended the public opening the very next day. Some even arrived in line as early as 2 a.m.
Walt’s brother purchased the first Disneyland admission ticket
On July 18, 1955, Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, purchased the park’s very first ticket for only one dollar, a mere bargain compared to today’s prices charging more than $100 for a one-day park pass. The park sold its one-millionth ticket less than two months later on September 8.
The annual attendance in Disneyland’s first year reached the millions mark
Approximately 3.6 million people visited Disneyland in its first year. Today, the park serves roughly 17 million people each year.
Guests spend 102 times more on average today than they did 70 years ago
The average cost per guest per day in 1955 was about $2.37: $1 for admission, $0.25 for parking, and the rest for rides and souvenirs. The cost for a similar visit today: up to $206 (an 102-fold rate hike).
The most popular attraction at Disneyland, and in the entire world, is Pirates of the Caribbean
Since its 1967 debut, Pirates has entertained close to a third of a billion passengers.
Disneyland’s shortest-lived attraction lasted just two months
Unlike the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Mickey Mouse Club Circus opened in November 1955 and closed in January due to low attendance. The resulting “Keller’s Jungle Killers” exhibit—a trained animal act featuring the same sedated jungle cats from Mickey’s circus—lasted another seven months.
Many other attractions were abandoned before they even opened
Some ideas that Walt talked up but never got around to building include the Peter Pan Crocodile Aquarium (a live fish exhibit to be entered through a massive crocodile’s jaw) and Paul Bunyan’s Boot (a 25-foot-tall shoe.)
The fastest ride in the park is the Incredicoaster
Passengers on this 6,000-foot Incredibles-themed rollercoaster reach a top speed of 55 mph while traveling almost 1 1/8 miles, making it the longest coaster at Disneyland. It’s also the only one at the park that features an inversion.
The Haunted Mansion is the saddest place in the Happiest Place on Earth
Disney cast members are expected to smile everywhere in the park, but here mansion staffers are actually encouraged to put on a dour demeanor to further spook their guests.
There may be actual ghosts who inhabit the park
The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are two of the attractions where some people sprinkle their loved ones’ ashes, causing the park to have to temporarily shut them down. It happens so often, reportedly about once a month, that Disneyland custodians have coined a name for it, a “HEPA cleanup.” Spreading ashes on private property is a misdemeanor in California, and not only could you face criminal charges, you’ll be removed from the park by security, and possibly even banned from Disneyland altogether.
There were once real human bones on display in Pirates of the Caribbean
According to former Imagineer Jason Surrell, when the ride first opened in 1967, bones from the UCLA Medical Center were scattered among some of the scenes.
Tomorrowland’s “House of the Future” (1957-67) was the most resilient attraction in Disneyland
The MIT and Monsanto-sponsored walk-through exhibit was designed to show off advanced plastics manufacturing of the time—and it succeeded. The house’s plastic shell was so strong it repelled wrecking balls during demolition. It eventually took a crew with crowbars and saws two weeks to break apart, piece by piece.
Club 33 is the most exclusive attraction
This secret speakeasy in New Orleans Square has a long waiting list and rumored $30,000 initiation fee. It seems steep until you consider that membership includes VIP private tours, annual park passes and access to exclusive lounges and restaurants and more.
Space Mountain was the first Disneyland attraction with a higher price tag than Disneyland itself
The epic indoor roller coaster cost $20,000,000 to build in 1977; the entire park only cost $17,000,000 in 1955.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is so far the most expensive ride to build
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, located in Disneyland’s Star Wars’ Galaxy Edge part of the park, takes passengers into another galaxy with four different ride systems, through a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. With its advanced technology, the ride is estimated to have cost $500 million.
Comedian Steve Martin may be Disneyland’s most famous alum
His first job was selling souvenir guidebooks and magic tricks at several shops around the park. Other celebrities include John Lasseter, the director of Toy Story, who started as a street sweeper in Tomorrowland; Michelle Pfeiffer, who masqueraded as Alice in the ‘70s; and President Nixon’s press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was a Jungle Cruise skipper.
Cast members have unusual nicknames for their audio-animatronic coworkers
The Jungle Cruise elephant is named “Bertha.” The Matterhorn’s Abominable Snowman is “Harold.” And the nine-ton, fire-breathing dragon from Fantasmic! is “Bucky.”
Walt Disney considered the park his life’s most important work
“When you wrap up a picture and turn it over to Technicolor, you’re through,” Disney told The Saturday Evening Post. “Snow White is a dead issue with me… I want something live, something that would grow. The park is that. Not only can I add things to it, but even the trees will keep growing. The thing will get more beautiful year after year. And it will get better as I find out what the public likes. I can’t do that with a picture.”
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Sources:
- Chris Strodder: The Disneyland Book of Lists
- Disneyland: “The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration”
- Designing Disney: “The Grand Opening of Disneyland”
- L.A. Times: “Disneyland got off to a nightmare start in 1955, but ‘Walt’s Folly’ quickly won over fans”
- Spectrum News: “Disneyland, Knott’s, SoCal theme park attendance returns to pre-pandemic levels”
- D23: “Mickey Mouse Club Circus at Disneyland”
- Disneyland: “Incredicoaster”
- Disney Programs: “Disney Look”
- Disneyland: “Disneyland Resort – The Happiest Place on Earth”
- Wall Street Journal: “Disney World’s Big Secret: It’s a Favorite Spot to Scatter Family Ashes”
- WDW Radio:“WDW Radio # 819 – Designing Disney with Former Imagineer Jason Surrell”
- MIT Technology Review: “The House of the Future That Wasn’t”
- Slash Film: “Steve Martin Returns To His First Job At Disneyland In Disney’s ‘Magic Camp”
- SFGATE: “A year after a massive fire, Disneyland’s Fantasmic returns without the dragon”
- MSN: “Most Expensive Disneyland Rides Ever Built”
- The Walt Disney Family Museum: “In Walt’s Own Words: Plussing Disneyland”
