The memories you make at the Disneyland Resort are meant to last a lifetime… or are they? Through the years, there have been several unsavory circumstances in the park that Disney would deem far from magical. Although Disney loves to boast about its park’s long history of entertaining millions of guests, some moments in Disney’s history have been purposefully hidden from the public. Today, I’m unearthing the strangest moments at the Disneyland resort that they wish you’d forget.
The opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California was a day of celebration and chaos. Infamously remembered as “Black Sunday,” the July 17, 1955, opening was riddled with issues resulting from Walt’s rushed construction plans. On the 110-degree summer day, water fountains were inoperative, women’s heels were getting stuck in the melting pavement, restaurants ran out of food, and rides broke down. Of the 5,000 guests invited to attend the grand opening, a baffling 28,000 showed up. Outside the magical gates, swindlers were selling counterfeit tickets which the freshly hired ticket booth operators happily accepted. Weighed down by the influx of people, the Mark Twain Riverboat even began to sink. To add insult to injury, the entire thing was nationally televised. Ninety million people (one in two Americans) tuned in to the then-highest-viewed broadcast in television history. Despite the pandemonium, including Walt accidentally locking himself inside his Main Street apartment, the park was an instant hit. By Fall, Disneyland reached its one-millionth guest and the rest is history.
The country was experiencing a difficult time in the summer of 1970 as over 300,000 American troops were aiding the war efforts in Vietnam. With this massive effort, came massive protest. A movement of “yippies,” or politically active youth, swept the nation. Anti-war signs could be read, and chants could be heard on practically every street in America. Main Street was no exception. When Disneyland got word of a planned protest at the Happiest Place on Earth, they went all out to protect the place Mickey Mouse calls home. On August 6, 1970, over 300 “yippies” made their way into the park, ready to cause trouble. Unbeknownst to them, over 150 officers in riot gear were prepared for anything as they waited secretly behind the historic shops and restaurants on Main Street. Covert security forces were also placed strategically throughout the park. The protestors’ first course of action was something the pirates of the Caribbean would be proud of. The group climbed aboard the now-defunct Chicken of the Sea restaurant’s pirate ship, smoked marijuana, and began chanting “Ho-ho Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh is gonna win!” In their pot-infused wisdom, they decided upon a new target: Tom Sawyer Island. They climbed down from the pirate ship’s sails and aboard rafts headed to the isolated hideaway. Upon arrival, they claimed the island as their own and raised the Viet Cong flag. Once tired of their newfound nation, they made their way back to Main Street where brawls began to break out between protestors and guests. In total, 23 people were arrested and the entire park, harboring 30,000 visitors, was evacuated. The park was shut down five hours early, which puts the day in rare company. Other unexpected closures include the day following John F. Kennedy’s assassination and September 11th, 2001.
The final chapter of this abnormal anthology includes another, less righteous, political protest. In February 2019, the upcoming election was weighing heavy on people’s minds. Would America right the ship, or would it fall victim to another four years of our first orange president? Two men visiting Disneyland on February 13, 2019, were rooting for the latter. Upon boarding the Mark Twain Riverboat, these two scoundrels made their way to the boat’s second-floor viewing area while carrying a suspiciously large piece of red, white, and blue fabric. As the boat took off from its port and slowly sailed past New Orleans Square, the men suddenly draped the fabric over the ship’s side for all to see. Parkgoers were shocked to find a giant flag with the words: “Re-elect Donald J. Trump. Keep America Great! 2020” mutilating the side of the beloved Disneyland boat. As the men and onlooking parkgoers exchanged insults, security quickly shut down their political charade. The two men were apprehended, escorted out, and issued a formal trespassing warning. Notably, they were not permanently banned from the park, probably to avoid a politically infused PR scandal. Turns out, one of the men pulled a similar stunt at Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain by holding up a “Trump 2020” banner and was promptly ejected. Take a hint mister!
In a land full of memories, these Disneyland moments have been all but forgotten. If you’ve never heard of any of these events before, Disneyland’s PR team deserves a raise. And, if you’re visiting the resort any time soon, let’s hope you encounter Mickey Mouse and his friends and not a “yippie” protester or flag-bearing Trump supporter. Also, bring your own water as even if the fountains are working, trust me, you do not want to drink the abhorrent Anaheim water.