Everybody knows about Walt’s apartment and Club 33; that's too easy. Did you already know these 23 Disneyland Facts that most people do not know?

1. Tinker Bell

Tinker Bell was the original mascot for Disneyland because Walt did not want Mickey Mouse to be associated in case the park failed.

2. Plumber’s Strike

Due to a plumber’s strike in 1955, Walt Disney had to choose between adding bathrooms in the park or water fountains. He ultimately decided to add restrooms. He was criticized for this, as people accused him of trying to get people to buy beverages so he could get more money. Walt responded to the backlash: “People can buy Pepsi-Cola but they can’t pee in the street.” Water fountains have since been added as well.

3. The Wizard of Bras

There was an “intimate apparel” shop at the park called the Wizard of Bras. A robot–“the Wizard of Bras”–stood in the store sharing the history of intimate clothing and fun facts. The store was removed within six months.

4. There was once an “off-season.”

In the early years during the “off-season,” Disneyland Park was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

5. Kids and Guns

A few decades ago, Disneyland had several locations where guests, including children, could purchase real guns.

6. There’s a spider on the wall…

In fact, a gun was once fired accidentally inside the ballroom scene of the Haunted Mansion. It left a hole in the glass between the scene itself and the doom buggies. Since it was the largest piece of glass in the world at the time, it would have required removing the entire roof of the attraction, taking the glass out, building a new giant piece of glass, and then replacing that glass, and replacing the roof. Instead, Imagineers placed a spider and a spider web over the gunshot hole to cover it. You can see it just before you exit the scene.

7. Pepper’s Ghost

Most Disney fans know that the Haunted Mansion ghosts in the ballroom scene are illusions accomplished with the “Pepper’s Ghost” effect. It is when guests only see the reflection of real animatronics being lit up beneath their doom buggies. But did you know that Yale Gracey learned about this illusion in a childhood book of his called The Boy Mechanic: 700 Things for Boys to Do, published in 1916?

8. Sleeping Beauty Castle…or?

The castle’s resident princess was not initially supposed to be Aurora. The original plan was for Snow White Castle, in honour of not only the first Disney princess but also the first full-length animated film that made Disney a huge success: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, Walt wanted to call it Sleeping Beauty Castle to promote awareness for his upcoming film, Sleeping Beauty.

9. A Child is Never “Lost”

If a parent and their child are ever unintentionally separated at the Happiest Place on Earth, the child is not the one who is “lost.” Instead, the parents are lost. If a child finds themselves without their party, they should find somebody with a Disney name tag who will bring them to City Hall. “Lost Parents” will be reunited with them here. The “Lost Parents Inquire Here” sign features a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Darling from Peter Pan.

10. Indy’s Office

In Indiana Jones’ Office, in the queue area of the ride, is a map hanging on the wall that depicts the entire ride. There are also several, real props from the movies hidden in plain sight here as well.

11. Fowler’s Harbor

Fowler’s Harbor in Critter Country is named after Walt’s friend, Admiral Joe Fowler. Joe Fowler came up with the idea for a dry dock for the Sailing Ship Columbia. A dry dock is a place to park a large ship and close off the area before draining the water to make the ship accessible for refurbishment. Walt struggled to like the idea for a bit but eventually fell in love with it and named the dry dock after its creator.

12. Notre Dame

The golden tower spire in Fantasyland is a replica of a spire added to the Notre Dame Cathedral in the mid-1800s by the French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, offered as an “improvement” to the original architecture from 500 years before.

13. Carnation Milk Truck

Walt would sometimes arrive early and drive the Carnation Milk Truck up and down Main Street, just for fun.

14. Find the Chesire Cat

In the Mad Hatter store of Fantasyland, look for the oval mirror above the cashier. The Chesire Cat makes the occasional appearance in the mirror before disappearing again.

15. Jessica Rabbit

In the queue of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin Ride is Jessica Rabbit’s dressing room door. Knock on the door and say, “Walt sent me.” You’ll get a personal performance through the door, from the star herself.

16. Submarine Fleet

When the original submarine voyage attraction was built, it was the 8th largest submarine fleet in the world.

17. Deaths

While there have been some deaths that have occurred at Disneyland Park, no guests have died in California Adventure Park.

18. Carthay Circle

Carthay Circle in Buena Vista Street at California Adventure is modelled after a real theatre in Los Angeles. The authentic Carthey Circle is where Walt Disney’s first animated film, and the first full-length animated film ever, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered.

19. Grizzly River Run is underrated

Grizzly River Run rafts have a special indexing sensor on each side. The sensor guarantees that when the raft reaches the loading dock, the rafts will rotate to face the same way it was loaded the first time. The indexing sensor on each side of the raft is the only one of its kind in the world. On top of that, the highest drop was and still might be, the tallest drop in the world for attractions of this type.

20. INCREDI(bly long) COASTER:

Incredicoaster is the longest steel looping roller coaster in the world.

21. Cadillac Mountain

The backdrop of Radiator Springs is a mountain range called Cadillac Mountain. This is because the peaks of the mountains are each shaped like the trunks of 1950-1960’s Cadillacs.

22. Disney Babies

Three babies have been born at Disneyland.

23. Churros

The very first Disneyland churro cart was in Frontierland. It is possible the exact cart is still in use at that spot, but we couldn’t confirm this. As the most popular Disneyland snack food, around 3 million churros are sold at the Disneyland Resort every year.