If you are a Disneyland addict, like us, we know what you are probably thinking. “But Chip ‘n Dale Tree House is still there.” Yes, it is, but the version of the attraction you experience today is very different from the earlier versions.
Chip ‘n Dale Tree House and Acorn Crawl opened with Mickey’s Toontown in 1993 and has been there ever since. Today, guests can venture through Chip ‘n Dale Tree House. They will find a few staircases and an immersive structure that makes you feel like you are the size of a chipmunk. They will see pictures of Chip ‘n Dale in picture frames on the walls, small doors, chipmunk furniture, and lots of acorns. However, most times the entire Tree House is closed off. At this point, it is almost purely decorative.
Way back in the 1990s, Chip ‘n Dale Tree House was much more elaborate. Guests, especially children, could enjoy a journey up a winding spiral staircase to the top of the tree trunk. At the top were some pretty epic slides leading back down to the ground. Right next to the landing spot for the slides was the Chip ‘n Dale Acorn Crawl. This area was a massive ball pit–like those you might find in places like Chuck E. Cheese today. The plastic balls were a mix of maroon and yellow to look like acorns. They were round and not shaped like acorns though.
As with any area like this, there were lots of problems. First of all, the area had to be shut down frequently in order to clean up messes made by the children (and their bodily fluids). Adults were constantly getting injured in the ball pit and when going down the slides. Things were easily lost in the ball pit as well–money, park tickets, and other personal belongings.
Only five years after opening, in 1998, the Acorn Ball Crawl section of the Chip ‘n Dale-themed attraction was closed. The slides were eventually shut down and removed, with the slide entrances closed off as well. Even though The Walt Disney Company has never confirmed the reason behind the closure, there has been a lot of speculation.
Member discussion