63 Magical Years of Disneyland

Happy birthday Disneyland!!! It opened its doors to the public on July 17, 1955 and started its magic to all that day. It was apparently a disastrous day, but one of the most iconic speeches was done that day by the man himself, Walt Disney. The theme park has been spreading magic and fun since this day and continues to grow. 

Disneyland has so many attractions opened today, but it only had a few opened for opening day. Today I'm going to talk about a couple of those rides that were opened on that day in 1955 and some iconic foods that have been around since! 

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6 attractions on Opening Day in 1955

1. King Arthur's Carrousel- Fantasyland

This ride is found in the heart of Fantasyland right behind Sleeping Beauty's castle. It has bright, colorful horses and benches to sit and enjoy on. The carousel spins to instrumental classic Disney music like from Cinderella, Pinnocino, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast. There is a special horse Walt and his wife Daisy loved. Her name in Jingles and she is Mary Poppins inspired. The horse Jingles has pastel colored and has ribbon and bells on here. She also a silhouette of Mary Poppins on her side. I learned this from the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" and ever since the film came out, more people have been seeking to ride this horse when on the carousel. 

2. Mad Tea Party- Fantasyland

The tea cups!! Still one of my favorite attractions to this day. It's energetic and so fun to ride with different people! My friends and I always change up which color cup we are going to ride in to see if it's the fastest one. This attraction is based off of the film Alice in Wonderland during the tea party scene with the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Alice. 

3. Peter Pan's Flight- Fantasyland

This attraction is probably the most popular ride in Fantasyland by the castle for the little ones. It is considered a dark ride because it is slow moving, in the dark with dimmed lighting and animatronics. Who knew!? The attraction was recently updated about a year ago and it is really pretty! This ride should actually get a fast pass instead of waiting 40 minutes or more in the line que. 

4. Dumbo- Fantasyland 

This flying attraction is also very popular in this land and it is based off of course the adorable Dumbo and his friends. This ride was also newly updated this spring will new colors on the ride and line que! Super nice and dream like. Super iconic ride in the park and I think every Disney park around the world has a Dumbo attraction. 

5. Explorer Boat Ride (Jungle Cruise)- Adventureland

This ride was inspired by all jungle environments around the world like South America, Africa, and Australia. This ride is ridden in a river surrounded by animal like animatronics and how they would act in the wild. You may also see tribes and sights like a waterfall. The skippers of the boats often make puns and jokes that have something to do with the animals and surroundings. I'm not sure if the skippers made jokes when it first opened in 1955, but it would be great if they did!

6. Mark Twain's Riverboat- Frontierland

This boat was in use for park goers and characters even when it first opened in 1955. This boat is docked in Frontierland on Rivers of America where Tom Sawyer's Island sits. This is a steamboat that goes around the river overlooking Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Critter Country. You may see nature and bridges and even some Indian tribes (animatronics) along the way. It is a relaxed boat ride and has been used since its first ride on opening day. 

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3 Iconic Food in Disneyland

1. Ice Cream

There's so much ice cream found in Disneyland!! It's a sweet treat in many different variations! There's an ice cream cone found at Gibson Girl Parlor in Main Street USA, ice cream floats at Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland, and Mickey shaped ice cream bars at food carts around the park. Yummy and great on a hot day!

2. Popcorn

Popcorn has always pop in Disneyland! There's many popcorn stands around the park and each cart is a different theme. They also have a different doll that turns the popcorn in their display. There's a clown one in Fantasyland and a yeti by Matterhorn Mountain. The popcorn brand Disney uses is now Pop Secret, when recently changed form Orville a couple years ago. At popcorn stands, there are also many plastic containers that you can purchase with popcorn inside them! There's Star Wars ones, Cinderella's carriage, Oogey Boogey, Mickey balloon shaped, and decorated buckets. Right now, they have two inspired from two Pixar films: Sully from Monsters Inc. and a green alien from Toy Story. 

3. Churros

Ahhh, one of everyone's favorite snack. Disneyland is very known to sell many churros in a year, around 3 million!! There are now so many variations at the park of the churro. There's original cinnamon, strawberry, fruity pebble cereal, smores, and chocolate! Each one is sold at different carts around the park! Super good and cheap to buy!

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Well a very happy birthday to my happy place and thanks for inspiring so many people and making dreams come true! 

xo