Wild Photos Of Disneyland's Opening In The 1950s
Today, Disneyland serves as the late Walt Disney’s lasting monument to fantasy and nostalgia. And as these photos show, it’s been that way since it opened its gates in 1955. However, while the attraction has since been described as “The Happiest Place On Earth,” not everyone was left smiling on its opening day.
Steamboat Willy success
It’s believed that Walt Disney first conceived his plan for Disneyland during the early 1950s. By that point, he’d established himself as a pioneering figure in the cartoon film industry, having built on the success of his breakout short Steamboat Willy in 1928.
On top of introducing the world to Mickey Mouse, the groundbreaking movie was the earliest animated film to include sound.
Animation domination
Steamboat Willy captured the public’s imagination and made viewers hungry for more animated films. The Disney studio catered to this new demand, delivering such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938, and Pinocchio in 1940.
Dumbo followed just a year later. But while Disney had defined the cartoon film genre, he wasn’t one to rest on his laurels.
Groundbreaking work
In 1940 the Disney movie Fantasia set animation to classical music, in the first work of its kind. The studio also ventured into live-action films during the 1950s as well as documentary-style movies about the natural world.
And whereas many executives and power brokers in the movie business were apprehensive about the rise of television, Disney decided to embrace the new medium.
Financial woes
But while Disney certainly didn’t lack vision, his company was not exactly flourishing financially when he dreamed up Disneyland. At the start of World War Two, in fact, Disney staff had gone on strike, which compounded the firm’s spiraling money problems.
The business took time to recover, but Disney’s decision to take a chance on TV would eventually reap dividends.
Fan requests
It was actually thanks to the success of hit TV series such as Davy Crockett and The Mickey Mouse Club that Walt amassed the funds to get Disneyland off the ground.
As the popularity of the Disney brand had increased throughout the years, the company’s founder started to receive letters from fans asking for studio visits. He figured he could offer them something even better.
Disney's vision
Disney himself thought that, in reality, his company’s workmanlike film studios were unlikely to be of much interest to visitors. As a result, he started to think of what would appeal to visitors.
These included a tour of his studio’s backlot, which involved a train journey amid an artificial “village.” Meanwhile, he also planned an amusement park that his staff and their families could enjoy.
Big dreams
These plans gained further traction in 1952 when Disney established WED Enterprises. It was intended to construct a park next to Disney’s Burbank Studios on an eight-acre plot.
However, Disney’s grand ambitions for the attraction soon outgrew this relatively small space. The creative maestro had so many ideas, and he needed a ton of space to bring them all to life.
160 acres
In the end, Disney purchased a whopping 160 acres of land in Anaheim, California, that had previously been used for growing orange trees.
But even with a new site for his ambitious plans, Disney would still need to secure the funding to make his dreams a reality. And for that bit of wizardry, he had a plan up his sleeve.
Park designer
Before Walt could pitch the idea of his amusement park, of course, he first needed to design it. To do so, he collaborated with illustrator Herb Ryman, who’d worked for Disney for almost 10 years and created many eye-catching landscapes for the company.
Though he’d since moved on to 20th Century Fox, it was Ryman whom Disney enlisted to put his Disneyland dream onto paper one weekend in 1953.
A key conversation
Before Ryman started sketching the amusement park, Disney outlined his vision for the illustrator. In March 2020 Ryman recalled this exchange in an interview with the History Extra website.
He explained that Disney had told him, “I’ve been studying the way people go to museums and other entertainment places.” Disney had noticed some flaws that he did not intend to repeat.
Boundless energy
Based on his observations of other attractions, Ryman revealed how Disney had concluded, “Everybody’s got tired feet. I don’t want that to happen in this place. I want a place for people to sit down and where old folks can say:
‘You kids run on. I’ll meet you there in a half hour.’ Disneyland is going to be a place where you can’t get lost or tired unless you want to.”
Finding that magic
Summing up his vision for Disneyland, Disney explained, “This is a magic place. The important thing is the castle [the studio was in the early stages of filming Sleeping Beauty]. Make it tall enough to be seen from all around the park."
He continued, "It’s got to keep people-oriented. And I want a hub at the end of Main Street, where all the other lands will radiate from, like the spokes in a wheel.”
The initial sketch
So when Ryman came to sketch Disneyland he began by outlining a triangle, inside which he then drew rivers and hills. To create the magical, nostalgic world that Disney desired, he put in special touches.
These included a Mississippi watercraft and a castle that had a merry-go-round in its grounds. Furthermore, the main thoroughfare through the park took the form of a picturesque Victorian street.
Taking shape
In turn, this principal avenue – Main Street – led to other whimsical worlds that Ryman and Disney dreamed up. Some provisional names of these areas included Frontier Country, True-Life Adventure Land, World of Tomorrow, and Fantasy Land.
It would be a couple of years before their vision would be achieved in real life. But when Disneyland was built, it looked very similar to the drawings the two men had originally hashed out.
Money solutions
To get his park off the ground, Disney raised some money from his own life insurance. At the same time, a large proportion of the funds came from the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
The organization coughed up the money in return for the exclusive rights to a live television broadcast from the park’s opening. The deal came with a further catch, however.
Logistical challenges
The deal between Disney and ABC required that the park be finished within just 12 months of construction beginning in the summer of 1954. This being Disney, of course, the build would be far from straightforward.
Indeed, each attraction was made bespoke for Disneyland. And with that came a whole set of issues that had to be overcome within the already ambitious timeframe.
A true perfectionist
Another source of pressure came from Disney’s perfectionist tendencies. In one example, he had the full-sized ballast used on the railway that circled Disneyland re-crushed so that it matched his three-fifths-scale steam train.
Elsewhere, he had all the street corners on Main Street rounded after concluding that right angles were too harsh. He was obsessing over details that nobody else seemed to notice.
Millions and millions
Work to finish the park was still going on right up until the opening day and, in fact, beyond. Nevertheless, Disneyland was inaugurated on 17 July 1955. It had eventually cost $17 million to construct.
That amounts to more than $150 million in modern money. And with fundamental parts of the park still unfinished, there was no telling if it would be a success or a failure.
A place like no other
When Disneyland was finally completed, it was an ode to the kind of sentimental fancifulness that Disney was known for. Main Street evoked memories of the turn-of-the-century Midwest.
And it was said to be inspired by the town in which Disney grew up: Marceline in Missouri. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, meanwhile, was based on the real-life fairytale Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany.
Parks within parks
Various Hollywood genres also left their mark. Elsewhere in the park, there was a section called Fantasyland, which was inspired by various Disney movies. Frontierland was modeled on Western movies, while Adventureland recreated a jungle landscape.
And although many attractions found inspiration in the past, Tomorrowland had a sci-fi theme. No matter what visitors were interested in, there was something to spark joy.
TV opening
And how did the new park drum up business? Well, the opening of Disneyland was marked with a TV special called Dateline Disneyland. At the time, there were around 170 million citizens of the U.S. and, of them, 90 million tuned in to watch.
They represented a jaw-dropping 54.2 percent of the overall population, which was more than the number that would see the Moon Landing of 1969.
Celebrity presenter
Among the hosts of Dateline Disney was Ronald Reagan, who was then an actor but of course later became the president of the U.S. And he wasn’t the only celebrity to grace the park on its opening day.
Many famous faces were invited to attend the event, including – it seemed – Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who both appeared in the TV special.
Black Sunday
However, while the launch of Disneyland seemed to get off more or less without a hitch to the millions of viewers of Dateline Disney, behind the scenes, it was an altogether different story.
In fact, it would become known in company circles as “Black Sunday” as a result of the large number of issues that beset the opening day. The company cut some corners, to say the least.
Cutting corners
For a start, in the rush to get Disneyland finished on schedule for its televised opening, a plumber’s strike caused further chaos.
With the clock ticking, Disney had to prioritize completing either the park’s restrooms or its drinking fountains. In the end, he chose the former, but his decision wasn’t without controversy.
A slight backfire
According to Ryman’s interview with History Extra, regarding his toilets-or-fountains dilemma, Disney apparently concluded, “People can drink Pepsi-Cola but they can’t pee in the street.”
However, when the park’s opening day rolled around, temperatures soared above 100° F. And with Pepsi sponsoring the event, the dry drinking fountains were taken as a deliberate ploy to make people buy more soda.
A rowdy crowd
Things went further awry when more people attended Disneyland’s opening than had been expected. After all, the inauguration had been intended as a kind of preview event, with only a select number of people invited.
Those on the official guest list were due to be welcomed by Disney himself, in fact. But despite that personal touch, things soon got out of hand.
Tens of thousands
Joseph Van Arsdale France worked at Disneyland for more than two decades, fulfilling many roles at the park over the years. And he was present at the ill-fated opening of the attraction in 1955. Later, he would reveal:
“Our official records indicate that there were 28,154 guests in the park that day, and I’m not one to tamper with somebody’s estimates.”
Fake tickets
The guests at Disneyland’s opening day vastly exceeded the number of official invitations that had been sent out. In fact, only 11,000 people were officially asked to attend, but twice as many turned up on the day.
Apparently, a large number of guests gained entry to the attraction through forged passes. Who knew, that even back then, there were such diehard Disney fans?
Wet cement
Not only was Disneyland twice as full on opening day as organizers had expected, but they also encountered a number of other unforeseen issues. When Disney had retired to bed at 4:00 a.m. on the morning of the big day, construction workers had still been busy cementing the park.
The asphalt that had been laid on Main Street still wasn’t dry when guests arrived, leading to a woman losing a shoe to the sticky substance.
Limited supplies
And the problems did not end there either. It became increasingly clear that Disneyland was not nearly ready for the influx of visitors it experienced on its opening day.
As a result, food and drink supplies began to run dry within hours, with some vendors even selling out completely, which no doubt led to there being some very unhappy guests.
Sinking ship
Elsewhere, there were problems with Disneyland’s bespoke attractions. The now-famous Mark Twain Steamboat almost sank as a result of having too many people on board.
Furthermore, the Jungle Cruise was the only ride in the park not to fail at some point in the day. All the others hit some snag that resulted in delays and complaints. The employees were stressed, to say the least.
No job is too small
For the most part, it’s believed that Disney himself was unaware of the fiasco his park’s opening day had become. That’s because he was reportedly kept busy by the Dateline Disneyland special.
However, this being said, there are reports of the animation mogul restocking toilet paper in one of the attraction's restrooms himself amid the chaos. It's a humorous story, though nobody can say for sure if it's true.
Harsh reviews
The park's issues didn't go unnoticed. When reviews of Disneyland’s opening day hit the press, they weren’t kind. A particularly cutting headline described the park as “THE 17 MILLION DOLLAR PEOPLE TRAP THAT MICKEY MOUSE BUILT.”
An accompanying line described how “irate adults cursed Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Snow White, and all the Seven Dwarfs.”
A net success
Off the back of the negative press Disneyland’s opening day received, Disney set forth a plan for damage control. However, in spite of all the backlash, it seemed that the public found the park beguiling.
More than 160,000 people flocked to the attraction in its first week. And by the end of September that same year, it had welcomed its one-millionth visitor.
Debts be gone
The park was an undeniable triumph, if the hard numbers were any indication. Soon Disneyland had brought in enough money for Disney to be able to pay off his debts.
It remains an important part of the company and fans continue to delight in the fantasy world so painstakingly created by its founder. He kept making newer and bigger plans, even as he approached old age.
Going bigger
Over the years, various additions to Disneyland have increased its popularity among families, while special events and new attractions have coaxed tourists into return visits. There was something for everybody.
It’s little wonder, then, that Disney wanted to recreate the success of the park on an even bigger scale. And in 1965 the company began work on Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
A dream cut short
However, Disney wouldn’t live to see the Florida amusement park in its final form. He died of lung cancer in December 1966, almost half a decade before Walt Disney World opened.
As a result, the original Disneyland in California is the only one he guided from its inception to its opening. Though you have to wonder: what would he think of the newer additions to his theme park empire?
Countless fans
As of 2020, over three-quarters of a billion people had visited Disneyland. Reportedly 58 million people visit Disney World each year. That’s not to mention the guests to have frequented the other 10 Disney parks across the planet.
Although the newer attractions may be bigger in scale, it’s felt that the original Anaheim site is the one that captures the true essence of Disney himself.
Labor of love
For its creator, Disneyland was no doubt a labor of love, for which he agonized over every tiny detail to make it magical for visitors.
With that in mind, the park stands as a lasting testament to the man who was Disney. After all, anyone looking along Main Street and out over the attraction can understand his unique and inimitable vision.
Nightmarish masks
We don’t blame the young girl at the front of this snap for staring straight ahead. That sight behind her could well have scarred her for life. The tot and the three other kids in the photo were being presented with prizes at Leicester Square’s Russells Restaurant as part of Mickey Mouse week in 1930. Yes, incredibly, those two nightmarish characters are supposed to be Mickey and girlfriend Minnie!
We're so grateful that the costume became a little more cartoony over the years, because those long noses and creepy eyes are the opposite of "delightful family-friendly fun." They're just creepy.
The masked entertainers
The ten men behind these inherently creepy cartoon character masks were some of the most successful entertainers and creatives of their era. Vocalist Lanny Ross, cartoonist Russ Westover, and stand-up comedian Ole Olsen were just a few of the names who posed for the attention-grabbing photo.
Props to Otto Soglow, The Little King creator, who’s standing second left on the top row, for fully committing to the concept. As *goofy* as they look, we still wouldn't want to be part of this club...
Step away from the pig
Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? For this little boy, the three little pigs are scary enough. We can only imagine how terrified this young boy must have been to find a man in a creepy oversized pig costume staring down at him. The kid, who was also sporting orthopedic leg braces, was visiting Anaheim’s Disneyland in the early 1960s when this slightly terrifying snap was taken.
Let's hope the interaction ended with a warm hug and a delicious Mickey Mouse ice cream bar for the little boy. He's earned it!
Roger Rabbit gets friendly
Rocket Ismail got more than he bargained for when he came face to face with Roger Rabbit at a Disney celebration event. The footballer’s Canadian team the Argos were visited by several Mouse House faces as part of a tour designed to commemorate Disney World’s 20th birthday. But it was the Who Framed Roger Rabbit star who got the most involved.
Roger Rabbit's affectionate behavior is played for laughs in the film, but in real life? Yeah, it's definitely a little creepy. Don't make us call Judge Doom, Roger!
The Mickey-playing monkey
The Mickey Mouse lookalike that appears in Laurel and Hardy’s 1934 black-and-white film March of the Wooden Soldiers (also known as Babes in Toyland) doesn’t just look extremely odd. It moves about very strangely, too. And it’s little wonder why! Underneath that nightmarish costume was a poor real-life performing monkey.
The monkey's role as Mickey Mouse was just the film's way of alluding to (and maybe even poking fun at) Disney's rising influence in the fantasy genre.
Staring into your soul
Our U.K. readers may well recall something called Dismaland, a dystopian theme park that maverick resident artist Banksy created in 2015. Well, these two look more suited to its derelict site than the place where children’s dreams come true. Yes, the haunting Mickey and Minnie Mouse you see here seem as though they’re staring directly into your soul.
Modern-day versions of the Mickey Mouse costume put the pupils at a slight angle so that they're not in the center of the eyes. This small change makes a world of difference!
Red-eyed Winnie
The adorable Winnie-the-Pooh may have been created by British writer A.A. Milne, but he’s so cute that you can entirely understand why this bear got the Disney treatment. Who can resist that big cuddly belly, friendly face, and insatiable appetite for honey? Well, the people who came across this particular Winnie-the-Pooh character probably could've resisted a hug...
The look on Pooh's face in this vintage photo suggests he may have taken something a little stronger than his beloved sweet honey.
Snow White’s wishing well
The young girl in this early 1970s snap looks to be enjoying herself. Which kid wouldn’t like a Mickey Mouse-shaped balloon emblazoned with the lovable rodent’s face on it after all? But if you look closer the balloon in question actually looks like a hideous, hollow-eyed creature. More Donnie Darko than dandy Disney!
Obviously, Disney didn't actually sell scary balloons... but we wouldn't have put it past them, especially during that decade.
Mickey and Minnie at the opera
Mickey and Minnie Mouse went a little highbrow in 1932 when they attended an event at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. But as you can see, they didn’t exactly dress up for the occasion. And despite her smile, soprano Lily Pons must also have been a little unsettled by their creepy expressions. After all, she was a professional opera singer, not a Disney princess!
Her guarded grin is totally understandable here. Not only do these tiny Mickey and Minnie characters have terrifying eye holes, but the poor kids inside the costumes must have been so uncomfortable!
Donald in distress
Perhaps the Pepsi-Cola stand had run out of Donald Duck’s favorite soft drink? That’s one explanation as to why the web-footed star looks so aggrieved in this vintage Disneyland photo. As for the lady, maybe she's having a whale of a time, or are the shades hiding her sheer terror at the tiny but terrifying Donald impersonator?
To be fair, Donald Duck is usually pretty cranky anyway. So maybe this is his resting happy face!
The tiny onlookers
We know what you're thinking: how could these suit-and-tie guys possibly be connected to Disney? Well, even the happiest place on Earth has to have some serious people at the helm. Luckily, the man behind the mouse, Walt, had a knack for both business and fun, if his two special guests on the desk are any indication.
There are plenty of important people in this pic, but all eyes inevitably go straight toward the two diminutive characters watching Walt Disney sign a document. Donald looks more like Howard the Duck here!
The kids’ tea party
A gold star for anyone who could have worked out who this freakish party guest was supposed to be without reading the caption. We would have gone with Pepé Le Pew before suggesting Mickey Mouse. But yes, that really is supposed to be the Mouse House’s most famous creation entertaining, and no doubt scaring, children at a London party back in the day.
Clearly, papier-mâché wasn't the best material to use to make this mask. At least the kids seem to be having a grand ol' time!
The Big Bad Wolf goes rogue
Whoever was underneath this Big Bad Wolf costume obviously didn’t grasp the concept of personal space. In fact, they couldn’t get much closer to this poor woman, who doesn’t seem to find the fairytale villain’s behavior as funny as her friends. The White Rabbit to the side of her seems ready to cause mischief, too.
It's true that Walt Disney wanted everyone to enjoy Disneyland, kids and adults alike, so maybe these mischievous characters were only trying to bring out this woman's inner child.
The mysterious Donald head
We’re not quite sure what’s going on here. We do know that the two youngsters are named Bobby Tuck and Joey LovVecchio, respectively, and that the snap was taken at Toronto International Airport. But why the diminutive female luggage carrier is wearing a somewhat haunting Donald Duck mask remains a total mystery.
It's possible that the trio is about to embark on their very first trip to Disneyland! Or maybe they're returning from Disney and nicked a Donald Duck head to keep as a souvenir...
A haunting stare from Minnie
Hermione Baddeley was a British character actress who picked up an Oscar nomination for her supporting turn in 1959’s Room at the Top. She's also known for her memorable performance in Disney films Mary Poppins and The Aristocats. It’s unlikely that she ever inhabited a character quite as creepy as this Minnie the Mouse, though.
Yes, that’s Baddely underneath the crooked head and oversized hands. The star donned the costume for a bash dubbed the Film Memories Ball.
Grumpy's unhappy stare
This Good Samaritan ensured that Goofy, aka a photographer named Tom Nebbia, didn’t breach any health and safety regulations by helping the beloved dog tie his shoes. It would have been quite a sweet picture had one of the creepy-looking seven dwarfs not wandered into the shot, too. Judging by his expression, we presume it was Grumpy.
The ladies nearby seem to think the situation is hilarious, but honestly, we wouldn't be laughing if we had to touch Goofy's shoes. Who knows where they've been...
Three Little Pigs take to the stage
Those attending the Grosvenor House Hotel’s staging of Monte Carlo Follies in 1934 London were certainly in for a treat. As well as a line of chorus girls donning Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears, the audience could also ‘enjoy’ a performance from three very creepy little pigs. The dancers’ pained expressions here say it all!
If they had dreams of lighting up the Broadway stage, they certainly had to pay their dues in this production. We all start somewhere.
Mickey’s glowing teeth
Remember that Friends episode where Ross goes a little overboard with the teeth whitener? Well, maybe the show's writers took inspiration from this slightly unsettling photo from a 1931 trade show. We’re not exactly sure which industry the London show was connected to, but it was one where an equally creepy rabbit and flat-faced frog were also strange guests of honor.
Fun fact: the long-eared rabbit could actually be Oswald, the Walt Disney character who inspired the creation of Mickey Mouse himself.
The obscure oddball
Tourists James Farless and Steve Hoel may look relatively happy having their photo taken with these colorful characters, but do you know who these characters even are? The jury's still out on whether these guys know who they're posing with. With his bushy white mustache and woodworking apron, the fellow on the left must be Geppetto, right?
Right! And the other two characters are also from Pinocchio. On the far right we have "Honest" John, a sly red fox who doesn't exactly live up to his name. The middle character is a real oddball: he's Gideon, Honest John's voiceless (and dimwitted) accomplice.
101 horrors
We can totally understand why the array of very real Dalmatians seem to be acting unsettled in this pic taken in Paris in the early 1960s. Those face masks are enough to scare even Cruella de Vil. They were, of course, being worn to celebrate the release of the original Disney animation. But if the goal of this stunt was to get people to see the film, it may have had the opposite effect.
There's something about a crowd of people wearing glassy-eyed Dalmatian masks that's just disturbing. The real-life Dalmatians don't know who to trust!
Scaring the baby
This late 1970s version of Mickey Mouse is nowhere near as terrifying as the ones who roamed the Disney parks of the 1950s. They definitely improved the design of his face, including his eyes, nose, and smile. But you can still imagine the sight of a giant rodent would be unsettling for a 16-month-old baby. Alongside Goofy and Donald Duck, Mickey was visiting a Denver children’s hospital at the time.
We're just relieved that the company sent happy-looking characters to the children's hospital instead of the horrific-looking ones. The kids have been through enough!
He's silent... but always staring
America doesn’t have the monopoly on inadvertently scaring the living daylights out of Disney World parade attendees. We’re not sure exactly who, or what, this bobble-necked character at Shanghai’s Disney resort is supposed to be. A Shrek-gone-wrong would be a decent guess if the green ogre didn’t belong to Dreamworks instead. But it’s terrifying all the same.
So which Disney film is this character from, you ask? As it turns out, he's a lesser-known character from the film Tangled. Only real Disney fans recognize him!
Mickey and Minnie play inspectors
The looks on the faces of these soldiers suggest they’re not too happy about being inspected by a couple of creepy giant rodents. They aren’t real soldiers, of course, if the eye makeup and fake guns weren't a dead giveaway. They're actually toy soldiers brought to life! But even so, Mickey and Minnie still appear to be rubbing them the wrong way.
After all, soldiers are supposed to be strong, stolid, and in-line. So why not bring two unhinged Mickey and Minnie-like characters into the mix?
Dodgy Donalds
We can’t blame this kid for looking entirely unimpressed. Not only does the young boy have to make do with an unconvincing Santa, but he also has to contend with a handful of dodgy-looking Disney characters. Yes, the various Donalds and, we presume, either Goofy or Pluto look like they’ve been made up in half an hour using whatever the event organizers could find.
At least we can tell who these characters are supposed to be! Goofy's long ears and Donald's sailor's cap give them away.
What big teeth you have
The Big Bad Wolf appeared to have a habit of creeping up on unsuspecting members of the public at Disney theme parks. See the startled reaction of the woman in this snap taken at Anaheim’s Disneyland in 1962. With those big teeth and slightly gross long tongue, we can understand her reaction. No one wants to be greeted by a terrifying sight like that!
Clearly, the Big Bad Wolf was once a staple at Disneyland. Nowadays, you can mostly find him at Tokyo's Disneyland.
When Mickey wasn't pleased
Back in the 1930s, even head honcho Walt Disney couldn’t get his hands on a Mickey Mouse toy that didn’t seem to have escaped from somebody’s nightmares. We assume that the company simply hadn't figured out how to make the character cute yet. Here, the mogul is presented with a bouquet of flowers to commemorate his most famous creation’s fifth birthday.
But the Mickey seen by his side doesn’t seem to be in a celebratory mood. Maybe he saw Walt's doodles and wasn't pleased!
Caught with their trousers down
Let’s just hope no young Disney fan ever wandered onto the backlot of Anaheim’s Disneyland! This pic was taken in the summer of 1962, so Disney wasn't quite as strict with "protecting the magic" as they are now. If a kid saw this, all their illusions would have been shattered in one fell swoop.
Here, an actor who’s probably spent most of the sweltering hot day baking inside a giant character costume takes a well-earned break. Imagine how the inside of that costume smells...
The even-creepier Seven Dwarfs
If you thought the Seven Dwarfs at the Disney parks in the United States were creepy enough, then you haven’t seen anything yet. Here, the likes of Sleepy, Bashful, and co. join Snow White at an ice show in Paris, and their faces look like they may have been hit in the head a few too many times.
We will say this in the artist's defense: the dwarfs' eyebrows are truly doing all the work.
Donald terrorizes a comedienne
This picture of Jo Anne Worley appears to have been taken at the 1980 TV special named Kraft Salutes Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary. But the Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In regular looks like she’s regretting accepting the invitation. We can’t exactly blame her, considering the slightly menacing pose Donald Duck has adopted.
There's just something inherently creepy about a 6-foot-tall cartoon character brought to life. The fact that they can only give you a blank stare makes it worse.
The creepy bicentennial parade
A Disney World parade is usually one of the highlights for any self-respecting Disney fan. But this one, which was designed to celebrate the United States Bicentennial at the Magic Kingdom back in 1976? Not so much. Not only does the weather look pretty glum, but attendees also had to face the horror of this creepy-looking rabbit. Alice in Wonderland — the film these characters are from — is already a mind-bending trip.
The last thing anyone needs is to be terrorized by the movie's characters in the rain. At least the White Rabbit looks pretty friendly here!
Human-Mickey hybrids
If you were one of those kids who absolutely dreaded gym class, then take comfort in the fact that things could have been a lot worse. You could have had to compete with runners sporting terrifying Mickey Mouse masks. In fact, this photo was taken at a 1938 sporting event in England, and the event was entirely dedicated to the usually lovable rodent.
But do you know what isn't lovable? A horde of Mickey mice sprinting towards you with unseeing eyes. Shudder.
The World of Motion paraglider
Offering a journey into transportation history, the World of Motion used to be one of the most popular attractions at Disney’s Epcot Center. It was one that would have excited the park’s founder Walt, too. But who knows what the keen motor enthusiast would have made of this odd paragliding display? It's safe to say that not all of the animatronics stood the test of time.
Sure enough, the World of Motion didn't captivate guests for very long, and the ride was axed in 1996 for something much more exciting: Test Track.
Pooh and Tigger terrorize a pooch
Winnie-the-Pooh’s sadistic streak definitely wasn't in the A.A. Milne's original book, but this is the second time we've caught him in an unsavory situation. And as for Tigger, is he blocking the dog’s exit or offering him up to Winnie-the-Pooh? Either way, the overbearing duo clearly isn’t dog’s best friend here.
If we were that pup, we’d probably let out a bark or two. A giant bear shouldn't have such a haunting stare.
A heart-stopping surprise
The Harvard University Band had an inspired idea to make their appearance at Boston’s Harvard Stadium in October 1969 just a little more special. To the delight (or shock) of the fans, the band had Mickey Mouse suddenly pop out of one of their musical instruments. Even one of the band members themselves appears to have fallen over in surprise.
Someone shove Mickey back into the tuba before he escapes onto the football field! We can't lose another tuba player!
The day Donald flew
What’s more frightening than a slightly misshapen Donald Duck? Well, how about a giant slightly misshapen Donald Duck? Yes, those watching the annual Macy Thanksgiving Day parade the year this particular photo was taken were greeted with the rather imposing sight of Disney’s finest webbed creation looming over their heads.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is no stranger to weird-looking balloons, but this one is particularly eerie. There's just something unnatural about Donald's limbs...
Mickey behind the wheel
Well, someone's up and done it now: they've let Mickey loose behind the wheel! This looks a lot like the Mickey Mouse toy that was on Walt Disney's desk earlier. When you see a clear image of the cartoon on the car door and compare it to the toy driving the car, the difference between the two is clear. If the drawing is definitely of Mickey, then the toy must be Mucky.
In this picture, the Mickey toy drives through Mickey Mouse Studio, the workplace of hundreds of Disney artists and animators. Walt Disney himself is undoubtedly nearby... perhaps even behind the camera.
One-eyed Donald
Donald Duck has always known how to make an entrance. In his Disney cartoons, you usually hear Donald's cranky quacking before you even see him! But the lovable duck took things to new levels when he arrived for an event staged at the Sydney Harbour back in 1986. Now, is Donald missing an eye, or is the angle of the photo just weird?
Let’s hope that this apparent cartoon Cyclops also wasn’t supposed to be steering the boat.
The mad Mad Hatter
The Mad Hatter in this photo certainly lived up to the first half of his name. Alice, of Wonderland fame, looks to be smiling through gritted teeth while posing alongside whoever is in such a creepy costume. And the smartly-dressed young tourist also doesn’t seem particularly delighted to be there, either. The Mad Hatter is much more fun when you're separated by a screen!
It's his huge hat and evil grin that really makes him look villainous in this shot. Just like in the film, you never what he's going to pull out of his hat...
Dancing with the Dallas Cowboys
Herschel Walker may look like he’s having a ball dancing with these two characters from one of Disney's most under-appreciated classics, Fantasia. But no doubt the running back for the Dallas Cowboys was merely putting a brave face on things for this snap taken at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1980s.
These life-sized, sleepy-looking ballerina hippos are surely scarier than anything Walker encountered on the football field!