Park Secrets Disney Doesn’t Want You to Know

Authored by thedailymeal.com and submitted by BabaYaga17
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It’s not surprising that a lot goes into running a theme park, and nowhere is that more true than Disney. From Disneyland’s classic rides and sights like The Haunted Mansion and Sleeping Beauty Castle to flashy, new attractions at Walt Disney World like Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, it takes a massive effort just to turn the lights on and get guests through the gates at Disney’s six American theme parks and two waterparks. That’s no secret. However, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that Disney would rather its guests and fans didn’t know.

Of course they don’t want you to know what Mickey Mouse looks like without his head on or what exactly it looks like backstage, but there are less obvious things that make the park run smoothly every day that you may not even think about.

Did you ever wonder why the flags on Main Street don’t lower to half-mast, why it smells vaguely of saltwater when you walk by Pirates of the Caribbean or why the raccoon at Splash Mountain looks so familiar from your childhood? Well, wonder no more — check out these 25 park secrets that Disney doesn’t want you to know.

IIIBlackhartIII on February 9th, 2020 at 03:34 UTC »

Firstly- flag code isn't criminal law, it's just a general etiquette guideline. Secondly, the reason Disney's flag has less than 50 stars isn't to circumvent flag code, it's to be more historically authentic. The flags at Disney have 48 stars instead of 50, and that's because Alaska and Hawaii weren't added to the Union until 1959; the Main Street section of Disney's parks are meant to be an early turn of the century 1900's town. 1910's I believe is the usual cited time period. Edit: Potentially the ones on Main Street might be 45 suggesting a date closer to 1900, though 48 are also used in different areas of the park and boats for different time periods.

Ggegfegds on February 9th, 2020 at 00:03 UTC »

They’re all missing a stripe or star, so they’re not really American flags.

Isn't Main Street U.S.A. supposed to represent an American town in 1900 or so? They could just use a 45-star flag, and it would be period accurate.

brock_lee on February 8th, 2020 at 23:42 UTC »

/psst: there is no enforcement provision for not illuminating a flag at night or not taking it down.