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33 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Disney Parks

The Disney parks are even more magical than you think. You just have to know where to look.

1. There are tunnels under Disney World that allow employees and cast members to move between the different areas.

The tunnels help costumed cast members avoid incongruities. That's why you never see Tomorrowland cast members in Frontierland, and vice versa.

2. None of the shops in Disney World sell gum, which is why you never see any stuck to the rides or sidewalks.

3. There are thousands of hidden Mickey Mouse heads throughout Disney World and the surrounding resorts.

4. There is never a trash can more than 30 steps from where you are in Disney parks.

5. There's actually a secret suite inside Cinderella's castle. It cannot be booked, and is only used for promotional giveaways.

6. Despite the fact that it's illegal, several people attempt to spread the ashes of the deceased on Disney rides every year.

7. Fourteen of the opening day attractions in the Magic Kingdom are still running.

8. At one point, the parking lots at the Magic Kingdom were named after six of the seven dwarves. There was never a "Doc" lot because designers thought it would be confused for the ferry docks.

9. Devices called Smellitizers can be found all over Disney parks, and emit scents in certain areas to match the surroundings.

10. The colored concrete walkways in the Magic Kingdom seem to correspond to each section — but they're actually colored because Kodak and Disney did a study and found that light reflecting off colored concrete creates more vivid photographs.

11. The "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" attraction replaced the "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" attraction, and you can see a painting or Mr. Toad handing the deed over to Mr. Owl in line for the ride.

There's also an image of Pooh posing with a character named Moley, who appeared in the "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" attraction as well.

12. In Frontierland, you can see a wooden leg labeled "Smith."

13. If you look closely at the second-story windows near the "Hall of Presidents," you'll see two lanterns. They are referencing the line "One if by land, and two if by sea" from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride."

14. The brownish winding path in Liberty Square is meant to represent raw sewage that flowed down the streets of Colonial America, since indoor plumbing wasn't yet invented.

15. While most of the lawns at Disney parks are meticulously tended to, the lawn at "The Haunted Mansion" is left to grow out and die, to match the mood of the ride.

16. Look for a wedding ring embedded in the concrete in line at "The Haunted Mansion." It's said that it belongs to the hanging bride you see in the stretching room and attic scenes on the ride.

17. Toy Story characters used to drop to the ground when guests yelled, "Andy's coming!" but the practice has been discontinued for safety reasons.

18. It took an act of Congress to install the Presidential Seal in the "Hall of Presidents" attraction. There are only three seals: one in the Oval Office, one in the hall containing the Liberty Bell, and one in the "Hall of Presidents."

19. There's a Galactic Communication Network phone in Tomorrowland that plays messages from around the galaxy.

20. The futuristic palm trees in Tomorrowland actually fold up at dusk, and unfold at dawn.

21. Epcot was originally designed to be a model community and home to 20,000 residents. You can still see a diorama for Walt Disney's vision on the "PeopleMover" ride.

22. There is a secret basketball court for staff in the upper third of the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland.

23. The World Showcase at Epcot may seem full, but there's actually room for eight additional countries.

24. The 1982 book Epcot Center: A Pictorial Souvenir lists Israel, Equatorial Africa, and Spain as potential pavilions.

25. In the United Kingdom pavilion, the Rose and Crown got its name from the two most common words found in pub names in the United Kingdom.

26. The massive castle structure behind the German pavilion at EPCOT was meant to house a boat ride that simulated a trip down the Rhine River.

27. The aquarium in "The Seas" is so large that the "Spaceship Earth" sphere can fit inside it.

28. You can see a dragon on the signs for Animal Kingdom, and a dragon's head hanging above the front gates. They were there to represent a scrapped area called Beastly Kingdom, which was going to be dedicated to mythical animals.

29. On the "Dinosaur" ride in Animal Kingdom, there are three pipes in the queuing area with chemical formulas printed on them. The formulas on the pipes are for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

30. The 14-story "Tree of Life" in the middle of Animal Kingdom is actually an old oil rig.

31. The airplane in the Casablanca scene in "The Great Movie Ride" is actually the front half of the crashed airplane on the "Jungle Cruise" ride.

32. If you look closely at the hieroglyphics in the Indiana Jones sections of the "The Great Movie Ride," you'll see Mickey and Donald, and C-3PO and R2-D2.

33. The lobby and queuing area for the "Tower of Terror" ride are full of hidden Twilight Zone references, such as Burgess Meredith's broken glasses and a book with alien script that has been translated to "To Serve Man."

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