'Happiest place on Earth': what is hidden behind the fabulous facade of Disneyland

It is not surprising that the work of Disneyland employees is considered by many to be a dream: every working day is held in a festive atmosphere, instead of gloomy colleagues and a demanding boss, there are tens of thousands of happy faces of visitors, free rides, cotton candy and much more. What secrets does this tale hide? ADME.

Millions of people on Earth dream of visiting Disneyland at least once in their lives, because this magical park is the embodiment of a fairy tale, holiday and magic, where reality surpasses any fantasy. The first of the famous Walt Disney parks was opened 65 years ago, on July 17, 1955, in the state of California, in the city of Anaheim. It became the realization of Walt Disney's dream of a place where the world of cartoons and fairy tales is recreated. Today there are 5 Disneylands in the world: in California, Florida, Tokyo, Hong Kong and the suburbs of Paris.

Many of you may be surprised by the secret facts about "the happiest place on Earth"!

• Walt Disney got the idea for Disneylandwhen he and his daughters were vacationing in various amusement parks. Initially, he wanted to build Mickey Mouse Park and open his brainchild next to a studio where cartoons were made, but it soon became clear that this land would not be enough. Then Disney bought 65 hectares near the town of Anaheim.
• The park was built in record time - in 1 year and 1 day. Then there were only 23 attractions on the territory. The construction cost $ 17 million.
• At the entrance to Disneyland, there was a welcome sign: “Everyone who has come to this happy place, welcome! Disneyland is your country. Here wonderful memories of old people come to life, and here young people can breathe in the challenge and promises of the future. " Today, this same greeting can be seen in all Disney parks.
• The park was opened to visitors on July 18, and the day before there was an "international press review", which could only be accessed by special invitations. However, the opening was unsuccessful. A lot of people got into the territory with fake invitations, and instead of 11 thousand people there were almost 30 thousand.
• Moreover, the there was a terrible heat that day - about 38 ° C, and many ladies' heels began to get stuck in the molten asphalt, and because of the strike of plumbers, drinking fountains were left without water. As a result, many guests decided that the non-working fountains were a way to boost the sales of Pepsi's soda, which sponsored the opening.

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• The media wrote a lot of negative reviewsso Walt Disney invited all the disaffected to come the next day. On July 18, the queue at the gate began to accumulate from 2 am. The first guest was David McPherson with admission number 2, as the first ticket was given to Walt's brother, Roy Disney. Then David got a life pass to Disneyland. Fortunately, everything went well that time.
• Then Disney called July 17 nothing but "Black sunday" and for the first 10 years, 18 July was considered the official opening day. Now everything has fallen into place, and workers put on badges with the date 17 July.
• To be part of the Disneyland team, potential employees need training. That's what Disney University is for. Of course, this is not an accredited university, but a special extensive program. But on the other hand, this knowledge will help you better understand the specifics of Disneyland's work and get acquainted with many rules.
• Disneyland employees need to know everything about an amusement parktherefore they are strictly forbidden to tell guests the phrase “I don’t know”. Instead, they should come up with an answer to any question, even if they don't have this information, or call in a more experienced colleague. The main thing is not to disappoint visitors in any way.
• Team members use theater terminology, since in corporate culture it is customary to compare a visit to the park with a visit to the theater. Thus, places inaccessible to outsiders are called "backstage", employees wear not uniforms, but "suits". Also, any work is called a "role", in which it is important to follow a strict script. Any appearance in front of an audience is considered “going on stage”.
• Shows throughout the park are an important form of entertainment at Disneyland. Many cartoon characters are walking around the park, greeting guests, entertaining the kids and posing for a photo. In addition to musical performances, games are also organized for visitors. For example, every day after 12 noon, characters from the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland" organize a game "Music Chair" at the Coca-Cola Corner on Main Street.
• By the way, before you become a real troupe actor, you will have to work hard on your handwriting. The point is that all characters must sign the same way so that children do not suspect a catch and do not doubt that their favorite characters are real.
• According to an actor who worked at Disneyland, the most uncomfortable for him were the costumes of Woody the woodpecker and especially the Tigers, because in the heat it feels like you are wrapped in a hot carpet.
• The park also has strict requirements for employees. Until recently, all men had to be clean-shaven, otherwise they were simply not allowed to work. It is now allowed to wear a neat mustache or a small beard.
• Also, the rules include a ban on tattoos, piercings and implants, even if they are hidden under clothing. The company wants its employees to look perfect, yet natural.

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• Special attention is always paid to the appearance of girlswho play Disney princesses. As the former actresses said, they had to keep a certain weight and they were strictly forbidden to get fat, so only low-calorie foods lay in their refrigerator in the break room.
• The park workers have a bunch of secret codes. The most unpleasant is the "V code", because it means that one of the guests vomited and urgently needed cleaning.
• White Powder Alert means that one of the visitors decided to scatter the ashes of one of their loved ones during a trip to Space Mountain. Yes, for some reason this happens quite often, but there are so many cameras in the park that this act will not go unnoticed.
• If a child falls behind their parents, employees will never utter the phrase "Lost child" on the radio. Instead, they will say "Alarm 70", which means there is a lost parent in the park. Children are not called "lost" to keep them from panicking.
• About privacy, then you should not think that guests have it while they are in the park. The security service constantly monitors visitors. A Reddit user revealed that he knows some people who work undercover at Disneyland. According to him, when they work, they look like the most ridiculous tourists: big hats, funny clothes, glasses on the nose, hiking boots. So if you suddenly meet such a character, then most likely it will be a security officer.
• Also for safety a few years ago, a no-fly zone was established over Disneyland. The ban also applies to any remotely controlled unmanned device such as drones. No one can fly below 3 feet and within 000 miles of the park.
• There are many myths about the existence of "Disney Prison"... A Reddit user confirmed that there is a dedicated area for intruders. In addition, Disney owns a police station where violators are immediately taken.
• To make parks cleaner, all Disneylands have banned the sale of chewing gum on their territory. True, you can bring it with you. Also, you will not be able to buy products containing peanuts in the park so that guests do not have allergies.
• The park's main street always smells good. For this, engineers have invented a special machine that sprays the aromas of fresh popcorn and baked goods through hidden holes. The fact is that the smell is the strongest stimulus for memory, which makes guests feel nostalgic and makes them remember their childhood, just inhaling the smell of popcorn.
• Disneyland has its own private club, the entrance to which is allowed only for members of this organization. The so-called "Club 33" consists of several private rooms and a restaurant. It was originally conceived by Walt Disney as a quiet place for personal meetings with sponsors and special guests. Club members pay significant fees: for an individual - $ 25, for corporations - $ 000, they also pay an annual fee of $ 40.
• Interestingly, the doors of the club are painted in a special color, which can be called "invisible green". This shade was specially invented by the park staff. It is so inconspicuous that it does not allow the gaze to linger on it. The same paint helps to disguise service premises and those areas of the park that should not fall into the field of vision of guests.
• There is a whole tunnel system underground in the park. It was made to move the staff so that they can move around unnoticed and not destroy the magic created for the guests.

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• There are tons of tricks used to enhance the experience at Disneyland. For example, employees often exaggerate the dramatic effect of certain attractions to make them seem more terrifying and exciting than they are. For example, often the screams that supposedly come from different attractions are fake - there are speakers with recorded sounds.
• There is also a board in front of the rides., which indicates how long you have to wait in line. So, very often the wrong time is indicated there - usually the guest will wait less. This little trick helps people feel happy that they got on the ride earlier than they planned.
• It also creates a distorted perspective in the park.to make visitors think that all objects are higher than they really are. For example, the bricks at the top of Sleeping Beauty Castle are smaller than the bricks at the bottom of the building.
• By the way, this castle has a real, working drawbridge. True, it was used only 2 times. The first time - on the opening day, and the second - after the reconstruction of Fantasyland.
• Hundreds of cats live in the magical park. They help keep rodents and other small animals under control. Of course, cats are cared for and spayed. They also have a Twitter account.
• Every summer since 1956 grandiose fireworks have been organized in the park. Every year they become more luxurious and incredible. And in 2004, Disneyland introduced a new fireworks launching system with reduced noise, smoke and pollution. Moreover, employees made a patent for this system open so that other companies could use it too.
• Total number of guestsmore than 720 million people who have visited Disneyland since its opening.
• One of the most important rules of Disneyland states that there should be no sad children on its territory. When employees see an upset child, they should do everything they can to cheer him up: buy him ice cream, give him a gift, etc.
• And the sun always shines over Disneylandbecause the parks are located in the west and east of the United States, as well as in Asia and Europe.

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