15. It’s a Small World
What’s the single most disliked Disneyland ride that you would never want to get stuck
on? Ding ding ding – if you said “It’s a
Small World,” then you are a winner. Imagine that song, playing over and over again,
while maintenance worked to get the attraction back up and running. Just thinking about it makes me feel like
I’m going insane. Well, one guest doesn’t have to use his
imagination: that’s exactly what happened to this him in 2009. The guest suffered from quadriplegia and,
when the ride broke down, he was stranded in the “Goodbye Room” without any means
of escape. Listening to that song over and over and over
again for more than thirty minutes. It’s literally what nightmares are made
of. The man was finally freed and was awarded
$8,000 for his suffering. Seems a small price to pay for forcing that
song upon someone on repeat. 14. The Matterhorn
In 1984, 48-year-old Regena Young was on the Matterhorn, when she fell from the ride’s
seat and collided with an oncoming coaster car. She passed away on the impact. After the incident, the woman’s seatbelt
was, in fact, discovered to be unfastened, although it’s not clear if this was due
to the staff or if Young managed to unfasten the belt herself. The rollercoaster has an otherwise stellar
safety record, according to Disneyland spokesman, Bob Roth, carrying 5 million passengers each
year with little-to-no injuries. Regardless of the case’s outcome, the details
of the event are hard to stomach. Certainly, those who witnessed the incident
will always remember. 13. The Confrontation
Some of these stories come straight from current and former Cast Members, who like to share
their experiences at arguably the world’s most famous theme park. Redditor, atheistpiece is one of them. He shared his experience as a Jungle Cruise
skipper, writing, “lots of crazy things happen in the jungle.” Among those crazy thing are swarms of bees
requiring boats to re-dock or guests falling into the water. But the main event described by this Cast
Member is not one he was there for, but one he heard about from other crew members. Loaded with guests, the boat entered the jungle. All was well until halfway through the trip,
a Korean woman started screaming in Korean at a man sitting in front of her. The skipper stepped in, trying to calm the
situation, but the woman didn’t calm down. Instead, she lunged at the man’s face with
her long nails. The man tried to defend himself against her
blows without retaliating. And the skipper took action, firing off a
“four shot” – this is four rounds, all fired off to alert boats in the area to an
incident, as well as those on the dock. Once docked, the security and medical teams
arrived shortly, while many passengers helped hold the woman back. Security managed to subdue her, strap her
to a gurney, and take her to an ambulance behind Tomorrowland. So, what was the deal? What did the poor guy do to offend this woman? As it turns out, nothing. It turns out that the lady was mentally ill,
and in the Redditor’s own words: “had decided that she wasn't taking her medication
that day so she could try to better enjoy the park. She just happened to have an episode in the
middle of the jungle, and the poor dude sitting in front of her got all the wrath.” A reminder to those headed to Disneyland:
even if you want to enjoy your day in the wonderful world of Disney, you still need
to take your meds. 12. Yippies
Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland has served as both an artificial island with throw-backs
to Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and as the stomping grounds for activism. In the 70s, the island was the focal point
of a hippie invasion. Well, they didn’t call themselves hippies,
but “yippies” – or members of the Young International Party. On August 6th, 1970, somewhere around 300
members of the party decided that Disneyland was the ultimate place for protesting
And, so they did. Before taking to the streets of Main Street
USA, singing Mickey Mouse Club ironically, and ribbing the park’s marching band. Instead of just kicking out the protestors
or ignoring them, Disney called in the authorities. The riot police were called in to take on
the Yippies. And the ensuing battle got dark. One eyewitness reported a young woman with
her “head split open” This was one of the first and only times in
the park’s history that the place was shut down early. And the Yippie movement faded out, never to
be seen or heard from again. 11. America Sings
More scary events awaits in the ride America Sings. Debbie Stone was a Cast Member at Disneyland
in 1974, a young woman and star athlete, who’d just graduated with honors from high school. She decided to work at Disneyland for the
summer to save up for college. She was hired for the opening crew of the
America Sings ride. She’d also just gotten engaged to her high
school sweetheart. The America Sings attraction was built of
a ring of six theaters, each of which rotated around a middle fixed stage, holding several
different scenes. At the beginning of the ride, from the left
side of the stage, the ride’s hostess would welcome guests and, once the scene rotation
was complete, would see them off. A full rotation would last 24 minutes, after
which the stage would reposition itself for a new cycle. This repositioning took only 45 seconds. While this was happening, Debbie found herself
between the the stationary stage wall and the moving theater wall. She couldn’t escape in time and was crushed. Whether she fell or had attempted to jump
between stages, no one knows. What we do know is that the ride had only
been open for a little more than a week when this happened. Most Disneyland passings are caused by recklessness
on behalf of those involved. Though still horrible, the worst thing about
Debbie Stone’s passing is that she wasn’t being reckless. She’s also the only Cast Member to have
passed away at Disneyland. America Sings closed in 1989. That was probably for the best. 10. The Ghost of Disney
Sounds like Disneyland has had enough ghost stories to haunt the place for eternity. But who knew the theme park might be haunted
by Walt Disney, himself? Rumors have long been floating around amongst
Cast Members that the spirit of good ol’ Walt still floods the park…and not just
figuratively. Some say that a light in the mastermind’s
Main Street apartment would often turn on by itself. Others say that they heard a voice whisper,
“I am still here.” Whatever you believe, Disney Cast Members
agreed that it was too chilling to ignore. So, they now leave a light on in Walt’s
empty apartment to commemorate the man and the legend…and so that the ghost of Disney
can stay up all night. 9. Abandoned
This entry is a very personally story, shared by sparklehorseys on reddit. When in middle school, the Redditor was invited
on a family and friends trip to the Animal Kingdom. The boy gave the Redditor her ticket the week
prior and had suggested that this would be their first date. The day of, the girl was chauffeured by her
mother to the park who then left her with the boy and his parents once they had arrived. When her mom left, the boy pulled the girl
out of sight of his mom and dad and said he wanted his ticket back, because he’d replaced
the girl with someone else. He then gave her ticket to another girl who
was standing by and told his parents the Redditor had left with her mom, because she was scared
to ride the rollercoasters. Crying and without a cell phone, in sparklehorsey’s
own words: “I remember being terrified and really sad. I ended up having to ask a lady at the ticket
counter for a phone, and a Disney security officer waited with me until my mom came back.” Of course, the story didn’t end there. The girl’s mom called the boy’s parents
that night and gave them the what-for. The boy, thankfully, didn’t get away with
it. He was grounded for six months. Unfortunately, though, that caused him to
be mean to the girl for the rest of their days. What a catch. 8. Tom Sawyer Island
Remember the Yippie Invasion. Well, Tom Sawyer Island was not only the scene
of a protest; it was also the scene of a terrible event in June of 1973. It was then that 18-year-old Bogden Delaurot
attempted to swim across the Rivers of America and passed away in the process. Bogden and his 10-year-old brother had scaled
the fence dividing the island from the settlers’ cabin, in the hopes to stay in Disneyland
overnight. And they did manage to be overlooked after
the park closed. Hours later, they wanted to escape the island,
probably to explore the theme park while it was empty. So as to avoid Cast Members who might be on
the overnight crew, they started to swim across the river, instead of asking for help off
the island. The problem? The 10-year-old couldn’t swim. Bogden attempted to carry the boy on his back
but didn’t make it. Halfway across the Rivers of America, he went
underwater. By doggy paddling, the 10-year-old managed
to keep afloat and was saved by a ride operator. They searched but couldn’t find Bogden that
night. He was discovered the next morning. Truly a terrible event. Disneyland after dark is perhaps the most
haunting of all. 7. The Monorail Train
Passings at Disneyland are rare, but when they happen, they’re just horrible. This is one of the first passings at the park. In 1966, 19-year-old Thomas Cleveland tried
to sneak into Disneyland. His plan: climb the 16-foot tall fence, walk
along the Monorail track and, once inside, climb down. It was Grad Nite when he made his attempt. When he climbed up to the Monorail track,
a train was fast approaching. A security guard yelled at Cleveland from
below, warning him of the oncoming train. At first, Cleveland ignored his warning and,
when he finally listened and attempted to descend onto the fiberglass canopy below the
track, it was unfortunately not enough space. The train collided with him, and he was dragged
along the track. Everyone’s worst nightmare come true. All in the “happiest place on Earth.” 6. The Woman in White
The so-called “woman in white” haunts many a place the world over - from Brazil
to Estonia to the Philippines, you can’t get away from her. And Disneyland is no exception. Some have said the park’s resident in waiting
is a friendly ghost. She’s taken it upon herself to guide lost
children in the after life. When she comes across an abandoned child in
the park, the woman in white takes the child by the hand and leads them to Guest Services,
so that parents can find them. Hmmmm, Disneyland’s ghost sounds more like
a Disney princess to me. 5. Outbreak
In 2014, there was an outbreak that ended in 133 cases of measles, 127 of which were
traced back to the theme park. The outbreak is said to have originated in
the theme park, itself, with 40 visitors contracting it between December 17 to 20, 2014. Although, patient zero was not identified,
a likely profile of said patient suggests that the guest was an international traveler. Just one more thing to worry about when trying
to have a good time at a theme park. 4. Grad Nite
If you don’t live in the area of Disneyland, then you’ve probably never heard of Disney
Grad Nite. The event allows high school grads a celebratory
night in the place where dreams are made, before they set out into the world to make
their dreams come true. Needless to say Disney Grad Nites get pretty
wild…and they may be cursed. In June of 1980, a high school graduate from
San Diego was attending Grad Nite, when he started to climb from car to car on the People
Mover. If you’ve never been to Disneyland, the
People Mover is a transport system which gives guests a view of Tomorrowland from elevated
tracks. Gerardo Gonzales was following in the footsteps
of a former Disney guest who had done the same sort of stunt thirteen years prior…and,
sadly, with the same result. It was the early hours of the morning, when
Gonzales was making his transition between cars as the People Mover approached the SuperSpeed
Tunnel. Gonzales lost his footing and fell onto the
track, directly into the path of an oncoming train, which ended up dragging the poor kid,
much like Thomas Cleveland on the Monorail Track. Three years later, on another Grad Nite in
June, 18-year-old Philip Straughan, celebrating both his 18th birthday and high school graduation,
snuck into the “Cast Members Only” area of the park, next to the Rivers of America. He and his friend had been drinking a lot,
and the pair grabbed an inflatable rubber maintenance motorboat and disembarked on the
river. Neither of the boys knew how to captain a
boat, and as they approached Tom Sawyer Island, they hit a rock. Straughan fell in the river, while his friend
returned to the dock to find his friend some help. Unfortunately, help arrived too late. Straughan passed away in the Rivers of America. Such sad and scary events, one after the other,
right before life really began for these boys. May they rest in peace. 3. Rollercoaster
Roller coasters travel at up to 55 mph; people are bound to get hurt once in a while. But something you might not expect is losing
a body part. That’s what happened to a 5-year-old boy
on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 1998. When the rollercoaster paused temporarily,
the boy stepped out of the vehicle, managing to get his foot stuck between the edge of
the platform and the train’s running board. His left foot was seriously harmed, requiring
the removal of all of his toes – and requiring changes from Disneyland to make the ride safer,
which they did. Let’s hope such a thing never happens again. 2. Haunted Mansion
They don’t call it that for nothing. There are rumors that the Mansion is actually
haunted by real live ghosts – real passed away ones, I mean. This entry has several layers, as there are
a number of ghost stories involving the Haunted Mansion. Ghost story number one:
Way back when the mansion was being constructed in the 1960s, one of the ride’s sound engineers
heard faint music seemingly emanating from behind a wall, while he was working in the
Seance Room. At first, he thought nothing of it. “Probably just a radio,” he told himself. But the music kept going and, unlike radio
shows, no commercial breaks interrupted it. The faint music lasted for days and was so
irritating and eerie that the engineer placed a speaker against the wall to muffle the sound. Who or what was playing it? Ghost story number two:
Again, in the Seance Room, one former Disney employee heard that the spell book in the
room’s Seance Circle was the real deal. That means a spell was being cast every time
Madame Leota recited it to her audience. Why was this rumor going around? Well, because the book kept moving all on
its own. Cast Members would arrive in the morning,
expecting the book to be in its place in the Seance Circle, but when they got there, it
was always somewhere else. Who or what was moving it? Ghost story number three:
A woman, whose son had passed away, entered the Haunted Mansion and started sprinkling
her son’s ashes there. That was his last wish: to haunt the Haunted
Mansion in Disneyland. Although Cast Members caught her and told
her off, she somehow snuck back on the ride to covertly fulfill her son’s wish. After the deed was done, many have reported
seeing a crying boy ghost near the Haunted Mansion’s exit. Scary, right? Believe it or not, this one actually seems
the most likely to be true. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018 that
Disney parks’ custodians confirmed this was a common resting place for a dearly departed’s
ashes; folks scattered them there all the time. So much so that maintenance code-worded it
as HEPA cleanup – a reference to the air filtration system that lifts fine dust particles. And one of the most popular spots to scatter? Of course, the Haunted Mansion. “The Haunted Mansion probably has so much
human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” one custodian told the Wall Street Journal. Not funny at all…and also pretty disgusting. Ghost story number four:
One redditor, stormeegedon, told of his experience working the Haunted Mansion attraction. He says that one of the expanding rooms was
rumored to be haunted. Sometimes the audio would play low and creepy
or even backwards. Moreover, when they closed the attraction
every night, three people or more would be working, with two picking up trash along the
tracks and doing maintenance, while one stayed up in the tower, keeping an eye on the cameras
and finishing up the end-of-the-day paperwork. According to stormeegedon, sometimes those
in the tower would look down toward the track and see three shadows, though only two people
were there… And then there was the legend of a little
boy ghost named Timmy. Timmy had red hair and a blue baseball cap,
and he ran around the mansion late at night. Of course, every place has its ghost stories
and, sure, myths and legends should be taken with a grain of salt. But what happens when you actually experience
something paranormal? In stormeegedon’s own words: “At the base,
hiding behind the trash can, was a little boy with a blue baseball cap crouching, like
little kids do when they think they're totally hiding but super obviously visible.” While the redditor admits that the kid probably
wasn’t the infamous ghost Timmy, he did find it super coincidental that a boy fitting
the exact description of this legendary ghost was playing hide-and-seek with them…and
not a parent in sight. Perhaps it was Timmy. And perhaps his wish to have his ashes scattered
in Haunted Mansion came true… Before we get to number 1, my name is Chills
and I hope you’re enjoying my narration. If you’re curious about what I look like
in real life, then go to my instagram, @dylan_is_chillin_yt and tap that follow button to find out. It's a proven fact that generosity makes you
a happier person, so if you're generous enough to hit that subscribe button and the bell
beside it then thank you. This way you'll be notified of the new video
we upload every Tuesday. 1. Christmas Eve
Scary events struck on December 24th of 1998, when a rope that tied the Columbia sailing
ship to the docks of the Rivers of America broke from the metal cleat attached to it. The cleat flew at two guests, getting ready
to board the Columbia, while a Disney Cast Member stood alongside them. With metal raining down on them, and two days
later, 33-year-old Luan Phi Dawson passed away after his life support was disconnected. Unlike all other events on this list, this
was the first in the park’s history that was not partially attributed to guest negligence. Instead, it was found that the ride’s maintenance
was insufficient, and the supervisor on duty was not sufficiently experienced to play an
operating role for the attraction. This particular incident resulted in a call
for increased government oversight in the operations and safety procedures of theme
parks.
