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We found 30 things you may or may not know about Walt Disney World. How many did you already know about the Happiest Place on Earth?
1. The hanging bride's ring
Keep an eye on the ground as you wait in line for the Haunted Mansion ride and you might just spy something shiny.
A hidden engagement ring is embedded in the concrete and is believed to belong to the hanging bride seen on the ride.
2. Real skeletons in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
While creating the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Imagineers weren't satisfied with the fake skeletons being used. They wanted something a little more realistic. The solution? Real bones.
Although the skeletons were eventually replaced over time, a few real bones still remain. Just check out the skull and crossbones on the headboard above the skeleton in bed.
3. A wooden leg named 'Smith'
In Frontierland you can see a wooden leg with "Smith" written on it in the lost and found.
This is a tribute to "Mary Poppins" when Berth says, “I knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith."
4. Mr.Toad handing over the deed
When Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was replaced by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Imagineers didn't let him go without a small tribute.
Look closely at the paintings while in line for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and you'll see Mr. Toad handing over the deed to Mr. Owl.
5. Hidden tunnels
At Disney's Magic Kingdom characters seem to appear out of nowhere, this is because Disney is actually built on top of 9 acres of hidden tunnels. These tunnels allow characters to walk from one location to another without being seen by guest.
6. Sewage in Liberty Square
There's more to the brown path running through Liberty Square than meets the eye. The path is actually meant signify where raw sewage would have flowed down the streets of Colonial America before the invention of indoor plumbing.
7. Disney's Morse code speech
As you enter Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, you might notice a clicking noise. That's no random Morse code. It's actually Walt Disney's opening-day dedication speech at Disneyland.
8. The hidden oil rig in Animal Kingdom
Imagineers faced many obstacles when building the iconic Tree of Life for Animal Kingdom.
One of the largest obstacles was how to support such a large structure in a state that is often hit by hurricanes. Imagineers found that an oil rig turned out to be ideal structure to build the large tree around. Since it's completion, the Tree of Life has survived five major hurricanes.
9. Epcot, the community of tomorrow
Have you ever been to the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow?
Now known as Epcot, the park was originally supposed to be a model community with 20,000 residents.
10. The third Presidential Seal
There are only three official Presidential Seals: The seal in the Oval Office, the seal in the hall by the Liberty Bell and the seal in the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom.
It took an act of Congress for Disney to be allowed to use the seal.
11. The real American flag on Main Street USA
Walk down Main Street USA and you'll see an American flag on almost every building. However only the flag on the flag pole at Main Street USA's square is real.
The rest of the flags intentionally contain less than 50 stars so that they don't have to be taken down in poor weather or lit up at night.
12. Hidden Mickeys
It's no secret that Imagineers and Disney artist like to incorporate Mickey's silhouette throughout the park, but did you know that there are hidden Mickeys too? Imagineers are said to have hidden over 1,000 Mickeys throughout Walt Disney World.
Can you find the hidden Mickey in this picture?
(Hint: Look to the right of the third face)
13. Talking trashcan at Epcot
Inside the Electric Umbrella restaurant in Epcot, you might throwaway your trash and get a little sass in return.
One of the trashcans within the restaurant talks back when you throwaway your food. See if you can find this clever can the next time you're at Epcot.
(Hint: look for the trashcan that's plugged in)
14. Hard to be"leaf"
There are over 100,000 fake leaves on the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.
Each leaf is over one foot long and is attached to a hinge that allows them to sway in the wind.
15. Eight whole new worlds
When Epcot was created, there were 10 spots left open for expansion in the World Showcase.
Since then, Morocco and Norway have been added, leaving eight remaining spots for new countries to join.
16. Mythical creatures in Animal Kingdom
Originally in the plans for Animal Kingdom was a section named Beastly Kingdom. This section was supposed to include mythical creatures such as unicorns and dragons.
There are still remnants of this scrapped project in Animal Kingdom today. One of the most noticeable ones being the dragon seen in the sign for Animal Kingdom.
17. The Florida State gopher
As you approach the drop on Splash Mountain, you might just hear the high-pitched squeal of a gopher shouting "FSU!"
You can listen for yourself, here.
18. Lucky number 13
If the wait for the Haunted Mansion ride says "13 minutes," it actually means that there is no wait at all.
19. Star Wars hieroglyphics
If you look closely at the hieroglyphics in the Indiana Jones sections of The Great Movie Ride, you might notice Mickey and Donald along with C-3PO and R2-D2 looking awfully Egyptian.
20. 'Smelltilizers'
Hidden devices called "smelltilizers" are located throughout the park to further enhance the atmosphere.
While waiting in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean, ride you may notice a salty sea scent washing over the air, or how about the sweet honey scent that in line for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh?
21. Aladdin's spitting camel
Outside Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride there is a camel that squirts water on guests. The camel's "spit" isn't random or timed. Instead there is a person that actually controls the camel from a secret location and judges whether or not they can hit the unsuspecting guest.
22.Pilot The Mark Twain River Boat Ride
It's rumored that if you ask nicely you will be allowed to pilot the Mark Twain River Boat alongside the captain.
Just ask a park employee and you might be the next co-captain.
23. The Seas Aquarium
At 5.7 million gallons, the Seas Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in the U.S.
The Seas Aquarium is so large that you can fit the entire Spaceship Earth sphere inside it.
24. Cinderella's royal suite
Inside Cinderella's castle is a luxurious suite fit for a princess.
The suite cannot be booked no matter the offer, but is occasionally used for promotional giveaways.
25.The secret to Pride Rock
When you go on the safari ride in Disney's Animal Kingdom, you are sure to spot a few of your favorite African animals.
Pride Rock in particular is always sure to have a lion or two perched on top. The secret? Cool air is pumped through tubes on the rock. Keeping the rock nice and cool and the perfect place for lions to relax on a hot Florida day.
26. Don't cry over a popped balloon
Don't fret if your Mickey Mouse balloon has suddenly met its demise, it's rumored that Disney park employees will replace any popped balloon with a new one.
27. You are always 30 steps away from a trashcan
While designing the Disney parks, Walt Disney himself went to other theme parks and observed how long someone would hold onto a piece of trash before dropping it. He came up with 30 steps.
28. The grey stuff
There's a secret dessert not on the menu at the Be Our Guest restaurant. Just listen to the song by the same name in "Beauty and the Beast" and you'll hear the dessert mentioned by name.
"The grey stuff is delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes."
29. Flying trash
The central trash center is located underneath Disney in the secret tunnels known has "utilidors." Here, trash is shot through tubes up to 60 mph to be collected and sorted through.
Worried about recycling? Not to fret, all recycling is done manually in the central trash center as well.
30. Forced perspective
Throughout Disney parks you can see the use of forced perspective being used to make buildings and structures look larger or smaller than they actually are.
Checkout Cinderella's castle: The windows are smaller the higher up they are, creating the illusion that they are actually much farther away.
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