Since opening in 1955 , Disneyland has inspired young topic parks and attractive feature all around the earth . But before the“Mickey Mouse Park”was a twinkle in his centre , Walt Disney get inspiration from many different root Rosa Parks .
1. Electric Park, 1899-1925 — Kansas City, MO
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Though Disney spent much of his youth in Chicago , in 1911 his kin moved to Kansas City , home to Electric Park . accord toWalt Disney ’s Missouri , the 2d version of the entertainment park ( which opened in 1907 ) was locate only 15 blocks north of the Disney home on East 31st Street . Walt and his younger sister Ruth often visit the park , which shoot off fireworks at closing time each night , together .
Disney seems to have drawn breathing in from thenightly fireworksas well as the train system that circle Electric Park , which Disney would bring to his own parking lot in the contour of theDisneyland Railroad(1955 ) .
2. Griffith Park, 1937-Present — Griffith Park, CA
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According to Walt Disney ’s recollection , the Eureka moment for Disneyland struck while sitting on a park bench watching his daughters ride the Griffith ParkMerry - Go - Round . He pondered what it might be like to have an entertainment park where parents and children could partake in in vernal use together . In"History is Bunk " : Historical Memories at Henry Ford ’s Green Village , Disney is quoted as saying , “ What this res publica really call for is an amusement park that families can take their children to . ”
On afford solar day at Disneyland , he ’d echo this message , saying , “ Here age live over fond memories of the yesteryear and here youth may savor the challenge and hope of the future . ” Perhaps because of the warm feelings raise by the Griffith Park Merry - Go - Round , theKing Arthur Carrousel(1955 ) would become one of Disney ’s favourite attractions at his own theme commons .
3. Henry Ford’s Museum and Greenfield Village, 1929-Present — Dearborn, MI
Image good manners ofThe Henry Ford Museum
In 1940 , Walt Disney made his first trip toGreenfield Village , a historically - themed amusement common designed to depict time period surroundings from the seventeenth 100 onward . There , hevisited with studentsand posed for atintype exposure . Quite take with the park , he visit once again in 1948 with animatorWard Kimballon a side trip while travel to Chicago for a Railroad Fair .
On the manner back from the trip , Disney wrote a memo to production designerDick Kelseywhich read idea from Greenfield . “ The Main Village , which include the Railroad Station , is built around a village dark-green or informal Mungo Park , ” Disney wrote in the memo . He continued on to describe an opera house planetary house , movie theater , horse car , magic shop class , and kids ' clothing store . These ideas would be make with Main Street , U.S.A. , a nostalgia - induce turning of the century - inhale street that go on to serve as Disney ’s independent hub .
4. Beverly Park, 1946-1974 — Beverly Hills, CA
David Bradley , whose wife Bernice worked in account inquiry at Disney Studios , bought and opened Beverly Park , a small theme park on Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards in Beverly Hills ( the current site of shop centerBeverly Center ) in 1946 . Through Bernice , David was introduced to Walt Disney , who began pluck his brainpower and register Bradley his programme for a musical theme park of his own . Bradley went on to consult for Disney and was instrumental in some of Disneyland ’s touch characteristics . To name a couple , he convinced Disney to build Main Street at a reduced scurf and introduce themed photo ops to the park .
5. Tivoli Gardens, 1843-Present — Copenhagen, Denmark
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One of Copenhagen ’s most famous attractions , Tivoli Gardens , pull Disney ’s attention in 1951 when he visited with his in force friend ( and TV personality)Art Linkletter . Linkletter later talk about the experience , describing Disney as taking notes about everything from the ride to the food that was serve well at Tivoli . The park featured twinkle lights and a potpourri of out-of-door entertainment outlets , characteristics typical of Disneyland ’s Main Street . The Danish amusement park was also known to be very uncontaminating and orderly , something Disney was compulsive to translate to his ‘ land .
6. Children’s Fairyland, 1948-Present — Oakland, CA
As the story go , while Disney was impose Oakland , California ’s Children ’s Fairyland , he need to lead a cartoon to a rampart of the parkland and , when given permit , drew Mickey Mouse . He would also hire the first film director of Fairyland , Dorothy Manes , to forge as spring chicken film director of Disneyland , a post she held from 1955 to 1972 .
Fairyland is also home to an attraction ground on Alice in Wonderland , which purportedly influenced Disneyland’sdark rideof the same name that opened in 1958 .
7. Madurodam, 1952-Present — The Hague, Netherlands
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Madurodam open up only a few twelvemonth before Disneyland with a collection of miniature depicting famous Dutch castles and other quaint buildings on display . In his bookWalt Disney and Europe , generator Robin Allan credits Disney ’s visit to the Dutch attraction with animator and ImagineerBill Cottrellwith shape the creation of the FantasylandStorybook Land Canal Boats , which take client on gravy boat drive past miniature depictions of scenes from Disney films .
And Four More Potential Inspirations…
World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893 — Chicago, IL
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Before Disney was born , his father Elias was a construction proletarian at the World ’s Columbian Exposition ( also known as the Chicago World ’s Fair ) in Chicago . Though Walt did n’t visit the Exposition himself — he would n’t be born until seven twelvemonth after it closed — he spent much of his puerility in the Windy City and was probably intrigued by taradiddle of the fair , which featured the first Ferris Wheel ( named after house decorator George Washington Gale Ferris , Jr. ) , an elevated train , and move pavement .
Disneyland would include its own natural selection of elevated gear , admit thePeopleMover(1967 - 1995 ) and theDisneyland Monorail(1959 ) .
Eden Springs Park, 1930s-Present — Benton Harbor, MI
Disney was always fascinated by trains . When he was immature , his uncle Michael Martin was a gearing music director , and in his later days one of his most prized possessions was his live steam miniature backyardCarolwood Pacific Railroad .
It is bruit that Walt Disney may have chaffer Eden Springs Park and purchase a miniature train build by House of David religious community members , which he took back to California to contemplate .
Playland at the Beach, 1926-1972 — San Francisco, CA
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A yr before Disneyland open , Disney traveled to Northern California to visit Playland at the Beach , a San Francisco attraction put together by brother George and Leo Whitney . George Whitney ’s son , George K. Whitney , would become Director of Ride Operations at Disneyland ( and the park ’s 7th employee ) after being personally recruited by Disney .
Knott’s Berry Farm, 1940-Present — Buena Park, CA
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ThoughWalter Knottand Walt Disney possess compete amusement Rosa Parks just several miles from each other , they had an apparently cordial relationship with one another .
In the 1940s , Knott ’s Berry Farm was home to a Bottle House and Music Hall , which had a accumulation of Swiss birdcages filled with automaton birds that made whistle noises . Some speculate that Walt Disney put on intake from these birds for his ownAudio - Animatronicsand , more specifically , theEnchanted Tiki Room(1963 ) .
