Fun Facts

Holidays

See Main Street from space.

There are other hidden characters here
Main street was inspired by Marceline, Missouri were Walt spent part of his time growing up.
REPORTED: zenobia u. 28 JUL 97
As you enter the Magic Kingdom the walkways are red. This was Walt's idea. The idea is for the guests to feel that WDW is laying down the "Red Carpet" for them. They don't know that that is the reason for the red but that is the reasoning behind it.
REPORTED: anon 30 MAY 99
There is a twofold reason that the sidewalks on Main Street are painted red. The first is to comply with Disney's concern for safety. The second occurred after much trial and error with KODAK. The two companies decided that that particular shade of red makes people and objects stand out the best in pictures.
UPDATE: Karin 12 AUG 99
When you first enter Disney World's Magic Kingdom, walk under the train station where the lockers are. Facing Cinderella Castle, look for a door on the right just before you exit from under the station. Open this door and get a look at the Mural on the wall. It was painted when I worked there. The outline was projected on the wall using an overhead and traced, and then it was colored in. This room is where the Train engineers and Main Street cast meet and take breaks. They will ask you if you were looking for something, so just tell them the restroom or something. We had 10-20 people a day walk into this room.
REPORTED: L. Borne 25 JAN 96
One of my favorite interesting facts is this: When you first enter Disney World's Magic Kingdom, there is a building off to the right which holds awards that Disney has gotten from its movies and TV shows. It has a large mural of all cartoon characters, and letters from VIP's to Disney. There was a movie called "The Disney Story" that is played every 22 minutes, also. I hear this is closed now, but have not been able to confirm it. Anyway, in this building is a picture of Walt standing between Laurel and Hardy - the comedy duo. In the picture Laurel had a smoking cigarette in his hand. With the changing of times, Disney had the cigarette airbrushed away feeling that it did not provide a good image. However, if you look closely, you can see the shadow of the smoke rising on the back wall in the photo, and the fingers are shortened to remove the cigarette!
REPORTED: L. Borne 25 JAN 96
At the Train Station there is a pay phone. The number is: (407) 824-9859.
Have you ever noticed that the Fire Station on Main Street is Fire Station No 71...guess what the 71 is for?? The year the Magic Kingdom opened! I believe there is a shop in MGM and I am sure there must be something in EPCOT that bears the year they opened...Anyone have info??
REPORTED: anon 03 FEB 98
In Animal Kingdom its inside CTX
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
In EPCOT its in the Living With the Land Boatride.
CONFIRMED: Disney25th 07 JUN 98
Did you know that the trolley tracks on Main Street, U.S.A. are recessed into the ground? The reason that this was done was to keep people from triping on the tracks. Also, during the parades, the cast members put long rubber things called "cheese" into the trolley tracks. This helps to keep the floats from getting stuck in the trolley tracks.
REPORTED: Former Main Street Cast Member 26 OCT 99
Within the Magic Kingdom there is an ATM. It's in the SunTrust bank located next to Town Hall. And the fee is only two bucks.
REPORTED: John Langas 09 MAR 98
Actually the SunTrust bank is no longer in the Magic Kingdom
UPDATE: Michele F 05 APR 98
There are only 4 ATMs at Magic Kingdom. 2 under the train station. One at the exit to Space mountain in the Tomarrowland arcade. And the last is in the Breezeway, a corrodor connecting Frontierland and Adventureland.
UPDATE: doogie 16 AUG 01
In the Main Street Market house, I belive, there is a old phone mounted on the wall. If you pick up the receiver and listen to it you hear a converstation between a women and her child about what to get at the store.
REPORTED: Brienne Tripp 09 JAN 97
In the Main Street Market house, there are two phones mounted on the wall. If you pick up the receiver, you can hear a conversation between a mother and her daughter (Annie). They are discussing what to buy at the store, the cost of certain items, and how to attract a man. Every now and then, a nosey eavesdropper, Miss Klump (I think that's her name) listens in and is politely told to hang up by the mother.
CONFIRMED: The Crutchley Family 28 JUN 97
The old telephone in the markethouse is no longer there. Upon questioning the CM's - It had been removed
LOST: Jason 01 JUL 97
I worked in that area from 1998-2000 and the phone was still located inside the Market House next to the south cash register. Not sure if it's still there today.
UPDATE: Former MS CM/ Current Disney freak 31 MAR 02
The old time telephones that you can hear the conversation between two women on a party line are still there. They are located in the Smucker shop on Main Street. They have been a mainstay on Main Street since I began going there in 1971. Everytime I go, I listen and laugh at how they complain that Hamburger is at 5 cents a pound!
UPDATE: Tonie 28 APR 02
The Backstage Tour guide told us that Main Street slopes upward as it approaches the Castle. This allows weary people to walk down hill at the end of the day to make their exit easier.
REPORTED: Rick Pastore 09 MAR 97
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
There are actully only 4 buildings on Main Street USA. You can clearly see this on park maps.
REPORTED: Thomas McCarthy 11 MAY 00
The famous Main Street actually narrows as it approaches Cinderella Castle. This is to create the illusion that the street is longer than it is and that the castle is farther away than it is. This info came from the Animation Tour for young teenagers.
REPORTED: MN 14 NOV 96
I measured it by walking it heel-to-toe. If you want to attempt this I suggest doing it early in the morning. I measured it during mid day and it's really hard to measure with so many people cutting in front of you.
CONFIRMED: Justin 07 DEC 97
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
Main Street itself narrows as you approach the Castle. NOT TRUE!
WISHFUL THINKING: Jim Miller 28 SEP 98
Myth 4a The heights of the buildings on Main Street get shorter as you walk toward the hub you walk up. NOT TRUE! The heights vary slightly but are almost the same all the way down. Myth 4b the width or street frontage of Main Street Shops gets narrower as you walk up to the Castle. NOT TRUE! The store fronts vary in width all up and down Main Street. All this info comes from John Hench SR. VP of WDI
REPORTED: Jim Miller 28 SEP 98
If you make a right onto Center St. (the street that crosses Main at its center) you will here a singing lesson and a ballet class coming from the windows marked "Singing Lessons" and "School of Dance". They're quite neat to listen to.
REPORTED: Safari Steve:Jungle Skipper 11 JAN 00
CONFIRMED: Joe 11 JUN 01
The best way to get an overall view or to get somewhere without walking is to take the Horse-and-Trolley or the Fire Engine. We rode on the Horse-and -Trolley and if you sit to the left side of the conductor on the front you can vidoetape going down Main Street and get a straight shot of the castle. The Fire Engine is pretty fast for those who want a faster pace.
REPORTED: Kevin 11 DEC 98
To the left of City Hall is a good place to find characters throughout the day especially around 5:00. I have seen Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie out here at once one time.
REPORTED: Kevin 11 DEC 98
The buildings on Main Street are built with "forced perspective." In fact, most multi-story buildings in the Magic Kingdom use this technique. The first floors are near regular size, but the second and third floor facades are built to 5/8 and 1/2 scale, giving the illusion that the entire building is taller than it actually is. The space above the shops is used for storage and offices. The offices over Main Street have windows looking out toward backstage. The office walls are 3-4 feet away from the false windows on Main Street. The second floor of some restaurants and shows (such as the Diamond Horseshoe) are also used for storage and dressing rooms.
REPORTED: G&L 13 JUL 95
CONFIRMED: Tanya Gee 25 SEP 95
CONFIRMED: Michael Littell 04 OCT 95
CONFIRMED: anon 25 JAN 96
CONFIRMED: R W Lipp 07 JUN 96
CONFIRMED: Cary Kirby 09 DEC 96
There are only three buildings on Main Street that are full scale. Welcome Center, Train Station and City Hall. The others are gradually done to a smaller scale as you work you way up Main Street to the Castle. This is done to make it look like the Castle is bigger than it is as you go in to the park and as you leave dead tired the Train Station looks closer than it really is. At first City Hall was to be the only "full size" building but as construction began Mr. Disney noticed you could see the Contemporary from Main Street and it did not fit in, so The Welcome Center also became full size. The Train Station is also full size because they do not want you to see the Castle from the outside. The Train Station acts as the curtain which rises as you pass under it and enter Main Street!
UPDATE: Dawn 18 MAY 97
I just got out of a class known as "Once Upon A Time Is Now..." and on one of the "secrets" someone had written that the second and third floors on Main Street were scalde to 5/8. This staement is wrong the actual figure is 7/8 for the second floor and the third floor would be 7/8 the size of the secong floor. Also, everything that you would see (i.e. benches, chairs, tables...) is also scaled down to 7/8 ! Thank you !
UPDATE: Meredith 27 JUN 97
CONFIRMED: Amanda 27 OCT 97
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
Next time you take a walk down Main Street, U.S.A. take a close look at the castle. You will notice that the "bricks" get smaller the higher up the castle goes. This technique is called forced perspective. The castle looks a little taller than it would if all the "bricks" were the same size.
UPDATE: Danny 11 JAN 98
Actually the building getting smaller is called forced perspective, and is used to make the buildings appear taller, not to make Main Street longer. It is used throughout the park.
UPDATE: Dan Pritchett 04 APR 98
I saw a television show on the Disney Channel that explained a different reasoning for the smaller scaled buildings on Main Street- The reason is so that kids can feel like they're "big" so to speak. The smaller building size is to accomodate the smaller size of many of WDW's guests.
UPDATE: Benjamin A. Bokor 10 APR 98
Disney Imagineers use a technique called "Forced Perspective". All but two buildings in the Magic Kingdom are built using this technique. You notice this most on Main Street. When you look at the buildings they really look like they are 3 stories tall but they're not. They are really only the size of a 2 story building. The 1st floor is actually the size a real story, but the 2nd story is only 7/8ths the size of the first and the 3rd floor is 7/8ths of the second floor. The two that are are the City Hall and the Photo Center. City Hall is real size because that is where Guest Realations is at along with a money vault and Foreign Currency exchange. The Photo Center is the real size because if it were built in "Forced Perspective" you would then be able to see the Contemporary Hotel which does not go along with the 18th century style of Main Street and it would take away from the "Magical Experience" of the guests. So basically it acts a curtain.
UPDATE: anon 30 MAY 99
It is called forced perspective because it is forcing you to think it is taller. The Train Station is full sized and thus bigger than the castle which makes you think that it is further away and grander, then when you are leaving the park, it works the opposite, since the trainstation is bigger it makes the street look smaller which is better since you think you don't have to walk so far.
UPDATE: Erika 15 JUN 99
The Main Street shops do get smaller as you approach the Castle. The First Set of Buildings directly on Main Street are Taller than the Second Set as you head towards the Castle. This is to promote a the image that Mainstreet is longer than it is when you are arriving at the park, and shorter than it is when you are leaving the park after a long day of walking around.
CONFIRMED: A. Chavez 09 MAY 00
Going in they make the castle seem gigantic and far away, but leaving the gate seems small and very close.
UPDATE: Amanda Cola 24 MAY 00
CONFIRMED: andrew 15 JAN 02
CONFIRMED: Maddison 17 JAN 02
The names located along Main Street are also set in order of the opening credits to a movie. Walt's name is the last one, located at the end of Main Street on the Ice Cream Parlor. The train tunnel acts as a curtain. The first smell you encounter is popcorn. Hence, the effect of walking into a movie theater.
REPORTED: Dave Kringer 07 JUN 00
If you look at the second floor of the shops on Main Street, you will see names in the windows. When Walt was building the park he wanted to credit the designers so he put their names above the stores. The art designers are on the arts and crafts store, and so on. Walt's name, is on the train station (which is one of his loves) and the shop that sells his favorite dessert -- ice cream!
REPORTED: G&L 13 JUL 95
CONFIRMED: Tanya Gee 25 SEP 95
CONFIRMED: Michael Littell 04 OCT 95
CONFIRMED: Sean Henderson 02 AUG 96
CONFIRMED: Brandon Knechtel 11 NOV 96
CONFIRMED: Abagail 29 NOV 96
Regarding the names above the shops on Main Street and Walt's name being the only one facing Cinderella Castle. My husband and I were just at WDW and took a walk down Main Street to read the names on the windows above the shops. When we got to the ice cream shop we saw Walt's name, but if you look above Casey's Corner (across the street) you will see that there are some names that also face Cinderella Castle. It reads: The Camelot Core Tony Baxter, Dave Durkhart, Ed Johnson, Gary Younger.
UPDATE: J. Ferris 10 DEC 96
Many of the names are retirees from Disney, it's like the ultimate honor to have your name placed in a window on Main Street.
UPDATE: Jessica Winn 27 MAY 97
We confirm the names of the designers and that of Walt Disney's on the second floor windows of the stores on Main Street.
CONFIRMED: The Crutchley Family 28 JUN 97
CONFIRMED: Matthew Austermuhl 25 SEP 97
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
CONFIRMED: anon 30 MAY 99
The reason why Walt's name is on the window facing the castle is so that he could watch everyone leaving his park after they had fun there.
UPDATE: Dawn Dietrich 18 DEC 00
Every building down Main Street has an American flag. Sure it all looks very patriotic but that's not why they're there. They serve as lightning rods.
REPORTED: anon 30 MAY 99
We were told during "Once Upon a Time is Now" (the MK training program) that Walt wanted a "holiday" atmosphere. The flags represent the 4th of July. Hence, the gathering areas for the parades and the fireworks.
CONFIRMED: Klubby 31 AUG 00
Notice the flags atop of the buildings along Main Street. They don't have to be lowered before sunset because there is a mistake in each flag. Either the number of stars are wrong or the number of stripes are wrong.
REPORTED: msnbkr 15 JUN 02
The offices above Main Street are called MO 1-8 MO stands for Main Street Operations.
REPORTED: W. Todd Stephenson 11 JAN 96
MO-8, MO-7, MO-6, MO-5, MO-4, and MO-3 are blocks of shops that Main Street is divided into.
CONFIRMED: Ken Klingensmith 26 DEC 96
Parks Documentation keeps everything there is to know about attractions in all of the parks. What kind of paint is on the Castle, who composed the music for Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris... they've got it all. They keep the blueprints, etc. They're pretty touchy too. when I last worked there they were in Main Street Operations West... I think above the Emporium.
REPORTED: W. Todd Stephenson 11 JAN 96
The Emporium is by far the best place on Main Street to shop because of the enormous selection of items.
REPORTED: Kevin 11 DEC 98
Main Street Cast Members wear white knickers and blue and white striped shirts with blue bow ties. The hub custodial Cast Members wear blue pants and white shirts. They are allowed to roll their sleeves up on hot days. These are "unique" costumes and are not considered a "themed outfit." Thus, Main Street can walk to other lands, and sometimes have to for crowd control.
REPORTED: stephanie 18 MAR 97
Our tour guide told us this on one of the backstage tours
CONFIRMED: Heather Keenan 13 MAR 98
Main Street Cast Members who wear white knickers and blue and white striped shirts with blue bow ties are outdoor merchandise cast members. Not ALL cast members on Main Street wear these costumes. Indoor merchandise cast members wear different costumes. Normally, it is the sort-of dark checkered pattern long skirt and beige shirt with a bow for the girls, and brown pants with that checkered vest with beige shirt and tie for the guys. I worked in the confectionary shop where the girls wore a white and yellow striped long skirt and blouse with a yellow apron and hat. This is the only store on Main Street where we wear this outfit. Another thing is that Main Street cast members were NOT ALLOWED to leave our land except for a few exceptions. Each cast member is to stay in their land as to not effect the "magical" perspective of the guests.
UPDATE: Jacqueline 24 FEB 01
Working in the Main Street cone shop, we wear the vertical stripes and bowtie but long white pants. Personally i think we resemble 1910 (the time period of the shops ideal), and we are _not_ allowed to leave our designated land.
UPDATE: doogie 16 AUG 01
CONFIRMED: andy 30 MAR 02
On Main Street USA at Walt Disney World, there's a small street that goes off to the right at the end of the first block (beyond the train station and the circle/bench area after you enter the park). There are three pay phones at the end of this street, located next to some large, green "Disney Employees Only" doors. The numbers are: (407) 824-9863, (407) 824-9705 and (407) 824-9862
At the First Aid/Baby Station there are two pay phones. The numbers are: (407) 824-9650 and (407) 824-9651.
One thing Disney's good at is concealment. Did you know that there are parking lots behind the Main Street buildings on either side? As you are walking towards Cinderella Castle, the right hand parking lot is used primarily for people going in and out of dressing trailers (also in the parking lot). These dressing trailers are used by performers on the Tomorrowland stage. On the left side, there is a parking lot for the First Aid Station located behind the Crystal Palace. The First Aid Station seen by the public is only the half of it. In the back (accessible by the left parking lot), there is a fully functional care facility for Cast Members. The road leading to the left lot travels from Central AVAC, behind Pirates of the Caribbean, and behind the Jungle Cruise. If you are on this road, and look really carefully, you can see part of the Jungle Cruise ride. Speakers directed inward, muffles the sound of your car from the guests on the tour.
REPORTED: Michael Littell 04 OCT 95
On both sides of Main Street are employee parking lots which have entrances to the tunnels. If you are on the outside of The Magic Kingdom's front ticket gates, there is a brick path with peoples names engraved in them. It is named "The Walk Around The World" and will eventually go all around the Seven Seas Lagoon. Well, you can walk on it to the right (toward the busses) or to the left (towards monorail). If you walk to the right, all you have to do is walk along the path until you reach the end of the bus stations. On your left should be a small road which goes under a small tunnel into a parking lot (You may be able to see it from the monorail). If you walk down the right side of the pathway you will eventually see a short gate on your right. If you walk up to it you can hear the sounds of animals from the Jungle Cruise. You can also see the back of Pirates of The Carribean.
REPORTED: Austin Smith 29 MAR 97
There is parking lots on either side of Main Street. Face Main Street then on the right hand side by Tony's Restaurant there is a gate right there. It will lead you to the parking lot.
CONFIRMED: anon 31 AUG 97
Yes, there are parking lots on either side of Main Street. My school marching band, the Ben Hill Band of Bears, got the privledge of performing on the Tomorrowland stage in May and the bus was parked on the right side facing the Castle.
CONFIRMED: Justin 09 AUG 97
CONFIRMED: Joseph St. Angelo 13 FEB 99
The sidewalks leading up to the castle and towards Tomorrowland are wider on the right because most people walk towards the right.
REPORTED: anon 03 JUN 97
CONFIRMED: Tom and Renée Shaw 28 DEC 97
After closing, service trucks drive up Main Street doing maintenance. The truck drivers are required to put a huge pan underneath the truck so as not to drip anything that would foul Main Street's pristine facade!!
REPORTED: Luke Davis 08 JUN 99
The Dapper Dans, a barbershop quartet, performs daily on Main Street, U.S.A., tap dancing, singing, and reeling off one-liners..
Ever wondered about the Horse Drawn Street Car? The horses each have names. They are all geldings, consisting of Belgians and Percheron geldings. The Belgians are from Belgium, and the Percherons are a Northwest section of France called La Perche.
Disney also has, but just not displayed, Lippizans, which are used for the Christmas Parade, and for weddings, to pull Cinderella's carriage. All the horses have harnesses "made exclusively for Disneyland by a well-known Canadian harness maker."
The horse department is called Circle D, and that at WDW is Circle D3 (I don't know what that means). The Circle D was formerly the Pony Farm.
The horses work four hours a day, four days a week under harness
The largest horse at Circle D Corral is Duke, a Percheron draft horse, who weighs more than 2,400 pounds.
Also, the signs on the Horse-Drawn Trolleys take thirty hours to make, as they are hand-hammered gold leaf.
Though it may look like the horses on Main Street are working hard, they, in fact, are not. Fully loaded, the Street Cars weigh about 4000 lbs. Being on the steel tracks drops the weight that the horses are pulling down to around 100 lbs. Two men could easily pull the Street Car as easily as the horses... fully loaded!
REPORTED: Ronny Quomsieh & Ed Johnston 23 JUL 96
CONFIRMED: Randy Smith 31 JUL 96
There is a new horse in the line-up. It is one of the black trolley-pullers. His name is Jake. His first day was April 20^th according to his driver.
CONFIRMED: Cara Witte 24 APR 97
Disney's Lippizans, which are normally used for the Christmas Parade to pull Cinderella's carriage, were not used in the 1998 Christmas parade. Instead, they hired two quarter horses used in the Wells-Fargo commercials. The lipizzans, Peter and Ellie, are taking a vacation. In the MULAN PARADE, we feature four black French Percherons, which are draft horses weighing approx. one ton each. We rotate our steeds so they get a night off now and then, between Tommy, Sam, Oscar, Jiggs, and Jack. Oscar also can be seen onstage pulling a streetcar.
UPDATE: anon 01 MAR 99
This is just to answer a question from somone who was asking what the D3 (horse barns) means at WDW. It is actuly called the Tri-Circle D Ranch, although I have never seen the logo myself I would Imagene it looks somthing like a hidden Mickey with two circles for the ears and one with a "D" in the centre for his head.
UPDATE: Thomas McCarthy 15 NOV 99
This is in regards to the question circle D ranch, circle D ranch was the name of a ranch on the original Mickey Mouse Club Show it may have even been the name of the show on MMC show I'm not sure.
CONFIRMED: Derek Grim 23 JAN 00
In regards to the WDW Ranch: it is called Tri-Circle D Ranch (A Mickey Head has 3 circles, hence Tri-Circle).
UPDATE: Daryl 22 APR 00
In regards to the statement that the "Circle D" name was originally from the Mickey Mouse Club is incorrect. The name of the ranch was the "Triple R". It was from "The Adventures of Spin and Marty", the first serial to premier on the Mickey Mouse Club on Nov. 11, 1955.
UPDATE: Jeff 30 JAN 01
The horses that pull the trolly are all... for the lack of a better way to put it potty trained .
REPORTED: Jason 19 MAR 01
Before Main Street became a huge collection of shops, there were a few great attractions that kept bringing us back to Disney World. On hot or rainy days, my family used to duck into a little theatre. A mannequin stood up front in a ticket booth - once you walked past her and opened up the curtains, a cool, air-conditioned room with 5 screens showing old Mickey Mouse cartoons awaited you. We thought of this room as "our little secret", although I'm sure many others have found it while searching desperately for shelter. My father loved main street because it was the only place where he could get a "real" shave. A barber would lather up his face and shave him with a straight blade. He always felt good afterwards. It's sad that our "secret" has become a merchandise shop and our barber is gone. But it was nice while it lasted.
REPORTED: Jessica 21 JUN 00
As for the barber shop, that was moved. The west side of center street has been transformed in to another souvinear shop and has been moved to the begining of Main St. next to the fire house (left side facing the castle).
UPDATE: doogie 16 AUG 01
While visiting Magic Kingdom, my family and I thought to get the full Disney experience, that we should get my brother's haircut at a Barber Shop. It was located down the first "street" on the left off of Main Street. Besides the fact that the Barber was great, we had a special treat on the way out. We met the seven dwarfs!
REPORTED: Lauryn 03 MAR 01

Partners

Many, such as myself, have wondered about the symbol on Walt Disney's tie shown during the Rocket Rods queue narration. It also appears on the bronze statue of Disney in the center of Disneyland. It looks like an Asian language character, but I recently found out that it is actually a compound of the letters S T R, which apparently stands for Disney's "Smoke Tree Ranch."
REPORTED: Alfonso Aguilar 13 NOV 98
From Disney A to Z (by Dave Smith): Smoke Tree Ranch. Walt Disney had a vacation home at this ranch, located in Palm Springs, California, and he often wore a necktie emblazoned with a stylized STR emblem.
UPDATE: Melanie Emmons 13 NOV 98
Walt Disney's tiepin is in the shape of the letters "STR," which stand for "Smoke Tree Ranch," a favorite vacation destination of his. He specifically asked that the tiepin be part of the statue in the hub of Main Street when it was commissioned.
CONFIRMED: Amanda 18 NOV 98
CONFIRMED: TR Shaw 08 JUN 00

Where to next?

Go on to Fun Facts of Main Street's Second Floor Windows,
Go back to the Fun Facts of the Magic Kingdom,
Go back to the Spacecoast Hidden Mickeys Home Page,
Submit a new or confirm a Hidden Mickey or secret located at Walt Disney World,
or just send me EMail.