Flying High for 55 Years

We've been taking a look this week at some of the ways Fantasyland at Disneyland has been transformed over the years. It's sometimes hard to believe that the beautiful village we know today was once a fairly sparse expanse of concrete and tents. One of the more dramatic changes has come to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Take a look at the picture above from Daveland.com. You'll find a simple mechanism, supporting 10 elephants with flapping ears (which rarely worked and were soon replaced by non-moving ears), all surrounded by a simple chain link fence.

During the Fantasyland renovation in the early 80s, Dumbo was shifted back a bit to the area once occupied by Captain Hook's pirate ship. With the move came a nicer fence and landscaped surroundings. It wasn't until 1990, though, that the original 1955 Dumbo ride was replaced with a completely new model.

Today, Dumbo is like a spectacular, gilded circus calliope, complete with ornate details (like the sculpted storks delivering babies) and dozens of moving parts (look for gears with little squirrels spinning inside them). The capacity of the attraction was also increased, with the addition of 6 more elephants to the high-flying herd.

Queueing for your flight aboard Dumbo takes you through a lovely little garden area with elephant-shaped topiary and this charming sign, emblazoned with some of the lyrics of Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace's classic song from the 1941 animated film.

Before boarding your Dumbo, each guest is handed a magic feather. Of course, this serves the purpose of counting to make sure there are enough Dumbos to go around, but it might also help boost the confidence of young riders that they too can fly like the little elephant. When the cast member takes the feather back, though, there's no need to worry. Just like Dumbo, the magic's in you!

Spinning high above Fantasyland, your eyes may just catch the sound of music coming from a nearby tent. Inside is an original Gavioli band organ (also known as a fairground organ) built in 1915. It was added to the area during the 1983 enhancement. Inspect the organ closely, and you'll even find some little Dumbo details added by the Imagineers.