Taking a spin on “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” has become a rite of passage for children who visit Walt Disney World or Disneyland with their parents. Waiting in Fantasyland under the hot sun for what feels like a lifetime, watching children before you bounce up & down as they sail through the sky, then ultimately declaring “Let’s do it again” when your famous flying elephant touches ground. “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” is as much of a Fantasyland icon as Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella’s Castle.
This week in Disneyland they’re celebrating the 55th anniversary of the attraction, which debuted one month after the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim. Many historical anecdotes & personal stories have come about because of this famous attraction but the Disney Parks Blog told us an interesting story about what happened when a famous President visited the park:
“When President Harry S Truman (a staunch Democrat) visited the park in 1957, he playfully refused to ride Dumbo because of the Republican symbolism associated with the elephant-themed attraction.”
Enjoy this fun visual timeline of “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” thanks to the Disney Parks Blog:
