The Most Shocking Disneyland Incidents Ever

Disneyland. For more than 70 years, millions of people have walked through its gates, leaving today to enter the worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.

They call it “The Happiest Place on Earth” for a reason. Disney and its legion of “cast members” do their darndest to ensure that every guest experiences the magic of their magic kingdom. But no one, not even Mickey Mouse, is perfect. Every so often the world of today intrudes on the worlds of yesterday, today, and fantasy. Sometimes, stuff happens. Real world stuff.

What follows is a list of that stuff; some of the craziest incidents that ever took place at Disneyland through its seven-plus decades — at least the stuff that was actually documented and reported on by the media. (Walt only knows the stuff that happened that Disney managed to successfully keep under wraps.)

In the interest of keeping things light, we’ve excluded anything that resulted in major life-threatening injuries. And we’re not even going to include the little-discussed (but surprisingly common) practice of people scattering the ashes of their dead loved ones at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. (Apparently the Haunted Mansion is the #1 spot for this activity? According to one former employee, it’s known as a “Code A,” as in “ashes.” Yikes!)

No, these incidents are a little more shocking and a little less commonplace. We’re talking about lawsuits, accidents, streakers, outbreaks; the moments in Disneyland history that make you realize that it’s not just a small world; it’s a pretty crazy one too.