Have you noticed how Mickey waves and greets guests as they enter Crossroads of the World in Florida? Well, of course, you need Disney’s number one mascot Mickey to greet you, Mickey isn’t only here for this purpose.
He actually serves a very important purpose: lightning rod. Because Florida is more susceptible to storms, Mickey’s ears are made out of copper so lightning will hit his ears in the event of such a disaster.
Disney Owns a Lot of Real Estate
When he started to create Walt Disney World in Florida, Walt didn't want realtors to know that he was buying up all the land around his park. He didn't want prices to go up because it was owned by Disney.
In order to get around this, he used a lot of fake names and businesses to buy the land, which is why you could actually be on Disney property without realizing it because it's not being used. Many of the names came from businesses that are on Main Street U.S.A.
Don't Cry Kiddo
Disney has a no crying children rule which cast members must abide by. Of course, it's natural for children to get upset and cry. But Disney wants to help families have the best experience as possible for their entire family.
Admission tickets are expensive, lines can get aggravating, and mechanical problems on favorite rides can really put down a visitor's mood. So employees do everything possible to brighten up everybody's day.
Violent Pooh-Bear
Although cast members go great distances to make children happy throughout the parks, there are some families who will also go great distances to get their justice served. So many of Disney's costumed characters get sued. In one case from the 1980s, a performer who played Winnie-the-Pooh was sued after being accused of slapping a young girl.
The cast member won the case after showing up in full costume at court to show that his arms weren't capable of making any slapping movements.
A Complex Bike Network
When Hollywood Studios was a newer attraction at Walt Disney World, there was a system of bikes that cast members used underground to get around faster.
But, there were multiple bike thefts and damages so it didn't work out so well for them.