You have probably heard a few "interesting facts" about Walt Disney World over the years. Perhaps you've heard that the windows on the second story of the buildings on Main Street honor individuals of note in WDW history? Or that the company plane Walt used to survey the eventual WDW property from the air now lives at the studios park? It's all true... but these are only two of the interesting facts pointed out in my book, 101 Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney World. And those are only two of the best-known examples. Many of these stories deal with much more obscure, yet equally interesting, pieces of history of the theme parks. It's a certainty that you haven't heard all these stories before!

The book was created to be accessible for every level of Disney fan. Newcomers to Disneyana will be bowled over by the volume of detail, the rich layers of self-reference, and the abundance of insider tributes. Readers accustomed to such stories about Walt Disney World will find a useful resource that not only catalogs such occurrences in one spot, but goes far beyond the usual, and brings a wealth of new stories and anecdotes to the table. In fact, each of the 101 "interesting facts" comes with an explanation as well as an embellishment that goes in related, but different, directions. These embellishments are practically interesting new facts all by themselves, so what you get is closer to 202 Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney World.

Think you know Walt Disney World?

- Do you know the backstory of Dinoland U.S.A. that unifies the entire land?
- Do you know how Dreamflight is commemorated in today’s Magic Kingdom?
- Do you know how Ellen’s Energy Adventure mentions the ride which preceded it?
- Do you know where the references to Horizons and World of Motion are?
- Do you know how Disney’s Animal Kingdom pays tribute to the land it never created?
- Do you know where the Hidden Kermit is located?
- Do you know how the theme parks honor the years in which they opened?

Here are two samples from the book:

#35: The staging of animal encounters on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad pays tribute to the ride which was its creative ancestor.

When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad first premiered at Disneyland, it replaced Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland, a slow-moving train ride through desert scenes and tableaus of robotic animals interacting with their surroundings in various ways. Some of those interactions are recreated at the Magic Kingdom’s version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, such as the bobcat taking refuge from three attacking boars atop a cactus or a face-off between a roadrunner and a snake, both of which take place in the town of Tumbleweed, and are best viewed from the passing Walt Disney World railroad.

FURTHERMORE: Two of the pigs lounging at the southern end of Tumbleweed are duplicates of the hogs squealing with joy in the mud at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean. The third (and largest) pig was transplanted here from Epcot’s World of Motion pavilion after it was replaced by Test Track; that pig had been in the gondola of a hot-air balloon.

#47: A car in the Test Track queue area honors the attraction which preceded it.

The white car elevated on blocks, seen near the start of the queue for Test Track, was used in the previous pavilion to stand on this spot, the World of Motion. That attraction celebrated the evolution of mankind's ability to travel on the ground, and in particular the role played by the automobile. While the car was displayed as a normal-looking street model in World of Motion, for Test Track's queue it has been stripped down just to its skeleton.

FURTHERMORE: A green highway sign reading “Florida 97” at the end of the queue in Test Track (and seen again at the split between Track-A and Track-B in the middle of the attraction) was meant to refer to the attraction’s opening date, but the reference is garbled because the ride opened two years behind schedule. Originally scheduled to open in May 1997, the attraction had all of its show elements (including these tribute signs) installed on time, but its experimental ride mechanisms led to delays and the ride was not ready for the public until March 1999.

It is my fervent hope that readers have as much fun reading 101 Things as I did while writing it. It is a treat to be able to pass along knowledge so fundamental to the continued success of the Disney parks.

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