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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, 1957, courtesy of Chris Taylor |
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Mad Tea Party is still a popular attraction at Disneyland, but the original version is in Yesterland. This opening day 1955 attraction was inspired by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare’s unbirthday party scene in Walt Disney’s animated feature, Alice in Wonderland, released slightly less than four years earlier on July 26, 1951. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, circa 1955, courtesy of Chris Taylor Canvas architecture |
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Yester-Fantasyland is the land of tournament tent facades made of colorful canvas. Wedged in a tight space between the King Arthur Carrousel to the south, the Mickey Mouse Club Theater to the west, the Pirate Ship Restaurant to the north, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride to the east, Mad Tea Party can be called the centerpoint of the land. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, circa 1955, courtesy of Chris Taylor Teacups—plain and fancy |
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Climb into one of the original Tea Cups. Take it out for a spin. Literally. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, circa 1955, courtesy of Chris Taylor Your choice: active or passive |
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You can make this ride wild or mild, depending on how quickly you turn the wheel in the center of your cup. Technically, the wheel doesn’t turn; it’s attached to a platter. Your cup spins freely around the wheel. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, 1960, courtesy of Chris Taylor Raising her hand to be excused? |
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You might not want to go on this ride right after you’ve eaten at the Pirate Ship Restaurant. This also might not be a good ride for you if you suffer from motion sickness. But if those conditions don’t apply, have fun spinning around, just like the well-dressed children in these pictures. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, 1959, courtesy of Chris Taylor Teamwork |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, 1959, courtesy of Chris Taylor Or let the others do the work |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, circa 1955, courtesy of Chris Taylor Spectators |
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There’s another way to enjoy Mad Tea Party. Just watch from outside. You won’t get motion sickness—and you can save your “C” coupon for something else. Mad Tea Party is fun to watch from the Skyway to Tomorrowland too. |
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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, circa 1957, courtesy of Chris Taylor Red-and-yellow platter, in need of some cleaning |
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Photo by Fred Nelson, 1959 Looking good in 1959 |
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Photo by Dennis Caswell, 1975 Fancy railing and arches around the perimeter in the 1970s |
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Mad Tea Party is essentially a dressed-up carnival ride, but it’s a good fit for Fantasyland. It’s a fun ride. It allows guests to control how fast they spin and in what direction. And it serves as an eye-pleasing kinetic sculpture. |
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Mad Tea Party was one of Disneyland’s opening day attractions in 1955. |
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Disneyland Public Relations photo, 1966 © Disney Mad Tea Party in 1966, still similar to opening day |
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Mad Tea Party was located where the King Arthur Carrousel sits today. The carrousel was originally squeezed into the tight space between the Mad Tea Party and Sleeping Beauty Castle. The big change came in May 1983. As part of the New Fantasyland, Disneyland built a new Mad Tea Party near the Alice in Wonderland ride—an apt location since both are based on the same movie. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Reimagined Mad Tea Party at Disneyland |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2021 Mad Tea Party on July 17, 2021 |
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Mad Tea Party now looks better than ever. Attractive planters surround the ride, while colorful lanterns hang above it. The tea cups have fancier designs. And they now have doors to keep guests from falling out. |
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Photo by Alex Ramirez, 2016 Good night, Mad Tea Party at Disneyland |
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© 2008-2021 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated September 3, 2021 |
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