(August 1955—Present) BACKSTORY: Based on the character from the 1941 animated feature, the sixteen ride vehicles are each shaped like Dumbo and mounted on articulated armatures connected to a rotating hub. Guests maneuver Dumbo up & down with a joystick. The ride itself rotates counterclockwise at a constant rate. Originally built with ten ride vehicles which were intended to represent the alcohol-induced “pink elephants” scene from the film. The working title of the attraction was “10 Pink Elephants On Parade” and the elephants were pink on installation. Disney objected, not wanting Disneyland’s guests to ride vehicles themed to a hallucination and ordered them painted gray. The original Dumbos’ ears moved, which quickly caused a number of mechanical problems. The sculptor, Chris Mueller Jr., created new casts with no hinges for movement. In 1990, a few years after the Fantasyland 1983 remodel, there was a malfunction which caused one of the arms to fail. When it dropped, the ear hit the load platform and broke off and the guests inside that particular Dumbo suffered minor injuries. Due to the potential for future arm failures caused by age and fatigue, the ride was removed. Fortunately, a sixteen-arm Dumbo was simultaneously being readied for the EuroDisney project, so it was purchased by Disneyland and another Dumbo was put on fast-track production for Paris. A circa 1915 band organ occasionally provides background music, capable of being heard more than a mile away; it is operated at only a fraction of its potential. A figure of Timothy Mouse rides atop the central hub. The figure originally held a training whip, later replaced with the magic feather. It has since been changed back to the whip. During his 1957 visit, Democratic President Harry S Truman turned down Dumbo since elephants are the symbol of the Republican Party. At the 1992 Disneyana convention, one of the original ride vehicles sold for $16,000.
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