Mad Tea Party
| Mad Tea Party | |
|---|---|
| Park | Magic Kingdom |
| Land / area | Fantasyland |
| Type | Spinning teacup ride |
| Opened | October 1, 1971 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Height req. | None |
| Status | Operating |
Mad Tea Party is a spinning teacup attraction in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida. Inspired by the Unbirthday Party sequence in the 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland, the ride places guests inside oversized, pastel-colored teacups that spin on rotating turntables while the film's "Unbirthday Song" plays. It has operated since Magic Kingdom's opening day and is one of the park's most recognizable family attractions.
History
Mad Tea Party was an opening-day attraction at Disneyland, where it debuted on July 17, 1955. The installation there was manufactured by Arrow Development. Early concepts for the ride were considerably more elaborate, envisioning guests arriving at a fully staged tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, but the attraction that was built reduced that idea to its essential, kinetic gag: teacups that guests could spin themselves.
Because the California version proved popular, a close copy was built for Walt Disney World. The Florida Mad Tea Party opened with Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. Like the original, it initially operated in the open air, without a roof. Florida's sun and sudden rain quickly made that arrangement impractical. A canopy was added in 1973, in some accounts dated to 1974, and at the same time a large teapot was installed at the center of the platform, with the Dormouse periodically popping out of its lid — a feature shared only with the Tokyo version among the park installations.
The attraction received a refreshed appearance in 1992, with a new color scheme, new music, and the colorful hanging lanterns that still decorate the canopy. The canopy was repainted in 2010, and the ride has otherwise retained its classic form. Versions of the attraction operate at five of the six Disney castle parks, under variations of the name: Alice's Tea Party at Tokyo Disneyland, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups at Disneyland Paris, and Mad Hatter Tea Cups at Hong Kong Disneyland. All are located in their park's Fantasyland, and all except Tokyo's were opening-day attractions.
Experience
The ride system consists of eighteen teacups arranged on three smaller turntables, each holding six cups, all set within one large turntable. The large platform rotates in one direction while the smaller turntables rotate the opposite way, and each individual cup can be spun faster by turning a wheel in its center. Riders therefore control much of their own experience: guests who leave the wheel alone get a gentle rotation, while those who crank it can produce an intense spin — a flexibility that has also given the attraction a lasting reputation for inducing motion sickness.
There is no height requirement, and guests of all ages ride, though riders must transfer from wheelchairs. The covered platform, a necessity in Florida's climate, also distinguishes the Magic Kingdom version visually, with its pink canopy and lanterns forming a landmark on the border between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, opposite Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and near the Cheshire Cafe.
For many visitors the attraction is a rite of passage — a simple, durable piece of 1950s ride design that still delivers exactly what it promised on opening day: a brief, cheerful whirl through the Mad Hatter's tea party.
See also
- Fantasyland
- Magic Kingdom
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh