Disney World closes popular ride – and people are selling souvenirs from it for £200
A POPULAR ride at Disney World has closed down, leaving people selling bizarre souvenirs for as much as £40.
The 30-year-old ride was permanently shut down this week after it was the subject of controversy.
Now some of the last people to ride on it are trying to earn a bit of pocket money by flogging mementos they took away from the park.
Splash Mountain was a popular ride among Disney World fans, set in a southern bayou and based on the 1946 film Song Of The South.
However, Disney announced that the ride would be closing for good due to its racist stereotypes and portrayal of African Americans in post-Civil War South.
The movie is best known for the song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.
The Disney attraction was a boat ride through different scenes during which visitors meet characters called Brer Bear, Fox and Rabbit.
Its famous feature was a 50ft drop into the Briar Patch.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2020: “I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was — even with a disclaimer — was just not appropriate in today’s world.”
Following its closure some of those who rode it for the last time have started selling water that they scooped out of the flume’s stream, which are ranging in price from £5 to £200.
Bottles of the water can be found on eBay, with several claiming to be from the last day, or even the last ride.
Whether or not fans of the park will be willing to fork out quite so much for the bizarre souvenir remains to be seen.
However, Adrian Vasquez, has ridden Splash Mountain more than 200 times, and is not at all surprised to see the bottles for sale.
He told the New York Times: “The Disney community can be very weird sometimes. I honestly don’t know how else to put it.”
Guests who enjoyed Splash Mountain can still look forward to experiencing the huge stomach churning plummet, which will be part of a new and improved ride.
The Tiana ride, based on the Princess and the Frog, will be a fitting replacement as movie features Disney’s first black princess.
The company said: “The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
The Princess And The Frog stars Anika Noni Rose, who voices the role of a 1920s aspiring chef in New Orleans who kisses a prince that has been turned into a frog and becomes one herself.
Disney wrote in a blog post: “Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important.
“It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou.”
The replacement ride is set to open in late 2024.
The Disney website states the ride will be renamed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris will continue to celebrate its 30th anniversary with new light shows, as well as open a new Tangled attraction.
And the Disney Cruise Line is coming to Europe this summer as well.
