‘They have to give you a certificate’: Disney visitors try ‘trick’ to remove the sword from the stone
One of Disneyland’s popular attractions is the Sword in the Stone. A Disney guest thinks she knows the trick to successfully pulling the sword out of the stone.
The attraction is located in Fantasyland, right in front of King Arthur’s Carousel. It is inspired by the tale of King Arthur, who accidentally pulls the sword out of the stone and becomes king. The Disneyland replica notes that "Whoso Pullath Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightwise Ruler Born of England."
In 2020, a guest successfully pulled the sword out of the stone. But there have been no reports of another guest doing so since then.
TikTokers think they figured out the trick
A Disneyland guest on TikTok thought she found a trick to getting the sword out. She and an acquaintance decide to test it out in a video posted on April 21.
“So, I saw a TikTok where if you see a cast member next to the sword in Disneyland,” Krystina Tasker (@krystinatasker) says, pointing to two different cast members. “That means somebody is going to pull it up, because they have to give you a certificate.”
“So, there it is. Let’s try it,” she says. Her acquaintance places his water bottle on the ground, grips the sword, and pulls it to no avail. Next, he puts his foot on the stone, trying again. Again, he has no luck pulling it up. The content creator then tries, but she isn’t successful either.
Later that day, the duo return to the sword in the stone. They decide to try a different method. “OK, we’re back for round two, because we saw a video that said you shouldn’t stand on the stone while pulling up the sword,” Tasker says. “So, we’re back again to see.”
She notices a green light shining out of a nearby window, allegedly indicating another good omen.
But they, once again, aren't successful in their attempts to pull the sword up.
@krystinatasker such a magical day and then….???? #disneyland #disneyparks #disneysword #swordinstone #disneytiktok #rightplacerighttime #disneyday ♬ original sound - Krystina Tasker
Disney cast members weigh in
Tasker's video amassed over 907,000 views. In the comments section, viewers reminisced on times they or their loved ones pulled the sword up.
“My little brother has pulled it 3 times! Lucky little duck! Merlin came out and everything making him king for the day!” one viewer shared.
“My daughter pulled it about two years ago! They came out and did a little show with her, it was amazing!” a second shared.
“I got the sword with Merlin as a kid. Best memory ever. Such a cool experience!” a third recalled.
Alleged former Disney cast members also spilled the tea about the logistics behind how the sword is removed from the stone.
“In WDW it’s a remote control. I used to love messing with people when I had the ‘special task’ as sword raiser lol,” one user wrote.
“Former fantasyland CM here, I can say in the 5 years I worked there nobody was able to pull the sword out. Rumor has it Toontown CMs control it,” a second commented.
A Disney cast member controls when the sword is pulled up
According to SF Gate, a cast member does indeed control when the sword is pulled out of the stone. And when it gets pulled up is totally random.
Some people online know this. In a Reddit post asking if there's a "surefire way to pull the sword in the stone," many redditors responded saying that it comes down to luck.
"It’s entirely dependent on you getting lucky and a cast member deciding to push the switch that releases it," one replied.
"There is a cast member that does it but there isn’t really a way to have better odds or anything I don’t think," another said.
People think a YouTube video showing a child pulling the sword up proves that it's motorized and controlled by a Disney cast member. At the 1:34 mark, the child takes his hands off the sword, but it continues to move.
What happens after the sword is pulled out of the stone?
What happens after the sword is pulled out of the stone has changed quite a bit. In the past, Merlin (a magician in King Arthur) would appear and crown the lucky person as king or queen for a day. Now, it allegedly has lost its fantastical flair, and the person only gets their picture taken.
The Daily Dot reached out to Tasker via Instagram direct message and to Disneyland via press email.
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