Welcome back to the Cast Blast, humorous stories from the front line folks who really make the magic.

You Must be THIS Tall to Read This Blog!

Submitted by: Mountaineer

Years ago I was working at Mountain Complex* and met a guy who had worked there since before Splash opened.

He had been with Disney for quite a while and you could say became a bit disgruntled over time. We were working height stick at the main entrance of Thunder Mountain. This lady came up to try to have her young son ride the attraction and “Mark” told her that she was too short to ride and apologized. She kept asking “Are you sure?” He replied “Yes, I am sure.” She tried to come back two or three more times to sneak him on and I even stopped her once.

Finally she came back and it was clear she stuffed her son’s shoes with paper towels to make him taller. Mark told her again that the boy could not ride and she began to raise her voice. She tried to push her son past us and I could tell “Mark” was about to lose it.

The lady continued to yell and “Mark” excitedly exclaimed:

“Ma’am if you want your son to ride then fine. But if he falls out of the train and splats against a rock he better be at least 40 inches on that autopsy table or THAT’S MY JOB!!!

At that point something finally clicked. They lady looked horrified and stormed off.

 *Mountain Complex – In the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Cast Members refer the business unit of Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Tom Sawyer Island (TSI) as the Mountain Complex. In many cases Cast Members are trained in each of these areas which does not include the rest of Frontierland (shooting arcade, Country Bear Jamboree (Bear Band), etc.)

Frontierland QuickBits

Submitted by: Mountaineer

• Every once in a while we would have a guest complain that a rock fell and hit them during the avalanche.
• At one point there were plans to add water/air cannons under the Rivers of America and small water jets on rocks so when you shot a cannon or gun from the fort on Tom Sawyer Island it looked like you hit the water or rocks.
• The old canoe docks were at one point going to be transformed into a merchandise opportunity to allow guests to pan for gold.

I, Robot

Submitted by: Carol R.

Years ago I was visiting Epcot as a guest. I worked merchandise at the Poly* and went to the parks to hang out.

*”Poly” is an abbreviated term used by Cast Members when speaking about Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

My friend and I were watching the EpBOTS in Future World. We had seen them interact before but stuck around to listen to a man telling his son how the “robots” worked. We quickly realized he was not just making magic for his son but actually believed they were real robots. For those who read this may or may not know, the EpBOTS are costumed people. REAL people.

He explained that they were a new generation of audio-animatronic made by Disney. In reality I am sure they were built, owned and operated by a third party and NOT Disney.

He started talking to other guests, pointing out parts of the costume and explaining what purpose they served.

Needless to say it was amusing to listen.

For more stories like these please visit www.DisneyCastBlast.com!

Have a story to share? If you are a current or ex-Disney Cast Member and have a story or experience to share, please e-mail us at DisneyCastBlast@gmail.com. All emails will be posted ANONYMOUSLY or by a nickname if you prefer.