It was January 1996, and Disneyland’s Fortieth Birthday year had ended. Thirty years ago, celebrations did not extend for months beyond the actual date of the event. This practice would be definitively broken later that summer, but for now, guests had to be content with “Disneyland basic” after the holidays ended on January 1.
But the end of the month brought an unexpected treat in a somewhat neglected corner of the park. And while this, too, was expected to be a temporary diversion, it would unexpectedly resonate all the way down to the present day. This was the Toy Story Funhouse.
The Pixar Animation film Toy Story had opened to great popular success the previous Thanksgiving. Guests at Disneyland were therefore surprised and delighted to discover a “pop-up” attraction dedicated to Buzz, Woody, and the gang, opening on January 27, 1996. The location, in the southeast corner of Tomorrowland, seemed an odd choice. But considering the amount of available real estate there, it made sense.
Most of the activities were housed in the former Mission to Mars, a 1955 attraction (as Rocket to the Moon) that had closed in 1993. Nearby were the locations of Carousel of Progress/America Sings (closed 1988), the Skyway (closed 1994), and the PeopleMover (closed 1995). The last new attractions in the area were Captain EO (1986) and Star Tours (1987).
In addition to the Mission to Mars building, much of the Toy Story Funhouse was housed in the former Space Place restaurant. The empty PeopleMover track made a good platform for oversized character statues. Guests found the entrance to the Funhouse right next door to Captain EO. Just step under the giant-sized table and chair.
Inside, the Disneyland guide listed three major activities.
The Toy Story Interactive Playground was hosted by Disney Interactive Studios, where you could play the brand-new Toy Story home video game for free! You could also get photos with Buzz and Woody, play with wall-sized Lite Brite and Spirograph, and even learn a western line dance at Woody’s Round-Up.
The Green Army Men Obstacle Course sent guests through a rigorous training drill, ably assisted by the stalwart men in green. To make it a truly authentic experience, guests were fitted with green bases that were fastened over their shoes with Velcro. Don’t forget to salute the sergeant!
Out in front of the building was an outdoor theater where Hamm’s All Doll Revue was performed. The singing and dancing were not confined to just dolls, and included many of the Toy Story characters.
The Toy Story Funhouse may have seemed familiar to certain Disney fans who lived in the Los Angeles area and had gone to this attraction at the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. From November 22, 1995, through New Year’s Day, Totally Toy Story was billed as the Holiday Attraction of 1995. While the theater presented the film and stage show, the Funhouse was a separately billed attraction next door, in the former Hollywood Masonic Temple. (Today, this is the home of Jimmy Kimmel Live.) Hollywood’s Funhouse was larger, spread over three floors of the building.
The Disneyland version was announced to run through Easter, which was April 7 that year. Due to the unexpected popularity of the film, the Toy Story Funhouse remained open through the Labor Day weekend, Disneyland’s traditional start of the summer season. It closed for good on May 30. Beginning the following year, the entire area would undergo massive renovation, and a new Tomorrowland would open for the summer of 1998.
There was, however, one legacy of the Toy Story Funhouse that would outlast even the new Tomorrowland of 1998. Those singing, dancing, ever cheerful, and duty-bound Green Army Men proved very popular with guests. As time went on, they appeared in street shows, parades, stage shows, and even as regular performers at the Disneyland Resort’s second theme park, Disney California Adventure. So, the next time you are enjoying the antics of Toy Story’s stalwart Green Army Men, you will know that they made their debut in a temporary entertainment, in a neglected corner of Tomorrowland, thirty years ago at Disneyland.
