Over the years, we’ve heard some absolutely WILD rumors about Disney.

We’ve heard conspiracies about which Disney characters might be related to each other, what happened to Walt Disney’s body when he died, and PLENTY of false information that got spread around about the theme parks. So today, we’re officially diving into the wildest Disney conspiracy theories and breaking them down!

Walt’s Frozen Head & Related Rumors

Perhaps the most widespread Disney conspiracy theory is that when Walt Disney died, his head was actually frozen and is now stored in some top-secret location, possibly underneath Cinderella Castle in the utilidor tunnels. But guys…seriously?!

This is certainly not true! First of all, if Walt were cryogenically frozen (he wasn’t) why would he be stored under Disney WORLD, which wasn’t close to being finished at the time of his death? Wouldn’t he want to be in his park, Disneyland, instead? (There ARE rumors he was building a cryo tank under Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean too!). It seems most of these rumors were started by tabloids at the time of Walt’s very real death. This was later fueled by books written by a few sources claiming to be credible on the matter that, when examined closer, had no basis for their claims.

When Walt Disney passed, his remains were cremated and they now reside in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His death certificate is signed by the licensed mortuary attendant verifying his cremation. His family has verified his death as well. His daughter, Diane, even went so far as to state, “There is absolutely no truth that my father, Walt Disney, wished to be frozen. I doubt that my father had ever heard of cryonics.”

And the tunnels beneath the castle? They’re home to costuming, storage, and break rooms…NOT frozen heads.

The Mysterious Little Carousel of Progress Girl

If you’ve ever ridden the Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom, you may have noticed a BONUS character that has no explanation! In the first scene of the ride, there’s a little girl helping Sarah with the laundry who never reappears in the ride again. It’s not the daughter (Patricia) because she’s also in that scene later on.

Some fans have assumed that this was some kind of mystery third child for the Progress family or a neighbor girl helping out with the laundry. However, some of the other conspiracies are more sinister — a rumor circulated online that this actually WAS a third child, but that she died of the whooping cough and that’s why she doesn’t appear in later scenes.

Disney has never offered an explanation as to the identity of this mystery girl, but that certainly doesn’t mean the whooping cough story is true. As for now, it remains a mystery, and the premature death rumor is just that — a rumor started by fans.

George at Pirates of the Caribbean

Any Cast Member who has worked at Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom has likely heard of “George” — the supposed ghost who haunts the attraction. According to legend, George was a construction employee who worked on the ride while it was being built, but then tragically died during the process.

The conspiracy nowadays is that if Cast Members do not wish George a “good morning” and a farewell every day, the ride will break down and have technical issues frequently. According to Cast Members, George has been known to cause mischief in the past, so there are several superstitions relating to him.

Historically speaking, there isn’t a record of a “George” ever having worked on construction with Pirates of the Caribbean, and it makes sense that interesting stories and Cast Member traditions would pop up after 50 years of one ride running. With this one, we’ll let you choose what you want to believe!

Dead People at Haunted Mansion?

One persistent conspiracy theory that we’ve heard is that Haunted Mansion is either ACTUALLY haunted or that there are real bodies buried in the graves outside the ride. With a spooky-looking house in the middle of a theme park, one can expect that these rumors would eventually pop up.

To start, the graves in the queue of the ride are completely fake, and the names on the tombstones are often either puns or names of Imagineers who worked on the attraction (and therefore, were very much alive when it was being built). As to the actual haunting, we promise that all those ghost sounds and spooky apparitions are completely artificial!

Disney Controls the Weather

Oh how we WISH this were true, but sadly it is not! Many guests over the years have believed that Disney World has a giant weather-proof dome that can be raised and lowered when the weather gets particularly difficult. How nice it would be to block out the thunderstorms and the intense heat!

But alas, we still have to suffer through triple-digit temperatures, afternoon rainstorms, and sweat-inducing humidity in the parks. If Disney really controlled the weather, they would probably make it so that guest complaints were minimal!

Nobody Really Dies at Disney World

Disney World is known as the Most Magical Place on Earth, and because of that, people tend to believe that non-magical things don’t happen in the parks. Because of this, a rumor has popped up in the past few years that nobody actually dies in Disney World.

First of all, it’s not true that no one ever dies at Disney World — unfortunately, there have been several recorded instances of this happening over the years. The matter of whether or not they’re declared dead on the property is another thing.

When an accident happens, the actual pronouncement of death typically happens off-property at a hospital. An EMT, police officer, or the like can announce someone is dead on the scene, but they’re not officially declared dead yet. The rules behind this vary a bit by state. In fact, in the state of Florida, an attending physician, coroner, or medical examiner are the only ones who can legally pronounce someone dead. At that point, the individual is, as far as the law is concerned, dead.

So if someone is reported as “dead” on the news it’s not the same as a death certificate being signed. This has been the case several times over the years, but that doesn’t mean that Disney specifically has a policy against someone being pronounced dead on property. 

Turkey Legs Aren’t Turkey

And finally, let’s talk about a conspiracy that has come up a LOT over the years. Turkey legs are legitimately made with turkey meat, y’all. We PROMISE you they’re not emu!

These gigantic legs are made from tom turkeys, which is what causes them to be larger than you might think. Thanksgiving meal turkeys are often females, which is why they’re smaller. Interestingly, a lot of the fuel for this rumor is Flynn Rider himself, Zachary Levi. He gave an interview years back on TV to Conan O’Brien where he claimed a friend of his worked at Disneyland and told him they were emu legs. The rumor spread like wildfire! Sorry, Eugene, they’re just turkey!

So those are some of the most persistent conspiracy theories that you may hear with regards to Disney. Hopefully, we’ve got you all straightened out on the facts and you’ll be prepared to debunk those in the future!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney history, fun facts, and of course, all the tips for your upcoming vacation.

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Which Disney rumors have you heard? Tell us in the comments!