Cowabunga dudes!

Did someone say millennial memories?

A lot has changed about Walt Disney World over the last 50+ years, especially since the 1990s and early 2000s, meaning that there are a lot of things millennials once experienced at the parks that would seem wildly out of place now! Whether you’re a millennial who saw these during your youth or just wish you’d gotten to experience them, the fact that they once existed at Disney World will likely still blow your mind.

EPCOT’s Sega Arcade

When Innoventions first opened at EPCOT in 1994, the massive exhibit featured exhibits from multiple technology companies across its two buildings. One of the largest displays belonged to Sega. The Japanese video game company had a massive footprint featuring consoles where fans could play preview versions of some of the company’s biggest games, including the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sega’s exhibit stood through 1999, and over the years featured many of the company’s systems including Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, Sega 32X, Sega Pico, Sega Saturn, and the Dreamcast.

©Sega

McDonald’s IN the parks

While McDonald’s and Disney have had a long relationship over the years, there are many who may not be aware that for a period during the 1990s there were McDonalds locations INSIDE Walt Disney World’s theme parks (which shockingly were a bit controversial amongst some Disney fans). Now, these locations didn’t offer full Mickey D’s, but they did feature offerings like fries, McNuggets, and burgers depending on locations.

McDonald’s

The 6 were as follows:

• Frontierland Fries and the Village Fry Shoppe at Magic Kingdom
• Refreshment Port at EPCOT
• Fairfax Fries at Hollywood Studios
• Restaurantosaurus and Petrifries at Animal Kingdom

Restaurantosaurus

The locations all stopped selling McDonald’s products in 2007 when Disney’s deal with the fast food giant expired. The two have worked together numerous times since, and there are still McDonald’s locations at Disney Springs and near the All-Star Resorts, but there have been no further locations inside the resort’s theme parks.

Toy Guns

As unbelievable as it may seem now, there was a time when Disney sold toy guns. In fact, until 2015, they were an integral part of the merchandise selection in Adventureland (especially Pirates of the Caribbean), Frontierland, and the Star Wars merchandise available in Tomorrowland and at Hollywood Studios.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Ninja Turtles

These days, it’s not odd to think about franchises like Star Wars or Marvel in Disney’s parks. After all, the company owns them. However, that wasn’t over three decades ago when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a major part of the early days of the then-Disney/MGM Studios.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles © Disney

The Turtles were a major marketing force at the time, having evolved from their gritty comic book beginnings to become Saturday morning superstars with multiple toy lines, a television series, and even a concert tour. Therefore it makes sense why Disney struck a licensing deal to feature the characters in their then-new shoebox park.

©All Ears

During the park’s early years, the four Ninja Turtles starred in a daily show that took place in the park’s New York Street section. The Turtles and April O’Neil would roll up in their Turtle Party Wagon vehicle, perform a short demonstration of “ninja dancing” while April performed their theme song, then would pose for photos and sing autographs for guests. The characters remained a presence in Disney Parks, including appearing in several holiday parades, from 1990 through 1996.

Turtle Power

These are just some of the millennial touchstones that have appeared at Walt Disney World over the years. Stay tuned to DFB for more dives into Disney World history.

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Are you a millennial? Do you remember any of these experiences? Let us know in the comments below.