Don’t get us wrong. We love Disney and we love going to Disney World, but sometimes, we think some questionable choices are made there.

Now, Disney has done a LOT of amazing things throughout its history. When we think about the technology behind rides like Rise of the Resistance or how immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge feels, we can’t help but be impressed. Sometimes, we also question some of the things Disney has done in the past, though.

So here are the things that made us say, “Disney, did you just lose your mind?”

Pickle Milkshake

Okay, so there’s one RECENT thing that made us scratch our heads. Like WHO thought a Pickle Milkshake was a good idea? This snack debuted at the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, and it made us question, well, EVERYTHING. The idea, though, is that this is something cooked up in the Muppets Lab by Dr. Honeydew and Beeker, and well, in that case, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

So we DID drink the Pickle Milkshake and thought it was basically like drinking straight out of the pickle jar, but instead of pickle juice, it’s pickle ice cream. It’s one of those things you have to try JUST ONCE just to say you did it, right? Honestly, we’re still confused about the whole experience.

Read our full review of the pickle milkshake

Squid’s Revenge

We’re not stopping there at strange drinks Disney has served us. During Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, we were served the Squid’s Revenge at Be Our Guest. This alcoholic beverage is a Michelada with a Salted Rim, garnished with Charred Octopus and Cucumber. Excuse me, sir, but there’s an Octopus Tentacle in our drink!

We get that the whole idea was inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, but Disney went a little TOO hard on this one. Let’s just say we weren’t big fans of this drink and leave it at that.

Read our full review of the Squid’s Revenge

Stitch TP’ing the Castle

Some Disney World visitors got an…interesting surprise when they turned up at Magic Kingdom in 2004 ready to take beautiful photos of Cinderella Castle and instead got a castle COVERED in toilet paper and graffiti. Yep, Disney actually tp’d its castle for the debut of Stitch’s Great Escape. The idea was that Stitch had arrived to vandalize the castle.

So a lot of family photos in front of Cinderella Castle on that day looked pretty off. The castle “makeover” only lasted a day, but imagine if that was your only day in Magic Kingdom and the castle looked like that? YIKES!

EVERY Disney World and Disneyland Castle TRANSFORMATION In HISTORY!

Birthday Cake Castle

Another castle transformation, though, lasted a little bit longer. Imagine you’ve made your first trip to Disney World and you are SO excited to see Cinderella Castle for the first time. But when you get to Cinderella Castle, it looks like a Pepto Bismol-pink birthday cake. Yep, that really happened for Disney World’s 25th Anniversary.

Now, we get that some people liked the Birthday Cake Castle — it is still a topic of controversy with Disney fans. However, the Birthday Cake Castle stuck around for TWO YEARS, and a lot of folks wanting that infamous blue and gray castle were in for a surprise when they arrived in Magic Kingdom during that time.

See How Cinderella Castle Has CHANGED After the 50th Anniversary in Disney World

Ace Ventura Show

Yep, Disney’s Hollywood Studios once hosted the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Show AND Meet-and-Greet for ONE WHOLE YEAR from 1995 to 1996.  Yes, this was pretty un-Disney-like, but Ace Ventura was VERY popular at the time, so Disney got the licensing rights to have the show in its theme park.

It was wild, too: Ace would climb around and interact with the Streets of America section of the park during the show. Then you could meet him and snap photos later. Like why did Disney think DISNEY FANS would want this? The ’90s were bizarre, y’all.

Here Are Shows You’d Never Believe Were in A Disney Park!

The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)

Disney changed The Enchanted Tiki Room in 1998 to The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management). Although the Tiki birds we all know and love were still part of the attraction, Zazu from The Lion King and Iago from Aladdin tried to take it over. Let’s just say Disney fans were NOT amused.

As far as most were concerned, Disney had tampered TOO much with a classic attraction, and it lacked the charm of the original. However, this version of The Enchanted Tiki Room ran until a small fire closed it down in 2011. When it reopened later that year, it returned to its original version. It seems Disney had been paying attention to what visitors wanted, and Under New Management was NOT it.

Your Ultimate 1-Day Plan For Magic Kingdom

Journey Into Your Imagination

Yes, we know this is something Disney fans STILL complain about. In 1999, Disney decided to give the original Journey Into Imagination ride, which featured both Figment and Dreamfinder, a makeover. Disney turned the ride into Journey into YOUR Imagination, gave Figment a lesser role, and got rid of Dreamfinder entirely. Say what?

Yes, Disney fans HATED this change (and still do). The ride later became Journey Into Imagination With Figment in 2001, which is the version of the attraction you can ride today. Figment became the main character again, but alas, Dreamfinder still hasn’t returned. Many might argue that the ride remains a shadow of its former self.

PHOTOS: Get Evacuated off Journey Into Imagination With Figment in EPCOT With Us

Plant Donald

Okay, we’ll admit it — our team STILL laughs at Plant Donald TO THIS DAY. So here’s the story. Over in EPCOT, you can ride the Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros. At the end of the ride, Donald and his fellow Caballeros appear as animatronics performing for visitors cruising by in boats. Well, back in 2021, the Donald animatronic was replaced with a…plant. NO!

They put a little sombrero on the plant as if guests wouldn’t notice. Nice try, Disney. Plant Donald stayed that way for about a week, and then shortly after that, all three animatronics were replaced by flat stands. The animatronics finally returned, including Donald, several months later.

Take A Deeper Look at EPCOT’s Gran Fiesta Tour with THIS Disney World Ride-Through!

Disney Parks Open For 24 Hours

Believe it or not, Disney once had 24-hour events in the parks where parks in both Disney World AND Disneyland were open for an entire 24 hours (we’re exhausted just thinking about it). One More Disney Day was held in Magic Kingdom on Leap Day (February 29th) in 2012, where Magic Kingdom was open a WHOLE 24 hours.

Several other events followed, including one that also took place in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Can you imagine pulling an all-nighter at a Disney park? We hope a lot of coffee was available during those overnighters!

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What did Disney do that made you think it had lost its mind? Let us know in the comments!