Disney shuts down Splash Mountain for its racist tropes; fans sell amusement ride water on eBay

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Splash Mountain, a popular ride operated at Walt Disney World in Florida for more than 30 years, has been removed from the park and fans are now selling its water on eBay.

According to NBC News, while some guests were sad to experience the Magic Kingdom attraction for the last time on Sunday, other enthusiasts would have been called “Disney adults” sought to cash in on it. More than 70 Mason jars, bottles and plastic bags allegedly containing ‘Splash Mountain water’ have hit eBay, with some potential buyers willing to pay over $50 for souvenirs from the ride, which opened in 1992.

“I will miss you forever,” read the caption of a TikTok video with more than 1,300 likes on Tuesday afternoon. “Goodbye, Splash Mountain.”

In this November 2001 photo, people scream as they ride the Splash Mountain water ride at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The attraction, which launched in 1992, closed on Sunday after being criticized for alleged racist tropes. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Splash Mountain’s shutdown follows years of calls for changes due to the ride’s inclusion of many characters from the 1946 Disney film, “Song of the South.” In the film, set on a plantation in post-Civil War Georgia, an old black man known as Uncle Remus entertains white children cared for by black servants by telling them classic African-American folk tales. .

On Tuesday, the TikTok hashtag #goodbyesplashmountain received 1.6 million views with water ride tribute videos to “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” the Oscar-winning song from “Song of the South.” Some of the clips claimed to show visitors’ final experiences on Splash Mountain’s log boats above its waterfall with a 45-degree drop.

According to another video, there was a wait of more than two hours to board the ride before it closed.

NPR reported that Disney announced in 2020 that it would be revamping Splash Mountain in response to growing criticism over its ties to “Song of the South,” including a Change.org petition with more than 21,000 signatures claiming the film was embedded. in “extremely problematic and stereotypical”. racist tropes.

The petition asked Disney to replace the ride with one honoring “The Princess and the Frog”, and the company complied.

Pictured is the sketched concept for a new Disney Park attraction, a ride called “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.” Fans of Disney’s Splash Mountain, which will be replaced by the ‘Princess and the Frog’-inspired attraction, had their final ride on Sunday, January 22, 2023. (Photo credit: Disney)

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, inspired by the 2009 animated film that made Tiana Disney’s first dark princess, will open in 2024. The Splash Mountain roller coaster at Disneyland California, which debuted in 1989, will also be discontinued and reopened.

According to NBC, more than 99,000 people signed a counter-petition, “Save Splash Mountain,” to no avail.

“Splash Mountain has never included depictions of slaves or racist elements and is based solely on historic African folk tales that families of all ethnicities have enjoyed for nearly a century,” the petition states. “It’s absurd to pander to a small group of ‘Disney haters’ who don’t understand the story and redefine the theme of such a nostalgic ride.”

According to NPR, Disney has not addressed the roller coaster version that also debuted in Japan in 1992.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has admitted that “Song of the South” will not be available to stream on Disney Plus because it “is not appropriate in today’s world”.

“The new concept is inclusive that all of our customers can connect with and be inspired by,” Disney said in 2020, NBC reported, “and it’s a testament to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”

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