Mad Tea Party
| Mad Tea Party | |
|---|---|
Mad Tea Party at Disneyland
|
|
| Disneyland | |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Coordinates | 33°48′49″N 117°55′06″W / 33.8135°N 117.9183°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 17, 1955 |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Coordinates | 28°25′12″N 81°34′47″W / 28.42°N 81.5798°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Name | Alice's Tea Party |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Coordinates | 35°37′52″N 139°52′52″E / 35.6312°N 139.881°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | March 8, 1986 |
| Disneyland Park (Paris) | |
| Name | Mad Hatter's Tea Cups |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Coordinates | 48°52′28″N 2°46′31″E / 48.8744°N 2.7752°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 12, 1992 |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Name | Mad Hatter Tea Cups |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Coordinates | 22°18′48″N 114°02′24″E / 22.3133°N 114.0401°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | September 12, 2005 |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Teacups |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | Alice in Wonderland |
| Height restriction | No restriction for the American attractions |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Development (Disneyland) |
 FastPass+ available |
|
Mad Tea Party is a spinning tea cup ride at five of the six Disneyland-style theme parks around the world. The ride theme is inspired by the Unbirthday Party scene in Walt Disney's Alice In Wonderland. The ride has gained infamy over the years for the number of guests who get motion sickness as a result of the spinning component to the ride.
The attraction is called Mad Tea Party at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. It is known as Alice's Tea Party at Tokyo Disneyland, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups at Disneyland Paris, and Mad Hatter Tea Cups at Hong Kong Disneyland.
All five versions of the attraction are located in Fantasyland, and all except the Tokyo version were opening-day attractions at their respective parks. The Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland versions do not have a big teapot in the center of the ride platform.
Like Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Disneyland and its Hong Kong counterpart have a replica of one of the teacups located outside of the attraction to be used by guests for better photo opportunities.
Several concepts for the Mad Tea Party were originally much more outrageous compared to today's version. One drawing showed the Mad Hatter's dinner table featured in the center of the ride with various lanterns and decorations all around. Another drawing showed 20 teacups circling a central hub, making it similar to a racetrack with banked curves.
For the first few months after the ride first opened, the tea cups spun on a bare platform before it was painted with the psychedelic spiral that exists today. Also, during the ride’s first two years, the tea cups had no brakes or clutches; nothing limited how fast they could be spun.
Until 1982, the attraction's original location was directly behind Sleeping Beauty Castle (in the present-day location of King Arthur Carrousel). It was also given slight modifications in 1972 with ornamental arches connecting the light posts, and again in 1978 with the platform and teacups being repainted. In 1983, the whole attraction was completely remodeled and relocated to its present location near Matterhorn Bobsleds. It also incorporated a few ideas from the original concepts, such as the colorful Japanese garden lanterns.
...
Wikipedia