Main Street Details: Above the Mad Hatter

Disneyland's Main Street tucks dozens of great details into its signage and shopfronts, and the modest little Mad Hatter shop is a great place to pause and soak in some of the visual fun.

The hat itself, of course, sits front and center. It's unusual to see such a faithful sculpting of a piece of classic animation on Main Street.

Just above the oversized topper, however, sits the real treasure of this particular address...

As many of you know, Disney occasionally honors its major artists and contributors by awarding them their own window on Main Street. This one belongs to X. Atencio, the Imagineer responsible for adding a lot of wit and magic to two of Disney's most beloved attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. In addition to writing the scripts and dialogue for both rides, he wrote the lyrics to the rides' theme songs, "Yo-Ho" and "Grim Grinning Ghosts." He voiced the talking skull guarding the first drop on Pirates, and he can be heard trying to break out of the coffin on Haunted Mansion (as well as advising us to stay in our "Doom Buggies" if the ride stops unexpectedly).

Photo by Lana Whitham

The Ride Adults Fear Most (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

What's the scariest ride at Disneyland Resort for many adults? Tower of Terror? No, that's in second place. We're talking about the good old Mad Tea Party. If you belong to the large percentage of adult humans who get motion sick when spinning wildly in circles, it can be a supreme act of courage to brave these jolly cups simply because your children don't want to ride alone.

Every day at Disneyland, that act of selflessness is carried out over and over again. It's kind of inspiring.

Mad "T" Party's House of Cards Bar

While I'm not the target audience for DCA's loud and bizarre Mad "T" Party, I do admire the clever design and overall high quality of the nighttime event. As mentioned before, I tend to treat it more as a walk-through attraction than a place to hang out.

The bar at the House of Cards stage offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Like everything else at the Burton-esque festival, it's a pleasure to look at, even when just passing through.

Mad Tea Party Magic

I was sorting through my Disneyland photos while listening to Christmas music, and the classic 1903 Victor Herbert song "Toyland" played as I came across this shot. I smiled at the line, "...once you pass its borders, you can never return again."

Victor Herbert never saw Disneyland, a place where adults eagerly hop into giant teacups to take a spin with their families and friends. No one feels ridiculous; Disneyland exists for moments like this. Sometimes you can return to Toyland, if only for brief, wonderful, fleeting moments.

Fantasyland at Night

Disneyland's Fantasyland takes on a unique energy late at night. Because much of it's blocked off during fireworks (as the castle hosts some of the pyrotechnics), the last hours of park operation find the area bustling with relaxed, tired-but-happy guests trying to get in one last ride on a childhood favorite before closing time.

The Mad Tea Leaves

The Mad Tea Party and the Alice in Wonderland leaves -- can you get any more "Disney" than this?

In the park's early years, the teacups sat by the carousel, far from the whimsical fantasy foliage of the Alice in Wonderland dark ride. As part of the 1980's Fantasyland renovation, the Mad Tea Party found a new home directly in front of Alice.

The two rides, combined with the White Rabbit's house (home to the Mad Hatter shop) and the March Hare's house (part of the Tea Party) formed a terrific Alice mini-land within Fantasyland. The gigantic, swirling leaves of the dark ride's exterior now extended over to the teacups, tying everything together.

Sunday Signage: The Mad "T" Party

I don't fit the target age group for loud techno dance clubs, but I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to DCA's Mad "T" Party. The experience begins with this amazing animated pocket watch -- one of the most mesmerizing entry signs I've ever seen. It serves as a vivid preview of the wild visuals and lighting effects awaiting down the neon rabbit hole.

What I found upon entering made me smile. Well done. For others like myself, who usually aren't into this sort of thing, I suggest treating "T" Party like a walk-through attraction, if you can handle the music volume. Enter down the rabbit hole and proceed on through, admiring the bizarre sights and sounds within. Then head on back to Cars Land for some great 60's Motown tunes and a milk shake at Flo's.

If you're looking for a loud, surreal dance club themed around a Blade-Runner twist on Alice in Wonderland, you couldn't ask for a more effective, colorful (and well-performed) realization of that very concept!