The famous flying elephant

I’m lucky enough to have an office near a car from Disneyland’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride on display and I often hear the comments of visitors as they see him. It seems like no matter how young or old a person is, everyone who passes by Dumbo smiles. Little kids either yell out “It’s Dumbo!” or “An ELEPHANT!” depending on their familiarity with the classic Disney character, and their parents often chime in with their own personal memories.

As a child, I grew up going to Walt Disney World every few years and was an avid Dumbo fan. Each time we visited, my family would wait in line to fly the skies in an elephant. And, regardless of the number of minutes we had already waited to get on the ride, my mother would always be willing to wait one more cycle if all of the purple-accessorized Dumbo cars (my favorite) were full. As a child, this seemed like an obvious thing for a mom to do, but as an adult, I think of my mom and smile every time I walk past our Museum’s own flying elephant, accessorized with a purple hat and seat.

Jenny Wei is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History. She would love to hear your favorite Dumbo memories as comments!

Comments

[MMM]

Dumbo was also one my favorites. Even into her 70s, my grandmother would ride each time her grandchildren came to Florida for a visit.

[Damon Wei]

As one of the other people waiting in line, I also enjoyed Dumbo, although my personal favorite was the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. I made it a personal challenge to flatten my riders against the side of the cup we were riding, and listen to the other people on the ride saying "Wow Mommy, they're spinning REALLY FAST".....

[Marilyn Terrell]

That's so cool! I just read that all the Disney parks will be offering everyone free admission on their birthdays starting in 2009.