The Yippie Invasion of Disneyland

Disneyland has only closed a few times in its history, often due to disasters or nationwide tragedies. These include the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, and the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The second major incident where the park had to close wasn’t much of a disaster or tragedy, but more of a headscratcher. On August 6^th, 1970, Disneyland closed five hours early and 30,000 guests had their dreams of the Happiest Place On Earth ruined. Why? Because the Yippies came for a visit.

The term “Yippie” is associated with the Youth International Party, an American political movement founded by Jerry Rubin and Annie Hoffman in 1967. Both turned from regular jobs to politicial activism, Rubin having once run for mayor in Berkeley on a radical left platform, whilst Hoffman was a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Their movement was just about “anti” everything – anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-establishment. These Yippies were infamous for putting on theatrical demonstrations in the name of their movement.

The group invaded the New York Stock Exchange, marched into the visitors’ gallery, and chucked dollar bills onto the trading floor. On another occasion, in 1968, they nominated a 145-pound pig named Pigasus to run for US President. Well, there are worse choices…

It was then that the Yippies decided to take their unusual political movement to Disneyland and put on a show. Back in 1969, Disneyland was still a stickler on certain rules. Male employees were forbidden from having long hair, beards, or moustaches – ironic, considering Walt Disney, who had merely died three years ago, sported a fine moustache. Luckily for the Yippies, the park was more lenient to guests who had such facial features.

The Yippies chose August 6^th, 1970 to launch their invasion of the park, marking the 25^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. They planned to protest the Vietnam War, and targeted Disneyland for being sponsored by the Bank of America – which they viewed as practically the personification of capitalism, and thus a sponsor of the war. The Yippies promoted their planned occupation of Disneyland through mass flyers, promising an insane schedule of radical events – a “Black Panther Hot Breakfast” over in Frontierland, plans to “liberate” Minnie Mouse, the barbecuing of Porky Pig (who is a Warner Bros. character), and the occupation of Tom Sawyer Island in the name of their liberal movement.

The police soon caught wind of the Yippies’ plans, and acted against them. The media freaked out, believing that 20,000 angry hooligans would invade the park, and the police reacted in kind, preparing for a mass invasion of many drugged up Yippies. Armed cops would wait outside the park on standby, whilst normal-dressed officers, park employees, and even managers would patrol Disneyland to apprehend any troublemakers. However, when the day of reckoning arrived, the turnout wasn’t as horrendous as the police had expected.

The turnout of the feared Yippies was much smaller than imagined, likely a disappointment to the organizers, the cops, and the press. The police turned up in their helmets and riot armour in case things gone rowdy. I would assume they expected the Yippies to burn Sleeping Beauty Castle to the ground. A few hundred or so Yippies arrived at the park, several gathering at Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House to throw their Black Panther breakfast, but beyond a few clenched fist power salutes, nothing bad happened.

It was quiet for a while, but soon things started getting a little wild. When the Disneyland Band came marching down Main Street, a group of Yippies started singing their own rendition of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”, whilst running in-between the musicians to throw them off. The band retreated backstage. The park’s managers and company executives, including Dick Nunis, mingled with the Yippies to try and keep the peace. Not every cast member could hide well in the crowds, and were exposed by the amused protestors. The Yippies soon started getting rowdy, swearing, chanting, spitting, and harassing the guests.

   

Many tales have been spun about the event, and what weird things the Yippies got up to during the day, but we’ll cover a few here. Most of the attractions that had sponsors became vocal points for the Yippies, who sung parodies of the Mickey Mouse Club’s theme song. Apparently, Adventures Thru Inner Space became a hazy, smoky drug den. I wonder if Coke Corner’s name took on a new meaning as well, aside from being a target for the anti-capitalism Yippies. Outside, some protestors cried fowl against Disneyland being private property, whilst shouting for the release of known cultist and murderer Charles Manson. Some protestors, who had their hands stamped for re-entry, tried passing on their markings to others to sneak them into Disneyland.

Whilst Dick Nunis was confident that any embarrassment or disaster had been averted by mid-afternoon, things were about to kick off. The disgruntled Yippies met in the Main Street Cinema on what to do next, before forming a large human chain up and down the street, singing about “marching to Cambodia”. They then marched their way to the rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, and proceeded to occupy the island as they planned to. There, they raised their Viet Cong flag, and chanted for the release of Charles Manson and the legalisation of marijuana, whilst getting stoned. The staff stopped sending rafts to the island, and now officers moved in to arrest the rally.

By 6pm, the protestors were losing their sense of rebellion, so decided to storm Main Street’s Bank of American branch. They formed a human chain that would fill the length of Main Street, failed to break into City Hall, and chanted for the “liberation” of Minnie Mouse again. A crowd of seven-hundred guests drowned out their swearing with “God Bless America”. In response, the Yippies tore down an American bunting and hung up their own flag, which was a green marijuana leaf in a red star on a black background. When one guests boldly tore the flag down, the Yippies attacked him.

The Yippies tried going back down Main Street into the park, but found cast members and security cards blocking their path, refusing to let them back in unless they stopped their demonstrations. The Yippies started fighting the blockade. Cue the riot police charging into Disneyland. Around three hundred cops raced into the park from several entrances to round up the Yippies, pushing them back towards the entrance. They succeeded, and Disneyland closed for the second time in its history. 30,000 guests were kicked out of the park, though with the offer of refunds.

As for the Yippies, the angry mob screamed for the park to be burnt down. Guess the cops had right to worry after all. The Yippies set trash cans on fire, setting off firecrackers. They threw light bulbs and uprooted plants at the police and exiting guests. The police forced the Yippies back into the car park, where they vandalised several cars. Some broke away and dashed to the Disneyland Hotel, but were intercepted by police cars. Outmatched, the Yippies scattered in all directions as the police gave chase. Disneyland’s sprinklers were turned on at night to flush out any hiding Yippies.

In the end, twenty-three Yippies were arrested for assault, disturbing the peace, inciting a riot, and causing mischief. Though Disney hoped the incident would be forgotten, the media were all over it, but did praise the cast members for their patience. Security at the park was ramped up for several months, and long-haired male guests were banned due to the invasion. Over time, the security guards dwindled, and long-haired guests were welcomed back into the park.

This wouldn’t be the only time Disneyland would deal with similar incidents. A rock concert by Grand Funk Railroad was oversold at the Anaheim Convention Centre, leading to many angry fans, unable to attend, to riot, though four-hundred police officers were on hand to stop them. Many charged for Disneyland, but police, cast members, ticket officers, and security guards met them at the entrance in a human wall to quell the mayhem.

In the 1990s, a white supremacist group who worshipped Nazis plotted to gather Neo-Nazis and skinheads alike in Disneyland to celebrate a “White Workers Day”, and a free case of beer would be handed out to whoever could raise the Third Reich flag over Fort Wilderness on Tom Sawyer Island. Disneyland were lenient with the Yippies, but not with Nazis. Anyone sporting the Nazi swastika or being a skinhead were turned away, and the rally never materialised. Gang violence has also occurred at Disneyland, resulting in gunfights, and a couple of deaths as well.

The park has closed a total of five times in its history – after the assassination of JFK, the Yippie invasion, during a 1987 winter storm, in 1994 for an inspection after the Northridge earthquake, and after 9/11.

Nowadays, you’ll get the occasional nitwit bringing a “Trump 2020” banner with them, but nothing quite like the invasion of the Yippies has struck Disneyland since.