Walt Disney World Resort recently shared scrapped plans to celebrate Mickey Mouse's birthday with a ride overlay at Magic Kingdom Park. The grand idea, which would have seen Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress transformed into a vibrant pink cake, was initially slated to commemorate the animation icon's 60th birthday.
On August 31, 2025, at the Destination D23 event at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Walt Disney Imagineers shared never-before-seen concept art for the project that would have celebrated Mickey Mouse’s 60th birthday in 1988. The idea was for the Carousel of Progress to receive a colorful cake overlay, much like the one that later adorned Cinderella Castle for Walt Disney World Resort's 25th anniversary in 1996.
During the Disney Castles panel, concept art was shared of a plan to add a cake overlay to the Carousel of Progress for Mickey’s 60th birthday. The plan was scrapped. #DestinationD23
The scrapped Mickey Mouse birthday celebration was revealed during the “Beyond the Spires: An Insider Look at Disney Castles” panel. During the discussion, Walt Disney Imagineers took fans through the history of iconic Disney castle overlays, including the infamous birthday cake that covered Cinderella Castle in 1996.
Cinderella Castle’s 25th look got a big applause at #DestinationD23. 😂
The panel kicked off with an appearance from Stitch, who reminded fans that he once installed his own castle “overlay” to celebrate the grand opening of his attraction in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park:
Later, Imagineers announced plans to repaint Cinderella Castle to reflect its original color scheme. This news was long overdue for many Disney Parks fans, as the castle has been pink since it was given a new look for Walt Disney World Resort‘s 50th anniversary in 2021.
What did you think of the cake overlay on Cinderella Castle? Disney Fanatic would love to hear from you in the comments!
