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Guest Caught Placing Their Hand Beneath “it’s a small world” Boat at Disneyland

Credit: Disney (left), @kellykoby on TikTok (right)

Disney Parks have a number of rules in place that solely exist for your safety and the safety of other Guests and Cast Members. While some rules may seem harmless to break, without understanding why exactly the rules were put in place, to begin with, Guests may not realize just how dangerous ignoring them can be.

Credit: Disney

Earlier this week, we shared a video showing a Walt Disney World Guest taking their anger out on a Cast Member who moved her stroller, which is according to Disney entirely possible under the official rules of using strollers at the park. (In case you missed it, you can check out the video here.)

Now at Disneyland Park , a Guest was just caught in a TikTok video posted by @kellykoby placing their hand in the water, and it appears, beneath the boat they were sitting in during a ride on “it’s a small world,” the favorite Fantasyland attraction featuring whimsical animals, designs by Mary Blair, and music by the Sherman Brothers.

Before even considering whether or not the water at “it’s a small world” or any Disney or general theme park attraction is something you would want to touch, we have to consider the importance of a very common saying as Guests board nearly any type of attraction: “Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the ride vehicle, and watch your children.”

Check out the video taken by @kellykoby below to see the incident for yourself:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kellykoby/video/7053968217911430447?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7052714227110561286

Without any additional knowledge of ride operations, “it’s a small world” probably seems like one of the safest possible types of ride that would exist at any theme park. Guests are seated in boats that move through each scene of the attraction very slowly. While they do not usually bump into one another, these types of ride vehicles are built to handle small bumps, and in the incredibly unlikely event of a “sinking” the water is only a couple of feet deep, if that.

Still, rules exist for a reason, and placing your hand beneath a boat or any type of moving vehicle on a Disney attraction can be incredibly dangerous, and it is really lucky that the Guest in the video stopped quickly and did not seem to get hurt.

Depending on the attraction, electrical equipment could be operating under a ride vehicle that could be dangerous to the touch. On a boat ride like “it’s a small world,” a likely injury that could result from this type of behavior would be having one’s hand crushed beneath the weight of the boat depending on how the boat is positioned at the time and whether it is moving on top of a track.

it's a small world

“it’s a small world”

Disney Parks of course do not want any Guests to get hurt during their visits, especially in ways that are entirely avoidable. And while attractions could have restraints in place to prevent Guests from having the ability to take this kind of action, many Guests prefer that restraints are kept off slow-moving attractions like “it’s a small world.”

By keeping restraints off attractions that do not require them due to the vehicle’s movement, more Guests of more ages, shapes, and sizes are able to ride these classic attractions, and for many Guests visiting the Disneyland Resort, this is a welcome concept in exchange for simply following the rules.

it’s a small world” is a cherished Disney attraction that originated at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and has since taken on forms at Disneyland Park, the Magic Kingdom, and at Disney theme parks around the world. With music by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman and costume design on each doll by Alice Davis, plus the incredible talents of so many Disney Imagineers, it is truly one of Disney’s most beloved attractions.

Remember that Cast Member sayings and recordings on rides to “keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle” truly are put there for your own safety. And we appreciate you following the rules while visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World because we do not want to see any of our readers hurt either!

About Brittany DiCologero

Brittany is a New England-based writer focused on the history of the Walt Disney World Resort. She is the author of "Red, White, and Disney: The Myths and Reality of American History at the Walt Disney World Resort," and "Brittany Earns Her Ears."

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