Enchanted Tiki Room Trivia and Attraction Tips

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World is one of the most iconic but often unvisited attractions in the Magic Kingdom park, Today I want to share with you some Enchanted Tiki Room trivia and tips! 

“In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki tiki room, All the birds sing words, And the flowers croon, In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki tiki room”

Enchanted Tiki Room

Did you know that the Enchanted Tiki Room was one of the original Disney World attractions when the park opened? The Sunshine Pavilion, featuring a show variously known as “Tropical Serenade” and “The Enchanted Tiki Birds,” debuted on Oct. 1, 1971, in the Magic Kingdom. In 1998, following substantial refurbishment, it re-launched as The Enchanted Tiki Room-Under New Management, with two famous Disney birds – Iago from Aladdin and Zazu from The Lion King – taking control and trying to spruce up the show.

Now the “new management” has been let go and the future of the Adventureland landmark is in the wings and wit of José, Fritz, Michael, and Pierre – four crooning parrot hosts who have been entertaining guests at California’s Disneyland since 1963 in The Enchanted Tiki Room. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, as the Magic Kingdom attraction, is now called, pays tribute to the Disneyland original – notable in theme park history for ushering in sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology.

Enchanted Tiki Room Trivia

Walt’s Inspirational Bird. In the early 1950’s Walt Disney purchases a mechanical bird while vacationing in Europe. The souvenir becomes the inspiration for Audio-Animatronics technology. I wonder if any of the birds of the Tiki Room resemble the bird that got Walt thinking about talking and singing birds.

Fire! In 2011, a fire broke out in the Tiki’s room attic. At the time of the fire, the attraction had Iago and Zazu in it. This is one instance where people just did not enjoy Disney movie characters being put into a classic Disney ride and when the ride reponed the current hosts appeared. I think many people were glad the fire happened.

The Tiki Room has Sponsors. I knew Epcot has had a lot of sponsors in the past and they are slowly going away from sponsored attractions. The Tiki room was originally sponsored by United Airlines and then in 1976 Dole Food took over sponsorship and are still the sponsor today.

National Birds. Have you ever noticed that the birds have distinct accents and colorings? The birds have accents and colors representing their home country.  Jose, who is white and green, is from Mexico. Hailing from Ireland in green, white, and some orange is Michael. Pierre is from France and has red, white, and blue feathers. Finally, Fritz, the German bird, has red, black, and white feathers.

So Many Moving Things! Did you know that there are 225 audio-animatronic figures in the Enchanted Tiki Room including all the birds, flowers, and totems? 

It’s Not Real Water. When the Enchanted Tiki room was first constructed in Walt Disney World, Imagineers decided to use real water for the rainstorm effect as opposed to the way the effect was done in Disneyland using Mylar. The real water ended up looking terrible and it was eventually taken out and replaced with Mylar.

Why is a Water Buffalo on the Sunshine Pavilion? The top of the Sunshine Pavilion features a carving of an Asian water buffalo. This animal was chosen due to the fact that the rooftop can be seen from Frontierland, where the animals could be seen as a Western longhorn, thus not interfering with the theming of the land

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! The same people who brought you Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious also brought you the catchy tune of the Tiki Room. The song was written by Robert and Richard Sherman and performed by the Tiki Room birds.

Enchanted Tiki Room Attraction Preshow

I usually try to see the pre-show, it’s really cute!! The Enchanted Tiki Room’s pre-show begins as guests wait outside of the Sunshine Pavilion. When the show is close to beginning, a waterfall found in the middle of the queue opens up to reveal two toucans, Claude (voiced by Sebastian Cabot) and Clyde (voiced by Dallas McKennon). After introducing themselves, Claude and Clyde tell the humorous tale of how they found the Enchanted Tiki Room before telling the audience that they hope that (guests) have a real “Tropical Serenade”. 

Enchanted Tiki Room Attraction Tips

Sit near the back. Since the show is all around you don’t need to sit in the very front. If you sit in the front you next can start hurting from looking up so much.

Look for Hidden Mickeys. There are at least 2.

Schedule this Attraction in the Afternoon. The queue line is in the shade and the attraction is air-conditioned and long enough to cool down a bit from the hot Florida sun.

My hope is that the Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World survives a long time without being messed with. With Disney movie characters taking over so much of the parks, I like the original attractions that sparked so many imaginations.

Is Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room one of your must-dos? Let me know in the comments!

Thank You for Spreading the Pixie Dust!