In case you’re not aware, McDonalds no longer sponsors Dinoland U.S.A. at the Animal Kingdom. Their 10-year contract expired and as a result, Disney has been busy removing all signs of this corporate giant from the park.
The first place you’ll notice a change is Petrifries. This quick-service eatery once sold, you guessed it, McDonalds’ fries. Now this spot is called Trilo-Bites and sells smoked turkey legs.
Just past Trilo-Bites is a sign welcoming guests to Dinoland U.S.A. Look closely and you’ll see the McDonalds’ logo has been removed along with the banner that said “OVER 3 BILLION UNEARTHED.”
A McDonalds billboard once stood across from the entrance to Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama. It too, is gone.
The Dinosaur attraction has also seen a slight change. After viewing the preshow with Drs. Marsh and Seeker, you enter a corridor. Up until recently, an announcement could be heard saying something to the effect of, “And now, get ready to go back in time… thanks to a generous grant from the McDonalds Corporation.” But no more.
When exiting Dinosaur, many guests strolled past a series of Dinosaur/McDonalds posters.
Here too, McDonalds has been edited out.
And finally, Chicken McNuggest and McDonalds’ Fries are no longer served at Restaurantosaurus. But don’t despair, chicken nuggets and fries are still available, they’re just not a name brand anymore.
While I was at Restaurantosaurus, I was checking things out, trying to find something of interest to blog about. And I think I came across another cool detail.
Everyone is aware of the water tower out front of this eatery.
But have you ever looked at the back side of the tower? Painted on it is a large target.
Across the way, on the porch roof, we find two patio chairs, a cooler, and other paraphernalia.
If you look closely, attached to the wall is a rack full of plunger-type arrows and a couple of bows. Also, connected to the eves is a pulley and rope.
If you follow the rope, it stretches all the way to the water tower and has a bucket full of arrows attached to it.
It appears our paleontologist have devised a unique game to play in their off hours and have come up with an interesting way to retrieve their arrows.
Thanks for the great posts, Jack.
And a note to Kev, I think it’s mostly the Dinorama section of Dinoland that’s referred to as being poorly themed.
When it opened, Dinoland had one of the most complete and fully-realized backstories in all of WDW:
The playground is the dig site where paleontologists and their grad students dig for fossils.
Restaurantosaurus is their home base where they live, eat, relax. If you wander through the various rooms you’ll find the rec room, the garage, equipment storage, fossil storage, etc. Obviously the rebelious grad students invented the “plunger archery” game in their spare time.
Even the background music loop in the Restaurantosaurus and playground areas are an eclectic mix of songs about dinoaurs that you’d imagine grad students might be listening to while they worked.
Then there was the Dino Institute, furthering the study of dinosaurs with their “secret research”.
When fossils were discovered, Chester & Hester converted their nearby gas station into a roadside gift shop to try and cash in on all the tourists coming to visit the area. (Originally it was just the gift shop, not the “carnival”)
When Dinoland first opened, they even had “Streetmosphere” actors playing the roles of the quirky grad students.
The next time you visit Dinoland, seek out the two bulletin boards that are across the walkway from the entrance to the playground. You could easily spend 20 minutes reading all the posted letters, comics, back-and-forth notes to each other… It also includes a map of Dinoland as it originally existed that helps flesh out the story.
Wow – I never noticed the Chester & Hester target practice before! That’s actually super awesome! And people say this land is poorly themed!
Love all the interesting tidbits, thanks. I have a picture of the 2 chairs above Restaurantosaurus too and noticed in my picture that they use to have a McDonald’s bag instead of the plain bag shown above. I plan to look into more detail next month. Thanks again.
Jack’s Comment:
You’re right. There used to be a McDonalds bag up there.
I looked at a larger version of the picture I posted and found many Coke cans up on the roof — another Disney sponsor.
I have to say, I wasn’t a fan of the McDonald’s food placed within the World. I feel like I am in such a different time and place when I am at Disney, and to see a McDonald’s sign pop up here or there would take some of that magic away. I can have McDonald’s everyday at home…when I am at this special place, I want to leave those things behind. I will be looking for the turkey leg carts…now that is NOT something you can get every day! 🙂
Hey Jack,
It’s me (again)!
You know; I have always noticed the chairs, etc. up on the roof, BUT I’ve never followed it any further!
These are the types of things I search out when at Disney and which I try to tell other people about.
Thanks for posting pics!
As of the first week of April, the ketchup, mustard and mayo pipes with their chemical names were still in the Dinosaur queue.
I for one am thrilled McDonald’s grip has been loosened! With so many tasty things that Disney offers, McD’s should never have had a foothold on property to begin with. On vacation, enjoying a beautiful day, be adventurous!!! Try something other than the same fast food offered on every corner at home!
Oh no! The Mcdonald’s counter is gone from Epcot, the one near the entrance to World Showcase coming in from Future World? I used to always get a blizzard there! Man that’s a bummer.
Are the chemical names of the condiments still spelled out in the Dinosaur queue? I don’t know if this was a McDonald’s thing or not…
Right as you enter the Time Rover room in Dinosaur after the preshow, there were three pipes: one red, one yellow, and one white. On these pipes were written the chemical names for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, respectively.
I always loved this little hidden gem, and thought that it was in tribute to McDonald’s that it was placed there. It worries me that with the removal of all McDonald’s references, this will go the way of the dinosaurs as well.
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Readers! Does anyone know if this still exists?
Jack
I can honestly say that I never even noticed that. Guess I’ll just have to go back someday and check it out. 🙂
Thanks!
I will miss the fries, they were always a great thing to just snack on during the day. Is the McDonalds also gone at downtown Disney! That is really cheapiest place to eat on Disney property. Maybe they should hook up with another fast food chain.
Jack’s Answer: McDonalds at Downtown Disney is still there and still going strong. The McDonalds near the All Stars is also still there, however it’s undergoing a major remodeling. With the exception of a couple of days to rework the kitchen, it is staying open during this rehab.
The McDonalds “fry stations” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and the Magic Kingdom have all been closed and converted into some other type of quick-service eatery.
very well done, Jack…and interesting too. Thanks for sharing in such a neat way.
john