If your a Universal fan or a Disney fan for that matter you know that both companies are quite aware that they are both direct competitors of one another. They both have major theme parks in U.S. that are in the same state. But in Florida, Disney is right down the street from Universal. So the rivalry is felt the heaviest here. The simpsons ride which is featured at both Florida and Hollywood pokes fun at Universal itself and it’s mousey cousin.
But then it goes a bit further, Disney designers love to hide mickeys in the disney parks and it’s a fun challenge for eagle eyed guests looking for hidden features in their favorite theme parks. Well Universal likes to hide hidden mickeys in their parks too. But in Orlando it has been used in more of a negative tone that is given to them. There is a popular rumor that Jaws, Amity 3 the doomed ship that is attacked by the shark, had a floating mickey ears next to its wreckage. In all my times going on the ride I never saw that however. But to the real, in the former attraction Twister the second preshow room had a pretty good “HEY DISNEY THIS IS WHAT WE THINK OF YOU”. To paint a picture you walk into a house that took the worst of a tornado. In the back of the room there is a truck that has come through the roof. It’s Cary Elwes’s truck, the bad guy in Twister and fighter of large rodents. It’s dirty still spinning tire had a Mickey mouse ears hat strapped to it. This wasn’t the only hidden mickey in Universal, that is no longer there.
This is also a nicer hidden mickey. Near the main gates of Islands of adventure there is a gate that use to have four mickeys in its corner. It’s a nicer way of saying, “hey we respect the history of Disney and what it did for theme parks. But it was just a gate and we are about to open it.” Or maybe I’m looking deeper into it then I should be. When Comcast took over the gate remained but the mickeys went the way of the dodo.
However one the biggest hidden mickeys at a Universal Studios is actually in another country and there are a lot of them at Universal Studios Japan.
If you watched the video, you can see they are playing a game of cat and mouse with them. But it’s a much friendlier way of hiding the other big theme park icon in the park.
Are there more hidden mickeys in other parks? Did I miss any? Was there a mickey mouse hat in the water in Jaws? If you know leave a comment down below!
Until then,
Stay groovy
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