Photo by Dennis Caswell, 1996

It’s early 1996 at Yesterland. You’re walking through Yester-Tomorrowland. You spot a sky blue sign with fluffy white clouds. It reminds you of something you recently saw in a brand new movie—the wallpaper in Andy’s room in Toy Story.

It’s Toy Story Funhouse, a new attraction in the dead space that used to be Mission to Mars. Visit it now. It might not be here the next time. It’s temporary.

Photo by Dennis Caswell, 1996

Slinky Dog and Sheriff Woody

Characters from the groundbreaking Pixar movie are on the PeopleMover track and the nearby roof. They’re huge, but don’t view them that way. Tell yourself that they’re regular sized toys, and you’re now also the size of a toy.

Photo by Dennis Caswell, 1996

Entrance with a table, a chair, and Andy’s red cowboy hat

The entrance is right next door to Captain EO. Step into Toy Story Funhouse. Have fun!

Play with giant Lite-Brite and Spirograph walls. At Woody’s Roundup, let Woody teach you the Two-Step. Take a picture with Buzz Lightyear and Woody.

You can play Disney’s new Toy Story video game for free. Disney Interactive Studios released it in the United States on November 22, 1995, the same day as the movie. If you enjoy it, you might want to buy the game for your Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, or computer running Microsoft Windows. It’s not available for Apple Macintosh. Pixar is owned by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, but he’s no longer with Apple. He now runs NeXT Computer, Inc., but the game isn’t available for that platform either.

Photo by Dennis Caswell, 1996

Green Army Men room

In the Green Army Men room, experience an obstacle course of simulated lakes, bushes, and bridges—all while wearing foot pads similar to the plastic bases on the Green Army Men in the movie. They attach over your shoes with velcro.

Be sure to visit the Toy Story gift shop. Surprisingly, there’s not much there. Disney didn’t know if the movie would be successful, so the company didn’t make much of a merchandise effort. There’s still plenty of unsold merchandise throughout the park from Disney’s earlier 1995 animated movie release, Pocahontas.

After you exit Toy Story Funhouse, be sure to catch a scheduled performance of Hamm’s All-Doll Revue. It’s standing room only at Hamm’s Theater, an outdoor stage in front of Mission to Mars. That’s because there aren’t any seats. Well, actually children can sit on the ground directly in front to the stage.

Photo by Mike Kelley, 1996

Hamm’s Theater, home of Hamm’s All-Doll Revue

Photo by Mike Kelley, 1996

Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, and Hamm on stage

Photo by Mike Kelley, 1996

Little Bo-Peep and Sergeant on stage

You’ll see many of your Toy Story favorites singing and dancing, including Troll, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Little Bo-Peep, Slinkly Dog, Rocky Gibraltar, Sergeant, and the Green Army Men. You’ll admire how well the Green Army Men dance while wearing those large foot pads.

Well, that was fun. Too bad it’s going away in a few months. Perhaps there will be another attraction based on Toy Story at a Disney park some day.

Toy Story Funhouse opened at Disneyland on January 27, 1996.

Attractions, restaurants, shows, parades units, and even entire lands based on the Disney-Pixar Toy Story franchise have become major presence at Disney theme parks around the world.

Surprisingly, Toy Story Funhouse at Disneyland was not the first, even though it arrived just two months after the U.S. release of the first Toy Story movie on November 22, 1995. Toy Story Parade at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) premiered on the same day as the movie. At the same park, Toy Story Pizza Planet opened December 15, 1995—around three weeks later.

Prior to its run at Disneyland, Toy Story Funhouse was part of “Totally Toy Story” at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. From November 22, 1995 through January 1, 1996, moviegoers could enjoy a first-run showing of Toy Story in the magnificent movie palace, followed by a visit to Toy Story Funhouse in a space immediately adjacent to the theater. The price was $20 for adults, $15 for children 11 and under, $15 for seniors over 60, and $30 for VIP seats.

Photo by Chris Bales, 1993

Former Mission to Mars a few years before Toy Story Funhouse

The spaces that had been The Space Place restaurant and Mission to Mars (closed 1993) held the interior features of Toy Story Funhouse, with Hamm’s Theater in the front of them. Some of the nearby neighbors were America Sings (closed 1988), Skyway to Fantasyland (closed 1994), and PeopleMover (closed 1995). Much of Tomorrowland was rather sad at the time.

Photo by Chris Bales, 1996

Tomorrowland a few months after Toy Story Funhouse closed

Toy Story Funhouse was always supposed to be temporary. According to a Los Angeles Times article two days before it opened in the park’s Tomorrowland, it was “expected to remain there at least through Easter.” It proved to be quite popular and lasted somewhat longer, reportedly into May 1996, although the exact closing date is unclear. In any case, it was gone before the beginning of the busy summer season.

Photo by Chris Bales, 1997

New Tomorrowland construction in 1997

It’s not as if Disneyland immediately needed the former Mission to Mars building for something else. Construction of the 1998 New Tomorrowland did not begin until 1997.

Internet rumors suggested that Disney’s movie division had paid to install and operate Toy Story Funhouse to publicize the movie, and that the park did not want to take over those costs after that purpose had been served—even though Disneyland guests would have enjoyed it.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2008

Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port

On May 22, 1998, the former home of Toy Story Funhouse reopened as Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port. On April 13, 2018, it became Alien Pizza Planet—based, once again, on Toy Story.

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