Americans Have Become Too Fat for Disneyland Rides

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I've been to Disneyland quite a few times in my day and I've been on most of the rides more than a few times each. Everyone who's been there more than once has probably been on the ride "It's a Small World" and has afterwards had that silly song stuck in your head for the next decade.

Well, visitors for the next 10 months or so won't be able to have that pleasure. The ride, which has remained virtually unchanged since it's construction in 1964, has been closed for renovation. Not because it needs to be hipper or cooler. It needs a massive overhaul because overweight and obese Americans have killed it. When the ride was originally installed the flume and boats were built to accommodate average-sized Americans and in the intervening 40+ years, the average-sized American has ballooned in weight, causing the boats to bottom out and stop the entire works until Disney employees can help the overweight offenders off the boats and out the emergency exits. The boats and the ride have been in faithful service with no changes until now and America's expanding waistline is the culprit. (It's reported that the drop in Pirates of the Caribbean has the same problem, but it's not as frequent as the Small World stoppages and I could find no evidence of that ride being further revamped any time soon.)

This is just one example of how America is being forced to change under the buckling knees of the Obesity epidemic we find ourselves in the midst of.

Bryan Young blogs daily at This Divided State. Killer at Large is currently in the final stages of post-production and has been submitted to numerous film festivals, you can find more info about it at its official website.

[JODO 2]

It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, world!!!

I loved the pirates chasing the woman above and at the end seeing all the country costumes . I used to love that ride!!!! Ohh memories!!!!

Edited November 7, 2007 by JODO

[almaty 19]

wow...seems like they have to make some adjustments

[Kevin and 10]

Must be at least *** FT tall to ride

&

Must be under *** LBS to ride

It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, world!!!

I loved the pirates chasing the woman above and at the end seeing all the country costumes . I used to love that ride!!!! Ohh memories!!!!

I heard they took out the Wenches because it isn't PC.

Edited November 7, 2007 by Kevin and Tuyen

[JODO 2]

Must be at least *** FT tall to ride

&

Must be under *** LBS to ride

It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, world!!!

I loved the pirates chasing the woman above and at the end seeing all the country costumes . I used to love that ride!!!! Ohh memories!!!!

I heard they took out the Wenches because it isn't PC.

blasphemy

[JVKn'CVO 11]

This is funny...in a sad kind of way

Saludos

Caro

[eric&gen 0]

Fat people are rude and the meanest when it comes to fast food lines lol. Drop a cheeseburger on the ground and they come running for it lol.

[PlatyPius 5]

If you do some research, you'll see that Americans started becoming really overweight at the same time that High Fructose Corn Syrup started being used in EVERYTHING.

Wanna stop the Obesity epidemic? Stop buying products with HFCS. Make the manufacturers stop using it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If you do some research, you'll see that Americans started becoming really overweight at the same time that High Fructose Corn Syrup started being used in EVERYTHING.

Wanna stop the Obesity epidemic? Stop buying products with HFCS. Make the manufacturers stop using it.

I agree. There's got to be a link.

[Peikko 1,575]

[SandyNJack 5]

Must be at least *** FT tall to ride

&

Must be under *** LBS to ride

It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, world!!!

I loved the pirates chasing the woman above and at the end seeing all the country costumes . I used to love that ride!!!! Ohh memories!!!!

I heard they took out the Wenches because it isn't PC.

When they did the renovation a few years ago they changed the men chasing the women to the men chasing the women with the women having food in their hands to make it more PC and family friendly. And then the one, in that same section, where the fat woman is chasing the man he was also carrying food. Now since they made the changes for the Pirate movies the removed the food and went back to the men just chasing the women and the fat lady just chasing the man.

Edited November 7, 2007 by SandyNJack

[Nagishkaw 510]

Acrylimide

[SandyNJack 5]

Fat people are rude and the meanest when it comes to fast food lines lol. Drop a cheeseburger on the ground and they come running for it lol.

I am sorry was this supposed to be funny?

Why is it o.k. to make fun of fat people but not anybody else and people just accept it?

[PlatyPius 5]

"The process by which HFCS is produced was first developed by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957[1] and refined by Japanese researchers in the 1970s. HFCS was rapidly introduced in many processed foods and soft drinks in the US over the period of about 1975–1985."

(Wikipedia)

"The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States makes obesity a leading public health problem. The United States has the highest rates of obesity in the developed world. From 1980 to 2002, obesity has doubled in adults and overweight prevalence has tripled in children and adolescents.[68] From 2003-2004, "children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, 17.1% were overweight...and 32.2% of adults aged 20 years or older were obese."[68] The prevalence in the United States continues to rise.[69]."

(wikipedia)

The "experts" blame fast food, lack of exercise, and other environment issues. No one seems to look at HFCS. It's an "empty" ingredient that only makes a person more hungry and causes more fat to be stored. Many other cultures are as sedentary as the US (UK, for example), but they don't have nearly as much obesity as we do. Why? They don't have HFCS in everything.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

"The process by which HFCS is produced was first developed by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957[1] and refined by Japanese researchers in the 1970s. HFCS was rapidly introduced in many processed foods and soft drinks in the US over the period of about 1975–1985."

(Wikipedia)

"The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States makes obesity a leading public health problem. The United States has the highest rates of obesity in the developed world. From 1980 to 2002, obesity has doubled in adults and overweight prevalence has tripled in children and adolescents.[68] From 2003-2004, "children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, 17.1% were overweight...and 32.2% of adults aged 20 years or older were obese."[68] The prevalence in the United States continues to rise.[69]."

(wikipedia)

The "experts" blame fast food, lack of exercise, and other environment issues. No one seems to look at HFCS. It's an "empty" ingredient that only makes a person more hungry and causes more fat to be stored. Many other cultures are as sedentary as the US (UK, for example), but they don't have nearly as much obesity as we do. Why? They don't have HFCS in everything.

Corn crops are the most heavily subsidized crop in the U.S., which is why the food industry switched from cane sugar to HFCS as a sweetener. Take away the subsidy and the playing field will be level again. I think if there's enough consumer demand and choices out there, cane sugar will come back.