One of the most successful attractions in DISNEYLAND was the Autopia, which allowed most riders to drive a car around Tomorrowland. Riders had to be a certain height, however, so smaller kids were often left out. Thus the park introduced the “Midget Autopia”, which permitted shorter kids the option to drive themselves around the park.
The goal was to take stress off the regular Autopia, shortening the lines by giving younger guests their own location. The opposite height restriction, however, meant that most of the regular Autopia riders couldn’t ride the Midget Autopia. It soon became apparent that the Midget Autopia wasn’t accomplishing its main goal, so the decision was made to upgrade the attraction to a regular Autopia. Walt Disney, remembering his beloved hometown of Marceline, gave the attraction to the town in 1966.
The grateful city built a park around the attraction, operating it for many years. While other DISNEYLAND attractions have been relocated to other Disney Theme Parks, this would be the only time an attraction would get located outside one of the company’s parks.
