According to Disney Lore, Mickey’s Toontown was created in the 1940’s as a place for the Disney toons to escape to after long days of filming in Hollywood. When Walt Disney was dreaming up DISNEYLAND, Mickey Mouse suggested he build it adjacent to the mythical town in Anaheim so that Mickey and friends could easily meet and greet their fans at Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The town stayed hidden, though Mickey Mouse built a movie barn behind his house to allow him to comfortably work on projects in between his duties in DISNEYLAND. In 1993, the denizens of Toontown decided to open the gates to their mythical town so that DISNEYLAND guests could explore it for themselves.
The real world reason for the land’s construction was Mickey Mouse’s popularity. Guests often complained if their visit to the Magic Kingdom ended without a hug from the big cheese. Creating a location where Mickey would always be found resolved the issue while providing a colorful new world to explore.
