Disney's Jungle Cruise Through Adventureland: Please Exit Through The Gift Shop

The Jungle Cruise attractions at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland don't empty into a big shop selling Jungle Cruise souvenirs, but maybe they should.  After all, the robotic creatures that can be seen on this adventure have become iconic Disney theme park characters.

The Jungle Cruise first opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955.  Over the years, it has seen many changes and additions.

This Jungle Cruise map is from 1990.  A big change occurred in 1995 with the opening of Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye (check out the link).

Your Jungle Cruise includes a (hopefully) entertaining Skipper piloting the boat.

The sights and sounds on the Jungle Cruise are unreal.  Literally.

Is that bathing elephant smiling?  Yes, many of the animals are caricatures of the real thing, courtesy of designs by legendary Disney artist Marc Davis.  Davis also brought life to characters in the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Country Bear Jamboree.

Artist Jody Daily brilliantly captures the essence of the Jungle Cruise in miniature pewter form.

When I found this set deep-discounted years ago (over half off the original price!) I did not think twice about purchasing one.

Jody Daily also worked on pewter miniature sets of Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, and they are also incredible.

Watch out for hitchhikers on the Jungle Cruise!

Artist Chris Peterson created a comical Jungle Cruise Harmony Kingdom Box.

Tinkerbell has always been good at multitasking.  She frequently spends time in Adventureland, so she knows her way around the Jungle Cruise.

Minnie, Daisy, Clarabelle and Grandma Duck enjoy "The Scary All-Girl Safari."

When I read this, I imagine Cloris Leachman as the voice of Grandma.

Grandma was a big comic book character in the 1970s.

"That Clarabelle is such a cow!" said Daisy to Minnie, and it could not be taken an insult.

Be sure to see Minnie Moo and Clarabelle Cow at Walt Disney World (check out the link).

True to the Jungle Cruise attraction, the inhabitants of this jungle are a mix from different parts of the world.

The Natives in this story seem to be women from the Amazon by way of Beverly Hills.

I don't want to spoil the end of the story, but I bet nobody sees the plot twist ahead:  All the animals and natives in the jungle are robots!

Not really, but that would have been a nice twist, don't you think?

The Jungle Cruise animals also appeared in coloring books for Disneyland.

The crocodiles want you to give them a hand.  They won't give it back, though.

The elephants enjoy bathing in the river when Jungle Cruise boats pass by.

It's OK to take pictures.  The elephants aren't shy.  They've got their trunks on.

Look out for the charging hippos!

The hippos are only dangerous when they open their mouths and wiggle their ears.

An earlier version of Disneyland's Jungle Cruise Gorilla is famous because it looked a bit like someone created an animatronic gorilla without using a photo of a real gorilla as a reference.

This Gorilla is from a 1983 Disneyland coloring book, but it reminds me of the original gorilla.

Disneyland Guidebooks from 1990 had some great watercolor illustrations, including some colorful Adventureland animals.

Here we see Disneyland's Adventureland before Indiana Jones and Tarzan moved to the neighborhood.

Look, it's an Adventureland Pen and Pin set!  The Bobblehead pen was part of a 50th Anniversary Disneyland set that included the Abominable Snowman from the Matterhorn, Tinkerbell, a Haunted Mansion Ghost, and a Hula Girl from It's A Small World.

The pins depict some of the art and signs that have been found at Disneyland's Adventureland.

Let's discover a 1983 map of Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida.  The Adventureland logo features Shere Khan the Tiger from The Jungle Book, but you won't find him here.  There is a store called Colonel Hathi's, though.

To see Adventureland in Japan (Shere Khan appeared in the Adventureland logo there, too), check out A Tokyo Disneyland Guide To Fun (Circa 1990).

You'll find the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.  But you'll no longer find the Barker Bird macaw at any of them.  He was positioned outside to draw curious visitors to the show.

All together!  In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room!

The Tiki characters were designed by artist Rolly Crump.

The Disney Catalog sold some nifty Tiki stuff (and Jungle Cruise items) circa 2005.

The Tiki Room Attraction Host Shirt is a work of art.

Jody Daily created an amazing version of the Tiki Room's Tangaroa Treee.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to snack on a tasty, cool Dole Whip under the Tangaroa Tree on a warm summer night.

You won't find the Jungle Cruise or the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland Paris in France.  That's because it gets really cold there.  Someone would have to break the icicles off the necks of the giraffes, shake the snow off the elephants and crack the ice around the hippos every day in Winter.

You know how difficult it is to start your car in the morning on a cold day?  Imagine starting up a bunch of mechanical elephants that squirt water!*

*That's not really the reason why they aren't in France.  Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.  Bonjour!  Another theme park in France adapted the Jungle Cruise concept as a ride before Disneyland Paris (then called Euro Disneyland) opened in 1992.

This concludes the Jungle Cruise.  If you would like to sponsor an animal on the Jungle Cruise, please donate $1 a day to the Jungle Cruise Maintenance Fund.  Your donation will supply an animatronic animal with oil needed to keep its mechanical gears in good working order.  Thank you.