When visiting the Disney World theme parks, you have to be on alert to catch all of the special surprises that are hidden in the attractions and surroundings. If you are rushing from one attraction to another you may miss one of the best parts of Disney World: "The Details".


Disney World Hidden Secret
Many of you are familiar with Hidden Mickeys (Mickey Mouse head shapes that are worked into various items throughout Disney World), but there are many other secret surprises out there for guests who have a sharp eye and an inquisitive mind.

Here is a Disney World Hidden Secret for you to look for during your next visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom:

Dinosaur Attraction Secret Code
In the final stage of the ride queue for the DINOSAUR attraction, you will notice a lot of pipes. As you descend the stairs to the floor level where you will board the ride vehicle, look back in the direction in which you entered that room. You will see three pipes running horizontally across the room over what appears to be a large electric transformer. You will notice that there are words and chemical symbols on the pipes.


Take a look in the above picture (you probably need to click on it to expand it):

The surprise is that these chemical names were rumored to refer to the ingredients for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise in a tribute to McDonald's who was one of the original sponsors of the attraction.

Instead of taking the rumor at face value, let's investigate a little further to see if it is true. By dusting off my old Chemistry Book and researching each of the ingredients listed here is what we get:

Red Pipe: Ketchup
■Lycopersicon lycopericum (should be Lycopersicon lycopersicum) = tomato
■C6H12O6 = Sugar or Corn Syrup
■CH3COOH = Vinegar
■(C6H12O6) = Another Sugar (part of the symbol is blocked by the pipe clamp)
■NaCl = Salt
■Allium cepa = Onion

Yellow Pipe: Mustard
■CH3COOH = Vinegar
■H2O = Water
■Brassica juncea = Mustard Plant
■NaCl = Salt
■Curcuma Longa = Turmeric
■Allium sativum = Garlic

White Pipe: Mayonnaise
■Glycine soja = Soybean Oil
■Ovae = refers to Egg, in this case Egg yolks
■CH3COOH = Vinegar
■H2O = Water
■NaCl = Salt
■C6H12O6 = Sugar (or Corn Syrup)
■Citrus limon = Lemon Juice

Mystery Solved
If I was on the show Myth Busters, I would have to say that this Myth has been CONFIRMED. Those chemical names and symbols on the 3 pipes actually do refer to the ingredients for Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayonnaise.

This is just another example of the great level of detail that the Disney Imagineers went to make the attractions realistic and fun for their guests.

So next time that you are in line to ride DINOSAUR, point to the red, yellow, and white pipes and amaze your friends. You get extra points if you print this out and are able to translate each of the ingredients for them.