Scariest Part of the Tower of Terror? Hint: it's Not the 13-Story Drop...

[DisneyWorldGeek]

Yesterday my family and I visited Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World for the first time in several years. Of course, we made a beeline to one of the Imagineers' greatest accomplishments in any Disney park- the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Its thoroughly creepy atmosphere combined with the sheer terror of free-falling 130 feet makes for a pretty thrilling ride in my opinion! Anyway, at the end of our first ride I noticed something I'd somehow missed the 10+ rides in my past:

A creepy ventriloquist's dummy.

More haunting than the Twilight Zone theme, scarier than the preshow (I swear its the #1 reason for riders that chicken out!) this little demon of a puppet sat directly to my left at the very end of the ride, staring into my soul.

My first thought was, "Dang, I'm gonna need therapy after this..."

Who else has seen this macabre easter-egg? Thoughts? Opinions? Share what creeps you out the most on the Tower of Terror!

 

[Mickeymouseisking]

I love Tower of Terror!! I've been on it so many times and I'm still terrified of it...for me it's expecting that first fall and thinking "why am I doing this??" with that creepy twilight zone toon in the background.

It's great when the CMs get into it and try to freak you out. Like when they say "oh, and whatever you do don't" right as the elevator door is closing.

Where did you see the dummy??? What do you mean it was next to you??

 

[DisneyWorldGeek]

As soon as the ride ends and you begin to back away from the drop shaft, (cue weird black-and-white spiral) there's a bunch of old junk to your right and left. Depending on which elevator you take, the dummy will be either to your right or left, sitting in a chair and smoking a pipe. In this circumstance, I was sitting on the very far left in the front so he was just a few feet away .....

 

[Robo]

Just a note...
TOT does not "free fall" for 130 feet.
Your elevator is actively PUSHED down with an active motor-drive, so you are actually moving much faster than a natural free fall.

Scary in its own right!

 

[Catvondita]

I always keep a look out for the dummy when I ride. Another fun fact: The ToT in California has a hidden "body" located by some stairs.

 

[DisneyWorldGeek]

Yes, I know it doesn't free-fall. In fact, it's not "pushed" either, it's pulled. I've actually told the rest of my party of this interesting fact several times...yesterday by brother informed me that I'd told him 6 times. XD The life of a Disney geek!

 

[HopperFan]

He's a nice touch for those who see him ......

My worse moment is when that vehicle is rolling in pitch darkness into the elevator shaft. It's awful.

The rule of thumb for me, city girl, is "you never enter an elevator until the doors open and you clearly see it has arrived" ......

This ride goes against my core beliefs of elevator rules.

 

[DisneyWorldGeek]

My worse moment is when that vehicle is rolling in pitch darkness into the elevator shaft. It's awful.

I agree with you on that one! Whenever the stars collect into one point, become a straight line, and open like sliding doors I always get goosebumps. It doesn't help that the computer decides how long you hang before you drop!

 

[NYCANC]

Here is the ending of that episode-

I am a huge Twilight Zone geek but I try not to watch that one since it freaks my kids (and me!) out!

 

[DisneyWorldGeek]

I'm just going to take your word for it and not click "play." That picture is creepy enough!

 

[loves to dive]

ToT is our favorite ride in all the parks, we have been known to get off it and back in line, our record is 5 rides in a row. It is always our last ride of the trip, usually the day we are driving home. We even had a ride on it where it broke, it was in the room right before they roll you out to the doors to drop you. They turned the lights on and we sat there for a good half hour, which we found fun because we love to see behind the magic. Then they told us they would go ahead and drop us, woohooo, yeees. They told us when we got down to the bottom if we wanted to ride it again since it broke, we could get right back on it. My son and I were the only ones to take advantage of that. I'm a little person so I get a lot of air, which just tickles my son to death. Love it at night. Nothing about it scares me, love everything about it. We don't even mind waiting in the stand by line because I find the grounds just as fascinating as everything else. If they let me stay the night there, I'm in.

 

[EdmondD]

 

[DisneyWorldGeek]

Yup, that's him! You'd have to pay me quite a lot to spend the night on this ride, no matter how much I love it! (sorry LovesToDrive!) I'd ride ToT nonstop for hours, but this guy, ^^ all the Kingdom Keepers books I've read, and that giant eyeball would keep me up (in the fetal position) all night.

 

[gatorlisa]

ToT is our favorite ride in all the parks, we have been known to get off it and back in line, our record is 5 rides in a row. It is always our last ride of the trip, usually the day we are driving home. We even had a ride on it where it broke, it was in the room right before they roll you out to the doors to drop you. They turned the lights on and we sat there for a good half hour, which we found fun because we love to see behind the magic. Then they told us they would go ahead and drop us, woohooo, yeees. They told us when we got down to the bottom if we wanted to ride it again since it broke, we could get right back on it. My son and I were the only ones to take advantage of that. I'm a little person so I get a lot of air, which just tickles my son to death. Love it at night. Nothing about it scares me, love everything about it. We don't even mind waiting in the stand by line because I find the grounds just as fascinating as everything else. If they let me stay the night there, I'm in.

Think you and I are kindred spirits. This ride is my very favorite of any theme park ride. My record for consecutive rides is 5 or 6. I love this ride...everything about it. Doesn't scare me or make me nervous. Fun from start to finish for me. And in my opinion, Disney Imagineering at its very finest. Experienced my first on-ride break-down on my last trip a couple of months ago. On the last drop, we stopped quite abruptly about 6-8 feet short of the bottom and sat there in the dark for several minutes before they got things going again. Took them up on their offer for an immediate re-ride.

 

[Micca]

I've never noticed any of that stuff. I LOVE TOT, I guess I need to start paying attention! ETA: Has everyone seen the mystery woman on the verandah just outside the entrance?

 

[DebbieB]

Wow, I have rode it probably 100 times and never noticed this. I'll have to check next time.

I saw something interesting last year, reminded me of the old penny trick. I was in the second row and a woman was in the front row had a pair of sunglasses tucked in her shirt. During the drop I saw them actually floating in front of her. At the end of the ride, they were across the steps on the other side on the floor. I asked her if she saw it, she said she had her eyes closed!

 

[happiest place]

My absolute favorite ride and I have probably been on it at least 75 times and I have never seen him. I am going to have to look for him when I ride it in January!

 

[cigar95]

His name is Caesar. Episode title is "Caesar and Me", and if you think he's creepy now, you may not want to find and watch the episode.

He looks a little bit different from the one in "The Dummy", which was a different episode, though definitely similar. The cigar is the giveaway.

 

[SonicSunglasses]

His name is Caesar. Episode title is "Caesar and Me", and if you think he's creepy now, you may not want to find and watch the episode.

He looks a little bit different from the one in "The Dummy", which was a different episode, though definitely similar. The cigar is the giveaway.

Thanks to both those TZ episodes, I can't stand to be in the same room with a ventriloquist's dummy. And don't get me started on Talky Tina...

 

[cigar95]

And don't get me started on Talky Tina...

Dad really had it coming in that one.