This character was such a disaster its understandable why they removed it from the attraction. But I’m still really sad that we never really got to see the mountain sheep since Bob Gurr was so proud of it. 🐑 It’s also important to note that the sheep wasn’t an audio animatronic, just an animated character, because audio-animatronics had not yet been invented when this was installed in 1960.

The Mountain Sheep was a very simple gag, operating with the action of just one cylinder. It did go through a series of tests before it was placed in the attraction, and though the sheep operated well, it was a little too realistic for the mules.

The mule train operated from opening day of Disneyland (July 17, 1955) till its closure in October of 1973. It was first called simply the “Mule pack” before becoming Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules, and then eventually Pack Mules through Nature’s Wonderland. The pack mule ride was plagued with accidents because if the unpredictable animals, and was responsible for the park’s largest damage payouts with at least 4 to 5 cases of major injuries. The safety and liability concerns were what led to its ultimate demise.

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