One of Disneyland's opening day attractions in 1955, The Jungle Cruise is set to become more inclusive.
"Horrifyingly racist" is how one of Disney's peers in the theme park design community, the Thinkwell Group, characterized various Jungle Cruise scenes in an essay published shortly after Disney announced the changes to Splash Mountain.
A spear-waving war party was added to the Jungle Cruise in 1957, as was the "Trader Sam" character, a dark-skinned man today outfitted in straw tribal wear. Disney tiki bars — one on each coast — are named for the character that traffics in stereotypes. He'll trade you "two of his heads for one of yours."
