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The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm
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There’s an airplane embedded in the water tower at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm (or Goofy’s Wise Acres Farm according to the sign on the water tower) here at Mickey’s Toontown Fair. How did it get there? Walk across the street to Minnie Mouse’s house for the answer. |
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Art by Minnie Mouse |
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Minnie Mouse is quite an artist. From her atelier at the front of her house, Minnie created a dramatic painting of Goofy crashing his home-built airplane into the water tower. She watched it happen out her window. Don’t worry. Goofy wasn’t hurt. (Sometimes it’s good to be a cartoon character rather than a human.) |
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Barnstormer at Wise Acres Farm |
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Goofy is a stunt pilot—a “barnstormer”—in the tradition of the daredevels of the 1920s who used using surplus Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplanes to entertain rural audiences with aerial acrobatics. Goofy has a better idea. Instead of just having you watching him fly his biplane through turns and dives, you can fly in an airplane designed by Goofy. |
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Rules |
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Goofy has a few rules for you. You only need to be 35 inches tall. That means even most four-year-olds are tall enough. Goofy wants the whole family to enjoy this experience. |
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Design for “Multiflex Octoplane” |
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Goofy has designed and built a special “Multiflex Octoplane” with eight articulated sections, each with side-by-side seating for two guests. You can examine his drawing before you fly. Who knew Goofy is such a skilled engineer? Notice that the emergency escape parachute has been “cut for budgetary reasons!” |
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Outdoor queue |
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Okay, let’s be honest. This isn’t a flight in a real airplane. This is a roller coaster ride. In fact, it’s a great “first roller coaster” for young children. |
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Popcorn field |
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The queue is half the fun. Now you know where popcorn comes from. |
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Service door |
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Yep. The queue really is half the fun. |
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Cluck, cluck |
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Welcome to the chicken room. The chickens go nuts every time a train—excuse me, an Octoplane—goes by. |
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One of Goofy’s windmills |
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At other farms, windmills capture wind to pump water. But Goofy’s windmills create wind. That’s a good thing if you’re waiting for the ride on a hot day. |
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Ready for take-off? |
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You’ve made it through the queue. Now take a seat in the open cockpit, the tail section, or in one of the six “airplane sections” between them. That works out to a total of 16 passengers per flight, although adults may not want to share one of the rather tight seats with anyone else. |
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Lift hill |
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Your “flight” begins with the ascent up the lift hill. Less than 30 seconds after leaving the loading area, you’re at the top. Now the real fun begins. Enjoy the ride! |
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Wee! |
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Radio station WACKY |
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Following Goofy’s flight path |
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After the safe landing |
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The thrilling part of the ride lasted only around 25 seconds—but they were a fun 25 seconds. |
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The Barnstormer premiered at the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1996—the 25th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World. The Barnstormer replaced Grandma Duck’s Petting Farm as part of the transformation of Mickey’s Starland into Mickey’s Toontown Fair. The attraction was officially called The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, but almost everyone just called it Goofy’s Barnstormer. The track was a customized version of a standard junior coaster from Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma International. |
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Construction wall blocking the former Mickey’s Toontown Fair |
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After having the Wiseacre Farm theme for 14 and a half years, the attraction closed on February 12, 2011, along with the rest of Mickey’s Toontown Fair. |
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Artwork for the re-Imagineered version |
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The ride came back in March 2012 as the Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini. Why the change? Mickey’s Toontown Fair represented a rural fair in the cartoon world, but the Storybook Circus section of the New Fantasyland represents a circus in the tradition of the one in Walt Disney’s 1941 animated feature Dumbo. Guests are no more likely to call it Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini than were to call it The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm. The re-Imagineered attraction that almost every guest will continue to call Goofy’s Barnstormer is back as the “first roller coaster” for another generation of young children—and as a fun attraction for anyone else who enjoys a mild thrill ride. |
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© 2011 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated December 28, 2012.
Photo of Barnstormer water tower: 2009 by Werner Weiss. |
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