They've Been Singing that Infernal "It's a Small World" Song for 40 Years

Disneyland celebrated the 40th anniversary of "it's a small world" (sic) this past Sunday. While the classic ride debuted at Disneyland in 1966, it actually made its grand entrance as a UNICEF pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. "Small" is a relative term. Since it opened, about a gazillion denizens of our diminutive planet have boarded the ride--and subsequently tried in vain to get the cloying theme song out of their brains. For all my kidding, it's hard not to love the charming attraction, which is now found at four Disney theme parks around the world. See my it's a small world Ride Review. You can also see many of the ride's animated dolls in my it's a small world Photo Gallery. And if you're really brave, you can risk short-circuiting your neural synapses and lapsing into zombie-like chanting of the tune by looking at the it's a small world song lyrics. All together now: It's a world of laughter, a world of tears...