What Disney Thought the "Bathroom of Tomorrow" Would Look Like

WaltDisney.org

Do you have dumbbells in your bathroom? A hydraulic sink? “Citrus yellow” fixtures? Yeah, me neither—which means, like most 1950s predictions for the future, the Disneyland ideal for the “Bathroom of Tomorrow” was not quite accurate.

In 1956, the Crane Plumbing Company outfitted Disneyland’s Tomorrowland area with a futuristic lavatory. Along with Crane Co. President Frank Elliot and industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, Walt himself opened the exhibit, eschewing the traditional ribbon cutting for theme-appropriate valve turning.

Similar to the Monsanto House of the Future attraction, theme park guests could tour (but not use) the futuristic bathroom to ooh and ahh over the sophisticated trends and technology they could look forward to using in the decades to come.

In addition to the interesting features listed above, the Bathroom of Tomorrow included a gold-plated bathtub and bidet, air conditioning, and a “hot water boiler of advanced design” to use if the room got too chilly. “Tomorrow’s bathroom incorporates the type of heating and cooling which will make you forget the weather,” the brochure boasted. The exhibit also included “a dramatic story of valves in industry,” a fascinating display that was surely a hit with the kiddies.

As exciting as all of that sounds, a futuristic bathroom that doesn’t change with the times has a pretty limited time span. The exhibit was flushed just four years after it opened, replaced by a Fun Foto location.