Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Ride to Replace Women Auction Scene After 50 Years

Yar! Hear ye, hear ye! We be stopping the auctions of wenches!

By Corinne Heller Jun 30, 2017 6:41 PMTags
Pirates of the Caribbean, Artist ConceptDisney

Yar! Hear ye, hear ye! We be stopping the auctions of wenches!

Since 1967, the popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney Parks has featured a scene in which animatronic women, including a redheaded one in a hat and pink dress, are tied up and auctioned off.

It featured a sign that read "Auction, Take a wench for a bride," while animatronic drunken pirates shout, "We wants the redhead!"

According to comments Kathy Mangum, SVP, Atlantic Region Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering made on the Disney Parks blog this week, the women's days as auction prizes will soon over.

"A familiar character is playing a new role joining the pirates ranks and helping the local townspeople 'unload' their valuables at the Mercado auction," the statement said. "In the U.S., this famous redhead will appear in a similar scene at the Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland park in 2018 following a previously scheduled refurbishment."

As seen in an artist's illustration, the new scene will feature a sign that reads, "Auction, surrender yer loot."

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"We believe the time is right to turn the page to a new story in this scene, consistent with the humorous, adventurous spirit of the attraction," a Disney Resort rep told The O.C. Register.

"Our team thought long and hard about how to best update this scene," Magnum said in a statement to the newspaper. "Given the redhead has long been a fan favorite, we wanted to keep her as a pivotal part of the story, so we made her a plundering pirate! We think this keeps to the original vision of the attraction as envisioned by Marc Davis, X Atencio and the other Disney legends who first brought this classic to life."

The pirate woman will assume her new role first at Disneyland Paris' Pirates ride, which will open on July 24 after a refurbishment, which included its transformation into the movie-esque version seen in the U.S. parks. It is the final park to receive characters from the films added to its Pirates ride.