Lari the armadillo, an original Tiana’s Bayou Adventure character, now has his own mailbox and a lantern at the Magic Kingdom attraction.
Lari the Armadillo Props
The new mailbox is located outside a door on the Critter Co-Op façade. Critter Co-Op replaces The Briar Patch as one of the gift shops for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The mailbox resembles a tree trunk that has been cut to have a door. A metal flag is attached to the side above “Lari.”
The armadillo’s name is painted in white. Lari is also referenced in a Critter Co-Op window.
It seems this is Lari’s home and he may actually be the proprietor of the new gift shop. Here is Disney’s description of Lari:
This mischievous fella, while quiet in demeanor, seems to always show up where you least expect him to. I hear he has a habit of “borrowing” things that aren’t his (although those things eventually make it into the right “paws”).
A fake rock outside Lari’s home has a rectangular hole. This will probably hide a speaker or light.
Speaking of Lari the armadillo, we checked on his figure next to the ride flume near the end of the attraction. This figure was installed last month. Another version of Lari was installed on the ride last week.
This Lari now has a red and green lantern next to him.
We saw a trio of Imagineers walking along this loop of the flume, checking on the attraction.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Entrance
Meanwhile, crews are getting ready to install wait time signage at the entrance of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This sign in a nearby flowerbed is still wrapped in a tarp.
The entrance to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be under the Frontierland train station. During our last few construction updates, crew members took a tarp down from the entrance marquee and installed wood.
There are two square openings in the wood with electrical wiring inside. We expect electronic signs to be installed over these openings.
Other Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Construction
Crews continue to clear construction materials from this space behind construction walls and under the train station. This is where the Splash Mountain-themed Laughin’ Place play area used to be. It’s starting to look more cleaned up, indicating it may reopen as a walkway soon.
Guests can still walk under the train station to reach restrooms near the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue. We could hear crew members working behind the construction walls.
The Splash Mountain façade has been transformed with foliage and crops, turning it into an old salt mine in the bayou of Louisiana. Along this fence next to the ride’s flume, we can see what looks like lemons.
Perhaps the only real remnant of Splash Mountain left in the area is this “Cast Members Only Please” sign. It doesn’t specifically reference Splash Mountain but it has the more woodsy aesthetic of the old attraction.
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