Disney Quietly Restores Original Pirates of the Caribbean Redhead

A familiar face has resurfaced inside one of Disney’s most famous attractions.

Pirates of the Caribbean has changed considerably since its original 1967 debut. While much of its classic Disney Imagineering remains intact, several scenes have been rewritten or removed as the company has reconsidered how some of the attraction’s jokes and characters are presented.

One of its biggest changes came less than a decade ago, when Disney targeted a scene that had become almost as recognizable as the ride itself.

Why Disney Removed the Original Redhead

For decades, the Pirates of the Caribbean auction scene depicted captured women being offered to pirates as prospective brides. At the center was a redheaded woman dressed in crimson, who attracted significantly more attention from the pirates than anyone else.

The scene became known for one particularly famous line.

As the Redhead stood nearby, the pirates repeatedly shouted, “We wants the redhead!”

Disney ultimately decided the scene had run its course.

In 2017, the company announced that Pirates of the Caribbean attractions would be updated to remove the bride auction. The decision followed growing criticism of a sequence built around women being presented as property for sale.

Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean subsequently closed for refurbishment on April 23, 2018. When the attraction reopened on June 8, the auction scene had been substantially rewritten.

The Redhead was not erased entirely.

Instead, Disney transformed her into Redd, a pirate carrying a pistol and participating in an auction of stolen goods and rum. Rather than pirates attempting to purchase brides, the updated scene shifted their attention toward the town’s loot.

The original Audio-Animatronic figure, meanwhile, was removed and relocated to the Walt Disney Archives.

Versions of the revised scene were introduced at multiple Disney parks. Tokyo Disneyland remains the notable exception, with its Pirates of the Caribbean attraction continuing to feature the original Redhead sequence.

For Disneyland guests, however, the classic version of the character appeared to be firmly consigned to the attraction’s past.

That is no longer entirely the case.

The Original Redhead Is Back Inside Pirates of the Caribbean

Disneyland has quietly restored a reference to the original Pirates of the Caribbean Redhead nearly eight years after removing her from the attraction.

Guests looking closely inside the ride can now spot a framed portrait among piles of treasure near a chest.

The woman in the portrait is unmistakable. She is shown standing with her hands on her hips while wearing the familiar red dress and oversized hat associated with the original bride auction character.

Disney has not publicly announced the addition or explained when it was installed.

THE REDHEAD RETURNS! 🙌

I mean… kinda. 😂

But how fantastic is it that the Imagineers threw in this little nod to a classic character for the fans of Pirates of the Caribbean. If we can’t have the Redhead fully back, at least we get this. 🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/0iaDoYAqCT

— Disney Cicerone (@DisneyCicerone) August 25, 2026

Its understated placement means plenty of guests may pass the portrait without noticing it at all. For those familiar with the history of Pirates of the Caribbean, however, it acts as a deliberate Easter egg honoring one of the attraction’s best-known former characters.

The reference is also notable because Disney has not reversed its 2018 changes.

Redd remains the active version of the character inside the auction scene, complete with her pirate costume and weaponry. The original Redhead has instead returned purely as part of the attraction’s background scenery.

The portrait also preserves a piece of Disney Imagineering history.

The original Redhead was developed through the work of Disney Legends Marc Davis and Alice Davis, whose contributions helped establish the characters, costumes, and visual humor that defined the early Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

Its arrival may have coincided with another recent round of changes at Disneyland.

Pirates of the Caribbean reopened in June 2026 following refurbishment work that included updates inside the Pirates Grotto, the treasure-filled sequence encountered before the Battle of Tortuga.

That area also received a new transforming skeleton Audio-Animatronic, suggesting Imagineers used the closure to make multiple adjustments around the treasure scene.

Disney has not confirmed whether the Redhead portrait was installed during that refurbishment, but its location makes the timing a strong possibility.

Either way, the addition takes an unusual approach to Disney attraction history.

The company has kept the modernized auction scene introduced in 2018 while finding a small place for the original character nearby.

Nearly eight years after the Disneyland Redhead disappeared from Pirates of the Caribbean, she is once again part of the ride — even if guests now have to search the treasure piles to find her.

Have you spotted the original Redhead’s new Pirates of the Caribbean cameo at Disneyland?