Another piece of DinoLand U.S.A. came down Thursday morning at Disney, and this one carried more nostalgic weight than most of what has been removed so far.
The yellow explosion flat from Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, the signature exterior sign element featuring a pair of cartoon dinosaurs holding a broken sign, was removed by construction crews on April 9 as Tropical America’s construction activity across the site hit one of its most visibly active weeks yet.
For anyone who loved DinoLand U.S.A., this one stings. For anyone tracking Tropical Americas‘ construction this week, the activity shows how fast this project is moving.
What Came Down This Week at Disney
The yellow explosion flat that served as the backdrop for the Chester and Hester dinosaur sign on the gift shop exterior was one of the last recognizable visual connections to the original Chester and Hester story still attached to the building. It had survived the initial wave of exterior stripping that began when DinoLand U.S.A. closed in January 2025, but crew members finally removed it Thursday morning.
Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures has been closed since January 2025 and sign removal began that same month. The yellow explosion flat was among the final surviving exterior elements of the original store’s identity. An arrow sign and some billboard supports remain on the rooftops, but the most distinctive piece of the Chester and Hester visual identity is now gone from Disney.
Chester & Hester Sign Finally Being Removed for New Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdomhttps://t.co/RZJffPoF35
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) April 9, 2026
Through tarps covering the hole left by the removed Airstream trailer, the last Restaurantosaurus sign has also been removed, along with wall paneling. Significant exterior paneling has been stripped from the gift shop structure, leaving black sheathing exposed where the old gas station conversion aesthetic used to define the building’s appearance.
The buildings themselves are not being demolished. Chester and Hester’s and Restaurantosaurus will be converted to match Tropical Americas theming but everything that made them identifiably DinoLand is being systematically removed and replaced.
What the Carousel Construction Looks Like Right Now
The carousel being built as one of Tropical Americas’ anchor features has reached a construction phase that is now visible above the construction walls for the first time.
Block walls and steel framing around the carousel site are rising several feet above those walls, giving observers a genuine sense of the structure’s scale for the first time. Active welding work was underway Thursday morning with bursts of sparks visible every few seconds as crew members worked on the steel framework. The framing going up appears to be for a covered queue alongside the carousel. The circular foundation visible beyond the walls is for the carousel structure itself.
The pace of construction visible this week across the entire Tropical Americas site is consistent with a project moving toward its 2027 opening on a serious timeline.
What This Means for Disney
DinoLand U.S.A. built its identity through specific details that rewarded attention. Chester and Hester’s yellow explosion flat was one of those details. It came down Thursday, and the Animal Kingdom that longtime Disney fans remember took another step toward becoming something different.
Tropical Americas is moving fast. The signs are coming down. The carousel is going up.
