For more than four decades, strolling the 1.2-mile promenade of EPCOT's World Showcase has been a lesson in architectural consistency. Since the Norway Pavilion made its grand debut in 1988, the permanent lineup of 11 international pavilions has remained completely unchanged. Even as massive, multi-million-dollar reimagining projects have swept through World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery, the global promenade has stood as a kind of historical time capsule.
But here's a question worth sitting with: what if Disney actually broke ground on a 12th country — and a piece of it has been hiding in plain sight in front of millions of guests every single year?
The Strange Story of the "Lost Danish Potties"
To understand how Disney quietly tucked an entire country's infrastructure into the park, you have to trace a path all the way back to EPCOT Center's opening day on October 1, 1982. Longtime theme park historians and archive enthusiasts have long whispered about a curious phenomenon known as the "Lost Danish Potties" of World Showcase.
When the park first opened, a curious architectural anomaly existed between the Mexico and China pavilions: a free-standing, highly detailed guest restroom facility sitting entirely alone on a wide plot of undeveloped forest. These weren't ordinary comfort stations. They were built with intricate, rustic Nordic design flourishes — and they weren't there by accident.
In reality, those restrooms were a vestigial remnant of a major Phase II expansion plan: the unbuilt Denmark Pavilion.
Denmark Was Closer Than You Think
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Disney was aggressively negotiating with governments and major corporations worldwide to secure funding and sponsorships for World Showcase. Denmark advanced so far through the design pipeline that Disney went ahead and installed massive subterranean plumbing, electrical mains, and structural foundations for the pavilion's back end — all before the park even opened its gates.
Original Imagineering blueprints and scale models from the era reportedly reveal that the Denmark Pavilion was intended to be a true showstopper for the park's second phase. Unfortunately, the grand corporate and diplomatic partnerships fell apart. When negotiations with the Danish government and LEGO hit a financial impasse, Disney pivoted — attempting to piece together a multi-national "Scandinavia" pavilion that would blend the cultures, folklore, and architecture of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
Sweden and Denmark ultimately dropped out of the conversation entirely. Norway, however, stepped up to underwrite the venture, leading to the Norway Pavilion's opening in 1988.
Norway Built Right Around Denmark's Plumbing
When Imagineers constructed the Norway village — including the Maelstrom dark ride (now Frozen Ever After) and the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — they didn't demolish those lonely standalone bathrooms that had been sitting there since 1982. Instead, they built the new Norwegian facades right around them, effectively annexing the Danish plumbing infrastructure into Norway's modern borders.
To this day, when you use the restrooms at the back of the Norway Pavilion, you are stepping onto infrastructure that was physically engineered for Denmark more than 40 years ago.
38 Years Without a New Country — and Growing Impatience
It has now been 38 years since a completely new country was added to the World Showcase promenade. With multiple blank expansion pads sitting empty and underutilized around the lagoon, the fan community has grown increasingly vocal, loudly calling for a true 12th nation. When looking across Disney fan forums, viral concept art, and guest satisfaction surveys, four countries consistently rise to the top of the conversation:
Colombia
Fueled by the massive, multi-generational cultural phenomenon of Disney Animation's Encanto, Colombia is a major favorite among modern park fans. Enthusiasts envision a breathtaking, colorful village defined by lush vegetation and a fully realized, kinetic La Casita. A Colombian pavilion could house a cutting-edge trackless dark ride through the magical rooms of the Madrigal family, an authentic coffee hacienda serving world-class Colombian brews, and a vibrant street festival showcasing traditional vallenato and cumbia music.
Greece
For EPCOT traditionalists who miss the educational, culturally rich spirit of the park's early years, Greece remains the ultimate dream project. A Greek pavilion would offer striking, sun-bleached Cycladic architecture right on the lagoon's waterfront, an elegant Mediterranean taverna serving authentic gyros, souvlaki, and local olive oils, and a high-tech attraction or theater presentation exploring ancient Greek mythology, philosophy, and history — perhaps with a tasteful nod to Disney's Hercules.
Australia
Representing an entire continent that currently has zero permanent real estate within the park, an Australian pavilion would provide an incredible thematic and geographical shift for World Showcase. Concept pitches include a sweeping Outback wilderness exploration trail, a high-energy dining experience showcasing indigenous flavors and Australian wines, and a Great Barrier Reef interactive walk-through component utilizing modern projection effects.
Brazil
Long considered the "holy grail" of rumored EPCOT additions — due to the massive volume of South American tour groups that visit the resort annually — a Brazil pavilion has been teased by insiders for decades. A Brazilian showcase would bring an immediate surge of energy to the lagoon, featuring a festive Rio de Janeiro Carnaval street show, a traditional all-you-care-to-enjoy churrascaria steakhouse, and an immersive indoor dark ride taking guests on a conservation-focused trek through the Amazon Rainforest.
The Canvas Is Laid Out and Waiting
As the years march on and the empty expansion plots around the World Showcase lagoon continue to host temporary festival booths, the park's unbuilt history serves as a poignant reminder of what could have been. From the fabled "Lost Danish Potties" hiding behind Norway's stone walls to the vibrant cultural concepts fans have drawn up for Colombia, Greece, Australia, and Brazil, the appetite for global storytelling at EPCOT is larger than ever. Whether Disney ever breaks ground on a true 12th nation remains to be seen — but the canvas is laid out, wired, and waiting.