For more than 40 years the mechanical hippos would lunge threateningly out of the water at every boat that toured Disneyland's ersatz Amazon River, only to be repulsed by skippers firing their sidearms. Then, in 2001, political correctness appeared to accomplish what the hippos never could. The skippers were disarmed.

"When I was working there, the kids would start holding their ears when you started into hippo territory," recalled former Jungle Cruise skipper Rip Ribble. "It's a shame that in this day and age because of gang activity and political correctness and animal rights, people took offense to shooting at the hippo. But really, it was all make-believe."

Now Disneyland has rearmed the skippers, one of several actions officials say are aimed at "restoring the magic" as the park approaches its 50th birthday next year.

The horses pulling carriages down Main Street USA are being given their name tags back, and plans are under way to put the gut-wrenching twists and turns back into the Mad Tea Party ride's teacups. Park employees in New Orleans Square are also getting more colorful costumes.

Giving the Jungle Cruise skippers their guns back is what seems to have delighted visitors the most, however.

"At least once a week somebody would get off the boat and say, `Hey, what happened to the guns?'" said Ribble's daughter, Sherri, one of the ride's operators.

Now, she says, people burst into applause when she opens fire.

One youngster even thanked Ribble for saving her from the hippos.