Happy Birthday, Pirates of the Caribbean!

This Sunday, legendary attraction Pirates of the Caribbean will celebrate its 40th birthday. Opening on March 18, 1967, the attraction was one of the last Walter Disney himself worked on before his death and has become one of Disney's most well-known attractions.

PERSONAL PHOTO / 2006

In a press release today, Disneyland celebrated the attraction.

Disneyland Resort will mark a 40-year milestone Sunday, March 18, when the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction celebrates its 40th anniversary ... The Sunday anniversary will be observed with in-park autograph signings by Walt Disney Imagineers involved in the creation of the attraction, and with the debut of some new collectible Pirates-themed items.

Nearly 315,000,000 Disneyland guests have experienced the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction since its 1967 opening.

"Yo Ho's" songwriter X Atencio ... said, "It's amazing to me how the show has lived for 40 years. It gets stronger every year. It just blows my mind."

Pirates of the Caribbean was first conceived by Walt Disney in the late 1950s when he wanted to create an attraction based on pirate adventures. Initially, it was envisioned to be a wax museum and then as a walk-through adventure as part of a new land themed to New Orleans. But ultimately, it was actualized as a ride-through adventure that utilizes the type of boat system that the "it's a small world" attraction employs.

Here's to 40 more years, Pirates!