In October 1957, Jack Sayers read an article in Funspot magazine about a "wild mouse" coaster that could make quick turns and sharp drops, and he passed the article along to Walt, who passed it along to Dick Irvine. By May 15, 1958, Bill Cottrell was talking at a meeting about converting Holiday Hill with "a pair of wild mouse bobsleds" with a little bit of artificial snow.
Once the concept was presented it took another six months for the name of the mountain to be finalized. Possible names included "Mount
Disneyland," "Disneyland Mountain," "Fantasy Mountain," "Echo Mountain," "Sorcerer's Mountain" (after the mountain in Fantasia) and even "Magic Mountain" ("Magic Mountain" later became the name of a Southern California amusement park competitor). As a joke, it was even suggested to call the mountain "Mt. Valterhorn" to parody Walt's name in a Bavarian accent.