Less than three months after opening, Disney began selling "Value Books", each of which contained several of each coupon labeled "A" through "C", to supplement the pay-per-ride system.
Additionally, the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, Rocket to the Moon, Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules, Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, and Jungle Cruise—all previously "D" rides—were upgraded to "E".
This was largely due to competition from Six Flags Magic Mountain, which, when it opened in 1971, allowed its visitors unlimited use of its attractions after paying the admission fee.
[2] By June 1982, coupons vanished entirely and were replaced by the present-day system where main gate admission entitles visitors to all rides and attractions, excluding coin-operated arcades.
In the 1984 film Night of the Comet during the department store hostage scene, Willy, the gang's leader, refers to the E ticket as he has the gun against Samantha's head.