Once again not really a souvenir that was sold, but now a souvenir of a long gone park. This is the exit sign that would have been seen at Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, California. Neptune's Kingdom was the first attraction you walked through to enter the pier and amusement area of POP. I believe the sign would have been lit and had a strobe effect in such a way that King Neptunes hand would wave. I also believe that the attraction was lit like the Fantasyland Dark Rides, leading to a more realistic looking King Neptune. This sign is fairly big, a bit bigger than a Disneyland attraction poster. The sign is painted on plywood and has several holes from where it was screwed into the wall. The Coca Cola lettering is a silver gilt type of material and the mermaid is drinking a Coca Cola.
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10 comments:
Wow what a great sign and the fact that it was saved from the park being so large and not tossed back then. Thanks for posting it.
Neato - - beautiful artifact! I'm not sure how the "waving arm effect" would have worked. I recently saw the classic Twilight Zone with Jack Klugman and Billy Mumy called "In Praise of Pip", the amusement park scenes were filmed at POP. You get a few enticing glimpses of the park....at the end you can see some little "POP" signs spinning in the wind.
my lord what a great sign!
i love the 'homespun' nature of POP...never slick but more like a mom 'n pop roadside carnival.
teriffic piece!
I just LOVE this site, you always post such great shots!
I love that sign! It would be nice to see it lit.
DoomBuggy Productions once posted a "how-to" on building a working hatbox ghost, with a disappearing head, out of plywood. The effect worked with paint color and two blinking colored bulbs. The head matched the color of one bulb and blended into the background, and popped out with the other one.
Perhaps thats how the effect on neptune's hand worked.
Where did you stumble on that?!
Amazing. I have a friend that has
the ride soundtracks for the park.
Thanks for posting this.
Anonymous- any way you can get in touch with me on the soundtracks? I would love to hear them!
Hippo- it is at your house.
The first roller coaster I ever went on was at POP. I went there more then once as a youngin. Thanks for the memories.
Thanks for the view of the sign. I grew up in Ocean Park and have a nice collection of memorabilia. I miss the p;ace! It was one of a kind.
Incredible find!
Steve
i used to live in venice ca and made many visits to pop, that is what we all ways called it pop. one trip i went with actor leo gorcey his son and my brother bobby. it was 1965 or 64 summer time. so many asked to take a picture of leo and hopped one day i would run across someone who might still have that photo. jeichstedt@cox.net
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