Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Nile Princess Jungle Cruise Boat

Today's image is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland, the World Famous Jungle Cruise. This image shows a man taking a photograph which is neat, but I want to focus on the two Jungle Cruise employees. The boat loader is wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a bamboo pattern and huarachis for shoes. I am sure these gave lots of protection when the guests would step on his feet. But the theming is right on. And of course these days, the State of California requires the wearing of proper personal protective equipment (full work shoes, they may even require steel toe shoes in case the employee gets his feet between the dock and the boat!)

The boat skipper is also wearing a Hawaiian shirt, this one composed of an abstract pattern. In either case, it appears they just wore a shirt they had from home and were not issued specific shirts as part of a uniform. But also look at his arm as it appears he has a visible tattoo. Now how cool is that, your Jungle Cruise boat is being skippered by a real Sailor who received a tattoo at some foreign port! Talk about appropriate theming.

4 comments:

thepicklebarrel said...

Could be Patrick but Disneyland was pretty hell bent on having the cast members decked out in costume dept authorized wear. those shirts look like the peruvian cotton shirts that were sold in the Adventureland Bazaar.

they also sold 3/4 length sleeve hawaiian shirts that the Jungle Cruise skippers wore. i know i have a couple somewhere when i find 'em i can post pics.

great shot!

Major Pepperidge said...

The skipers must have had more costume varations over the years than any other cast members...you see them in striped shirts, red long-sleeves, dark long-sleeves, white shirts, tunics, etc.

thepicklebarrel said...

DC88-

whoa, Disneyland had Western do some costumes? wow...didn't know that.

i know they occasionally did the films such as 20K and the Zorro tv work. makes sense...

sroden said...

i can't believe they let a guy work there with a visible tatoo - in 1980 they wouldn't let me in the park with blue hair :-)