A collection of images and other items from Disneyland, theme parks and other amusement parks. Also look for images and items I find interesting, amusing or both.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Flying Elephant
No it is not Dumbo, but rather one of the elephants for the sacred bathing pool in the Jungle Cruise. During the upgrade and addition of the pool, Disney Imagineers added more elephants to the attraction. A press photographer was on hand to capture the placement of one of the elephants. It is interesting to see the compressed air tank and machinery that is used to make the elephant move. The caption on the reverse reads: Flying Elephant- Disneyland's jungle river gets a new shipment of pachyderms for its Bathing Pool of Indian Elephants. Lifted over the trees by a 60 foot crane the animated figures weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Five more elephants were added to the pool including the big fellow coming over the treetops. There are now 23 elephants in the pool. Their hides are molded in pliable plastic then planted with elephant hair to make them appear life-like. Photo is dated May 16, 1963.
That's the big pachyderm in the very back who, oddly enough, has yet to appear in any other version of the Jungle Cruise, not even Tokyo's very large one. I wonder if the figure was / is problematic? or if he's only there to hide something very specific?
ReplyDeleteHas the Elephant Bathing Pool been altered? I don't even remember seeing it the last time I rode the Jungle Cruise, but I may have been distracted! I think I heard that it was changed when Indy was built
ReplyDeleteThey never took it out, it's right past the Temple. What was changed was a small loop that was where Indy's outer digs are now
ReplyDelete