Barker Bird- Tiki Room

In order to promote Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, the imagineers placed an audio-animatronic barker bird to rally guests to come in and enjoy the show. This bird was immortalized in a sculpture done by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily.

Walt Disney in His Enchanted Tiki Room

Uncle Walt holding a small girl so she can have a closer look at the singing flowers. The photo is dates stamped 3 days prior to the official opening of the attraction. Walt does look happy and proud with his Tiki Room.

Singing Birds for Fifty Years

Yesterday was the Fiftieth Anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room located in Adventureland in Disneyland. An audio animatronic spectacle of singing birds, drumming and chanting tikis, and swaying flowers. I have posted many images of this fantastic attraction and I plan to highlight some of my favorite posts. First up is a travel agency advertising piece for United Airlines.

An unusual shot of an item not usually documented is this trash can.

A nice image of Tangaroa from the pre-show.

The welcoming sign featuring United Airlines prominently.

A lovely image of the tiki gardens.

Another shot of the tiki gardens.

Once inside, flash photographs are not allowed and interior images are harder to find. Here is a nice image of the bird mobile.

Congratulations to Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room for fifty years of fun!

Souvenir Friday- Anaheim Brochure

Anaheim soon discovered that Disneyland was a great way to draw tourists and even potential residents. Using the Hub of Happiness and the sun for sunny California, Anaheim promoted itself and it worked. The city became a known location and the home of not only Disneyland but also industry. The yellow strip on the bottom is two sided with a large list of hotels, motels and restaurants.

The Brainy Bunch

Three more images of Sea World in 1978. First up is an image of the dolphin show with the sign board reading The Brainy Bunch. This stadium is nice with Polynesian touches and the Hawaiian Punch pavilion in the background.

Next up is a washed out image of the flamingo pool at the front of the park. I distinctly remember looking at all the various pink birds sitting in this pool.

Final image is of a petting pool located close the Japanese Pavilion. The two moms seem much more interested than the two little boys.

Frontierland Wildlife

Two images of wildlife scenes found on the Rivers of America. The first shows the natural competition between two elk. You can just see the set of antlers from the second buck as the two animals collide.

Next is a family of black bears just hanging out in the water and scratching their back. I never noticed the bee hive hanging on the tree...honey for the bears just for the asking.

Jungle River Scenes

Three slides dating from 1964 featuring some of the fun vignettes viewed while on the Jungle River Cruise. All of these scenes were about 2 years old and designed by Marc Davis. First up is the elephant shower, with the elephant having a great time in the water.

Next up is the African Veldt. Note the difference in location and setting of the lions feasting on the zebra.

Last image is my favorite vignette, the lost safari treed by a rhino with the peanut gallery of hyenas laughing.

Posers

A guy and two girls posing at Disneyland. First up are two images taken in front of the Matterhorn mountain. A longer view...

And a close up...

A quick walk over and a pose on the forecourt of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Souvenir Friday- Pablum Children's Menu

A child eating at the Gourmet Restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel in the late 1950s would order their meal off of this colorful menu. Pablum was a major brand of baby food and was featured not only at the Disneyland Hotel, but also sponsored the baby care station on Main Street in Disneyland. When I first started collecting Disneyland items, I found this menu at a local Swap Meet. I have always liked the mid-Century Modern illustration of the Mark Twain on the front as well as the Dumbo graphics on the inside. The Tinker Bell graphic is also great on the interior of the menu. Make sure you click on the image to expand the size.

Having Fun in the Future

Three views of Tomorrowland at Disneyland in June of 1964. The slides are from the same trip as the lovely views from the Swiss Family Treehouse yesterday. The first view is of the Avenue of Flags leading to the world of tomorrow. Any slide featuring nuns in Disneyland holding a souvenir guide is a great one.

Next up is a great view of the House of the Future with nice modern bench and vases outside and a long line to enter the house.

The last image is my favorite with so much great fun being captured. The family on the saucers bumping each other, the group of guests waiting to enjoy the attraction and the cast members. Unfortunately I cannot see the patch on the hats of the cast members.

Views From a Treehouse

Two nice views taken from the Swiss Family Treehouse. First up is a lower view looking over Adventureland and Frontierland with the Matterhorn mountain in the background. Based upon the lighting, it appears the photographer climbed up the attraction early in the morning.

The next view is near the top of the tree with a nice view of the Jungle Cruise and the parking lot in the background.

Let's Go to the 1965 New York World's Fair

One of the major attractions in the summer of 1965 was the New York World's Fair held in Flushing Meadows. The fair featured international pavilions, industrial displays, rides and shows and attractions. First image is part of the international area of the World's Fair. Based upon this picture, there was quite a crowd present on this day.

Next image is a view of the Ford Pavilion and a nice group of colorful flags. I like the large NYWF flags flying here.

Final image for today is the Vatican Pavilion. I like the lights in front of the building, and the worker in his red and white nautical outfit.

King Arthur Carrousel

This lucky young girl picked her favorite black horse and got to ride with her dad. I like the beatnik look of dad and the colorful outfit on the young girl.

Souvenir Friday- The Oak Room Bulletin March 1962

An interesting piece of Disneyland hotel history is this bulletin from March 1962 that was sent out to members of the exclusive men's club, the Oak Room. It appears that this was a very fancy club, note the rule that tie and jacket must be worn after 5 PM except for special events or costume parties. Based upon the parties, it was a place where adults could go and unwind. Note that the Mai Tais are limited to 2 per person. The Oak Room was connected to the Gourmet Restaurants, probably the second floor room. Other souvenirs for the Oak Room including several matchbooks and even some steins featuring the heraldic symbol.

Scenic Views From the Jungle

Three nice scenic elements from the Jungle River ride. First up is the view of the abandoned temple. Great detail of the various deities.

Next up is the monkey god shrine. Beware of the giant spider protecting the giant ruby.

Final image is of the hut and watercraft found at the end of the ride. I like the tiki style of painting on the dugout canoes.

Interesting Scenes in Frontierland

Although starting with a common image of the friendly Indian Village as seen from the Rivers of America,I promise a couple of unusual images. Although common, this is still a nice view of the village filled with activity.

Next up is a posed shot of two guests with one of the gun fighters in Frontierland. From appearances, the gunfighter is one of the good guys, not a bad guy. The girls do look very happy to be posing with such a manly man.

A great image of the Gonzalez Trio in Frontierland playing their music and entertaining the crowd. A nice crowd shot.

Marineland 1964

One of the less flashy amusement parks in the Los Angeles area was Marineland. The main attraction was shows featuring various sealife doing tricks and skits. The star whale would leap out of the tank.

A closer view of the whale with sharp teeth.

The grounds were also nicely landscaped with pools for various animals including this pool with pink flamingos and puffins.