Building EPCOT Center

Two images that were found randomly in a bunch of other Disneyland junk. The first is three WED employees (it was WED at the time) putting together a dinosaur. This is for the Universe of Energy attraction. I love the method by which the body is being attached to the legs.

The second is from the World of Motion and features the Big City scene. I love the model in the foreground and the WED employees painting and decorating the scene at full scale in the background.

Souvenir Friday- Cast Member Sponsor Pins

During the late 1970's Disneyland began to use large cloisonne pins to promote and recognize sponsors for some of the restaurants and attractions. Here are three I found recently. The first is for Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn. The pin was worn by cast members who operated the popcorn carts in Outdoor Vending. At the time, Orville Redenbacher was the official popcorn of Disneyland.

The next pin is from the American Egg Board sponsored restaurant, the American Egg House on Main Street. Items from the American Egg House are very scarce.

The last pin features the logo for Kikkoman Soy Sauce, sponsors at that time of the Tahitian Terrace. This is a pin that would not be widely recognized.

Knott's Berry Farm, Corriganville and Unknown Park

The end of the interesting photographs in the group. First off are three snapshots from Knott's Berry Farm. In the first shot, the Stagecoach is being unloaded.

The next two are from the Old MacDonald's farm area. In the first, the goat on the roof (and he was always on the roof) is eating a rare Knott's map. The poor kid is playing tug of war and I have a feeling, the boy will lose.

The final Knott's photo is of the seal pool.

The family also visited Corriganville. This image is of Fort Apache and what I can read from the sign, it was the current home to Rin Tin Tin.

The final shot may be from Harold Warp's Pioneer Village, but may also be another tourist attraction amusement park. I do know it is a nice old Ferris Wheel that actually looks fun to ride.

Main Street and King Arthur's Carrousel

Today features the last Disneyland photographs from the group. The first is a general view of Main Street with one of the Surreys along with the elaborately decorated rental wheelchair. Now Disneyland rents electric powered wheelchairs. The drivers of the chairs turn into speed demons and play demolition derby with inanimate objects!

A nice family portrait in front of the Main Street Fire Station.

With a quick trip to Fantasyland to ride King Arthur's Carrousel.

Tom Sawyer's Island Castle Rock and Fort Wilderness

Continuing with the snapshots found in the group are two images from Tom Sawyer's Island. Castle rock was a high promontory rock that one could climb up to see a view of Frontierland. Capped by tall rocks, Tom had placed a flag pole up there and a red rag served as the flag.

The most significant structure found on Tom Sawyer's Island was Fort Wilderness. The fort served as a place to get water and refreshments for the hungry explorers, as well as protection from the Indian attacks. Explorers could use rifles set in the blockhouses to shoot the attackers or other guests.

The last image is for Tim at Vintage Disneyland Tickets showing what has been done to the damage on the Sleeping Beauty Castle bridge he showed.

Some Black and White Views

A nice little grouping of snapshots that my brother found for me. The first four are all of the classic Jungle River Cruise. My favorite is the giraffes closely followed by the boat load of people looking at the gorilla.

Off on Another Adventure

Hello All- Flying out to California for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday party. I will post on Monday. Have a good weekend.

Souvenir Friday- Mickey Mouse Club Circus Gate Flier

In 1955 Walt Disney had just started Disneyland and also his kid's TV show, the Mickey Mouse Club. In order to promote the show, and I think because he wanted to own a circus, Disneyland presented the Mickey Mouse Club circus in a big tent in Fantasyland. The circus performances were 75 minutes in length. Despite all the wondrous entertainment value (Serenado the Wonder Horse, Bob-O the Clown and the Magic Christmas Tree), the circus was not well attended and considered a flop. Here is the gate flier featuring information on the circus along with ticket prices at the time.

An Artist Visits Disneyland

Today's images are from a grouping I found with various dates from visits to Disneyland in the 1960s. The pictures were all taken by the same couple. The first image is a nice shot of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship showing the nicely themed dining area. The date on the photograph is July 1965 and you can see the lushness of the setting.

The second image is also from July 1965 and shows the center of Town Square with the drinking fountain (the wife is covering most of it, but you can still kind of see it for those tracking the fountain) and also one of the themed trash cans. It looks like a busy day.

The next image is a postcard quality shot with the Mark Twain passing by the Indian Village stage. By this time (July 1967) there was a shade canopy for the seating area and also for the drummers. It appears the show is about to begin. Notice the theming of the shields and spears.

Last image for today shows why I called this an artist visits Disneyland, the husband and wife posing at the front entrance. I love the choice of hat, and it appears he has purchased a guide book in his bag. In the background is a nice poster row. Behind the wife's head is the rare Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln attraction poster. I had assumed the only location this particular poster was up was in front of the Opera House.

Ken-L-Ration Dog Show at the Flight Circle

A different Ken-L-Ration dog show for kids and their puppies has been shown before on Daveland's excellent blog as well as this one. However, this appears to be a later dog show. The show was held inside the Flight Circle in Tomorrowland and the emcees were two Disney Dogs, Pluto and Goofy. The first image shows Pluto pantomining to the crowd.

The second is a slightly wider shot with Goofy holding a sign and the judges in white coats. The sign hanging on the temporary barricade is a nice touch. I wonder where the signs ended up at? Also notice the water for the remote control boats. The water does have a nice reflective quality to it.

Ricky in Frontierland and Adventureland

The other two photographs from my trip to California. I was hoping the Adventureland one was in better focus, but no such luck. It still is a nice image showing the early Polynesian decor purchased from either Eli Hedley or Oceanic Arts. In Denver I have found a shield that is similar to the one on the post. I believe it was used at a restaurant located here and was made and sold by Oceanic Arts.

The second image is of the swinging bridge over the lagoon on Tom Sawyer's Island. The kid running back to his parents appears to be holding one of the maps.

Boy in Frontierland

Starting up after a 2 week trip to California. While at the Disney Show, I purchased a small selection of slides. These three slides which feature the early Frontierland were part of the grouping. Unfortunately the photographer did not have the best focus, but the views are still good. The first shows the teenage boy hanging out at Fort Wilderness. This is one of the side gates. I like the engineering above the gate, allowing the gate to be closed quickly in the event of an Indian (or Pirates, or gang of desperadoes or crowd of guests) attack.

The next image shows the bustling street with the Disneyland Horse Corral on the right and in the background the colorful billboard for the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train.

The last shot is the best. Ricky (he looks like a Ricky) is being held up by the infamous and nefarious Black Bart. Look at how shiny the boots and pants are for Black Bart. Also notice Mineral Hall in the background and how close the line is to Rainbow Ridge.

Still Here

Hello Everyone- the blog is still alive, and so am I. I am in California and spent a week at a beach house with no internet connectivity. I went to the park on the 54th Birthday (Vintage Disneyland Tickets- I should have told you so we could have met up!) and sold at the NFFC show on the 19th. Now I am at my parent's house in San Diego and will be going to the Comic Con tomorrow and Thursday. I start the drive home on Friday and hope to be in Denver on Saturday. The computer here is pretty slow, so I will resume posting on Sunday. Thanks for the comments and the e-mails. (I was too busy packing the truck to leave a note to you all....)

Photo Album Page Number 1- Disneyland in 1958

A lovely set of images from 1958. Neatly set into a photo album. Although the pictures have turned red, I think they look pretty good now. And who can resist such a nice shot of the Rocket to the Moon?

Souvenir Friday- Sugar, Sugar

A selection from my sugar packet collection. I know I have a few other ones around here...I like the packets as they are very ephemeral, but there was a time when these were collected by travellers so enough were saved. Not easy to find but enough are around. The graphics are great, especially the early line drawing of the castle. All are Spreckels Sugar except for the Mad Hatter which is C and H.

Maude, Sally, Leila, Katherine and Chilton Visit Disneyland November 1955

A double sided scrapbook page with nice images of Disneyland during the first fall season. The captions really set the mood of the time and of the visit.

Random Views Over the Years

Three random views purchased over the years. First off is a nice strike a pose in front of the Horse Drawn Surrey's on Main Street.

The second image is of the Horse Drawn Trolley in the mid-1960s. It appears to be a rather crowded day, yet the crowd still does not walk on the street.

The final image is from approximatley 1977. The gentleman smoking on deck would not look out of place amongst today's hipsters. His hat is very Bicenteniellific!

Large Format Photographs- Part 8 Columbia and South of the Border

The last image from this collection of large format photographs. I love the view from the tunnel on Nature's Wonderland.

The next four images are from South of the Border. Located near Dillon, South Carolina on I-95. The location in the 1950's. 1960's and 1970's was basically barren with no towns or stops. The owner had built a beer stand and received lumber marked to South of the North Carolina Border. This set off a lightbulb, and he created a roadside attraction themed to Mexico. Over the years, he built up the location and advertised the stop with hundreds of bill boards (most featuring Pedro and bad puns.) Now there is much more built up around the stop, but it still pulls in the tourists in need of gas, food and bathroom break. Here are some of my favorite images:

Large Format Photographs- Part 7 Sleeping Beauty Castle

The seventh installment of the large format photographs is this view of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. What else can I say, but it is a beautiful shot.

For those who want to know about my adventure, my wife is TDY in North Carolina. So I flew down there, rented a car, drove to Atlanta to go to the Trader Vic's and the Cyclorama. Of course we stopped at South of the Border on the way down. I will post some select images tomorrow, or if you are on Facebook, I will post all of the images on Facebook.

Large Format Photographs- Part 6 Monorail at the Disneyland Hotel

What I like to call the backside of the Monorail. I miss the old mid century modern erector set Monorail station at the Disneyland Hotel.

In honor of the Fourth of July (and the fact I am off on an adventure), I will not be posting anything until Monday July 6th. Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July.