World's Fair Wednesdays- Scenes From New York 1964

A quick view of several sites at the 1964 New York World's Fair. First up is the New York building with the iconic towers. Most people recognize these from the Men in Black movies.

Next up is the fantastic U.S. Rubber Royal Tire Ferris Wheel. I wish that this was now running as the wheel still exists outside of Detroit, albeit it is now a static attraction.

A juxtaposition of the U.S.Royal Tire and the Sinclair Dinoland.

Final image is an overhead view of the Unisphere.

Black and White Jungle Cruise Snapshots

From around the time of the new version of the Jungle Cruise in 1963, a few lovely black and white shots. First up is the shocking elephant shower scene, it is okay to look as he does have his trunk on.

Next up is the African Bull elephant. Quite an imposing figure.

The original lion scene on the African veldt, with the lions out of the cave. It is nice that the Lions are protecting the sleeping zebra.

The most climactic scene in the ride, just because you know they will get the point at the end.

Things From the Gate- 1960 Gate Map Brochure

The design of this series starting in 1960 and continuing for the next five years is my favorite. I like that each land has it's own person dressed in themed outfits. Also it is great to see the changes that happen at the park throughout the years.

Postcards From Nara Dreamland Part 2

More postcards from Nara Dreamland in Japan. Unfortunately no images of their version of the Matterhorn in this set. However there are some fantastic views. First up is a view of a port area in Ancestor Land. The ship is a replica of a University training ship.

Next up is a dramatic view of the Castle and an early version of Fantasmic light show.

Of course Nara copied the Disneyland band with their own. Check out the Main Street and the slightly off kilter design.

The last image is the best image. In Ancestor Land (not found in Disneyland) is this building. According to the caption, the building is a brothel. A theme park with a house of ill repute is quite interesting, maybe they stole some ideas from Knott's Berry Farm.

Postcards From Nara Dreamland Part 1

Nara Dreamland was a Japanese theme park based upon Disneyland. Built in 1961 and closed recently, the park was a fantastic vision of an amusement park. You may recognize many things from Disneyland, but everything was slightly changed. First up is the outside folder for the postcards.

The first postcard is of Adventureland. As you can see the land sign is a direct copy of the Disneyland original.

Next a view of the entrance with Main Street station.

Last postcard for today is Tomorrowland. Similar to the entrance, but with a different rocket. Check out the signs for the Main Street transportation.

This post goes out with good thoughts to the people of Japan.

Souvenir Friday- Sweater Guard

From a time when girls wore button up sweaters and did not want them to open....a sweater guard which you would pin one side of the sweater to the other, usually towards the top of the sweater. Nice design featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle and Tinkerbell.

Monorails and More 1960

Nothing nicer than a speeding Monorail in 1960.

A second image of a speeding train from the future.

Its also nice to see round buckets in the sky.

Nice view of Story Book Land from a metallic bucket. Unfortunately the image is a little too blurry or I would show the close up of the warning sign on the inside of the bucket.

The reason the Matterhorn is a Swiss Mountain, it is full of holes. (Supposedly an answer that Walt gave during an interview.)

World's Fair Wednesday- Japanese 1960s Fair Part 2

Three more spectacular postcards from an International Fair held in Japan. A friend of mine found some information on the fair: This fair was held in the city of Fukuoka on the island of Kyuushu. Your photo shows the 1966 fair which ran for 72 days and had an attendance of 1.8 million visitors. They also held one in 1975 (75 days and 2.5 million visitors) and another in 1982. The theme for the 1966 fair was "Building A Better Tomorrow Through Science and Industry." The three postcards show images of the interior exhibits.

The final display is my favorite as I would love to find the robots and toys used in the display.

Views of Frontierland 1960

A selection of images from Frontierland in 1960. Of course, Nature's Wonderland was the newest attraction so the ride is featured in many of the images. First up is a nice view of Cascade Peak with one of the Nature's Wonderland trains from Tom Sawyer's tree house.

Another view of Cascade Peak, this time with the Canoes in the foreground.

A quick view of the Canoes. Still one of my favorite rides and I am very happy that this throwback attraction is still running at Disneyland.

A nice view of Cascade Peak with a train running in front of the hill.

A great shot of the train in the painted desert. I do miss this nice long ride.

Things From the Gate- 1958 Gate Map Brochure

One of the more commonly found gate map brochures is the 1958 gate map. The brochure was created late being dated June 1, 1958 and handed out until 1960. As far as I can tell there was no brochure dated 1959.

Notice the new attractions are highlighted.

Views from Universal

Continuing with the exploration of Universal Studios in the 1960s. First up looks like the shack from the Beverly Hillbillies, but do not quote me on that.

A shot of one of the houses on the residential street. Does any one recognize the structure?

A quick view of the Western Street with horses. On the day of this visit, they must have been shooting a film or television show.

Last shot for today features a joke only for those of a certain age (or obsession with a certain time period.) Check out the mural on the wall on the right hand side.

Some Mid 1960s Universal Studios Views

Universal Studios in the mid 1960s was a unique tourist attraction. A true Movie Studio filled with the locations that were familiar to all visitors. This was before other Universal Studio's throughout the world. Also, the attraction did not have the rides that are now at the park.
First up are a couple images of a couple of World War 2 films.

An image of the European Street with its winding roads and cobble stone look.

My favorite image is of the boneyard with Lincoln right in the middle.

Souvenir Friday- Golden Horseshoe Table Tent Cards

Another recent find is this set of table tent cards from the Golden Horseshoe Review. First up is the menu featuring sandwiches, chips, and drinks. This is a fairly late example, probably just prior to Pepsi leaving Disneyland.

The really cool piece that came with the table tent is this nice no smoking sign. The use of Pecos Bill is great.

A new blog featuring Disneyland souvenirs has started...Disneyland Ephemera and Oddities. Check it out.

Visions of Future Now Long Gone

Old Tomorrowland was so cool. First up are the Flying Saucers, a ride that I miss even though I never was able to ride the attraction.

And to top of the coolness factor is this image of Mr. and Ms. Tomorrowland. I know why Mr. Tomorrowland is a happy man!