Groovy Playground Denver 1960s

As I look through collections of photographs, I find some very cool looking playgrounds. This groovy, very mod style playground was located outside of the Denver Zoo in the 1960's. The concrete animals look like modern art sculptures.

A Mouse Centric Post

Two publicity images featuring Mickey Mouse as a costumed character at Disneyland. First image promotes the Disneyland Pigskin Classic which was a pre-season collegiate football game and the Great American State Fair in 1990. The poses feature Mickey along with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. Both events were designed to increase attendance in the months of lowered attendance, prior to the explosion of annual passes which now create full days throughout the year.

The next publicity shot is of the various versions of Mickey and Minnie throughout the years. The first feature the costumes borrowed from Ice Capades, then the first in house costumes, to the classic Mickey now seen at the parks.

Souvenir Friday- Disneyland Hallmark Wrapping Paper

In the late 1950s, Hallmark was the official greeting card company of Disneyland. One of the benefits of this relationship was a collection of Disney themed wrapping paper and other gift accessories. Of course Disneyland was also featured in this line of wrapping paper. The design features each land and landmarks rendered in a mid-Century Modern cartoon style. My wife keeps asking me if she can use it to wrap up presents for me!

Disneyland 1967- Last Three Images From a Friend

The last three images from a friend of this blog. The first one is his favorite picture of the group, a dancing line of Dwarves passing the entrance to Storybook Canal boats. Do they even use the Dwarves costumes any more?

The next image is a great shot of Monorail Red in front of the Matterhorn. In my humble opinion, there is no bad shot of the Matterhorn.

Last image is of the Indian War canoes from the Mark Twain with Tom Sawyer's Island in the background. I just want to step into this image and enjoy the attraction.

Once again thanks to the fan, reader and friend of this blog who sent me these wonderful images.

Two Views Of Fantasyland 1967

Two more pictures from a reader of this blog. Taken by his grandfather in 1967 on a trip to California that included a visit to Disneyland. Although not known for his photography skills later in life, these images are nice. First up is a shot of the Storbybook Canal boats load and unload area. The lead must be discussing load policy, or asking her to the Fantasyland summer party.

Next up is a shot of the Tuna Pirate ship with the tropical setting for Skull Rock and dining area in the background.

1967 Disneyland Images From a Reader

Today I start a nice series of pictures from a reader of this blog featuring Disneyland in 1967. A little background on this set. The reader's family was from Akron Ohio and on a tour of California in 1967. The images were taken by the readers Grandfather. About a year ago, the reader moved his grandparents into an assisted living home, cleaned out the house and scanned these images. He was influenced by all the Disneyland blogs to scan and share these wonderful images.

First up is the iconic castle image.

A busy day on Main Street with some groovy fashions and all the classic storefronts in place.

Final image is a great view of the three crocodiles waiting for a hand out. Picture was taken from the Swiss Family Treehouse.

Captain EO

The 55th birthday of Michael Jackson was on August 29th. Known as the King Of Pop, he was also a Disneyland Attraction starring in Captain EO. Although not a favorite attraction, it was quite impressive for the star power attached to it. Starring Michael Jackson at the top of his popularity, also starring Anjelica Huston and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and Executive Produced by George Lucas. First up is a picture of the star, director and producer.

A publicity shot of Michael doing what he did best, dance and sing.

The rest of the week I will be showing some neat 1967 Disneyland images from one the readers of the blog.

Souvenir Friday-Art Corner Plaques Goofy!

Two more of the great Art Corner souvenir funny saying plaques. Both of these feature Goofy which seems appropriate for these plaques and sayings.

Mickey Mouse in White Top and Tails

Two images from two different parks featuring Mickey Mouse in White Top Hat and Tails. First up is an interesting publicity shot in front of the entrance to the Disney MGM Studios. I am not sure who the other person is, but he looks kind of sketchy. I also don't know too many directors and assistant directors who film while wearing formal clothing.

The second image is from the stage show at Videopolis at Disneyland. The show was the story of Walt Disney. The title of the show was One Man's Dream and featured lots of singing and dancing.

Disney MGM Studio 1989

In 1989 Disney opened a new park in Florida that was a direct competitor to Universal Studios, the Disney MGM Studio. The park featured not only classic Disney including an animation studio, but also featured the classic MGM movies. Disney made a deal to use the MGM films in the attractions including one of my favorites which is the Great Movie Ride. In addition to the attractions, the park featured a working movie set and was originally marketed as an alternative to filming in Los Angeles. The first image features a film being shot on the New York city backlot.

Another neat attraction was the Disney version of the glamour tram at Universal. The attraction went "behind the scenes" to show what goes on at a studio. One of the stops was the New Mickey Mouse Club. This image shows the costuming department, I really like the Orville head just sitting there.

1990s Interior of Snow White Attraction

Two nice interior views of the Snow White's Scary Adventure attraction. First up is the heroine climbing up the stairs to the Dwarve's bedroom. Note all the lovely forest animals with her.

Next is the finale of the attraction when the Dwarve's chase the Wicked Witch and the Witch falls of the cliff to her death.

Disneyland 35th Anniversary

Two images celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Disneyland's Opening. The first features a gathering of cast members in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle with the members spelling out 35.

The second image is of the stage show set up in front of the Main Street station and features the Fab Four (no Donald) characters including the newest character Roger Rabbit. My personal favorites Chip and Dale are also dancing.

Souvenir Friday- More Art Corner Souvenir Signs

More witty signs as sold at the Art Corner in Tomorrowland. Both feature everybody's favorite mad duck, Donald, with funny sayings. First up is the eternal question:

The next is an inspirational saying for when the going gets tough.

Happy Birthday Ray Bradbury

One of my favorite authors is Ray Bradbury. Ray did have a fairly long association with Walt Disney and with the Walt Disney Company. He was friends with Walt and the two would discuss the future of cities. For EPCOT Center he wrote the original narration for Spaceship Earth and the studio also made a film out of his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ray poses with his favorite character outside of the Plaza Inn in the late 1980s.

So Happy Birthday to Mr. Bradbury.

Party Gras and Mouseorail

For the 35th Anniversary, Disneyland created a fun parade and a unique vehicle from a classic attraction. Party Gras featured large inflatable floats of everyone's favorite characters which were surrounded by dancers. Roger Rabbit was one of the hottest characters at this time so he was a featured float. The dancers would toss out souvenir coins and collecting the coins became all the rage.

The unique vehicle was created from the front end of Monorail Mark III red with the nose cone. The body was placed upon a truck chassis and toured the United States promoting Disneyland.

Blast From the Past

No this is not a post about some fantastic images from the 1950s, but rather the promotion for Disneyland in 1988 and 1989. The publicity photographs are from the first Blast From the Past and feature costumed characters interacting with cast members dressed in the stereotypical 1950's dress, including a car hop. The first image is taken in Tomorrowland next to the stage.

This photograph was taken on Main Street. The scooters have their kickstands down and are a little out of place. On the trunk of the Impala is a Main Street pennant.

Drew and John Celebrating Disneyland's 30th Anniversary

For Disneyland's Thirtieth Anniversary, NBC broadcast a special hosted by John Forsythe and Drew Barrymore. At this time, John Forsythe was starring in Dynasty and Drew Barrymore had made a name for herself in ET the Extraterrestrial as well as Irreconcilable Differences. Drew was also starting on her rebellious stage and would make become famous for her partying ways and stints in rehab at the young age of 14. The special was set as a night at Disneyland with many musical segments showcasing the park. The stars included Donna Summer, Pointer Sisters, Julian Lennon, Alabama, Julie Andrews, David Hasselhof, Debbie Allen, Peter Allen, and Marie Osmond. Clips of the anniversary special can be found on YouTube.

Souvenir Friday- Two More Art Corner Signs

Two more fun joke signs from the Art Corner. The first features a scarcely used character...Flower the skunk from Bambi. The saying is appropriate.

The next plaque features Donald Duck as a classic golfer. I own the original art for this sign and posted it years ago on July 14, 2006.

Disneyland State Fair 1987 Parade

Continuing with the press publicity photographs of State Fair in 1987 is this image of the parade heading down Main Street. It is odd to see the large Ferris Wheel in the background smack dab in the front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. I agree with K. Martinez comment yesterday about riding the Ferris Wheel and the unique views. Note the lamppost plaques for the State Fair.

Disneyland State Fair Midway 1987

In 1987 Disneyland produced a State Fair to increase attendance. Part of the State Fair was a Midway filled with games. The games were themed to animated characters and the Midway was located on the Small World Promenade. In front of it's a small world was a dive tank where daredevils would high dive into the pool.

Disney Decade- Alien Encounter Artist Rendering

As part of the Disneyland Decade and the new Tomorrowland 2055 was a concept for an Alien Encounter. To be placed into the Mission to Mars building the attraction was guests would meet aliens. Although not developed and built at Disneyland, the attraction was constructed at Walt Disney World. The WDW attraction is famous for Michael Eisner demanded the attraction be retooled and made more intense.

Disney Decade-Dick Tracy Attraction

The 1990s was going to be the Disney Decade. This meant the company was going to leverage its film studios and theme parks to create a synergistic juggernaut. The new attractions to be built at Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be related to Disney and Touchstone blockbuster films. One of the films that was going to be a blockbuster and starred hot stars of the 1980s of Warren Beatty and Madonna was Dick Tracy. Based upon the 1930's comic strip with action rivaling Batman with villains as sinister and bizarre. Concept art for the Dick Tracy attraction featured guests boarding a 1930s style vehicle and going through a firefight between the detective Dick Tracy backed by the Police and a gang of villains. This concept of course was resurrected for Mike & Sully to the Rescue in California Adventure with some changes.

Souvenir Friday- Two Art Corner Signs

Two more of the fun art corner plaques with witty sayings and characters. First up is Donald who appears on many of these plaques.

Next is Pluto with a fun saying...

Abe the Gem Dealer Calico Ghost Town 1961

Continuing the photographic journey through Calico in 1961 with two more shots of buildings. First up is a shot of a weathered building. Note the steepness of the street and the crooked street post.

A view under the covered boardwalk with Honest Abe the Gem Dealer now marked just as Abe the Gem Dealer.

A Dark View of Calico Ghost Town

Dark images are not usually that interesting, but these are interesting. The first is for the nice view of the sign on the building as well as showing how dark the covered walkways really were. This same day was a bright sunny day with a clear blue sky.

Next is an interior shot. The composition is nice with the walkway and bench on the right hand side. Movies usually show frontier towns with bright interiors, but most of the time, when the sun went down, the whole town would go dark.

Buildings at Calico

Two nice views of the structures at Calico Ghost Town in 1961. The photographs feature the building set in the hills with a stunning blue sky. First up is the General Store and rest rooms.

Next up is the Calico Frontier Shop. I like the weathered signage.

Souvenir Friday- Greenfield Village Souvenir Pennant

One of the influences to Disneyland, and a fun place to visit is the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. The pennant dates from the 1960's and features Henry Ford driving his first automobile. The building in the background is a combination of the many historic structures that were relocated to Greenfield Village.

Calico Fire House

A couple of views from Calico Ghost Town located in the desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. This image was taken in 1961 when Walter Knott owned the ghost town. The bright red of the fire engine is nice against the mountains in the background and the wood structures.