Tuesday, December 23, 2008

'Tis a Small World, April 1974

Today I'm featuring "It's a Small World", beloved (and reviled) by millions the world over. I'm in the "beloved" category, a fact which receives a sad head-shake from most people I talk to. Where's the love!

Anyway, here's a nice shot take from the Skyway, giving us a fairly complete view of the facade (gleaming white in the sunshine). Hey look! There's a snow-capped mountain in the distance, and it ain't the Matterhorn. At the extreme lower right you can see that Monstro the whale is apparently receiving a bit of a makeover.


The topiaries in front of IASW are almost as iconic as the building itself. If you look really carefully in the first photo, you can clearly see the acrobatic elephant!


And finally, here is Aunt Lucy, Uncle Irv (workin' that bolo tie), and a lady who is wearing a necklace that looks suspiciously like love beads. Get her, she's a hippie! The sheer amount of empty space in front of IASW is pretty amazing, considering Disneyland's paucity of real estate. You almost need shades to look at this photo, the facade of the attraction looks incandescent.

3 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

I've always wondered why the original Small World included a sign that blocked the view of the clock and most of the facade?

Katella Gate said...

I agree with TokyoMagic. The placement of that blue sign always bothered me too - as you can see in the photo, it blocks the entire show when the clock chimes.

I can only assume that the sponsor (Bank of America) insisted on a sign that let you know about the money they were spending on this ride.

As I recall, once the sponsorship had run its course, the sign disappeared and the entrance was reconfigured.

Nancy said...

ive always liked IASW looks like a city in a distant shot like this, esp pretty on a bright, sunny day