Fantasyland & Souvenir Booth, August 1958
I have a number of photos in my collection that are very similar to today's offering; we're looking down into the heart of Fantasyland from the Skyway. Teacups, the Carrousel, the Mickey Mouse Club Theater... yep, everything appears to be in order!
I am interested in that little souvenir booth, though... not sure it appears in any of my other pictures. Zooming in revealed only a few details, but they're fun; you can see stacks of Keppy Kaps in both white and yellow - boy were those things popular (I still need a yellow version in my collection)! I think I can make out some souvenir plates (?) and some felt pennants (somebody needs to document all of the various felt pennants that were available over the years). You could probably pick up some Kodak film there, I'll bet. And of course there's that postcard rack... I'll take three of each!
8 comments:
hehe wonder if the daddy outside the MMC Theater is trying to get that tyke in or out. Oh the childhood dramas that must have played outside that theater over all those years huh.
Originally there was this
http://davelandweb.com/fantasyland/images/heraldry/KTPBK_10_55_N21C.jpg
fer instance. This one here in 58 looks more permanent.
Chiana, that '55 souvenir booth does look pretty "knocked together"! Of course it is possible that in '58 there was a ticket book over by Merlin's Magic Shop (like in Daveland's photo) AND near the MMC Theater as well. Sell sell sell!
Those little booths would be so easy to overlook as a design problem, but Disney always went the extra mile to make theme detail contributions out of so many necessary devices...
right down to the trash cans.
I love that. (attention to detail that is.., not so much the trash, although it's cool in it's way)
JG
Wow, such a cool glimpse back in time! I see the trash cans are not yet themed, LOL!
JG, you are right... and when you look at photos of most other amusement parks, things like a souvenir stand would probably be pretty bland.
And Connie, I think that some trash cans might have been themed by '58, but you do see those green ones in a lot of photos from that era.
Making a comparison of Fantasyland 2010 and 1950's-1983 illustrates the greater concern for details I think today. Obviously, the Fantasyland pre 1983 refurbishment was built with budget constrictions. The people running Disneyland today seem more detail oriented that has evolved from the detail concerns of Walt Disney. Another observation is that Fantasyland of yesteryear had way too much concrete and not enough foliage in my opinion
I seem to recall that most of the trash cans in Tomorrowland during my time were polished aluminum, to go along with the Kaiser theme. I also remember some rumors that the Douglas company wanted to paint the moon liner to simulate polished aluminum, but that it was thought that might evoke an image of an ICBM, rather than a civilian transport. Not sure of that rumor, but it sounds good
True, and on the other hand, part of the fun of actually riding those now better-looking Teacups - spinning them - is gone, for your own safety of course, and there is no Skyway from which to derive the extra enjoyment of a "bird's eye view" of that improved foliage-to-concrete ratio. So we have a better setting in which to enjoy and less ways to enjoy it!
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