Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Matterhorn, September 1959

The Matterhorn. Perhaps you've heard of it! Kind of pointy? Snow-capped? Infested with abdominal snowmen? 

Here are a few pictures from when it was all brand-spankin' new. Look at those blurry guests, splashing down in their non-cramped bobsled. Life is but a dream.


The Matterhorn is sort of hard to miss... we're used to it today, but it must have been quite a sight 53 years ago.


Looking at this photo, it occurred to me that the Matterhorn looks like a Venusian.


See what I mean??


8 comments:

  1. bloefeld12:57 AM

    Venusians. Awesome.
    I love the Matterhorn. Too bad riding it now gives me a concussion. I hate those new bobsleds. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. Make sad. (frowny face emoticon!) Great pics, though.

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  2. I hate the new Bobsleds, too. Claustrophobia *and* pain -- What a combo! One of my favorite rides has been ruined.

    But these photos sure are wonderful. That last gag made my day!

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  3. Ah, the majestic Matterhorn! These open views don't exist today due to the immense growth of the trees.

    Like my earlier comment about the Columbia, the trees at Disneyland are so large now that they seem to take away from the grand scale of structures like the Matterhorn.

    As far as the bobsleds go, they were my #2 favorite ride until the last redesign. Now it's off my list due to the painful ride experience.

    Love the last photo. Is that the new Halloween overlay "It Conquered the Matterhorn"?

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  4. "Matterhorn" is one of my cat Mattie's nicknames.

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  5. I'm pretty sure Venusians designed the new bobsleds.

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  6. Anonymous12:29 PM

    Ha, great pictures. The venusian looks familiar, but I cant place him.

    Can you jog my memory, Major?

    JG

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  7. JG, the Venusian is from "It Conquered The World". I swear that when I look at that last photo of the Matterhorn, I can almost see the same face in the shadows of the rock formations!

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  8. Anonymous12:13 PM

    Oh yeah. I remember the movie, but not the title.

    And you're right, the face is in the rocks on the mountain...

    The unconquerable human propensity for pattern recognition and creation, even where no patterns exist.

    Very cool photos, as always. I thank you very much.

    JG

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