Friday, October 25, 2013

Adventureland & Tiki Room, July 17 1968

I love today's photos from the entrance to Adventureland as it looked 45 years ago.

The good old tiki room, I'm so glad that this attraction is still there... it's kind of miraculous, really. And although it is a few minutes shorter, it looks as good as ever. The line in this photo is short, but judging by the shadows it was still pretty early in the morning. When United Airlines was the sponsor, you would find wonderful travel posters to tropical destinations (or at least to Hawaii) out front, in addition to the classic Tiki Room attraction poster. The Barker Bird had been removed by this point due to an unfortunate case of Parrot Tourette Syndrome. Check out the guy rockin' the yellow shirt, burgundy shorts and black socks! He is my hero.


Only a few steps further west and we're at the arched entrance to the land of exotic mysteries. Unlike most other lands, Adventureland does not lead into a straight wide avenue immediately; instead you see thatched store fronts and plants, all contributing the feeling that we are entering a winding village. Who has with that carved head thingy between the elephant tusks? It should be mine! 


7 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Well, "...the guy rockin' the yellow shirt, burgundy shorts and black socks!", may be your hero, but my hero is the girl with the (almost) knee-high 'pink' socks. Perhaps you can politely persuade your buddy that 'pink' really rocks-!

Thanks, Major, for today's Enchanted fashion show.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

I don't know? Nothing screams "Nerd Alert" like the straw hat family in picture 2.

Not all the same style but pretty much going for a headwear theme anyway.

Good pics of a light crowd. Thanks

K. Martinez said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
K. Martinez said...

In the first image, it's interesting that you can still see the outline of an oval shape in the concrete that once contained a lamppost w/Tiki banner and flowerbed.

http://davelandweb.com/tikiroom/popup.htm?images/60s/1960sMini_ALandGates.jpg

I'm sure it was removed and paved over due to increased foot traffic in the area.

PsySocDisney said...

It's always a good photo day when I can catch a glimpse of goddess Uti up top the roof of the Tiki Room! I loved seeing the Barker Bird in the Tiki Room exhibit in Lincoln's lobby on our last trip. What a great tribute! Good catch with the flowerbed K Martinez, that's so cool.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I admit that those pink socks are pretty epic. Not so sure they would work an Mr. Burgundy Pants as well though!

Alonzo, the cool thing is that I'm sure they bought all those hats at a nearby shop in Adventureland! They may be nerds, but they're my kind of nerds.

K. Martinez, thanks for pointing out that neat detail… I would have never noticed it. And I'm sure that the increased foot traffic meant the end of that planter. The amazing thing is that it somehow survived the first years of the Tiki Room's existence, when the crowds presumably would have been pretty intense.

PsySocDisney, I do love me some Uti! And I saw the Barker Bird in the Lincoln lobby too. He was in remarkably good shape, instead of moth-eaten like I would probably expect.

TokyoMagic! said...

That patched area of concrete where the planter once sat remained there for years.....definitely into the '80s and I believe even into the '90's. There were two identical planters in the middle of the walkway. The second one is located closer to the Hub and still exists today (check out Google Maps!)