Dumbo Instamatics
There is something so happy about the Dumbo flying elephant attraction at Disneyland, how can you not love it? It has been expanded (going from 10 elephants to 16) and beautified over the years, but the basic ride is still simple and joyful.
I wanna ride the Dumbo with the green hat! Darn, some little lady got there first. I'll get even with her… I won't invite her to my birthday party. She'll be sorry.
Whenever these were taken (sometime in the mid-1960's), you can see that Dumbo's ears were not hinged anymore. He had perfected the art of riding the thermal updrafts, the same way that a condor does. And like a condor, Dumbo also enjoys eating carrion. It's the circle of life. Notice the Skyway bucket, just launched from the nearby chalet.
I'm not sure if this photo is from the same day as the other two, but it belongs here anyway. There's Timothy (one of my favorite Disney characters) atop the disco ball. Don't let Dumbo slack off, Timothy! From this elevated vantage point we can see how Fantasyland was separated from Frontierland by a yellow wall. Maybe if the Berlin wall had been painted a cheerful yellow, people wouldn't have complained so much? It is hard to see, but there are a couple of posters on the wall just to the left of the tent (did it serve food? Or sell souvenirs?) and the one we can fully see is for "Pirates of the Caribbean", so we can safely date this one to 1967 or later.
14 comments:
Looks like Dumbo is flying in all sorts of directions today. I love the colorful candy striped arm supports that assist Dumbo in flight.
The orange & white "tournament tent" you mention was one of two spots that sold fast food hamburgers & hotdogs in Fantasyland. I remember it as "Character Foods". There were two of these locations; this one and the other one with a blue & white color scheme located between Alice in Wonderland and Mr. Toad Toad's Wild Ride, below the Skyway path.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/bananaphone5000/GORILLA3/1960__SkywayD.jpg
The orange & white food stand was removed when Big Thunder Trail opened along Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
I'm liking these instamatics more each time. Thanks Major.
"No, I'm not going to put this trunk in checked luggage; it's for carrion."
#1: Jackie Kennedy at the Republican National Convention!
#2: "This is Justin Bieber for Peanut Butter Can'n Crunch."
Ken's right - the first two are reversed...or may possibly be rare photos of Looking-Glass Fantasyland.
Melissa's currently in the lead for "Best Pun of the Day."
@ Major-
The two "tented" food service locations in Fantasyland were referred to as "Fan 1", "Fan 2" or "Fantasia 1", "Fantasia 2" - (at least in the 70's & 80's). I can't remember which was which.
@ Major-
I should have qualified that statement with: referred to "by cast members"...
More than you ever wanted to know: The food (primarily hamburgers, etc.) stand in the third photo was Fan 1 (Fan 2 being over by Alice). The service road behind the yellow wall headed north (right) through a berm tunnel under the railroad tracks to the pony farm, the boneyard, and the parade building before wrapping around past "iasw" and eventually reaching Harbor House (employee entrance) where one could drive out into the parking lot. To the south (left) was a short run past the back of the Fantasyland Theatre, Welch's, and Snow White before ending up at the Mine Train storage building and the Custodial offices behind Carnation Plaza Gardens.
Great photos, thanks for posting them!
@Nanook @ Anonymous, I have read that CMs referred to those locations as "Fan1" and "Fan 2", but as a guest coming in from the outside, I knew them as the "Character Foods" stands as that's what they were called in the little INA guide books handed out at the gate back in those days. I do remember the food items being basic fast food with themed/named after Disney characters like "Robin Hood" or "Friar Tuck".
That's not more than *I* wanted to know!
K. Martinez, yeah, I know I sometimes scanned those Instamatic negatives the wrong way. It happens. The scanning was kind of a pain, I had to make my own “jig” to hold the negatives above the level of the scanner glass. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked!
Melissa, I like your pun, although the thought of Dumbo eating carrion is unsettling.
Chuck, yeah, they’re reversed. I would fix them, but that would require effort. Plus I’m away from home for the week.
Nanook, I like the way those tents look… colorful and whimsical and totally “Fantasylandish”. Too bad they are gone….
Anon, thanks for the great information! I have a photo I wish I could show you so that you could tell me what the heck it was. I think it is probably something interesting!
K. Martinez again, I wonder if that’s where my brother swears he used to get “Pluto burgers”?
Melissa, I agree!
@ Anon-
It's not more than I wanted, either. And depending on the estimated attendance, that would determine which one (or both) locations would be open. It was always a clue as to expected crowds on a particular day.
Not more info than I wanted, either. With this topic, I fall into the "more is better" camp.
And I wouldn't worry about the reversed images if I were you. "That would require effort" - as if you didn't put an enormous amount of effort into this blog on a daily basis already. You made your own negative holder, for crying out loud! We really appreciate what you do for the community, and if there's an occasional polarity flip, well, that just adds a little variety. And really - who wants to see Dumbo stuck in a right turn for all eternity?
Melissa, here's how addled I am... I forgot that I'd made that carrion "joke"!!
Nanook, we Disneyland fanatics can never get enough of that kind of inside info.
Chuck.... Thanks!
@Anonymous - For me, there's no such thing as too much info on my favorite place.
@Major - I love looking glass images. When I was a kid I used to hold my Disneyland Pictorial booklets up to the mirror to look at Disneyland in reverse. Weird. I know.
As for the Pluto Burgers, that could fit in either Tomorrowland or Fantasyland. Your brother was correct about the Moonburgers, so I'm sure he must've had a Pluto Burger as well.
Lets also not forget, this was 'back in the day' when Fan 1 & Fan 2 BOTH dispensed (fountain) Coke & Pepsi-! These two outlets were a part of a small family of food locations throughout the park serving the two major competing cola drinks. (This in addition to Coke Corner serving Coca-Cola, and The Golden Horseshoe Review serving Pepsi).
Was there ever any other theme park serving both (fountain) Coke & Pepsi anywhere in their parks-? As far as I know, this unique arrangement existed only at Disneyland and WDW (prior to Epcot's opening).
Post a Comment