Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Chuck Stuff!

For those of you who like old Disneyland ephemera, GDB reader (and pal) Chuck Hansen has shared these scans of some of his treasures from his personal collection. 

Let's start with his Annual Passport! He says, "I'm sure many of us have fond memories of getting these at the Bank of Main Street. We picked ours up on an uncrowded Tuesday in October - no line. Note that we paid for the absolutely cheapest AP we could - and we only paid for one parking pass"

So THAT'S what they look like! I've never had one.


More from Chuck: "1995 saw the debut of the last new E-Ticket ride at Disneyland - the Indiana Jones Adventure. One of the really neat details that the Imagineers worked into the attraction was the repeated use throughout the line queue of a "foreign" alphabet used by the people who had supposedly built the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Fortunately, they possessed a 26-letter alphabet and wrote in English, so all that was needed to decode the messages was a key.

As you exited the ride, hopefully a bit younger, richer, or wiser (although that never happened to me  thanks a LOT, Guy in the Third Row who couldn't keep his eyes to himself! Yeah, you know who I'm talking to), a CM or two would hand out cards with an AT&T ad on one side and the key to the Mara alphabet on the other side. Not only did this encourage repeat visits, it also helped pass the time while you were waiting in that inevitable line. I kept a card in my wallet just in case, and another lived in the glove compartment of my car for 12 years, although after some study you began to notice that most of the characters were just heavily stylized English letters and you didn't need the card anymore.

I found two distinct card designs in my collection. The first - which I have two examples of - is the one labeled "1995". This is the one that lived in my car and wallet, so I know for a fact that it was from that year because we left in October of 1995 and that car never returned to California. 

The second, with a more orange cast, is harder to place. It may have been from right when the ride opened - the code is harder to read on that background and might have been quickly replaced - or might have been from a 1997 visit. I really don't know; maybe you or one of your readers does".

Well, I don't know, but somebody out there does! By the way, I think I might have yet another decoder card… if I recall correctly, it features the giant snake terrorizing one of the transports. Wish I could find it.


And lastly, here is "…. a Blue Bayou reservation card from the summer of 1995. We went to the Park one Saturday evening to celebrate my wife's birthday, and I surprised her by pre-positioning a fancy outfit for her and my mess dress (tuxedo uniform) in a couple of lockers just outside the main entrance. Fully dressed to the nines, we then had a wonderful dinner in water-side seats at the Blue Bayou, followed by dancing at the Plaza Gardens. I was actually asked by the waiter if we were going to a prom… because, I guess, most high school lids wear rank and medals on their tuxedos. :-)".

Chuck is kidding, but I wear rank and medals on my clothing every day, for all occasions. I demand to be saluted, and prefer to be referred to as, "Your magnificence". 


THANKS to Chuck for sharing his Disneyland treasures!

13 comments:

Nanook said...

Chuck-

Thanks for sharing these little treasures. I believe the second "phone card" was from 1997 as you state, or later.

And, Major - from now on you will most definitely be referred to as:Your magnificence. I'm certain all your underlings prefer it that way.

K. Martinez said...

That's some nice ephemera you have there. I never had an Annual Passport, but probably should've gotten one during the 50th Anniversary as I spent a total of 20 days at Disneyland throughout 2005.

Thanks for sharing, Chuck.

Melissa said...

I was actually asked by the waiter if we were going to a prom… because, I guess, most high school lids wear rank and medals on their tuxedos.

FWIW, two boys in my high school class attended their senior prom in uniform. I have no idea if they were technically entitled to; the way they described it they were in some kind of program where you joined up, did some training, then got to finish your senior year of high school before going in full-time. I don't know anything about military uniforms beyond what you need to know to costume a Gilbert and Sullivan opera or a Shakespeare play.*

Anyway, that's one of the sweetest stories I've ever heard. Thanks for sharing your personal memorabilia!

*I have a collection of rank insignia, hat badges, medals, etc for costumes, but they're Soviet military surplus picked up for a song in the 1990's. Nobody can tell from the audience. If I need them close up, a little red nail polish covers the hammer and sickle.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Chuck, for sharing your precious bits and bobs, and the stories that go with. Brings back memories of my own, for sure.

Best regards.

Thank you, Major, for your efforts in hosting. For the record, I envision you in a blue officer's coat with large gold epaulets and a red sash, with a big jeweled pendant over your ruffled shirt. Oh, and the tricorn hat, don't forget the hat. Sort of a Napoleon look...only taller.

JG

Melissa said...

For the record, I envision you in a blue officer's coat with large gold epaulets and a red sash, with a big jeweled pendant over your ruffled shirt. Oh, and the tricorn hat, don't forget the hat. Sort of a Napoleon look...only taller.

And a chest full of medals made of Pepperidge Farm™ cookies.

"Oh, yes, I got this one at the Battle of Milano. This one was for that nasty skirmish over in Sausalito; that's where we lost poor Chip. What a nut he was."

Dean Finder said...

The second card was pre-1998, which was when 10-ATT was changed to 10-10-ATT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_access_code#Carrier_identification_code

Chuck said...

Nanook - thanks for the year confirmation. And "Your Magnificence" is a perfect appellation for the Good Major!

Ken - "ephemera" has such a nice ring to it. Much better than the phrase "old junk filling boxes in the corner."

Melissa - now I have visions of "The Pirates of Penzance" with all of the characters dressed like members of the Strategic Rocket Forces and PVO Strany. And I like it.

"In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern генера́л-майо́р."

JG - I've always imagined His Magnificence to look something like this: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5468/9534340011_717843d04b_o.jpg

Melissa again - you know, we actually have round, enameled metal pocket badges for certain jobs in the US military (Presidential Support Staff, Joint Staff, Air Education & Training Command Instructor, etc.) that are referred colloquially as "cookies," but none of them taste as good as your creations here (you'll just have to trust me on that one).

Dean - thanks for helping pinpoint the date. Based on your info here, I'll call it an artifact from the distant year of AD 1997.

And Your Magnificence - thanks once more for letting me share!

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, it is a mouthful to say, but I do like the ring of "your magnificence"!!

K. Martinez, you went 20 times in one year and paid full price each time?? Wow.

Melissa, maybe that was some sort of pre-ROTC program your friends were in. Your Soviet stuff sounds super cool, I remember there used to be a catalog that sold stuff from the USSR, I coveted an actual copper and brass diving helmet.

JG, don't forget the sword! I always carry a sword.

Melissa, funny you should say that… i have a bag of dark chocolate Milanos in the kitchen, they are calling my name.

Dean Finder, that is a cool bit of information!

Chuck, thank YOU!

K. Martinez said...

Major - No actually 5 trips with 4-day park hoppers each trip. That's 20 days worth of visits to both parks. For 3 of trips it was it was at a reduced price. That was a record year for me visiting the resort.

K. Martinez said...

Major - No actually 5 trips with 4-day park hoppers each trip. That's 20 days worth of visits to both parks. For 3 of trips it was it was at a reduced price. That was a record year for me visiting the resort.

TokyoMagic! said...

I remember the second card being the first one that was given out when the attraction first opened. They changed the design pretty early on and for that reason, I only have a couple of that version. I don't remember if the "Bridge" or the "Snake" version came next, but each of those were handed out for a much longer time period than that first one.

Anonymous said...

@Chuck, that is exactly the look. And the title "Your Magnificence"... spot on.

@Melissa, medals made of cookies, it's a crumby idea, but I can support that.

@Major, of course a sword, best to have one like mine with the little rubber button on the pointy end.

JG

Melissa said...

Melissa - now I have visions of "The Pirates of Penzance" with all of the characters dressed like members of the Strategic Rocket Forces and PVO Strany. And I like it.

I'm on the production team for a fantasy-style Mikado, and the woman dressing the men's chorus had no idea they all looked like Number Six from The Prisoner. I keep expecting them to sing, "If you want to know who we are/We are not numbers, we are all free men..."