Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Der Sieben Zwerge

When the Seven Dwarfs march through Disneyland, you know that you've hit the jackpot. Sure, you might get Tigger, or Goofy, or Buzz Lightyear - but with the Dwarfs you get seven characters for the price of one! I always thought that Dopey was everyone's favorite (though Grumpy gives him a run for his money these days), but I mostly have lots of photos of Sleepy, Bashful, and maybe Sneezy. 

If this isn't Bashful, I'll eat my shoes! (I wear edible shoes just in case I am called out). He's so shy, he can't even open his eyes. Oh wait, maybe that means he's Sleepy! Arg. Why can't they wear name tags?  I need to look at the current costumes of the Dwarfs (assuming that they exist), and see how much more accurate they look. Meanwhile, imagine being the cast member inside this costume, without the use of his (or her) arms, while excited kids pull you this way and that. No, thanks!


It's not often that you see a herd of Germanic fairytale Dwarfs. They usually travel at night, and are as quiet as mice. This rare daylight photo shows them in the middle of a rumble.


OK, this guy looks sleepy, doesn't he? I dub him "Sleepy". Technically he is narcoleptic.


8 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

I had heard Robert Wise originally wanted to cast the Seven Dwarfs as the Jets in the 1961 motion picture of West Side Story, but Walt had other plans. Ahhhh.... such is the life of the actor - or dwarf.

Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

The Sleepy image with the Matterhorn backdrop is great. Dopey's okay, but Grumpy's always been my favorite. I never fail to get comments around town when wearing my Grumpy hooded jacket or Grumpy t-shirt. Extra nice colorful set today. Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Oooooh, extra-rare shot of both the House of the Future AND the PeopleMover! The two attractions didn't coexist for very long.

D Ticket said...

My guess:

Grey shirt red pants is Sleepy.
Yellow shirt red pants is Bashful.

They look better today, but still somewhat out of scale.

Melissa said...

I never get over how blatant the windows in their hats were in those days.

Melissa said...

Some great vintage peoplewatching in these shots, too!
The pattern on the girl's skirt in #1 is eerily similar to the bathroom linoleum at my Grandma's house, and the pose makes it look like she and Sleepy are caught in the middle of some ballroom dancing.
The perfectly executed, shiny-smooth beehive on the far-roght bridge-leaning lady in #2 is a thing of beauty. Keeping it that pristine on a day at Disneyland must have taken at least two cans of Aqua Net.
And last but not least, the Bogie-style dangling cigarette on the blue-shirted man in #3! There's a sight you wouldn't see today. As much as I lament some of the things that have changed in the parks, confining smoking to designated areas isn't one of them.

Nanook said...

@ Melissa-

Thanks for highlighting all the wonderful peoplewatching "friezes" which I was too lazy to originally mention - but didn't fail to notice. (Am curious if you can keep your balance while walking in your grandma's bathroom...)

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I can just see the Dwarfs walking around snapping their fingers in unison. Magnificent!

K. Martinez, I liked Dopey because he was so childlike, but I think almost everybody like Grumpy. He didn't like mushy stuff! I was going to buy a Grumpy sweatshirt one year (because it was cold and drizzly), but decided $60 was too steep.

TokyoMagic!, good point, the House of the Future was demolished just months after these photos were taken.

D Ticket, well, if you say so! I still think that first guy looks pretty sleepy. As for scale, what can you do… you still have to get a real (albeit smallish) person inside those costumes.

Melissa, those mesh windows were an odd solution; the very early Mickey even had them right on the face - I'm sure you've seen photos of those (they might have been the ones borrowed from the Ice Capades).

Melissa again, it's funny, I used to just want clean, uncluttered shots of the park, but now a large part of my enjoyment is the people. I thought that lady's beehive might be a hat, but nope, it's just her big hair. I'll bet that man would've been mighty proud to be compared to Bogie in any way!

Nanook, I was thinking the same thing… that linoleum must have been very "pop art".