Thursday, February 04, 2016

Special Guest Photos - The Devlin Family - Part 03

Today I am proud to present more photos, graciously donated to GDB from the Devlin family. Thanks, Devlin family!

In this first example, we see that it is time to rest some weary feet on a handy bench. I'm told that benches aren't as numerous as they used to be; maybe the theory is that "people who are sitting aren't spending".

So there is brother Pat, enjoying his box of popcorn. Save that box! Next is sister Mary, and then their mother, Mary Jo. In the distance is the Red Wagon Inn, and we can just see a bit of a Horse Drawn Streetcar through the foliage. It looks like it was a beautiful day... the color on these is really nice. 


This next picture is one of my favorites! Mary Jo is being a good sport with a rubber snake (certainly purchased in Adventureland) on her shoulder. The things moms put up with. I wonder what's in that very large merchandise bag? Or even the small one, for that matter? Something wondrous, no doubt.  Next to her is Judy, anxious to try out her Magic Pencil (it writes in many colors!). Tom Devlin's felt pennant swoops in from the top for a splash of added pizzaz.


And one more, featuring Mary and Pat; I believe that they are just off of the pathway on the west side of the castle... they could probably jump into the moat if they wanted to.  


I'll have more Devlin family photos coming soon!

14 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

I've always said the world is a much better place thanks to rubber snakes-! (And Moms-!)

And thanks, too, to Patrick, et. al. and The Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Yes, thanks to the Devlin family once again, for sharing these with us! Do any of the members of the family remember if there was a rubber head of a character on the end of that magic pencil, and if so, which character? I have a pink pencil with a Mickey head and a yellow pencil with a Pluto head. I remember that there was also a Donald version that was sold and I believe a Goofy as well. I can even still picture the display in The Character Shop in Tomorrowland with all the pencils standing upright in the holder. Is it just me, or do they not sell cool merchandise like that anymore?

Oh, and I remember the barrels of rubber snakes for sale in Adventureland! I think they even sold rubber gorillas at one time.

K. Martinez said...

I remember the rubber snakes and spiders sold in the barrels at the Tropical Imports shop too. What do they sell now? Last time I remember it was plush, cans of soda, bottled water and packets of cut fruit.

I love the third image of Mary and Pat off the path. Wonder where the photographer was standing to take the picture from that angle? You'd never know it was at Disneyland if the photo was isolated from the group.

Again, thanks to the Devlin Family. These are wonderful!

Chuck said...

TokyoMagic!, I remember those rubber gorillas, too.

I realized this morning why I am enjoying the Devlin family photos so much. Aside from the connection to somebody we "know" from GDB, they really evoke the experiences of an actual family visit to Disneyland.

We see lots of great pictures here of scenery and structures that really do a wonderful job of showing how fantastic the early Imagineers were at executing Walt's vision, and I'm not knocking that at all. We all love being reminded of what was there when we were younger, and they scratch that "Disneyland historian" itch that we all share. But most of them are lacking in conveying the true essence of what it's like to actually be there with the demographic the Park was designed for - families.

Here we see a family with children of different ages doing the things that families do - playing in the bushes, taking a time out, clowning for the camera, and generally excited about ohboyohboyohboyIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyinDisneyland! This is really what it was like to be there as a kid, and it's also really what it's like to be there as a parent. And it's awesome.

Thanks, Devlins and Major P, for sharing once again!

Anonymous said...

What a lucky kid to get one of those rubber snakes. I remember them well, sold by the basketfull in Adventureland across from the Jungle Cruise. I wanted one desperately and my Mom would not allow it.

Good to see somebody bought one.

Thanks for sharing these terrific pictures.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I know I have owned a few rubber snakes throughout my life. None purchased in Adventureland, unfortunately!

TokyoMagic!, you might recall my “Magic Pencil” post (or not), my set definitely had Goofy, Mickey, and Donald. I’m almost positive I’ve seen a Dumbo head too.

K. Martinez, I almost feel as if the plush toys appeal to adults more than kids. REAL kids want a jiggly rubber critter, or at least a rubber-tipped weapon!

Chuck, I agree with you completely! I still can’t believe that the Devlin’s gave me their photos, but Tom said that he scanned them. At least they didn’t go into the trash (how often does that happen??).

JG, yeah, I can’t say for sure, but I’ll bet my mom would have said no to buying a rubber snake. However, a rubber gorilla is a different story!

Unknown said...

Ah, yes the Magic Pencil! Until today, though, I couldn't have given the proper name for it. I certainly remember the Dumbo head 'cause I remember the trunk was an early casualty of having too much fun with your rubber pal. And until I saw your "Magic Pencil" post, Major, I remembered them as pencil erasers. Hmm.

As for the location, that's not the Castle moat. There's another shot from that day taken from the opposite angle. I don't know if it's coming up here but it makes the location ID no easier. Me and Tom scratched our heads for a while but eventually figured out the location in the park and revisited it a couple of years ago. I won't be surprised, though, if you all can suss out the location in a few guesses.

You can't say it enough: big thanks to Tom (and by extension the Major) for taking the time to scan photos and make them available. It may be a labor of love but it's work and still takes time. So a big shout-out to both youse guys.

K. Martinez said...

All this talk about rubber snakes and moms brings back memories of a toy I had as a child called "Creepy Crawlers" machine. I remember it had these little square metal mold trays featuring insects, reptiles and amphibians in which a "secret" goop would be poured into the molds and set in a little "oven" heat box before being cooled in a water tray. Needless to say, I would sneak some of the rubber bug creations into my mom's drinks, dresser drawers or where ever it would surprise her and make her scream. Of course it would follow up with a lecture from my dad at the request of my mom. The joys of childhood.

TokyoMagic! said...

Ha! Major, I didn't remember your Magic Pencil post until I saw it...and I even commented on it! It was four and a half years ago, so I'll use that excuse, but the other day I did remember your "asphalt" post and I know that was even further back.

My brother had one of the rubber gorillas. I will have to ask him if he still has it. Speaking of rubber tipped weapons, he also had a rubber tipped bamboo spear with feathers tied onto it. Now I am forgetting if that came from Disneyland or not.

Ken, my brother also had the "Creepy Crawlers"! I had the one that was similar called, "Incredible Edibles". You could actually eat the finished product. They were sort of like "gummy" candies.

Major Pepperidge said...

Patrick Devlin (and GDB readers), it sounds like you know exactly where this was taken, and I have no clue! Come on, just tell us (I figure people would have guessed by now if they knew)!!

K. Martinez, that was one of the greatest toys. I can still smell the goop as it cooked. And it got nice and hot so that you could actually get burns - we didn’t care, the thing was super cool. I am still convinced that those years were among the best for awesome toys.

TokyoMagic!, do you mean one of these spears? We had Incredible Edibles too, but I recall thinking that they were more fun to make than they were to eat.









TokyoMagic! said...

Major, that was the spear, so that answers that question. Thanks! Your comment about Incredible Edibles reminds me of some add campaign from the past. Wasn't there some product that they advertised "As much fun to make as it is to eat!" Oh, was it Jiffy Pop?

Nanook said...

@ TokyoMagic!

Jiffy Pop, it is-!

Unknown said...

Whoops. Had a busy day. Here's the location: it's just past the masonry thingie on the right hand side of the Adventureland entrance. Here's a photo from a few years ago where you can see the chute Mary and I are sitting in: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/bananaphone5000/GORILLA3/57xAdventurelandEntrance.jpg

Anonymous said...

Whoa, Creepy Crawlers and Incredible Edibles. Lots of fun with both of those. I think I might still have a CC lizard stashed away somewhere.

Thanks for reviving that memory, brilliant.

@Patrick Devlin, thanks again for sharing the pictures and the location, very cool.

JG