1960 Disneyland Ticket Info
I just scanned a very nice pamphlet from Disneyland, circa 1960! As you can see, it is incredibly important. Please don't blink while reading today's post. This piece is larger than most paper items from the same era... 10" X 5.25" closed, and nearly 16" wide when unfolded. Miraculously, this example is in crisp mint condition - not a crease or fold (excepting the ones that are supposed to be there). Somehow, nobody immediately folded this in half.
I'm not sure if these were handed out as guests paid their parking fee (likely), or if they received them while buying tickets.
If you don't use Disneyland ticket books, you are a chump! WHAT A VALUE. Don't cheap out and buy that "Big 10" either - you know you want the "Jumbo 15". FOUR "E" coupons, four "D" coupons, three "C" coupons... etcetera. You'll save $1.60 if you use the Jumbo 15 books instead of buying individual tickets - which might not sound like much that's over $13 in today's money.
The rest of the brochure helpfully lists all of Disneyland's 43 exciting adventures by ticket value; among the "E" offerings were the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, the Submarine Voyage, the Monorail and Disneyland Railroad, the Jungle Cruise, the Matterhorn, and... the Pack Mules?!
Kids, please don't read this Special Message for Adults! It contains mature themes and intense situations. I kind of love the skillful soft sell (or maybe it's a hard sell?).
One of my favorite things about this brochure is the sheer number of awesome tiny spot illustrations. 43 in all - one for each adventure. Look at the fearsome squid from the 20,000 Leagues exhibit, or the father and son enjoying the Art of Animation exhibit! I've isolated each tiny drawing so that you can have them tattooed onto your favorite extremity. Send tasteful pictures afterwards, won't you?
14 comments:
Major-
Well - I've read-over the brochure - even the "Special Message for Adults" [don't tell anyone] - and I've finally been worn-down. (Seems the only thing missing are the hot lights, and some vague promise of a cup of coffee and a cigarette if I cooperate-!) I've finally sprung for the Jumbo 15 Ticket Book-! So... what are we waiting for-??!!
Thanks, Major, for sharing this wonderful pamphlet.
It's interesting to see how attractions were "downgraded" over the years. For example, all of the Fantasyland dark rides required a "D" ticket here in 1960, but over the years they were down graded to a "C" and Alice In Wonderland was even downgraded to a "B" ticket. Even as a kid, I wondered why that one particular dark ride wasn't considered to be on the same level as the others. And why did Dumbo Flying Elephants take a "C", but the Astrojets only took a "B"? They were pretty much the same ride.
Wow! Today's post is extra special. Those spot illustrations have been etched onto my brain after years of constantly looking through my INA Disneyland guide booklets as a youngster.
While the guide booklets continued to use the spot illustrations, the graphic style would change dramatically starting with the Fall/Winter 1976 guide booklet and used for the last time in the 1981 Polaroid Disneyland guide booklet.
It's interesting to see that what is basically the SF & D Railroad is separately listed three times on the "E" Coupon section as the Freight Train, Excursion Train and Passenger Train. I've never seen the spot illustrations for those. Again, what a great post today. Thanks, Major.
And you said you were running out of new things to post. You've given us some great stuff lately!
Everything Ken said. Thanks, buddy - you saved me a lot of time this morning. Which is great, 'cause I'm running late to work.
This is so cool. The little concept drawings are amazing. Such attention to detail, not much like that seen today.
Let's fire up our time machine,cause I'm ready to go....when do we leave?? ;D
$1.60 savings? That'll buy you a Monte Cristo sammich at the Tahitian Terrace!
I love the line art, too! It reminds me of the art on the Chance and Community Chest cards in Monopoly. I especially like the fireworks bursts around the castle.
I can't remember if I've told the story here before. When my father took us to the Magic Kingdom in 1983, he was expecting to pay like he had when he visited Disneyland as a young Marine years earlier: one low admission per head and the cheapest tickets book to split amongst the group. When he found out that they had gone to the passport system and he would have to pay $17 apiece for the four of us, he was completely, no joking, ready to turn around and go home. He must have had a visitation from the ghosts of Walt and Roy to persuade him to stay.
Those little drawings have some of the appeal of the attraction posters --- one glance sums up the spirit and interest of the show.
TokyoMagic, I wondered way back then why Alice was bumped to a "B", when it was actually the longest of the dark rides. All I can think of now is that unlike the others it had to be closed on rainy days, and consequently had a bit less wear and tear over a year's time.
TokyoMagic! and Stefano,
The attractions were bumped to different levels of value based on popularity and unpopularity of certain attractions at different points of the park's history. "America Sings" and the "Western Mine Train were demoted" from an 'E' coupon to a 'D' coupon in later years due to waning popularity.
"Alice in Wonderland" was the least popular of the Fantasyland dark rides back then, thus it had the lower value 'B' coupon. I had read that the "Alice in Wonderland" attraction's low popularity had to do with the fact that it was perceived as a "girls" attraction by most of the male guests at the park. That is why in the remodel, the loud "explosion" audio was added to the Unbirthday Room at the end of the ride in the 1984 remodel. Male guests hearing the "explosion" caught their attention and made them more interested in trying out the attraction. It worked.
One more useless bit of information about tickets and attractions. The "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit" which only required the bottom value 'A' coupon was far more profitable than the "Submarine Voyage" which required the top value 'E' coupon. This was due to high maintenance cost of the "Submarine Voyage" as to where the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit" maintenance cost was minimal.
The value of that $1.60 in today's inflation adjusted money brings back the memory that for most middle class families of the time, Disneyland was an 'affordable' luxury. We were able to budget so we could go a couple times a year...and we lived locally so no hotel stays. KS
Major, this is a very cool piece of ephemera, thanks for scanning the little separate images. As Ken points out, they really bring back memories.
I would keep those little guide books and pore over them for months, but seems like I lost every one of them before the next trip. I haven't found any in my old garage boxes, so the scanned versions you and others have posted have to do for now.
I imagine in future years I will be drooling in the home, poring over the PDF's on my tablet.
JG
Nanook, if only I could go back in time and buy a big STACK of “Jumbo 15” ticket books! I’d sell ‘em for over $100 apiece now.
TokyoMagic!, I have always wondered why “Alice” seemed to get so little love. I always thought it was a fun, trippy attraction, and made a point to ride it on every visit. Perhaps the public didn’t like it so much? I still remember a podcast suggesting that “Alice” should be removed and changed to a “Mary Poppins” ride.
K. Martinez, are those all the exact same spot illustrations as found in the INA books? All of mine are in a box somewhere, or I would just check myself. I noticed the 3 separate listings for the DLRR, which seems just a little bit deceptive!
Scott Lane, thanks! I have been making an effort to acquire more stuff, as my budget allows. There are lots more slides to share, and to a lesser extent, some nice souvenir items too.
Chuck, work can wait! Just tell them that you needed to comment on GDB. They’ll understand.
Nancy, I know there are other flyers with different spot illustrations, and I love them all. Stay tuned! As for the time machine… I wish!
Melissa, yes, those illustrations really do remind me of “Monopoly”. Your Marine father sounds a lot like my Navy father - which is probably why we wound up going to Disneyland on “Navy Night” (i.e. for free) a lot. We loved it, so no complaints.
Stefano, the best posters “read” at a glance, and the same goes for tiny spot illustrations, so the comparison is a good one. The rainy day theory for “Alice” is a interesting one - I think California got a lot more rain back in those days.
K. Martinez, I never understood why the Alice ride was less popular. With that impressive outdoor area (the caterpillar vehicles winding their way down the curved “vine”) was such an eye catcher. Interesting that the explosion (with the “Goofy yell”?) made men more apt to ride it.
K. Martinez again, I know that the subs have an enormous maintenance cost - it surprises me that the ride survived. I wish I liked the Nemo version more, but it just leaves me kind of “meh”.
KS, it is true, my family did not go to the park nearly as often as I would have liked, and we lived fairly close. Still, it obviously made an impression.
JG, many of those old INA guides are fairly cheap on eBay! Though my guess is that you might not want to start acquiring boxes full of paper stuff. But it’s so fun to look at, even today!
Greeting to all the GDB night owls.
This is a wonderful piece.
I certify that I am over 18. I read the adult section.
My dad always bought us the 15 ticket book. That way you could go on 3 E tickets (spread out through the day) and have one left (you would save it all day) for that last E Ticket ride before going home.
I have found memories of the 20,000 Leagues walk through. So great to be in the actual sets from the movie!
I have never wanted a tattoo but after seeing these samples I may just go for it. I especially like the rendering of the Horse-drawn streetcar and the Mark Twain.
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