Tuesday, February 11, 2020

1958 Gate Handouts

Today I thought I'd take a look at two 1958 Disneyland gate handouts; since they have information for guests about ticket book options, these must have been given to guests as they paid their 25-cent fee to enter the parking lot. You'd think that a lot of these types of flyers would have been left on the car seat, and that there'd be plenty of them in great condition these days. But they are almost always folded (usually twice), dog-eared, and torn. It's enough to make a person weep. I was lucky to find my examples, which are pretty nice.

Both handouts have identical graphics on the front...


And they also have identical information on the inside. Why would you not buy a "Jumbo 15" (for a mere $3.25)? Any leftover  tickets can be used during your next visit (though admittedly they would be A's and B's, and maybe a C). It's a bit shocking to adjust that $3.25 for inflation, only to find out that the people of 1958 were paying the equivalent of $30; yes, that is a bargain by today's standards, it's more the amazement at the change in the value of a dollar between then and now. As always, I love the little spot illustrations.


The difference between the two brochures can be seen on the back panels; the one on the left advertises "Summer Hours", Friday and Saturday "Date Nites", and "Fantasy In the Sky" every evening at 9 P.M. That's for me! Open every day from 9 A.M. to Midnight, and open until 1 A.M. on Saturdays' and Sundays. 

The one on the right also advertises "Summer Hours", but was obviously made to be used as the Summer waned and kids went back to school. Fall-Winter Hours were 10 A.M. to 7 P.M, and the park was closed Monday's and Tuesdays (hard to imagine).


I have more gate handouts that are variations on these, you'll see them eventually!

15 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
These are always a fun find. Those 'spot illustrations' have proven to be definite winners with this crowd (including featuring the two-window Keel Boats). Here's my $4.25 - please provide a JUMBO 15 Ticket Book.

Thanks, Major.

Andrew said...

I have to wonder... how were "children" and "juniors" classified? If it was for everyone under 18, the savings could add up to a lot for a big family. Thanks for the post!

Melissa said...

Gimme more of that midcentury line art goodness!

10-15 attractions! The guidebooks today tell us that it's only realistic to plan for 4-5 attractions a day on our all-inclusive tickets.

The $17 tickets my Dad was going to make us turn around at the gate and go home rather than pay so much for are only about $43 in today's money. Crazy!

JC Shannon said...

I love the art in these old brochures. So retro cool. I worry about the price of admission today. I am afraid it will get so expensive that your average family won't be able to afford to go anymore. Anywho, I am a fan of all Disneyland brochures and this one is great. Thanks Major for sharing it with us.

DrGoat said...

Bummer Melissa. We got lucky. We made it out to Anaheim only once a year so my parents always put out for the larger ticket books. Usually ended up with a few to bring home....A's and B's. Still got some of those stashed away, plus one E ticket that never got used. I don't know why.
Nice post Major. Love old graphics. Thanks.
With your permission, I think I'll use that second image for one of my revolving Disneyland desktop wallpapers. I'll leave your identification on it of course. Makes it even better.

Anonymous said...

What was the spread of A, B, C, D tickets in 1958 (since there were no E attractions in 1958)?

stu29573 said...

I have a couple of VIP passes at home from the late 50s. No tickets needed!

Anonymous said...

Who could pass up a trip to the Moon for only $3.25?

Not only are the line art illustrations wonderful, the text styles on the left hand page are "chef's kiss" perfect.

Guessing the right hand page is from later in the season as it no longer features the fireworks and now adds Fall hours, but the text is so much plain. No more Happiest Place on Earth either, gets the job done, but without the flair.

We must have had many of these over the years, and never kept one, in fact I barely remember that these existed. I guess Dad just slipped them in his pocket, or tossed them on the way in. I do remember that at some point we started buying the 15 books, instead of the 10, but have no idea when that was. I thought I used to have an old Magic Key ticket book but cannot find it.

Major, should I be keeping the little brochures that they hand out at the gate? Will these be valuable in 60 years too?

To Anonymous above; the Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog in the Major's blogroll above has a lot of good info on the old tickets, in spite of no longer being updated, the old posts are still up.

Thank you, Major. This is good stuff.

JG

Anonymous said...

Also, just noticing now how the ad copy is aimed at the adults, how much you will enjoy Disneyland without really comparing to other amusement parks.

Probably innovative marketing at the time.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, these flyers are fun, but it drives me crazy searching for examples that I don’t have! Some of them just never show up. But… someday!

Andrew, as you suggested, children were “under 12” (believe it or not), juniors were “12 thru 17”. Of course, if you are over 3 years old today, you are an adult as far as Disneyland admissions are concerned!

Melissa, wow, do they really expect people to be OK with only experiencing 4-5 attractions? One of the most crowded, worst visits to the park ever was during a hot August, and we did 5 rides. I considered it to be a disaster. Many of the hours were spent waiting for the constantly-breaking-down Rocket Rods! And the Disneyland RR broke down while we were in line, though nobody told us for a long time.

Jonathan, there was a headline this morning about how prices are being raised yet again. Is it just me or do they now raise prices twice a year rather than once?

DrGoat, for a few years they had a “Big 20” ticket book, I wonder if those weren’t successful because they were too expensive? We still have an envelope with A, B, and some C and D tickets, I think it’s in my mom’s desk drawer.

Anonymous, I happen to have a full junior 15-ticket 1958 book, it has 3 A’s, 3 B’s, 4 C’s, and 5 D tickets!

stu29573, a VIP? Well la-di-dah! I guess you showed up to the park with a smoking jacket, carrying a martini, and wearing a monocle.

JG, the paper gate handouts and other brochures from, say, the first five or six years, are some of my very favorite Disneyland items. Naturally they tend to be really expensive too! I just acquired one rare handout, a variation on today’s, that I didn’t think I’d ever get. And nobody else even bid! Gosh, I wonder if your dad knew that you could use your leftover tickets at your next visit?? I remember buying a child’s book at a booth in the park (we’d used up our E tickets), and giving a fake birth date when the girl asked me when I was born. I felt so clever - it was the beginning of my life of crime! And yes, Anonymous should definitely take a look at the Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog, it has lots of good info for those interested in such things.

JG, ah, that’s a good point! I didn’t even notice.

JC Shannon said...

Yea Major, What ever happened to Walt's "not about the money" Dream?

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, Major, we knew the tickets could be re-used. One year, I think we rode every Main Street vehicle there was, to use up a wad of old A tickets. And we took the stash with us every year.

At some point in the '70's we got to buy the Magic Key tickets because of my Mom's job. I remember even after that, we would buy some tickets at the Park booths inside for the lesser rides, A, B, C, etc. since the Key tickets were all basically E tickets and we wanted to save them for the big rides.

On my high school trips, we were given letter ticket books and I would bring a stash of the Key tickets too, 3 or 4 usually, to have a big time.

It's so much easier now, and they have gotten much better about warning of breakdowns and handing out fast passes to compensate. Last trip, I had two fast passes since both Space Mountain and Indiana Jones were broken while I waited, and I didn't use either one, because now I am old and went home to sleep.

JG

Melissa said...

stu29573, a VIP? Well la-di-dah! I guess you showed up to the park with a smoking jacket, carrying a martini, and wearing a monocle.

And a mink-lined babushka.

"Lou and Sue" said...

If I only got on 4 or 5 rides in one day, I'd be very disappointed. When you figure-in the transportation (airfare, also, in my case), food and hotel rooms - those 4 or 5 rides end-up costing around $200 each. Disneyland and WDW are waaaaay out of the average person's price range, now. I personally don't know many people (from my area) that go there (to DL or WDW), anymore.

One of my aunts went to Disneyland about 20 years ago on a holiday (I think it was Christmas), and I remember her telling me that she was only able to get on ONE ride, and couldn't get into any restaurants. What a disappointing holiday!

I have a question for anyone out there . . . am curious: Years ago, we (the public) were told by the Disney employees that you could use your old tickets at the park forever - any time in the future. Do they still honor that, and has anybody tried to "cash in" old tickets.

And a mink-lined babushka :o)
Years ago, I worked for a very 'well-to-do' family . . . their first grandchild came home from the hospital in a mink-lined receiving-blanket. It coordinated nicely with the silver spoon.

Thanks, Major, for sharing your fun brochures with us!

Sue

stu29573 said...

Unfortunately, I wasn't born yet when they were issued... and used. I found them at an estate sale...No VIP for me...Sigh.