Sunday, April 26, 2020

Dumbo, May 1978

Dumbo had some hard knocks in his early days, but once he discovered his ability to fly, life was good. Nothing like making lots of kids happy (and some of them nauseous) every day! Not many people know that when this attraction first opened, it spun at such a rate that guests experienced up to 7 G's. Sure, they passed out, but that was all part of the fun. 

This pig-tailed girl looks like she might be having second thoughts, but it's too late. Let the screaming begin.


"Wave at the camera, Abigail! Wave to Daddy! Come on, wave at the camera! WAVE YOU LITTLE NITWIT!". Mom's tired, but we've all been there. What she needs is a nice relaxing ride on the Peoplemover to soothe her jangled nerves.


14 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
I suspect it's just the less-than-perfect lighting that's caused our pigtailed lass to look as if she only has one front tooth. Either that, or those "7 G's" really did a number on her incisors-! If Mom is looking for relaxation, I recommend the Motor Boat Cruise-!

Thanks, Major.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Nanook, maybe that little girl wanted to look like Chip . . . Chip the chipmunk, not Chip the teacup from Beauty and the Beast.

Royalty in Disneyland!! In the 2nd pic, on the left, behind the railing and facing us, I see Camilla - England's future queen consort. And Prince Charles is in the 1st pic . . . no, not the guy (gal?) with the Donald Duck cap and blond wig, but the guy on the very left, leaning on the railing and facing away from us.

And it may be possible that I see Ann Margret in that first pic, also. What do you think TokyoMagic? (Us redheads have to stick together.)

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, I see Camilla and Ann! I'm having trouble finding Charles. Camilla seems shocked or surprised about something. As a teenager, I had a beige shirt with stripes, just like the guy behind Camilla is wearing.

The guy in the first pic, looks like his head is too big for that Donald Duck cap. I don't believe they sold those in adult sizes. Maybe he's keeping it on with bobby pins.

"Lou and Sue" said...

TM! Charles is in the first pic - the very first person on the left (with his back to us).

"Lou and Sue" said...

Maybe he's keeping it on with bobby pins.
TM! The wig, or the hat??

Melissa said...

There's nothing wrong with that first kid that a trip to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters won't help.

The second kid, though. I do hate it when parents make a crying kid go on a ride they don't want to.

TokyoMagic! said...

Melissa, ha, ha! Good job of photoshopping!

Sue, I see the guy you are talking about. I just think his head is too round and normal-looking to be Charles (Sorry, Charles!) The guy with the Donald cap might be keeping everything on with bobby pins! He sort of looks like he could also be wearing a Groucho Marx "nose, mustache and glasses." And maybe falsies, too. (Sorry, Donald hat guy!)

JC Shannon said...

Charles and Dumbo have the same type of ears, ditto Clark Gable. I think the whole world could use a ride on the Peoplemover. Melissa, do you think you could photoshop all of us into a Peoplemover train? Or the Mine Train? Woo Hoo! Thanks Major.

Andrew said...

In my opinion, Disneyland is severely lacking in the g-force department. They should add some real rides in place of the lame Teacups, Dumbo, Carrousel, and Storybook Land. They would all be themed nicely, don't you worry: (Mickey's) Himalaya, (Donald's) Rotor, (Minnie's) Enterprise, and (Goofy's) Round-Up. That would be great, don't you think? ;-)

Nice pics today. Thanks Major.

Chuck said...

Nice to see the Mickey Mouse Club emblem outside Fantasyland Theater, long after it ceased being named after the club.

Above Prince Charles, we get a glimpse of that decorative arch structure around the teacups added around 1970. Oddly, although it was there on every one of five childhood visits, I have no memory of it. And it looks a bit out of place in Fantasyland, with a design (especially at night, covered with white electric light bulbs) that would look more at home on Main Street.

Careful, Andrew - don't give them any ideas!

And ever since you pointed out the 1976ish change to the DL Fantasyland color scheme to more closely resemble early WDW, It jumps out at me when I see it.

Chuck said...

Slight correction to my previous post - "...ever since you pointed out the 1976ish change to the DL Fantasyland color scheme to more closely resemble early WDW, it jumps out at me when I see it." Proper use of lower-case letters saves lives.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, she not only has one front tooth, she only has one tooth, period. Brush and floss, my friends, brush and floss. You don’t think the Peoplemover was relaxing?

Lou and Sue, there are too many Chips in the Disney universe. One must die. You must choose before the clock strikes midnight! I have heard of Camilla, but don’t know what she looks like. I’m about as interested in the British royal family as I am in the Kardashians. Ann Margret, I hope she’s wearing something naughty.

TokyoMagic!, you crazy kids, you go on and look for your Prince Charles, I’ll be over hear watching YouTube.

Lou and Sue, clearly that is Peter Brady.

Melissa, something something Star Wars! Wookies? I need to be a bigger fan. Tosche station? What?

TokyoMagic!, I had - and still have - one of those Donald Duck hats. It needs to bobby pin assistance, it is snug and yet comfortable. The spaceage mesh keeps the sun off my noggin yet keeps me cool.

Jonathan, Clark Gable did pretty well for himself, even with those famous ears. Maybe it’s better to have a distinguishing feature than to be a bland “pretty boy”. That’s what I tell myself every day, anyway.

Andrew, you can get your g-forces at EPCOT; doesn’t “Mission Space” pull some g-s? You get a few on Disneyland’s roller coasters of course, but it’s not like the old Scrambler rides.

Chuck, I didn’t even notice that some big Mickey Mouse event was happening in the Fantasyland Theater, presumably it had to do with one of the reboots of the Mickey Mouse Club. Didn’t one of those happen in ’77? I agree, the arched decor around the teacups is not something I remember, and while I don’t exactly dislike it, I don’t really like it either. Seems unnecessary. I wish I had more good pictures of the Fantasyland façades with their changed colors!

Chuck, aw, no need to be so picky, we all make typos from time to time. I sure do!

Chuck said...

Major, I know I make them all the time and usually they aren't a big deal, but sometimes typos can have serious consequences.

What I originally wrote could have been interpreted as "...ever since you pointed out the 1976ish change to the DL Fantasyland color scheme to more closely resemble early WDW, Pennywise jumps out at me when I see it." That could turn out very badly if I suddenly find myself in a Twilight Zone episode where everything that I write actually happens.

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