Der Mighty Matterhorn, April 1980
I have posted so many photos of the Matterhorn over the years - I couldn't even hazard a guess as to the number - that I feel a bit guilty sharing more. Maybe today's images should have been relegated to a "Snoozer Sunday". But... here we are.
It's 1980, and we can see that the Great Stroller Takeover has begun; somehow the park had gone 20+ years without this issue - something that I have never understood. Did parents of the '50s and '60s not use as many strollers? Did more families with lots of small children start coming to the park after that? I'm sure many of you have seen the "parking lots" for scores of strollers now necessary in some places. It's no surprise that "It's a Small World" is one of the attractions that is a magnet for so many strollers.
Oh yeah, the Matterhorn looks nice!
Over in Tomorrowland, the mountain towers above it all. No strollers this time! The Tomorrowland Terrace and the stage (in its "down" position) are to our left, just knowing it's there makes me want to buy a burger and fries and sit in the shade. Maybe I'll throw a French fry to the sparrows. There were plenty of nicer dining options at the park, but for some reason I've eaten at the Terrace a LOT. Notice the guy up on the Peoplemover track, that seems like an odd place to stand.
I'll have better stuff for you tomorrow!
17 comments:
In #1, I kinda wonder if the herd of grazing strollers was intended to be the focus of attention here. Or at least share the attention with that mountain thingy in the background (have we seen that mountain before?)
Der Matterhorn looks especially majestic in this photo.
I don't see any young'uns in the strollers. The swans and ducks must have gotten to them already. NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD UNATTENDED!
And what the heck (yes, I said HECK) is that lady on the extreme left (in white) wearing? Is she barefoot? Is that a dress, or some king of pants? It looks like those puffy chicken/turkey leg covers you always see in cartoons. Maybe she has chicken legs?
In #2, I think those two hippies in tank-tops are twins; same hair, same hats, same belts. They're even looking in the same direction!
And yes, what the heck (I said it again) is that guy doing up there?! He doesn't appear to be an employee. Maybe he's actually standing on that tower/planter and is only about 2 feet tall!
Thanks for the photos of that mountain thing, Major. Such a rarity. Only on GDB!
- Joyous Bundle (of joy. Result of yesterday's June bride)
Ha, ha, JB. That's the lady's purse! And there is a bobsled sighting in that first pic. Well, two actually, since it's one of the 1978 tandem bobsled vehicles.
Those hippies in the second pic, are also wearing bell-bottoms. The one in the red tank top looks like he is also wearing platform shoes. Maybe he's s disco hippie. In a few years, he'll have all of that hair moussed into a "Flock Of Seagulls" hairdo.....or a mohawk.
In the first photo, track upwards from the third stroller from the left and find the woman in the plaid, probably polyester pantsuit. I think that’s most likely a black purse over her right shoulder but the angle, location, apparent curve, and the shadows of her lapels make it look like a leather apron micro-miniskirt with a vague Frau Farbissina vibe to it. I find the whole ensemble faintly disconcerting. Note to self - get something like that to wear to work.
The second photo gives us a great view of the Matterhorn flossing its nostrils. Not sure what that would accomplish at this late stage; the thing’s already riddled with cavities.
Thank goodness Disneyland opened when it did. We kids were already 6 and 7 years old and quite capable of walking, running and getting into stuff. Especially when you grow up in the desert with lots of space and places to go. By the 80's, I had walking down pat.
The worst stroller day was about 7 years ago on our next to last trip to the park. A sea of strollers. Double-wides abound. People getting crowded and some flared tempers. That's the only time I ever saw Disney security take someone away. A door behind the Bengal BBQ and down they went.
Never liked tank tops. It's funny how the word 'hippies' seem to have encompassed every young person in the 60s. We all had long hair and jeans, etc. etc. but I only saw real hippies when went to concerts. Nice people but not most kids bag. We we into emulating the Buffalo Springfield look, but all of us went home for dinner and sleep tight. It was the wild west you know, but comfort is nice.
Hope everyone is well, Thanks Major good pics.
I need to try to comment on the photos, and ease up on life stories. Bear with me if you will. Getting old is a chore.
DrGoat, reading your comments (with life stories) is one of the reasons I LOVE this blog. Please don’t stop sharing with us.
Here is my take on the "stroller issue." (Cue trumpets, release the doves)
Parents pamper their kids much more now. When we took my daughter (now 32)to WDW when she was five, we never even considered a stroller. It seemed no other parents of kids that age did either. She walked, dadgummit, and when she got tired, my shoulders became her chariot!
Now, I see people posting things like, "My kid is 14, what kind of stroller should I use?" Ok, slight exaggeration, but not much. More wimps= more strollers.
And get off my lawn!!!
That being said, I would really like to take a quick spin down the Matterhorn today. I'm sitting in a 6 hour GT update meeting. Shoot me. Please...
Stu, GT? Btw, looking through hundreds of photos of me in Disneyland as a tiny kid—there’s no stroller in sight (for me). I also don’t recall riding in one either, and my memories go back pretty far.
Sorry, "Gifted and Talented." I'm a school counselor, lol!
Stu, I was hoping GT was gin and tonic.
Dr. Goat, I agree with Sue, I love everyone's stories and please don't apologize for getting old, we are all doing it, and don't want to stop that either.
My Mom strongly disapproved of tank tops. I did have one for a while, but I couldn't wear it to school and I needed sleeves to protect me for work (driving tractors in the orchards, getting hit and scratched by branches), so I didn't wear it much. I believe it is everyone's civic duty to spare society from viewing one's armpits.
Major, I love these pictures of the Matterhorn, interesting to see that area between the Mountain and the rest of Fantasyland, it's kind of a gray area that is not often photographed. Also interesting to see how that promenade had become more crowded year-by-year with snack bar and souvenir kiosks, almost another Fantasyland street. I watched a walk-through video yesterday and was surprised to see how the huge light towers and parade viewing risers make it hard to see the IASW facade until you are right up to it.
JG
JB, I doubt that the strollers were supposed to be the focus of the photographer’s attention, but they’re sure hard to ignore. The photos that we’ve seen of the Matterhorn show the original version that was entirely made of asbestos and dolphin skulls. All the kids are probably in IASW! OR they were eaten by ducks. I think that lady is holding a large white purse? That’s what it looks like to me anyway. You might be right about the twins, though one of them is holding hands with his “old lady”! I can’t imagine what that guy is doing up on the Peoplemover track, maybe he’s a guest who went looking for a bathroom and somehow wound up way up there.
TokyoMagic!, oh yeah, I forgot to look for bobsleds! The tandem ones aren’t quite as fun as the single sleds, but I’ll take them. By 1980 the hippie look was becoming dated, but those fellows are going to stick to their guns. For instance, I still have a “Flock of Seagulls” hairdo.
Chuck, ha ha, that lady is kinky, she wears her shortest leather skirt even at Disneyland. Security is used to kicking out people who look inappropriate, but they don’t know what to do with her. I had to look up “Frau Farbissina”, I guess I must have known that character’s name at some point. And don’t knock flossing your nostrils until you have tried it.
DrGoat, I have to admit that I am often jealous of those kids in the strollers. If only somebody would push ME around wherever I want to go. And if I get tired I can just fall asleep! Walking on your own is overrated. For some reason I always noticed the strollers the most over near IASW (makes sense, since it’s a good ride for small children), as well as beneath the Peoplemover track near “Star Tours”. Scores of ‘em! I never liked tank tops either. I hope you know that when I make cracks about “hippies”, it’s because I’m weird and think it’s funny to be “the guy who doesn’t like hippies”. I don’t really have a problem with them.
DrGoat, it’s fine! Comment however you want!
Lou and Sue, yes, it’s the personal stuff that makes it fun.
stu29573, all you have to do is look at vintage photos of Disneyland… sure, you’ll see the occasional young toddler in a stroller, but it’s unusual. Go to the park now and see those “SUV” strollers. I think a lot of people like them because they can hold a lot of stuff, merchandise, extra food, sweaters for when the sun goes down, etc. OK, OK, I will get off your lawn, but I’ll be back tomorrow. A “GT” meeting… Good Times? Sounds fun!
Lou and Sue, you have the photos to prove it! LOTS of them! ;-)
stu29573, “Gifted and Talented”?? Why, you must have talked about me at least a little bit!
JG, a gin and tonic meeting! And yes, I think most of us like the stories, we all like a personal touch. I had some tank tops, including one with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in that “Spirit of ’76” pose, but I never liked wearing them, so they’d sit in a drawer until I outgrew them. I’m not surprised that the promenade (is that the official name for that area?) has become more crowded with stuff… it amazes me to see just how big and empty it was in earlier photos.
Maybe that's Bob Gurr on the Peoplemover track, surveying his dominion. He's allowed to go wherever he wants.
Removing the Skyway cables made the Matterhorn more unstabalized, causing its sinking rapidly increase.
Oh, the Hippie Twins are something special! I wish they'd turn around!
I remember the guidebook I bought before my 2011 trip to WDW - it might have been the Birnbaum guide, but I'm not sure - said that every child under 10 absolutely needed a stroller. I was pretty shocked, but apparently a lot of parents agree.
There are absolutely some parents who use them as a way to make the trip easier for themselves rather than for the kids' benefit. Don't feel like taking the kids back to the hotel for an afternoon nap? They'll sleep in the stroller. Kids can't keep up with the breakneck pace of rushing from attraction to attraction to get the maximum bang for your buck? Put 'em in he stroller and turn them into cargo. Kids don't have the stamina to stay up until all hours? Stroller. Meanwhile, the kids are cranky because they're not getting real rest, they miss out on the immersive surroundings andbecause all they can see is the stroller canopy as the scenery speeds by.
But there's also the fact that it's a relatively modern thing for people with disabilities to expect that they'll be able to go everywhere and do the same things their able-bodied peers are doing. A certain percentage of the strollers we see in the parks have the stroller-as-wheelchair tag, because for whatever reason they fit the family's needs better than a pediatric wheelchair (often because the kid doesn't need one at home, but a day in the parks is much more strenuous than a day at home).
Tokyo, ah yes. Now that you mention it, it does seem to be a purse. It's a good thing I don't have a webcam or everyone would see my embarrassed red face right now.
Chuck, you have a way with words. Not sure what, exactly. But it's a way.
DrGoat, like Sue says, whether it's a comment about the photos or about life, it's all good, and we enjoy them. Often, it's the comments that aren't about the photos that generate the most responses; interesting, informative, serious, or silly. I lean toward the latter.
Stu, thanks to you, I have a big glop of dove droppings on my keyboard! (I thought about saying "poop", but didn't want to sound overly coarse.)
"More wimps= more strollers." And fatter kids who don't get enough exercise.
Major, "...the original version (of the Matterhorn) that was entirely made of asbestos and dolphin skulls." Sandy, "Flipper! Where are you, buddy?! Flipperrrr!"
Melissa, I'm sure the Hippie Twins have handlebar mustaches and mutton-chop sideburns. You just know they do.
I blame Disney themselves for the proliferation of strollers. The pricing of tickets and hotels means that most families need to do as much in a day as possible. To keep that pace, parents will use them for kids well past stoller-age anywhere else.
Disney could encourage people to head back to the hotel at midday and come back so the kids could get a nap, but then they'd stop spending money. Disney started afternoon parades just to prevent that at WDW.
Andrew, I’m going to say that it IS Bob Gurr, and then I will sell this slide on eBay for $100,000.00. Or maybe I should make it $99,999.00 to fool buyers? I think you’re right about the Skyway cables, which is why the Matterhorn is now sticking up only about 15 feet above the ground.
Melissa, I want to see a TV series called “Hippie Twins”, with cool ‘70s theme music, and plenty of star wipes and zooms. Of course there will be kung fu, and maybe a talking parrot, but not like that lame Fred in “Baretta”. Wow, that Birnbaum guide is probably why the stroller thing took off. Now we know why! I have to admit that I would probably resort to one if I had to haul a kid around the park all day. I don’t know how my mom managed to deal with 4 children. I feel much more sympathy for somebody who has to get around Disneyland in a wheelchair, it must be tough. There are always people who abuse systems, but I’d like to think that most people try to follow the rules. Maybe I’m fooling myself!
JB, don’t worry, I can see you just fine! I have eyes everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Chuck is also a good dancer, especially when he’s doing the Fox Trot. I agree with you, sometimes the comments go way off the reservation, and that’s when everyone has the most fun. I’m sure not going to complain! Speaking of Flipper, I can’t believe I ever watched that show. I have a fondness for it, but man, it wasn’t that good!
Dean Finder, you make a lot of good points. And we all know that Fast Pass resulted in more people milling around in the rest of the park - theoretically spending money. If people are at the hotel sleeping, all that sweet sweet money is sitting in their wallets not being used! I did not know that about the afternoon parades at WDW, but it makes sense.
Melissa and Dean, you do mention some very good points about the strollers. Things were much different in DL in the 60s. It was never rushed, and never crowded when we went, and we were there for a few days. Also, the hotel rooms on the Disney grounds were easier to get to, to take an afternoon break.
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