Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, 1996
I have some nice images of the old Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, circa 1996. These are courtesy of Mr. X!
Opening as the "Carnation Cafe Ice Cream Parlor" on opening day in 1955, this location was a place where you could get ice cream in various forms. Sundaes! Sodas! Milkshakes! Cones! Rhomboids!
You could also get simple lunch options, such as a grilled cheese or ham sandwich, a hot dog or hamburger, and soups and salads. Give me one of everything! It's great to have some especially clear pictures of the place before IT happened.
Nestlé acquired the Carnation Company in 1985, and in 1997 they decided to phase out the Carnation brand, resulting in the closure of the ice cream parlor. A few months later (and after some extensive remodeling), it reopened as the Blue Ribbon Bakery (while the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor opened just up the street).
And then, in 2012, the Blue Ribbon Bakery closed, and the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor reopened in its original location - obviously with no relation to the namesake company. I believe that Mr. X had been warned that his beloved ice cream parlor (with its magnificent soda fountain) was in danger of closing, which is why he took these photos.
THANK YOU, Mr. X!
18 comments:
Major-
Good 'ol Carnation Ice Cream. THESE KIDS know all about it. (From 1957).
Thanks, Major.
Major, you can have your "rhomboid" shaped ice cream, I prefer mine in Isosceles triangle form; easier to eat.
In the first photo, two trashcans here, and the white paint job makes them look attractive. They're begging us to "Waste Please", which seems like a desperate thing for a trashcan to say. Maybe they are hungry.
The Matterhorn is peeking over the top of the Main Street buildings. It looks like an Easter Island Moai gazing off in the distance, contemplating deep thoughts.
In the third photo, I like how the horse is poking his head just barely into the frame, on the right.
Notice how there are MANY more kids in these photos from the 1990s than we see in the early Disneyland photos. I wonder if that was a gradual transition or if it was fairly abrupt. At some point, Disneyland became more of a kid-oriented place.
These are especially nice photos of the ice cream parlor. Thank you, Mr. X and Major.
That was odd when Disney converted that space to the bakery. Okay, maybe not so odd, since they do like ruining everything. I believe there were two versions of the Blue Ribbon Bakery, but I can only remember the last one. The interior was very ugly. I didn't think it looked very "turn of the century," but that's just me.
I see that today, they are calling that corner space, "Carnation Cafe," and there is a little drawing of Bob Gurr's Carnation truck on the signage.
Thank you Mr. X for documenting this location, and for sharing the pics with us. Thank you, Major, too!
"the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor reopened in its original location"
I guess they believe in reinCarnation.
Melissa, oof. Congratulations, you win GDB on the fourth comment!
Thanks Mr. X for the finely focused photos. I don’t blame you for taking comprehensive pics of a favorite place before it’s ruined. This is the only place in the Park where fire hydrants are part of the theming.
For some reason, this place was never a favorite, I think only because we were only in Main Street first thing and last thing, never near a meal time. I recall one time when we had ice cream. The menu of that era is floating around the web, many dishes named after Disneyland characters and attractions.
JB I thought that was one of those big macaroon treats, you’re saying it’s a mountain? Also, trash cans ARE desperate, it’s their reason for being.
JG
Also, thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, wow, that is quite a billboard!
JB, in my opinion, the rhomboid shape brings out the subtle flavors, though you are right, an Isosceles (hard to spell) triangle is easier. You can’t go wrong with a white paint job, just ask Mary Blair (well, you can’t), who thought that white was the most cheerful color. More cheerful than grayish brown?? Come on! Good ping about seeing more kids, it probably has something to do with video games and fast food.
TokyoMagic!, I am sure that I never set foot in the Blue Ribbon Bakery. I find ribbons to be unpleasant to eat, though I am in the minority. I didn’t know that the bakery was in two locations. They probably had to move because of cockroaches. You get an A+ for looking at the current signage, and they get a B+ for putting the drawing of Bob Gurr’s truck on it.
Melissa, OOF.
JG, hey, I said “oof” too! The other choice was “Zoiks”. The funny thing is that Mr. X took many MANY photos of the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, I’ll bet that the people working there were wondering “What the…?”. They never finished their thoughts, but you get the idea. I think of myself as a big ice cream lover, and yet I rarely have had it at Disneyland. In fact the only time that I can recall was when my then-girlfriend and I got ice cream bars at one of the vendor carts.
JG, you are welcome!
I case there was any doubt on the year of these pics, the fanny pack on the man in the 3rd remaoves all doubt.
Hey, we could rename the ice cream truck the Ice Cream Rhom Bus.
Don't forget "JINKEES"...as an expletive. Carnation: I wish there was a foto of the phountain, but I am happy with these! No one is pointing out that one of the windows in the front is not a window. Is this a speaker? Someone knows. It looks like a pre-TRE TRE. There is a way to do things without disturbing such a focal piece of architecture. I have fond memories of Carnation as an employee. Before that, I think my family had Knudsen, or another LA brand. Carnation I guess was not widespread to the environs of LA. Carnation had the BEST strawberry ice cream with big real strawberries in it. I'm not a gigantic ice cream guy...if it's there, I will certainly eat it....and can push through a pint of Haagen Daas without any problem...also Dove Bars or Magnum Bars...I don't think as a GUEST I'd ever eaten any derivative of ice cream ever. Carnation was a nice spot for a lunch during off hours as it generally was not crowded, and I think I would order a BLT with chips...super simple. They had the Mary Poppins window there, and I liked looking at that while on the patio. The entire place was very "Poppins-esque" in general. Like Mary's dress in the horse race scene. Carnation had ice cream sandwiches and ice cream bars in the ice cream vending machines for a mere dime...so sometimes I ate those...but my dimes were generally put into the Galaga machine in the same break area behind Main St. I got REALLY good at that game. I'm still baffled at arcade games in break areas, but I enjoyed Galaga, and another one that was in Tomorrowland- forget the name ....will have to think about that. Being in Outdoor Vending, we got to see EVERY break room in the park. I think my favorite was the Main Street one because it had lots of vending machines with various offerings and it was a major hub of activity. Bear Country was the quietest, but I would get a free soda at the Mile Long Bar. Adventureland was always super crowded, but had a cute little space next to the Golden Horseshoe dressing rooms. Those are probably offices now. Thanks to Family Stuart (Carnation) and Mr. X. Great documentation. (Fix front windows please...) Side note: an ex (non Disney) CEO of mine would lament about Woody Stuart...I guess he was a golfing buddy..."that Woody!...never worked a damn day in his life!....he he he"....don't know why he told us "mortals" those things- probably more things than I needed to know as a career oriented peon :)
Major, Scalene ice cream is the best, isosceles is a close second.
JG
The loss of Carnation on Main Street was a big deal
When it happened … Town Square Cafe and Sunkist I presume was lost…. So a restaurant /cafe not like a Plaza Inn and the rarely open anymore (at the time) Plazza Pavilion was gonna greatly be missed. In high school and early college we would almost always end the day at carnation at eat a late dinner and have malts and Sundays etc before hitting the road back to San Diego . When working for Disney it was still a popular place to meet friends of relatives in the park . We all knew the wait staff … some who had been with Disney a very long time.
Before the location had closed two friends of mine from Disney got married and they loved Carnation Ice Cream Parlor and we often hung out there. As a wedding gift I was able to get the same old fashion ice cream dishes Disneyland used . Because the supply company sold them in restaurant supply size quantities, they allowed me to purchase everything in sets of 6 as SAMPLES ….the manager at Carnation gave me a packet of carnation parlor place mats , a menu and a tip tray to add to the wedding present. And of course I included a bag of the same peppermint wheels that the waiters always included with the check. The removal of the original carnation ice cream parlor was similar in effect to the removal of the PeopleMover in Tomorrowland… in that it killed a big source or energy to the land.
Tokyo is correct … the Blue Ribbon Bakery replacement was rather ugly. It was suppose to have this back story of European immigrants had opened the blue ribbon bakery so designers gave the interior a very very rustic European look .. which was very un authentic and made the location look closer to something from fantasyland …. Or even closer to the APE CITY in Planet of the Apes ……also for a short time … you couldn’t purchase ice cream in Main Street : only frozen yourgrt : that didn’t go over to well. As San McKim said :” no ice cream on Main Street USA?? People at the turn of the century would’ve have given frozen yogurt slop to the pigs!!” The original soda fountain was saved but about 1/3 of it was cut off to fit it in the new location. It remained in the first version of The Gibson Girl … but in a later redo and the loss of much of the indoor seating the soda fountain was removed … I’m not sure it it was saved , but it’s not on display today.
The pink red and white wallpaper used at carnation ice cream parlor has always been an off the shelf pattern … but at a certain point a favorite pattern used to the location’s last day was made special for Disney after it was no longer offered in the company’s regular line. This has been the case with several wallpapers and other finishes used over time by Disney.
The Carnation Cafe isn’t the carnation ice cream
Parlor …. But it’s better than the Blue Ribbon Bakery was.
Now I’m craving a malt!
Carnation, Borden, Meadow Gold, Foremost ... When ice cream was part of a line of dairy products, not a branded industry unto itself. It was usually sold in bricks, the round containers being an affectation of more expensive stuff.
Early Simpsons had Homer going through several boxes of Neapolitan ice cream in the freezer, finding them all empty except for the strawberry ("Doh! ... Doh! ... Doh! ..."). As a teen I thought strawberry shakes would cause fewer zits than chocolate.
Where was I going with this?
DBenson, now I'm craving some Sealtest vanilla ice milk.
Ice cream in bricks was great for parties; you could unwrap the whole brick and cut it into smaller cuboids with the big kitchen knife.
JG, I dunno, "scalene" sounds fishy to me.
Dean Finder, it’s so strange how fanny packs became a thing for a while. WHY? Somehow we lived for years without them. However, I did bring a backpack with me on my last visit to the park!
Melissa, it’s a truck! It’s a bus! It’s a Rhom Bus!
Bu, “Jinkies” is pretty good, I’ve always wondered if that originated with Velma, or did it exist before Scooby Doo? There is a window that’s really a speaker?? Which one? I honestly have never heard about this before. I’m not sure my family ever had an allegiance to one kind of ice cream. Well, now that I say that, we were a big Baskin Robbins family, so never mind. Rocky road, yum. I can’t say that I am a gigantic ice cream guy either, but I love it. I just don’t buy it very often. All I need is more desserts, right? BLT, the king of sandwiches. I’m looking forward to tomato season, there’s a produce stand near me that has the best tomatoes, and there is nothing better than a BLT. I never thought of it, but I can see the resemblance to Mary Poppins’ “Jolly Holiday” costume. I’ve always felt a bit left out in regards to video games, I talk to people who had so much fun with them, but I wasn’t really exposed. I played “Asteroids” a little. That’s about it. I kind of wish I had a childhood filled with Mario Cart and such. BTW, there are photos of the soda fountain on my blog, taken by Mr. X, so you can find them if you are true of heart. Wow, I wish I could own a huge dairy company and “never work a day” in my life. That’s what I call winning.
JG, Scalene, I had to look it up. I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. It sounds like a skin disease.
Mike Cozart, I love the idea of going to Disneyland as a young person, and ending the day by eating a late dinner at the Plaza Pavillion with friends. It gives me the warm fuzzies just thinking about it. Very nice that you got that ice cream for your friends when they got married. What’s wrong with Farrell’s, I ask you? Don’t they like a loud bass drum and people embarrassing them? Mr. X would completely agree with you about the effect of the removal of the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, he loved that place. The back story for the Blue Ribbon Bakery is interesting, and yet… is it really necessary? How many people even pay attention? Maybe it was there for the locals who visited the park 50 times a year. Just make the place beautiful and as authentic as possible. Sometimes it’s better to let people make up their own stories - over-explaining can be the death of fun. I can’t say bad things about frozen yoghurt, after all I do like it. Yet another thing I don’t eat that much, but not because it isn’t good. Still, a good rich ice cream can’t be beat. Or better yet - gelato! But I agree, frozen yoghurt and gelato don’t really belong on an 1890’s Main Street. Thanks Mike!
DBenson, as a kid I especially liked ice cream in those little paper tubs. You know, with the flat wooden spoon! It always seemed like a special treat, even though a big bowl of ice cream would have technically been more luxurious. Maybe kids just like small things that are just for them? Strawberry shakes cause fewer zits… hmmm. I’ve never heard that one before!
Melissa, you can cut up a cylindrical carton of ice cream too! My mom used to do it so that it would be shorter and fit in the freezer easier.
Major, I think the window, that Bu is referring to, can be seen in all the photos - upstairs, in front...it has lots of slats.
I vote for Melissa to get the Top Banana award today. That reinCarnation comment is pretty tough to beat.
I like the red and white flowers in the window planter on the second floor, above the red and white umbrellas. A nice added touch.
All the colors in these photos are classy. Main Street doesn't look like Toon Town.
All this talk about ice cream made me want some...so I'm currently eating some frozen custard from Culver's - "Andes Mint Avalanche." But I also see that the Candy Palace is still open, so I'm going to stroll down there to see what they're making, in the window.
I enjoyed everyone's comments and stories. Hey, Mike, you are creative when it comes to gifts!
Thanks, Mr. X and Major, for more beautiful photos!
….the Blue Ribbon Bakery replacement was rather ugly. It was suppose to have this back story of European immigrants had opened the blue ribbon bakery so designers gave the interior a very very rustic European look....which was very unauthentic and made the location look closer to something from Fantasyland
Mike, thanks for that info. So I wasn't the only one who thought the Blue Ribbon Bakery was ugly. You are right, it did look like it belonged in Fantasyland, next to the Village Haus or the Pinocchio ride. It definitely didn't go with it's exterior, or the rest of Main St. But by this point, they had already stopped caring about themeing.
When I worked in the Ice Cream Parlour at Knott's, they had gotten rid of Carnation as the sponsor and switched to Dairy Gold brand ice cream. It was very good.....especially the boysenberry sherbet. The signage on the back wall of the shop had previously had a huge carnation on it, to tie in with the sponsor. After they switched sponsors, they tried to chisel away at the carnation on the sign and repainted it to make it look more like a rose. It looked kind of sloppy, but I guess they didn't want to spend the money for a new sign.
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