SNOOZLES™
It's Sunday, and that means it's time for more Snoozles. The pictures aren't great, but the name is so cute that nobody cares!
We'll start with the weirdly faded (and soft-focus) photo taken from the Skyway as it passes over Fantasyland. There's no Skull Rock yet, so we can date this to no later than early 1960 (I can't seem to find an exact date for when Skull Rock was added). In spite of this photos flaws, it's still kind of wonderful.
Next is this undated photo from a Jungle Cruise boat. Guests are lucky to see a rhinoceros, they are notoriously shy, even though they are big and strong. What can I say, they have low self-esteem. Is it just me, or does Ronnie Rhino look like he was caught off guard? "Can't a guy just eat some grass? Jeez!" (voice sounds like Arnold Stang).
11 comments:
I love how we're dangling from the cable, along with all the other gondolas. They're like a string of party lights strung across the patio.
Good grief, it looks like the Blue Meanies sapped all the color out of Pepper(idge)land! Everything seems to be covered in volcanic ash, or a dusting of snow.
I think Ronnie Rhino is actually Henry Hippo with a rotten banana stuck on his nose; it's his Halloween costume. "Ha!", he says, "Nobody will recognize me. I can go rob a bank and they'll all think it's Ronnie Rhino!"
Perfect Snoozles, Major. Perfect for making fun of, that is.
Major-
Somewhere there must be an official press release confirming the exact opening date of Skull Rock; but usually what has been published is merely "December, 1960".
Thanks, Major.
Major, you posted this pic in May of 2015 (on your ninth anniversary) and said that it was "circa November 1960." But I know that can either be an actual date that was handwritten on the slide, or it can be a stamped date indicating when the film was developed.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/bananaphone5000/GreatGorilla/11-60SkullRockConstr.jpg
Happy Snoozles™ Day, to all!
Ronnie Rhino is quite shiny...I don't think I have ever seen a shiny rhiny...he's also a bit browny...I've been around a real rhino who was quite aggressive...and unfortunately, the next day we saw him "sleeping"...humans: please stop poaching. That is my PSA for the day. Onto happier matters with the Fantasti-snoozle-picawoozle...which means a really nice photo of Fantasyland. Seems like the photographer knew something about balance and waited for all the elements to be perfect and now we get to appreciate them....a super long time later. Even though we'll never get in a bucket again, we can certainly enjoy this virtual ride. I'm saving this photo to see if it can be reconstructed with all that spare time I have. All that is missing is the smoke from Fan II, or was it Fan 2 (?)...I can smell it through my screen. Let's get little Jimmy and Johnny up there solo...can kind of see why it didn't seem so safe, but back then..."if you fall it's your own darn fault"...and we fell a lot...and look how normal we are. Of course, falling from a skyway bucket may be different from the trees, loft in a garage, a second story window and all the other places I fell from as a kid...AND an adult. The sea around the "Chicken of the Sea presents the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Boat AND restaurant" looks rather magically blue. I like it...I've only seen it with Rivers of America looking water. The blue looks more fantastical. I have a little pond in my backyard that I want to put replicas of Skull Rock and the ship: again...with all that spare time....speaking of spare time- that's it for me...good to be back after a hectic week of work! Thanks for the Snoozles (tm) Major. If like "The Cher" I could "turn back time", I would like to do that right now.
@ Bu-
"... and look how normal we are". It's all relative, however.
I'll take any view of the Pirate Ship, for sure.
Photo obviously has to be before the construction starts, even if Disney built things rapidly back then, it still takes time to move physical reality around. I'll settle for early 1960.
That's a great shot of the rhino, it's so hard to get good shots out of the JC, especially from the far side of the boat.
Thank you Major.
JG
Nice photos today. Thanks Major!
The 1st picture has almost the same composition & is taken from almost the same angle as the photo in the August, 1963 article in National Geographic. Check out this link (6th pic down the page).
http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/blog/2011/4/2/national-geographic-aug-63.html
-DW
@ JG-
I would have to say based on an assortment of "dated" images, construction was under way during the summer months. Just how early into the summer the work began, is still up for grabs.
There are a number of 'exact-dated' images from Friday, December 23, 1960, showing Walt, Captain Guy, some members of the Van Camp family - even the Mermaid - along with a line of guests, attending a "ceremony". Skull Rock and the grotto is clearly there; so at the very latest, it opened on December 23rd.
For how popular it was to take photos of fantasyland from the Skyway … I’m surprised construction photos of Skull Rock Grotto are not more common.
I'm VERY LATE to the party...but wanted to say that I LOVE that first image! That ain't no Snoozle, Major.
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