Disneyland Hotel Child's Menu 1957

I've been scanning more vintage Disneyland items, and I'm sharing a good one today!

"What the heck is it?". Well, if you read the title of today's post, you already know - it's a scarce child's menu from the Disneyland Hotel, circa 1957. The cover illustration shows a stylized (very mid-century) Mark Twain, but otherwise it does not indicate what's inside. 

Unfolding the item, we see the selection of items - as with other early children's menus, it's surprising to see fillet of sole, roast turkey, a lamb chop (with mint jelly!), and so on. At least there is pasketti or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for those very picky eaters. But there are no chicken nuggets, no pizza, not even a humble grilled cheese sandwich.

The menu was brought to you by the makers of Pablum, a Disneyland lessee in those early years - and that means that they have specialties for very young guests, or for very weird older guests. As usual, I am amused by "Junior Beef", which should have been my blogger name. But alas, it's too late now. The back panel of the menu shows that it is a mailable item (place a 3¢ stamp in the box), while the other panel shows a simple map of the park, and a microscopic map of the SoCal freeways.

And now, something for the true nerds (and that includes me, of course) - a variation! This menu can fetch pretty high prices, but I managed to acquire a second one at a bargain, only to discover that the layout is a little bit different. The prices are all the same, and it still has the 1957 date on it, so I'm not really sure why there are two versions.

And here's side two comparing the two versions. Collect 'em all!

Stuff From the Box

We haven't explored the contents of THE BOX for six weeks or so - let's get back into it!

First up is this small enameled pin for Bosch Radios - presumably worn by a salesperson. Bosch is a German conglomerate. From Germany! I don't know when this pin was used, or anything else about it, to be honest. I think the device below "Bosch Radio" is supposed to be an old-fashioned microphone. Anyway, I like it because it harkens back to the days when radio was such an important part of people's lives.

Next is this tiny pin from Capitol Records. As a kid I have memories of watching my older brother's Beatles albums spinning around on the turntable, with the purple Capitol Records label; that combined with seeing the famous Capitol building in Hollywood made me fond of the company! Weird, I know. This pin is not much more than .5" in diameter; and like the Bosch pin, I don't really know too much about it. 

I hope this photo didn't frighten you too much! There's nothing to be afraid of, Casper is a friendly ghost, after all. I never really loved Casper's cartoons, but I find his design to be very appealing.This plastic ring (dispensed from gum ball machines, I believe) is the cat's meow!

Another tchotchke that I enjoy is the humble tin-litho badge with the fold-over tab. This Foremost Tastemark Dairy example is particularly nice; it has a Pacific Northwest look, with the stylized totem pole,  though I don't know why. Perhaps they had a factory in the Seattle area?

Howsabout this swell Special Counterspy Junior Agent badge? It's from 1949, from a radio program sponsored by Pepsi Cola. The portrait shows Agent David Harding, and apparently it once glowed in the dark, though it no longer does so. Notice that you could access a sliding panel in the back and add your own picture if you wanted.

Like so!

And finally, here's another plastic ring, this time from Wonder Bread. The squishiest bread of all! So soft, so pillowy, so apt to stick to the roof of your mouth. It was fortified with vitamins and minerals, too. I believe that the cartoon loaf of bread was known as Freddy the Fresh Loaf, but he might have changed his name to avoid The Mob.

STAY TUNED for more STUFF FROM THE BOX!

Arlene, 1956

Today we get to hang out with a nice woman named Arlene, who visited Disneyland with her husband in 1956. They were not yet encumbered with kids

This first one is from late in the afternoon, you can see that the sun is very much to the west; Arlene is in the lower part of the picture, with her blonde hair and blue dress. A little girl to the left has her Mouseketeer t-shirt on, The Mickey Mouse Club was presumably still in its first-run on TV. There's also an earless blue balloon, which just feels wrong.  

Earlier in the day, Arlene took in the Rivers of the World and the Jungle Cruise dock, bustling with activity - one boat is just about ready to depart, while another is coming around the bend with most of its passengers still on board. I'm always fascinated by the ever-changing costumes of the CMs who worked the Jungle Cruise. Above the tropical plants, the tops of Main Street buildings can be seen.