Knott's Berry Farm, July 1978
Here's a selection of slide scans from 1978; I am reasonably sure that they are from Knott's Berry Farm, mostly because of this first photo of some energetic girls posing with two aloof flappers. The flappers were added as part of KBF's "Roaring 20s" area - do they have names? Were they sculpted by Knott's legend Claude Bell? Did he like eating at Taco Bell? So many questions. Cotton candy is a treat that I honestly don't recall seeing at Knott's, and have definitely never seen at Disneyland.
The next three photos show the girls on Antique Autos, I found these before I found the previous photo, and there are MANY amusement parks with similar attractions, so I was at a loss as to where these were taken. There are some steps in the middle of the picture, with guests coming down from someplace up above - was this part of some other attraction?
This looks similar to the previous photo, but I noticed that the car has two steering wheels, which is how they do things in Europe (or so I'm told). So... it's a different ride?
Hello, Mom, nice to meet you! She's a good mother too, since she let the kid drive. It always amused me to see pictures of the Autopia where the kid sits in the passenger seat while Dad is at the wheel. But I suppose it's possible that a timid kid might prefer to take in the scenery and let somebody else worry about Sunday drivers.
16 comments:
Flappers, giggly tween girls, old-time cars, and cotton candy... I'm looking for a theme here... Having a fun time! THAT'S THE THEME! All that's missing is some of Knott's famous day-old popcorn and recycled corn dogs.
Hopefully, Tokyo! and others can fill in the details, because I sure can't. Thanks for the good-time Knott's photos, Major.
The two flappers in Knott’s ROARING 20’s are named “Daisy & Flossie”. They were created by sculptor Jess Nelson. I’m not aware of any other Knott’s figures he may have done , but he was discovered by Knott’s because he had a line of animal sculptures that were sold in Virginia’s Gift Shop and the product buyer put him in touch with project designers.
Daisy & Flossie are still sitting on a bench - currently in front of the Blind Rabbit Speakeasy on Memory Lane. But prior to that they were always sitting around Charleston Circle …. In various locations over time …. But always around the circle . Bi-jingo their swell!
Major : those are two different auto attractions . The double steers by wheel is THE TIJUANA TAXI in Fiesta Village ( originally called The Merry Go Round Auto Ride) the single steering wheeled auto is GASOLINE ALLEY in Knott’s Roaring 20’s Airfield. Both cars are by ARROW DEVELOPMENT…. The Tijuana taxi is their earlier “Ford Model t” and “Maxwell” roadster cars . Gasoline Alley used the later ArrowFlyer which is based on the Stutz Bearcat and Mercer Raceabout automobiles of 1912-1914.
What Mike said about Gasoline Alley! Those cars went around a roadway, underneath the Motor Cycle Chase (later the Wacky Soapbox Racers).
The Tijuana Taxis, formerly Antique Auto Ride, formerly Merry-Go-Round Auto Ride, is now at Castle Park in Riverside, along with the Carousel from Knott's Lagoon. When Knott's gave those rides the axe, Bud Hurlbut moved them to Castle Park, which he owned at the time.
Cotton Candy was sold at the Original Berry Stand, Lindy's Cafe in the Roaring 20s, and the Lagoon snack stand across the street. When the Lagoon closed in 1983, the cotton candy machine was moved over to the Cable Car Kitchen, and they started selling it there. I know you wanted to know that! (Cotton candy is the best, when it is right out of the machine and still warm! I don't understand all of this prepackaged stale and compressed cotton candy that Disneyland and Knott's sells now. Who would want that?
Major, here is a link to a picture you posted a very long time ago. I went ahead and added a watermark, since the photo is from before you ever started doing that. The photo was taken from the Sky Jump or the Sky Cabin, and shows the loading station/building for Gasoline Alley, as well as part of the layout of the track. You can see how it was intertwined with the Motorcycle Chase's layout.
Aerial View of Knott's Gasoline Alley
Day olde popcorn and recycled corn dogs- a great way to start the day!: well: I suppose it is a choice: I'm not sure if it's a legal one...but to each his own. I suppose there are worse things than selling illegal corn dogs. When I worked on the supplier side of the food business, I was told it was legal to sell recycled food IF it was changed into something else: for instance: bread rolls not eaten at table became croutons, etc. I suppose that "sanitarily", if the corn dog has been boiled in oil twice: it doesn't seem that it would harbor too much bacteria: the question is "how much is too much"..? "What the eye doesn't see the heart cannot grieve." Cotton Candy is a favorite of mine...in England we say "Candy Floss"...when in Catalina Island "Lloyd's of Avalon" in the 70's (still there: not quite the same: but still there). There was always a sweet and pretty girl making cotton candy in one of those big commercial vats: I was of course very captivated when she spun "straw into gold"....and she would make the most ENORMOUS blobs of fluff: even taking off the final blanket of cotton with her hands and adding it to the already gigantic cloud on a stick. Of course, walking along the beach with the sea air tending to melt the the cotton into a web of sweet goo quickly: and that's what I'd peel off and stuff into my mouth. So sugary, with the "Cotton Candy Flavor": a flavor not found in nature, and only in commercial cotton candy sugar. I can see in the photo that the girls have very fresh cotton candy...it looks very fluffy but is so very messy: which is why Disneyland did not sell it in my day. I agree with TM that those bags are NOT tasty AT ALL. Cotton candy needs to be fluffy and light: those bags are like eating AC Insulation. That being said: these cars look fun: I think I would prefer them to Autopia if we are comparing: and wondering if in some early plans or late plans for Main Street there was a Olde Tyme car ride like this: would make some sense actually: perhaps a wee low brow: or in-authentic due to it's "ride factor" not being cohesive or authentic to a "trip back to the turn of the century" Horse cars and firetrucks are transportation not rides..hmm: need to think through this concept fully to perhaps add it into my theme park: which of course will never be built: however does have an operating PeopleMover and Skull Rock. Thanks Major!
Thanks to everyone for the Knotts info, I would never have recognized any of this by myself.
It makes sense to add some women figures to balance Handsome Jim and his buddy, but not having them be “saloon girls”, which might not be quite right for a family park.
Cute kids having fun, that’s really the whole point.
Thanks Major!
JG
Mike, did Claude Bell sculpt the Señoritas on the bench in Fiesta Village, or were the miners and saloon dancers the only "figures on benches" that he did?
JB, it’s true, Knott’s looks pretty fun! And it IS fun. Man, right now a recycled corn dog would really hit the spot. I’m sure TokyoMagic! will have lots of good info!
Mike Cozart, huh, I wonder how they hit on “Daisy” and “Flossie”? “Daisy” is very “Great Gatsby”, and Flossie must have very healthy gums and teeth. I think that the girls are in the Charleston Circle area in that first photo. Thanks MIke.
Mike Cozart, I figured it had to be two different rides, with the two different vehicle types. But I’ve always been confused as to which car ride was which. Wasn’t there one that went out along La Palma Avenue? Is that one of these rides? Maybe that preceded these two. Man, Arrow Development must have built a TON of “little car” rides all over the country!
TokyoMagic!, man, I wish I had a good picture of either the Motor Cycle Chase or the Wacky Soapbox Racers, but somehow I never have managed to find them. It’s neat to know that the Tijuana Taxis are still running I wonder how many people are aware of their history? Just you! I agree, that cotton candy that comes in a bag, flat and sad, is pointless. Much of the fun is watching it get spun onto the paper cone and enjoying it while it’s still a little warm!
TokyoMagic!, ah, thanks for the link! I know you can see the Motor Cycle Chase in this photo, but it’s not the greatest view of that ride. Hey, is that an IHOP in the distance?
Bu, as a tree-hugger, I appreciate the way that Knott’s didn’t waste anything. And popcorn that has aged has a special flavor all its own! Maybe it’s the insect parts that are mixed in. Bread rolls into croutons makes perfect sense. I have to wonder how many people got mysteriously “ill” after eating a recycled corn dog, and had no idea why? Just a little listeria, don’t worry about it. My ex-girlfriend bought a cheapo cotton candy machine, a little thing that looked like a joke, but you really could make cotton candy with it! You could put in any hard clear candy, like a Jolly Rancher or a Lifesaver, and it would melt and become the “floss”. Since I am a particular fan of cherry-flavored candy, we would take cherry Jolly Ranchers, and it was quite delicious. I think she still has the machine, though she hasn’t used it in years. I’m actually not entirely sure what “regular” cotton candy tastes like. Sort of a vanilla sugar? Not exactly. I’m not aware of an old-fashioned car ride ever being planned for Disneyland, but there were a LOT of unrealized plans, so who knows. The “flivver” rides were pretty common, so I think I prefer the sexy sports car version that they actually built.
JG, don’t forget about Marilyn and Cecilia, also in Ghost Town! They were saloon gals, but with hearts of gold. As far as I know, they are still there to pose with families.
TokyoMagic!, oh yeah, I forgot about the Señoritas iin Fiesta Village! What happened to them??
TOKYO: I actually not certain who sculpted the Fiesta Village Senoritas …. Fiesta Village opened in 1969 and I think Claude Belle had long left Knott’s by then. While they have the Knott’s flavor their sculpting style appears very very different . Incidentally the two bench figures of the elderly man and woman ( sometimes incorrectly called “Walter” & “Cordillia”)who used to sit in Calico Square have been relocated to THE ROARING 20’s and were never original to that area. Since those bench figures were so iconic at Knott’s Ghost Town in the very early years it’s cool that other figures were added to newer themed areas as time went on. I doubt you’ll ever see new figures added in the future.
I think a Main Street USA Autopia type Auto ride would have been considered too “non-disney” and Arrow development was building thousands of them in amusement parks all over the world. In the 70’s and 80’s they were everywhere. Arrow had their main antique auto styles available ( ford T touring car , Cadillac touring car , 1911 French Taxi, 1915 ArrowFlyer sportster, and 1910 Grand Prix Racer) and they also built some rare custom styles. Arrow also offered modern Autopia type car bodies .
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s there were a few large scale dark rides developed for Tokyo Seas AMERICAN WATER FRONT … picture a combination “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” & “TEST TRACK” combined . These included guests going on a test drive of a new 1908 automobile thru the streets of a 1900’s “New York” … a variation of this was with a small town and country side themes re-using lots of props from EPCOT’s WORLD OF MOTION was considered for Disneyland’s Main Street USA and Disneyland Paris . The AA figure maquettes are currently on display in the WDI model
Shop for this unrealized attraction … a startled horse and vendor cart driver, a newspaper boy, a group of “Gibson girl “ looking ladies and a traffic cop are some of the characters . Oh … this attraction was title BIG CITY MOTORMANIA ( Tokyo ) MAIN ST. MOTORMAINIA and Main Street TEST DRIVE ( Disneyland CA & Paris )
Another quick note about the unbuilt MOTORMANIA and MAIN ST. TEST DRIVE attractions is that all the AA human and animal figures were sculpted in the Disney Studios Animation style of the 1940’s … as you see in CASEY AT THE BAT , JOHHNY FEDORA & ALICE BLUE-BONNET. So a cross between reality and cartoon …
Major, thanks for reminding me, I had forgotten about the showgirls figures that you mention. It's been many years since I have been to Knotts. An omission I plan to correct soon.
JG
There’s several Knott’s “bench” characters . Ghost town has the most …. 4 different saloon girls …4 miners and cowboys … the elderly couple that used to be sitting at the Calico train depot - no relocated to Roaring 20’s.. the flappers Daisy and Flossie , and the two sonorities in Fiesta Village. I’m not aware if there were any others but it’s possible …was there ever two rancho Dons? Why not an aviator and aviatrix? ….there was want a group of resting “Indians” but they were not the traditional bench photo op characters .
I've never been much of a fan of cotton candy. I've never been much of a fan of pure sugar, more of a dark chocolate fan. I remember getting one of those bags of pink cotton candy at a birthday party at a roller rink. When I brought it home my dad asked why I got a bag of insulation, since it had similar color and texture to Owens-Corning pink fiberglass batting.
Major, yes! That is an IHOP in that vintage pic of yours, and it is still there and operating on Beach Blvd., today. I forgot to mention that we could also see down into the Old Alligator Farm in that aerial photo, and we could see the backside of the Pioneer Motel, which you shared photos of in your post from August 31.
Mike thanks for the additional info about the figures. There is another "newer" pair of figures from Ghost Town. They used to sit out in front of the Steak House, or whatever they are calling it these days (Big Jake's, Auntie Pasta's, Spurs Chop House). The figures were of a miner and a lady wearing a big fancy, and they had glass eyes, instead of "painted eyes." The last time I checked, those figures were sitting up the street, in front of the rear entrance to the Buena Park Tourism Office. Were they given to them? Sold? Loaned? Also, their eyes had been painted over, the last time I saw them. For anyone who's interested, just next door to the B.P. Tourism Office, is the Buena Park Historical Society. And situated next to a couple of the City's historical structures, is the Dredger Clock, which has it's own interesting history, part of which was it's many years at Knott's Berry Farm. That's the clock that used to be in the rose garden in front of the Knott's Candy Parlour, and gave the time in major cities around the world.
^ The statue of the lady (seated with the miner) is wearing a big fancy hat!!!
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