Pacific Ocean Park Stuff
I have a few scans featuring souvenir items from Pacific Ocean Park (in Santa Monica, CA), a place that was designed to compete with Disneyland. It opened on July 28, 1958, and things looked good. At first.
Souvenirs from this park are not super common, not surprising since it was only around for about 9 years, so I am happy with the relatively few items that I own. This first example is a souvenir "fun photo", much like the kind you'd find at both Knott's and Disneyland. A family of four has been thrown into the hoosegow for jaywalking and expectorating (at the same time). Crime doesn't pay!
Do you want to know more about this photo? Just read the back! It's a Polaroid print, probably still something of a miracle in 1960(ish). Knott's used conventional negatives for their fun photos, but Disneyland used Polaroids, though they didn't advertise the fact like this POP souvenir did.
And here's the flip side; admission was a mere $1.75. Such a bargain! In fact, the bargain is so amazing that I am surmising that low attendance was already a serious issue only three years after the park opened.
I hope you have enjoyed today's POP souvenirs!
14 comments:
Major-
"P.O.P. is proud of its restrooms, which have been called the most beautiful public facilities in the world".
WOW-! Who knew-? Had the word been spread near and far, I can only imagine how much longer P.O.P. could have been a successful amusement park.
I was lucky, Major, and went to P.O.P. many times - back in its heyday - when things were pretty swell.
Thanks, Major.
"A Word About This Picture"... "Please send cash, check, or money order".
I wonder if anybody taped 50 pennies to the inside of the envelope? Actually, I wonder if anybody even bothered to send for extra copies of their photo?
The Jaywalker/Expectorator family definitely look like hardened criminals. As always, we have to wonder why this photo wasn't held onto by one of the family members.
I like the orange and gold colors of the brochure. It reminds me of the $500 bills from Monopoly.
Do any of you locals remember watching Freddy Martin and his orchestra on TV at that time?
I don't remember seeing any photos of the bubble-shaped "Ocean Skyway" gondolas. They look like they would be kinda neat.
Wow, it really IS sad (and strange) that not a trace of this park exists today.
You're fortunate to have the few items that you do, Major. Thanks.
Very nice P.O.P. ephemera, Major! I really wish I had been able to see this park. I can't remember now if anyone in my family ever went. I'll have to ask my aunt.
I have a friend who is ten years older than me, and she did get to experience P.O.P. on multiple occasions. She said the enclosed Skyway bubbles really scared her because they traveled over the ocean, and she was always afraid that they were going to fall into the water and she would be trapped inside the bubble.
Speaking of Skyway rides....just minutes ago, I saw something posted on F.B., about a proposed gondola ride in the city of Anaheim. It would run from the Honda Center arena, down to Angel Stadium, and then along Katella past Garden Walk. It would splinter off at Harbor by going down to the Anaheim Convention Center, as well as going up to Disneyland. They want it to be complete by Summer of 2028 for the Olympics. I'll believe it when I see it.
Thanks for sharing your P.O.P. items with us, Major!
Nanook, if only we had photos of those beautiful “public facilities”! Could they possibly be nicer than the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow?
JB, I don’t know about taping 50 pennies, but I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to buy some Viewmaster packets, and put cash (maybe $7) in an envelope with the order form, because I was a dumb kid. They sent the packets! I hope that Steven Spielberg someday makes a movie called “The Expectorator Family”. “Monopoly”, a game that I do not enjoy! But I like the little metal tokens. I don’t believe I ever saw Freddy Martin on TV, was he the Elvis of his day? There are photos of the Ocean Skyway gondolas out there, in fact I think there will be a picture where you can see them coming up on GDB (months from now).
TokyoMagic!, like you, I really wish I’d seen POP; I’m kind of surprised that my grandparents never took me there, but perhaps it was already seedy and rundown. I was still pretty young when the place closed, so I don’t know how much I would have remembered anyway. I can see how the Skyway bubbles might scare some, but I am very brave and would not have cried. Much. Wow, that plan for the proposed gondolas for Anaheim is pretty crazy. It sounds expensive, which means it probably won’t happen, but hey, I do like the idea! Imagine traveling to Disneyland via Skyway gondola! That would be super cool!
I was fortunate enough to have visited P.O.P. in its first year. I was 8 but really don't remember much about it. Looking at the map shows just how little I remember. Only the Sky Ride, Sea Circus and Fun House come to mind. I do remember thinking "It's not Disneyland". The second time there was in '66 or '67 and the place was really run down.
Pacific Ocean Park, The Long Beach Pike and Marineland of the Pacific... Iconic pieces of local history. Thanks Major!
This brochure is a wonderful period piece. That themed structure at the entrance is first cousin to the LAX Theme Building.
What a comprehensive list of rides and attractions too! A Mission to Mars, a Skyway, and Big Band entertainment, could be another Disneyland.
The ad copy focused on restrooms and general cleanliness shows this park laboring under the reputation of other waterfront pier parks. I never got to visit this one, but I recall the Nu-Pike as distinctly grubby.
Fun stuff, Major. Thank you!
JG
Thanks Major, I never made it to POP, but childhood summers on Santa Monica beach were haunted by the ruins seen in the distance, real "Carnival of Souls" territory. It was used in quite a few movies and TV shows; Glynis Johns and Ty Hardin have a conversation aboard the Skybubble from station to station in 1962's "The Chapman Report", which also shows the diving bell whooshing upwards in glorious Technicolor. The park can be seen in the opening credits of the 1969 "Model Shop", by which time it had closed.
There may be hazardous traces of the park to this day; I have read that surfing is prohibited there because a few pier pilings still remain below the ocean surface, waiting like most of that iceberg did for the Titanic...
I would like to see a photo of these "glam" restrooms...the BEST in the WORLD! Hmmmm.....I do have to say with only a little bit of bragging...that the best restroom in the world I have seen with my own eyes in the lobby "Gents" at Claridges in London...although it doesn't really classify as "over the top", there are no luxury details left unturned. Don't hate me too much: it was my 50th Birthday. Back to "POP" which I never went to: Santa Monica in my child's minds eye seemed like 1000 miles away...even though when looking past the cliffs in Palos Verdes it was pretty much "right there". I've seen only a few photos of it, and it must have been something in "it's day": unlike the Pike in Long Beach: which I think was tawdry since day one. I think this is why they market the cleanliness and family friendly atmosphere. As a kid we would DRIVE past the Pike: but heaven forbid: never go in. I did not go to the Pike until much later, and I took HUNDREDS of photos: lost forever. I could kick myself of all the photos I have left behind in life changes. I'm sure if I go down the rabbit hole we can probably figure out POP's life was so short. Isn't there a "POP" type place in Santa Cruz as well? I enjoy the seaside, but I'm not sure of the smell of hamburgers and ketchup and stale Coke syrup mixed with the ambrosia of salt and sea. Just my .02. Marineland was lovely however, and I don't remember any hamburger smoke. My aunt took us frequently, and always packed a (very Norwegian) lunch which we ate in a pretty civilized picnic area on the lawn. At first I thought the guy in the photo in the brochure was like the "Walt Disney" of POP....I was a little disappointed that it wasn't, and now I need to find out WHO was the WD of POP. I think there was a book written about POP...at people who I knew in the 80's had super fond memories of the place. I wouldn't mind a Skyway taking me all about Anaheim...and I think it was MY idea on some back post of GDB! Where's my residual payment?! I would think that using WDW's model of their transportation system would probably save on some engineering cost. Done by the Olympics in '28? Hmmmm..that's a long shot. In Walt's time it would have been possible in a year...or less for that matter. Regarding Polaroids: I remember the "instant" photos that you would let sit and then peel off the black plastic backing. My dad took a photo of one of the "Photo Pass Playboy Bunnies" at the Playboy club...basically holding her giant Polaroid camera with the giant flashbulb. The photo she took was also in the same box. Most definitely a different moment in time...however, there was a time in the '80's that a group of Disneyland TG's went to the Playboy Mansion as Hef's guests....where after a Mansion tour, he sat on his bed and recounted his story of Dorothy Stratten...one of the TG's Parents was in High School Yearbook class with Hef. Nothing happened there for enquiring minds, but a lot was going on at the Mansion: as it seemed to be every day back then. From what the TG's recounted, he was a perfect gentleman, and was very saddened by Dorothy's death...and this was a few years later. In high school, my sources say he was pretty much a nerd. Funny how life ends up. Thank's Major for uncovering some memories this morning.
Today's To Do List: Use the word expectorate (check), buy a .50 Money Order.
I had a friend in the early 60s who moved from La Mirada who told me about POP. I had never heard of it OR La Mirada. Those bubble skyway hamster balls look like they could get hot!
My .02 (money order in the mail)- they won't be done TALKING about a skyway in Anaheim by 2028.
Thanks, Major
Zach
Grant, wow, I’ll bet POP was really great in that first year, when things were so new and shiny! I really do regret that I never went there, even as a small child; on the other hand, my grandparents were great about taking us to so many other SoCal parks!
JG, you are not the first person to compare the POP structure to the LAX theme building! There must have been something in the air, that general shape just epitomized “new and modern”. It’s a shame that POP didn’t thrive over the years, I’m still not entirely sure why folks stopped loving it. I’m sure it’s complicated.
Stefano, I’ve seen photos of the POP ruins, SO WEIRD! I can’t even imagine seeing something like that while at the beach, especially since I tend to go to Santa Monica beach semi-regularly… I always think about the fact that there used to be a big, vibrant amusement park right there. If you ever see the last episode of “The Fugitive”, Richard Kimball finally confronts the One-Armed Man at the top of one of the (closed) attractions - of course he falls to his demise! I thought that surfers used to love to “shoot the pier”, but have no idea if surfing is prohibited in that specific area.
Bu, it’s true, “best in the world” is pretty highfalutin’. Gold fixtures? Marble? A bowl of breath mints? Somehow I doubt there were any of those! I guarantee that there are MANY hotels and restaurants that would dazzle. I’m not jealous about your trip to Claridge’s because I don’t know anything about it beyond a name that I’ve heard. It must be swanky! SWANKY AS HECK. If you are interested in POP, Chris Merritt wrote a wonderful book all about it, complete with photos (some from yours truly). Oh man, I wish you still had all your photos! Tragic. There is a beach boardwalk in Santa Cruz that it still there, and thriving as far as I am aware. K. Martinez can tell us all about it. I went to Marineland, but don’t have vivid memories of it beyond the leaping porpoises, orcas, and comic seals. I know there are cities in South America that use Skyway-type gondolas, and of course there are the gondolas to Roosevelt Island in New York, all seem very appealing - you get above it all for a while and enjoy the breeze and the view. Ugh, I am dreading the Olympics, somehow I doubt they will go as smoothly as the1984 games did. Hopefully I am wrong. Disneyland TGs at the Playboy Mansion?? How odd! You’d think that would have been verboten, though I assume it was not an “official” visit.
Fun stuff. My parents liked going to POP as teenagers (PayingOnePrice was appealing) It was the last vestige of several incarnations of pleasure piers in that location, but as mentioned, not the slightest evidence is left...except the parking lot, which still is one. As close as we'll ever get now is Christopher Merritt's excellent book.
MS
zach, it’s always good to expand one’s vocabulary, especially with words like “expectorate”. Four syllables! I’m not sure when I first was aware of POP, but it was probably after I started this blog.
MS, I once visited an older couple who’d visited POP, they showed me some of their photos - some of those wound up in Chris Merritt’s book. They were super nice, and had an amazing home full of vintage carousel animals, it was quite an experience!
Disney connection: Freddy Martin and his orchestra perform "Bumble Boogie" for 1948's "Melody Time".
There are lots of wonderful videos and home movies of POP on YouTube, but my favorite is Chris Merritt's "BOOK INTERVIEW."
I never went to POP, though my folks did, once. My guess is that they only went once because they probably had limited time and preferred to spend it at Disneyland. I'll have to ask my dad and see if he remembers anything about it. POP looks like it was a fun place for teenagers; I'm sure I would've loved it, back then.
Thanks, Major.
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