Here are two pretty nice Instamatic photos from September, 1964. Standing on the deck of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate ship afforded guest a good overview of Fantasyland, including the Mad Tea Party and King Arthur's Carrousel, with Snow White's Scary Adventures to the right. Put your finger in your nose, that lady down below is taking our picture!
Next, a good image of Monstro the Groovy Whale about to swallow the Bold Lochinvar. It's spicy! For some reason one of the seat cushions wasn't used, which will affect the aerodynamics of the canal boat. A CM in pink waits to load (or unload?) the next boat, while a man from the FBI looks at every guest with suspicion.
A couple of NASA guys kickin' back in the Teacups control room/ticket booth. I wonder why Disney went with that look (NASA guys) instead of a couple of Alices or March Hares, etc.? The smog looks pretty chunky on this day. I think the lady taking our picture is aiming her camera down lower than we are. But I guess we'll still be in the photo anyway, with the tops of our heads chopped off.
ReplyDeleteMajor, that's not an unused seat cushion. It's a giant, whale-sized, tongue depressor (aka, "spatula" or "ah stick"). Monstro is getting his 6 month check-up and tongue scraping. I like that we can see the Casey Jr. tunnel above Monstro; a rarity! And in honor of our pal, Stu, his name has been immortalized in flowers... or is that "5TO"? Monstro doesn't appear to his usual shiny self today. And it looks like we have yet another Dent! Smack in the middle of Monstro's forehead. Or maybe it's a carbuncle.
Vintage Fantasyland always looks nice. Thanks, Major.
That seat cushion would have been upright, just while they loaded the boat. It looks like attendance was light that day, so they were probably waiting to see if they could fill the boat a little more before taking off. The Jungle Cruise skippers would also temporarily remove a seat cushion, while guests boarded the J.C. boats. The ride operators don't have to worry about doing that today, because Disney got rid of the seats cushions all together. I'm surprised that they don't offer them individually, but for an upcharge. They could make cushions that light up and blow bubbles, and then every kid would want one.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major!
TM!, throw in a Zinger and I’m sold!
ReplyDeleteChuck, how about the entire cushion is a Zinger! And the bubbles that it blows are also edible!
ReplyDeleteQuiet fun, under seriously funky LA air. No wonder no one is out. Personally, I think Monstro getting some much needed breath-freshening double-mint gum, which had to be snuck into the park since they don't sell it.
ReplyDeleteMS
Ha, Major, my finger was already in my nose! As a newly hormonal early teen I liked Storybook Land because of the close proximity of girl operators. TMI I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major
Zach
Photo 1 has some Power Lines in the distance, and at least two trash cans. We can see the pink and white striped version in the foreground, while in the right hand mid ground, there is on of the rare “hip roof” models (which is one of the original plain green cans with a fancy sheet metal hat). These were deployed only in a limited area around the carousel and Merlin’s Magic Shop. At least I’ve never spotted one anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteThe brown item in photo 2 is not a seat cushion, it is a Monstro-sized shortbread cookie. We have seen these in other photos of the Canal Boats.
Interesting how the original boats had non-Disney names, “Young Lochinvar came out of the West, and through the wide border, his steed was the best.” Loved that poem then, love it still. Do the boats still have names, if so, what? I’m sure if so, they are all Disney IP-derived.
I’ve always wondered about the men’s fantasyland uniforms. The ladies are all in Alice or similar themed costumes, while the men have FBI-CIA-IBM short sleeve shirts and ties. I’ve put it down to projection of authority, the boys are in charge and therefore must wear ties. Contrasting this with the comical Pinocchio costumes the balloon sellers were forced into. Anybody have an idea?
Thanks Major!
JG
JB, I wonder if the “NASA look” was used so that guests would feel better about the safety and maintenance of the rides? Of course we know that there were Alices over at the Alice ride, though there were NASA guys too. The chunky smog could get pretty bad back in those days; sure we can still have smoggy days, but it doesn’t seem quite as extreme. I’m glad that Monstro gets regular checkups, that’s how he stays so healthy! At first I misread your comment and thought that you said that we could see Casey Jr. (not just the tunnel) in that second photo. I looked and looked for him until I cried. Monstro is kind of lumpy, but that’s why his temper is so bad.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I thought that the boat was already underway? It’s practically in Monstro’s mouth at this point. I guess that the cushion was behind everybody, so it wouldn’t be in their line of sight, but still, they could have put it down flat. I’m glad that the seat cushions are gone from rides, I hate comfort! But I admit that I would pay an additional $25 per ride just so I could complain about it afterward.
Chuck, I have committed crimes for a Zinger!
TokyoMagic!, a cushion-sized Zinger?!? GIMME!
MS, would Monstro want mint-flavored gum, or would he prefer fish-flavored gum? Fresh breath to a whale might be different from fresh breath to a person!
zach, your comment reminded me of when I went to the park with a friend and her young daughter; the little girl had her finger in her nose constantly. I know what you mean about the girl operators, and I still get miffed when our operator turns out to be a guy.
JG, I wonder how much it cost for Disney to bury all of those power lines? I think it happened post-Walt, but am not entirely positive. I was just looking on eBay at those old pins that they sold that looked like the old styles of trashcans. I remember not buying a set of the pins, and now they are priced at $35 and UP. Yeesh. Mmmm, shortbread… I’m watching what I eat, so cookies and ice cream always sound so good. Good question about the boat names, I wish I’d been more observant the last time I rode the canal boats. My guess is that “Bold Lochinvar” was replaced by Elsa, or Simba, or some other character. See my comment to JB, but I agree, the “projection of authority” (or competence?) would be my guess. Meanwhile, those Pinocchio balloon vendor costumes might be the most humiliating of all!
I am interested in this Tea Cup photo, because I do not remember the very thin candy stripe light standards...OR...the Japanese lanterns...in fact, I think I've only seen the "new" (New: 1983) version of the lanterns. It looks like NASA guy #2 is enjoying his leaning and resting. I thought those guys were bred to stand at attention at all times? Overall, Fantasyland looks very shiny and new and sparkling clean! That "Canal Boat of the World" looks a wee far from the dock....but the ride operator is un-phased. I do think they are waiting on more people to fill that boat. NASA supervisor is looking for more....I think he should get back to the Teacups though and checking out the Leaning Tower of NASA...instead of flirting with this one. I like the pink/magenta dress and pinafore. The guys were all blue slacks and white shirt...but the girls seem to have more theme than them....but I guess there were so few female ride operators, they could go a bit more "wild" with it. I've always loved the "grotto style" border rocks...something to recreate myself with all the free time...and I'm interested in seeing the landscaping guys cut that lawn. Clearly, they "figured it out"....that boxwood hedge up on top is also very Polly Perfect. A lot of work goes into Story Book Land...I hope more appreciate it than just me! I much prefer black Monstro to Blue Monstro. I'm not seeing any spout of water though...maybe it was turned off that day? Thanks Major for some great shots today!
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