Christmas and parades at Disneyland go together like salami and grape jelly on a sandwich (a gourmet delight)! Today I have four photos of a holiday parade; the slides are dated "January, 1966", and thanks to my razor-sharp intellect, I have deduced that the parade was from the previous month.
An odd little calliope is accompanied by a two pantomime horses. It looks like they took pieces (or castings of pieces) from the various circus wagons that Walt had purchased for "Toby Tyler", and applied them to this float for a bit of that old-world look. It's interesting, but even more interesting is the fact that the buildings of New Orleans Square are under construction beyond that wall! I can't wait to visit the Parfumerie.
A horrible irradiated caterpillar terrorizes guests, eating them in a single slurp (and two burps), while a mutant half-human, half insect taunts people; they will be next! Jeez, Walt, this parade is messed up.
Donald Duck drives by in one of Mr. Toad's antique motorcars, along with his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. I wonder where that drivable version of the Toad car is today?
Same parade, slightly different angle; a group of magnificent knights on horseback trot by the Frontierland Ticket Booth in the brilliant late-afternoon sunshine. What non-religious Christmas song are they playing on their authentic medieval instruments? "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"? "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"? In the distance, the Matterhorn is crowned with its seasonal star.
Major-
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun parade - especially when viewed from Frontierland, rather than the typical Main Street, USA location.
"What non-religious Christmas song are they playing on their authentic medieval instruments? "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"? "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"?"
Clearly, they're playing Santa's Too Fat for the Hula-Hoop-!
(Yes, that's a real song - performed by The Pixies [w/Thurl Ravenscroft] as Santa Claus).
Thanks, Major.
Donald’s “Toad” car is obviously the same body as the original steel attraction toad cars , but I’m curious if it was made specifically for the parade or did they pull one of the ride cars off the attraction and modify it for parade use….
ReplyDeleteThat calliope has ranks of pipes sticking out all over the place... interesting. I wonder if it was an actual, playable calliope? Or if the music was recorded and played back through speakers? Looks like we can see the Swiss Family Treehouse, and tree, in the background.
ReplyDeleteWhile I like you description of the caterpillar, I do believe this is none other than Mad Madam Mim in one of her transformative disguises; note the purple hair.
I don't know why, but when Donald shows up in a parade, or just walking about the Park, I feel happier than I did just a moment before. He has that effect on me. That red banner looks like it says "Little Squirts"? What, or who was that?
I've always thought this type of horse-and-rider were cleverly designed. Of course they pre-date Disneyland, probably by hundreds of years. The Matterhorn looks especially sugar-coated here. My guess for the X-Mas song is "Up On The Rooftop" (A song I don't particularly like).
Bright, colorful, cheery pictures, Major. Thanks.
These are fun, and from a different angle than usual. I’m too young to have experienced a DL parade that runs through Frontierland, although, of course, the WDW MK parade route apes the original DL one.
ReplyDeleteThe background of the Donald photo features a character I’ve never seen at a Disney Park, but he’s perfect for a parade. It’s Bongo the circus bear from Fun and Fancy Free! I love it when they dust off some of their more obscure characters. I keep hoping to see Spike the Bee some day somewhere in a photo taken at one of the Parks.
Note the Columbia’s masts above Tom Sawyer Island, indicating this was probably a busy day during Christmas break. Ah, for the days when Christmas in the Park was restricted to between Thanksgiving and a day or two after New Year’s. I think they start running the DL Christmas parade in September these days. The September crowds probably look like this, too.
My vote for the secular Christmas song the knights are playing is “Christmas at Ground Zero.” I don’t care that it hadn’t been written yet.
Thanks, Major. These are nice to wake up to on a day I’m feeling under the weather.
That is some trippy parade, at least M Butterfly is in her element.
ReplyDelete'Little Squirt'? Is a name my father called me.
Are we all in front of New Orleans Square framing? Version 1 or 2?
I'm pretty sure union regulations would require hiring actual little knights now.
MS
I might have stopped to watch this parade, since there was no Pirates or Haunted Mansion to ride while the crowds were distracted.
ReplyDeleteI never knew parade ran through Frontierland!
After Toby Tyler and the parade, the calliope was probably cut up into the organ for the Nautilus, before being moved to the Haunted Mansion.
The caterpillar goofy expression looks vaguely familiar, was he also later reused for another parade?
The knight costume is pretty smart, imagine all the hay they save, and no clean-up.
Thanks Major!
JG
It might be 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.' I think the bug is cute for a half-human. That's how they lure you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major, and cute bugs everywhere.
Zach
Autocorrect is on a crusade to eliminate all my possessive punctuation, apologies for the previous ungrammatical post.
ReplyDeleteJG
JG, now that you mention it, I think there is some family resemblance between the caterpillar and the centipede from the Main Street Electrical Parade. The butterfly performer reminds me of that terrifying Spectral Magic parade from WDW. The butterflies weren’t scary - it was those creepy pixies with their vacant, soulless eyes.
ReplyDeleteI love this specific Christmas Parade. Have seen it in many photos and videos. There is something that is so charming about the scale of the parade units and the pure creations. The caterpillar and butterfly segment is a perfect example.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the Christmas Star on top of the mighty Matterhorn. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I’m afraid that I am unfamiliar with “Santa’s Too Fat For the Hula-Hoop”, but it sounds like it was a true classic. I AM a fan of The Pixies, however! “Come On Pilgrim” is an awesome album.
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, I wondered the exact same thing!
JB, I somehow doubt that the calliope is the real deal, but I could be wrong. Maybe there were smaller, oddball calliopes? Yes, that’s the Swiss Family Treehouse back there. I keep forgetting that “The Sword in the Stone” was done during Walt’s lifetime, it feels like a “post Walt” movie to me. Madam Mim as a caterpillar? Why not. I was wondering about the “Little Squirts” sign too, I have no idea what that’s about. Somehow “Up On The Rooftop” never bothered me much (not that I love it), but I don’t care for “The Little Drummer Boy”. A Rump-a-pum-pum indeed! Then again, Bowie and Bing’s version is kind of fun.
Chuck, I wonder where the parade exited the park in Frontierland? We know where it begins and ends today, but I’m not sure about back then. I do like seeing the parade going through areas that are not typical, it adds something. And yes, I forgot to point out Bongo… like you, I love seeing some of those obscure characters. Maybe they figure that most guests would have no clue who they are, so why go to the expense and bother? They should still do it though. I also assume that the long Christmas season of today is more of a financial thing, it’s expensive to put up all those LED lights and other junk. Ha, I was going to say that I’d never heard of “Christmas at Ground Zero”, but now I know why.
MS, I think my grandpa used to call me “Little Squirt”. My dad would call me “Snicklefritz” (sp?)!
JG, we’ve seen other parades go right through Frontierland, and even New Orleans Square when that was finally built. Long ago I had photos in which you could see the parade pass the unopened Haunted Mansion. If that calliope was antique, I truly hope they did not cut it up for parts. I do think that the caterpillar appeared in many parades of that era.
Zach, I think I’ve heard “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (maybe on Dr. Demento?), it can’t be worse than that song by The Chipmunks.
JG, this is the internet, nobody cares about grammar or punctuation!
Chuck, it sounds like Spectral Magic was a lot like the disastrous “Light Magic” parade - though perhaps not as despised? I am unfamiliar with the pixies in that parade, although the “vacant soulless eyes” sound kind of cool.
K. Martinez, I agree, those old parades had some sort of secret sauce, a combination of spectacle and charm; no giant floats with bright lights, blasting bass, and dancers - which I don’t hate, but it is kind of over-the-top. Oh yeah, I forgot to point out the star on the Matterhorn!
This parade is featured in the 1966 World of Color episode "Disneyland Around the Seasons" (dig out your Treasures DVDs). "Butterfly Ballet" includes a brief shot of deadpan saxophone players in silly bug costumes. Hey, it's a gig. Some historical touches: the prizefighting rooster from "Cock of the Walk", the Reluctant Dragon redesigned to look butch, and country farm scarecrows who have the face of THE Scarecrow. Goofy and his jalopy later turned up in the Disney On Parade arena show.
ReplyDeleteThere was an earlier episode where the parade featured giant toys from "Babes in Toyland", although I question whether they were actual movie props. The toy soldiers are the last remnant of that.
I remember seeing a later WDW parade in person that featured a self-driving Herbie the Love Bug being stopped and inspected by two traffic cops, one of them a little person. At one point the little cop took a header into Herbie's open hood and tumbled out the passenger door, and pretty sure there was a fire effect like Goofy's jalopy.
It might have been in the same parade that one float carried a bunch of hammy young trombone players in jungle explorer outfits. You just knew each one was the class clown in his high school band, Living the Dream a few years after graduation.
I remember too...and was there working when the Christmas season was Thanksgiving to Jan 4 or around there....I know people want to see it all, but I say "no"...and Christmas decor doesn't go up in my house until the Monday following Thanksgiving....Thanksgiving has it's OWN fall/squash/leaves/warm vibe...why do you want to muck it up with Christmas? I wish there was "Fall" in Disneyland rather than giant pumpkins in the shape of Mickey...and all those other plastic orange things that the general public seem to love like grape jelly. Christmas before Halloween seems early...but we do live in a place where the money will dictate holiday start dates....so I do get it, but I don't have to like it. I am doing a study on "Boomer" mindsets, and what intrinsically makes us think the way we do...it's an interesting rabbit hole to go down...and I speak generally...as we know we are all different of course. Back to the parade which I completely forgot went through Frontierland...which looked kind of odd when I saw it in person in WDW....does it make sense in the "olde West?"....it makes less sense than a cars land...or maybe they are on par? Hmmm....more rabbit holes....I love that caterpillar! And I remember those butterflies very specifically...they must have been in a later parade, as I can see it my minds eye the very delicate wings....flowing in the breeze made by the humans. I have a long line of Boxwoods that look like that caterpillar...big like that too...every year I'm wanting to get eyes just like this float for the "head" boxwood....but they are taking their sweet time to grow together....next year. The Donald Toad car is wonderful, I'd like that to drive to the Shop N Stop...and what's a little squirt? Bongo? Look at the size of the walkie talkie on "sweater guy" there on the left in front of "parade guy who works Tom Sawyer doing nothing...." Sweater boy has slight "high waters" but maybe that was the style? News Flash! There are the blossoms on the Tree House! They DO exist...or they DID exist...and awesome to see the construction guys working on New Orleans Square. What a time in Disneyland in the last half of the 60's! Some amazing things going on! Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteRe boomer mindsets: Disney's 1950 TV special "One Hour in Wonderland" is populated by polite, sheltered-looking teens, who probably look like preteens to modern kids. Something to think about is all of them were old enough to remember WWII. Every grownup around them had recent war stories and personal memories of the Depression and maybe the 1920s. Even official Boomers, born 1945 and later, were surrounded by those same grownups, and their shiny new televisions were awash in old movies and cartoons referencing the history just past. And there was also the phenomenon of Teen-Agers, a newly discovered space between Childhood and Old Enough to Get a Job Already.
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