Two From November 1961
I almost relegated today's scans to the dreaded "Snoozle™" category, but when they looked at me with their big puppy eyes, I couldn't do it. So here they are, on a Monday instead.
Casey Jr. passes along the crest of that berm, pulling elaborately-carved circus cars full of wild animals and such. There's been rumors (for years) that Storybook Land could be removed someday, but the last few times I've been to the park, the line for Casey has been so long that I ultimately skipped it (I did manage to get on the Canal Boats once). So people clearly like this attraction a lot!
Meanwhile, over on West Center Street, the Carnation Truck sits next to the Flower Market. Carnation? Flowers? Ah, what's the use! I always kind of wondered if the crank in front could actually start the truck, but learned recently that it's just for looks. Big brother is behind the wheel, and little bro waits for his turn, but big brother might just settle in for a long time. "It sure is great sitting here at the wheel!", he'd say aloud to no one in particular. "Aw, gee whiz!" whines little bro.
6 comments:
Major-
Snoozles-?? I think not. The flowers surrounding the Story Book Land signage almost read as mashed 'taters or whipped cream. It all looks dreamy.
"Big brother" behind the wheel-? I dunno know - could be Dad (Mom being a 'child bride', and all...)
Thanks, Major.
Sharks! I always like seeing them.
BTW, Major, that’s not Storybook Land. (I just had to mention that before Nanook or JB or TM! mentioned that.) :o)
Snoozles with big puppy dog eyes will do it every time.
I really like the lighting in the first pic! The train is all sparkley in the sunlight while the floral part is mostly subdued. Those white alyssums(?) look like sheeps' wool. Or maybe marshmallow cream. [I wrote that before I saw Nanook's response... Taters, whipped cream, wool, Marshmallow..... It's all good!]
It's kinda neat that the Flower Market flowers are shaded and barely noticeable, since the main focus of the photo is the Truck and the boys.
Sue, thanks for sorting out "Story Book Land".
Major, your instincts were good. These are not Snoozles! (Not the greatest of the great, either. But not Snoozles). Thanks.
Casey and Story Bookland are personal favorites, so this pic is automatically interesting. I’m not sure about the gray foam being alyssum, but uncertainty does nothing to blunt the attractive effect. Do we know when the errant space between words disappeared? They have put a lot of work in here recently, adding Rapunzel’s Tower and lots of nice night lighting, so maybe these attractions will stay a while. The Fresh Baked guy had a nice night video recently showing all the new stuff.
The Carnation Truck looks good here, it’s only natural to want to sit in the drivers seat for a moment. Did the truck ever go out and ride up and down Main Street like the other vehicles or was it permanently kenneled as a static display?
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, in 1961 there was a famous potato glut, and Walt wanted to help by using as many spuds as he could at Disneyland. And as for dad behind the wheel… I gotta stop only looking at the thumbnails when writing my descriptions!
Lou and Sue, it’s true, it’s three words. So strange! Even they fixed it eventually.
JB, you are being too kind! I can tell when photos aren’t so hot! But I appreciate the positivity. I have only ever heard of alyssums in relation to Disneyland, in fact I believe that they only exist on the park’s acreage. The lighting in photo #2 was arranged by the cinematographer of “The Godfather”, Gordon Willis. The “prince of darkness”!
JG, I leave it up to the experts as far as flowers go… if it isn’t roses or tulips, I’m pretty hopeless. I kind of wonder how long certain people were bothered by “Story Book Land” before they finally managed to get it changed? It must have gone on for years. I’m not sure I knew that they added Rapunzel’s tower… I like “Tangled” (more than “Frozen”), so I feel OK about that addition. From what I’ve read, Walt would sometimes drive the Carnation truck, and there was a danger of getting the narrow wheels stuck in the streetcar tracks. My guess is that he didn’t do it very often though.
I just saw one of the old Carnation signs was uncovered during a refurbishment. It's pretty cool to see it has been hiding for decades.
No one can decide on Story Book vs. Storybook. Story Book Forest at Idlewild in Western PA uses two words, but people often write it as one.
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