From the queue of the Fantasyland Skyway chalet, we get a view of part of Fantasyland. Not even a very good view either. Who can I sue?
I've discovered an incredible, never-before-revealed secret about the Teacups ride at Disneyland. They are actually coffee cups! Stop the presses, alert the trilateral commission, call your mom and tell her you love her.
That Mad Tea Party turntable looks filthy! Even some of those saucers look pretty dirty. Or is it just worn paint? Either way....what gives?
ReplyDeleteI like the first photo even if the angle is a little weird.
ReplyDeleteAh ha - Coffee Cups, I knew it!!!! ToykoMagic, that's coffee spilled on the turntable...
Back from a great Thanksgiving time with the family. Folks I haven't seen in 20 years. I am going to spend the day catching up with all the cool stuff you have posted. Appreciated as always, Richard.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else noticed that the cups cannot be spun as fast as they could, say 15 years ago?
ReplyDeleteThe last few times we rode them it seems they have place brakes on them. Anyone?
The teacups floor betrays the old time carnival nature of the attraction doesn't it? They've probably improved the surfaces to allow it to look cleaner and be easier to clean off, but remember this is 1957, only a couple years in, using what they knew (carnival ride tech) and struggling with paint wear, fade etc, yet to work out how to deal with the traffic. Plus the lighting is perfect to highlight the dirt.
ReplyDeleteEither that or too many dungarees have seen too much dung.
Imagine the game you could play: "Clean cup! Clean cup! Move down! Move down!"
Vaughan, yes that's right. No idea if it was really the idea of someones at Disney or whether there was some law suit or what all, but at least it looks cleaner now and we're being protected from excessive fun.
@Vaughn, yes DisneyCorp has been futzing with the teacup breaks for a while now. Some months they spin faster, sometimes slower.
ReplyDeleteAs Chiana put so well, the Slip & Fall lawyers being sure we are "protected from excessive fun."
Many old photos show the Teacups turntable in a pretty dirty state; considering Disneyland's reputation for spotlessness, it does kind of shock! But I'm sure there was only so much they could do, with the many thousands of riders every day.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it drives me nuts that you just can't spin those cups like you used to. I believe it goes back to a handicapped man falling out of a fast-spinning teacup a few years back.
the view of Fantasyland reminds me of a Viewmaster slide with the darker edges and brighter in the middle...very pretty to my eye
ReplyDeleteteacups, coffee cups....they make me SOOO ill (i think its my astigmatism).
and since i had a diagnosis of double vision last summer, i cant ride them at all anymore (last time i did Rachel had to help me walk off the ride! :(