It's time for more examples from the 1965 set of Donruss bubblegum cards!
Card #47: Startlingly lifelike in appearance and movement, these animals inhabit the Rivers of America at Disneyland.
Did these critters move?! Most river animals are static, though I suppose one or two could have some minimal animation.
Card #48: Old-fashioned stands and popcorn vendors can be found along Main Street and Town Square.
"Sir, please step back to the other side of the popcorn stand, or I will call the authorities".
Card #49: Viewed from Dutch canal boats, Storybook Land features miniature setting from Disney animated motion pictures.
Maybe this is where those miniature horses lived.
Card #50: The White Rabbit and Mrs. Rabbit surprise Alice in Wonderland with an Easter basket.
Just another typical day at Disneyland.
Card #51: Santa Fe and Disneyland trans depart from 1890 Main Street.
Hmmm, don't know if I recall seeing that specific date before.
Card #52: Storybookland* miniatures are viewed from the gaily colored Casey Jr. Circus Train at Disneyland.
* All one word - what fools!
Only 14 cards to go!
The Donruss folks seem to have been stuck on that 1890 date. The caption for Card #5 refers to "the 1890 locomotive" as well (http://gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/donruss-bubble-gum-cards-1965.html).
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Marc Elliot didn't use this fact to support his assertion that Walt was actually born in 1890 when writing his 1987 biography "Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince." It would stand up to academic scrutiny just as well as anything else he used to support that theory.
Loving this series, Major. Thanks again.
My apologies for the sloppy research (read "no research") on my post above. Marc Eliot's name only has one "l," and "Hollywood's Dark Prince" was released in 1994, not 1987 ("Disneyland: the Inside Story" was published in 1987; no excuse for jumbling up those two books in my head).
ReplyDeleteThe irony is not lost on me. I hope there's a piece of humble pie in the fridge left over from yesterday's Thanksgiving feast.
As Walt Disney said, Main Street is "America in 1890 - 1910, at the crossroads of an era."
ReplyDeleteThe architecture of Main Street Station, and the locomotives, are far closer in style to the 1890s than they are to the 1910s.
Further--Walt states "The 1890 trains pass through the Grand Canyon Diorama..."
ReplyDelete(Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland, 1962)
I always thought of Main Street, USA as the "turn of the century" period in general. A mix of this and that from the era between 1890 and 1910. Things that existed in 1890 would still exist in 1910 like there are cars from the 1990's that are still on the road today in 2014.
ReplyDeleteSince Walt was born in 1901, Main Street, USA would definitely be reflective of his childhood and contain elements from that 20 year period like 1890 steam locomotives, 1900 era horseless carriages and silent movies. I did no factual research, but that's my two cents.
Nice cards by the way. Love the Storybook Land card with the Matterhorn and Skyway in the backdrop. Thanks, Major.
Chuck, I wonder if Disney just gave them a list of basic Disneyland facts? Or did Donruss just let the Disney folks write the descriptions? That Marc Elliot bio is such a joke, I read the first few pages and was so astonished at what a sham it was. And yet it constantly gets used as a reference because it is so outrageous.
ReplyDeleteSteve DeGaetano, whenever I read a quote from Walt Disney, I have to consider that it might actually be from Marty Sklar; so many quotes just don't sound like Walt... too flowery. Are those quotes in your comments from that record album? I'm sure somebody wrote those for him as well.
K. Martinez, that's what I thought too. But perhaps the Imagineers (or Walt) wanted to cover a large timespan to better show the changes from the previous century to the new one.