Monday, May 04, 2015

Castle and "It's a Small World", August 1969

From the earliest days, Walt Disney wanted his park to be beautiful. After the initial construction was finished, landscapers and gardeners went to great lengths to add plants and flowers to Disneyland; as we can see here! I love this colorful little flower bed, looking like part of a Monet painting! Are there any flower experts out there who can identity what kind of blossoms these are? 


Meanwhile, over by "It's a Small World", the topiaries attracted lots of attention (and still do). That giraffe needs some Miracle Gro! I wonder who designed these living sculptures? Their silhouettes "read" instantly, something that a trained artist (especially an animator) would be especially good at. 


Whoo-eee, it was busy that day!


19 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

My first thought on the flowers was Ranunculus, but on more careful viewing, the petals don't seem full-enough.

I assume the shot of the IaSW image was taken from the train-?

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

They might be Gerber Daisies.

Chuck said...

Major, I think I can help with the first photo. Those are flower blossoms.

Check out the crowds! It's almost as if some new attraction had just opened or something...

Melissa said...

1. There's a Man in Black going up the ramp to the castle on our left, and the Man in the Big Yellow Hat's wife is just stepping onto the drawbridge from its interior.

2. The topiaries have the same sorts of shapes as the animals inside, so I'm guessing they may have been designed by Crump or Blair.

3. From the number of people jammed into it, it doesn't look like a particularly small world, does it? :)

Melissa said...

Also, I seem to have my captioning hat on today.

K. Martinez said...

The flowers in the first image are zinnias.

Nowadays it's down the up ramp and up the down ramp with "it's a small world", just like the Disneyland Monorail and Tarzan's Treehouse.

That second image is one of my favorite views of the Matterhorn. What I mean to say is that any view of the Matterhorn is my favorite. Thanks, Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I always like the word "Ranunculus" because it sounds like a planet in a 1950's movie. Yes, I'm sure that second shot is from the Disneyland RR.

TokyoMagic! Gerber Daisies, I have never even heard of those. And I know EVERYTHING! ;-)

Chuck, are you sure they're not gin blossoms? And you're right, that is a whole lotta people.

Melissa, Johnny Cash is in line for IASW?? Also, the woman is the Man in the Big Yellow Hat's third wife, Hildy. I'd know her anywhere. The big crowd gives me a hankerin' for something soylent.

Melissa again, did they sell captioning hats in Adventureland?

K. Martinez, "zinnias", I think my grandma grew those! Thanks. Pic #2 doesn't seem to be much of a view of the Matterhorn, but I am genuinely glad you like it!

Matthew said...

I particularly like the woman above the elephant in the lederhosen. She must have taken her 15 minute break from the Matterhorn to go ride Small World... or wait... is that Princess Leia in disguise. Nah, it's just a good ol' fashioned German hairdo. (I was going to write German hair bun... but then I knew the jokes wouldn't stop coming.)

Anonymous said...

I agree with Ken, those are definitely zinnias.

Mom planted a huge bed every year. They make a pretty nice cut flower, lasts a long time in a vase, easy to grow, doesn't require a lot of water.

Out of fashion a bit now, not so common as they once were.

IASW is popular. Hard to believe people would wait so long for something so simple. but I would.

JG

Anonymous said...

Of course, they could be gerber daisies, too, Tokyo.

Didn't think of that. Too bad we can't smell them. Zinnias have a distinct bright scent, as I recall, not particularly floral.

JG

TokyoMagic! said...

@ Matthew...interesting observation of the lady in lederhosen. You're right, she must work on the Matterhorn, but it's so strange to see her in line for It's A Small World. Did Disney EVER allow cast members to ride the attractions while wearing their costumes? Or were they ever allowed to stand in ANY line with guests? When I worked at Knott's, that was not allowed, but when I was there a couple weeks ago for the Boysenberry Festival, there were two employees in their uniforms standing in line at the park's new Starbucks. Either Knott's management has relaxed the rules or....when need your coffee, you NEED your coffee!

K. Martinez said...

JG & TokyoMagic!,

To me they look closer to Zinnias.

Zinnias:

http://www.freebeautifulpictures.com/flower_pictures/summer_flowers/pages/zinnia.htm

Gerber Daisies:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403142604114017088/

TokyoMagic! said...

@ K. Martinez, I was just taking a stab at what they might be, but I agree with you.....Zinnias!

Matthew said...

Hi Tokyo Magic,

When I worked in the Park and for the Walt Disney Company (1986- 1994) you could not ride an attraction in costume (I would assume they were just as strict when this photo was taken in 1969). The only time that rule was changed was when they needed Cast Members to test the new Pirates of the Caribbean boats (late 80's I believe) but no Guests could see us and Splash Mountain (1989 - again we entered from the side of the mountain - no waiting in line - but we were visible to Park Guests).

Anonymous said...

Having worked the Park 1969-1978, the same rule was applied. One was to head directly back to the lockers and not remain in costume. I recall one time when my shift ended on Pirates and I joined my folks at the Blue Bayou for a meal, but I never got in trouble...and it was dark enough to get away with it. The servers obviously never reported me.

KS

TokyoMagic! said...

Thanks Matthew and K.S. for the information. It sounds like that Matterhorn worker was being especially bold back in 1969. Of course, I guess it's possible that she was not a cast member and that was just the way she normally dressed.

K. Martinez said...

TokyoMagic! It must be theme/amusement park standard, because when I worked as a ride operator at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk back in the 1970's we weren't allowed to go on rides in uniform or costume either.

Unknown said...

I'll go out on a limb ('cause I'm a monkey-boy and like it when I'm out on limbs) and say she's not a cast member. Looks too young and I remember the costume having orange blouses and shirts. Of course I don't know every costume there was, so there's that.

Major Pepperidge said...

Matthew, maybe that woman was especially fond of “The Sound of Music”? Good eyes, I didn’t even notice her!

JG, you’d think that any flower that was bright and colorful and easy to grow would always be popular! I used to love IASW because the line was never long and it moved quickly, but the last two times I was at the park, the line was REALLY long. Granted, it was during the Christmas overlay….

TokyoMagic!, my guess is that those are just “street clothes” and not a cast member outfit. However I have heard recent stories of cast members wearing their costumes out in public (in other words, outside of the park), which is just nuts.

K. Martinez, they do look more like zinnias to me, in my very non-expert opinion.

TokyoMagic!, I am still impressed that you knew “Gerber Daisies”!

Matthew, I’d bet that they were, if anything, even MORE strict about the costumes in the 1960’s.

KS, you are lucky to be alive!

TokyoMagic!, maybe she considered that “folky” look to be kind of cool! It was the age of hippies, after all.

K. Martinez, wow, I would have expected the Santa Cruz boardwalk to be more laid back. I have one neat photo of the boardwalk area from the mid-1970’s, wouldn’t it be amazing if you were in it? Of course the odds are against it, I know.

Patrick Devlin, yes, I agree with you, I think she’s just a “civilian”.