Thursday, May 28, 2015

It's A Small World & Balloons, August 1968

At first I thought that the photo below was a portrait of a happy little family during their visit to The Happiest Place on Urf. They're looking at the camera, mom is smiling, dad is glowering, and the balloons in the background make for a colorful accent.  Looks like a breeze is about to blow them away. A grandma and grandpa are just behind our family, and a hidden kid is walking away with his own balloon. Oh yeah, and It's a Small World (I will always capitalize it, Ken Martinez!) is in the background, as if you didn't know.


OK, here's a "take two", and this time it wasn't ruined by those barbarians! Now we can see the balloon vendor, dressed in his embarrassing costume (reminiscent of Pinocchio). Wrangle those balloons, you fool! Is the man to our right wearing lederhosen, or does he just have a backpack?


17 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Lederhosen is always my outfit of choice. Clearly the fella wearing same is a much better dressed than the gentleman off to our left in the blue, striped shirt with shorts, brown shoes and long black socks. What - does he think he's at Kings Island-??!! (Sorry, no offense. But really-!)

The "bouquet of colorful balloons" certainly is beautifully set-off against the white/gold of IaSW.

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

There's the caricature kiosk before it had the "castle turrets" added to it's roof....and one of the Fantasyland ticket booths is visible on the other side of it. That's the one ticket booth that is still standing in the park today.

And speaking of slurry (which was being discussed here yesterday)....I wonder why the ground changes color right there. Is it marking the border of Fantasyland and North Fantasyland? Weird.

TokyoMagic! said...

Upon taking a second look at these, I just now noticed Gus and Jacques from Cinderella in that first photo!

Nancy said...

I also vote lederhosen. glowering dad must not have gotten the memo about this being The Happiest Place On Earth. I also wondered about the changing pavement...must be magic.

Good eyes, TM, I did not see them either! I dont think I have ever seen them in the Parks when I was there.

that is one heck of a bunch of balloons. is that the proper term, a bunch? maybe balloons have a special term, like a clutch of eggs or a band of gorillas?

great views today, Major. :-)

Pegleg Pete said...

Call me odd (and, no, you wouldn't be the first) but I've always found something strangely sexy about that sixties long dark socks with shorts look – and here we even get to see it alongside the more classic example of long socks and Lederhosen. And well spotted on those mice, TokyoMagic!

Anonymous said...

The man wearing lederhosen is a ride operator. That's the summer costume for Fantasyland Skyway, and he's probably headed back to the attraction from the break area behind Storybookland.

K. Martinez said...

I assume the slurry color change is to thematically identify Fantasyland proper from Small World Plaza. Also the green slurry wouldn't look so good against the gold & white façade with blue accents. Of course it's all solved with brick pavers and theme stamped impressions on pavement nowadays.

Tokyo, I was wondering if that was the kiosk that had the castle turrets added. Thanks for the confirmation.

Major, You'll always capitalize "it's a small world"? Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

If an alien space ship landed in this spot would the ET's that came out say "Take me to your Lederhosen"?

Nice people watching shots today major.

Tom said...

These photos are taken from one of my favorite "mental snapshot" locations in the park. it has a perfect view of "it's a small world" and all the pathways and structures surrounding it.

Beautiful imagery today!

Chuck said...

North Fantasyland is Best Fantasyland.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I thought you liked kilts! ;-) I am going to have to start wearing shorts with long black socks, only I will do it right by also smoking a pipe.

TokyoMagic!, interesting, I didn’t really pay attention to the little kiosk, so thanks for pointing out that detail! I noticed the slurry border; it reminds me of the muddy, fresh water from the Amazon next to the dark salty water of the ocean!

TokyoMagic! again, WOW, even after you pointed them out it took me a minute to find Gus and Jacques! Good eyes.

Nancy, I believe the proper term for a large group of balloons is a “flock”! (I always thought it was a “troop” of gorillas, have I been wrong all this time?). I have never seen Gus and Jacques either, I wonder if the park has the costumes in storage somewhere, or if they were destroyed.

Pegleg Pete, I dunno, I always thought that the long socks w/shorts looked, I don’t know, “nerdy” maybe. But what do I know! My brother wears socks with sandals, which I also think is weird.

Anonymous, I guess that makes sense, but I prefer to think that it is just a random citizen wearing his favorite duds!

K. Martinez, I wonder if any other amusement park put so much thought into the color of slurry! Perhaps it is a lost art. Also, when did you become a member of the Borg Collective? And do you have one of those cool lasers coming out of one eye?

Alonzo P Hawk, if I could play a “sad trombone” noise right now, I would! But “Waaaaa waaaaa….” will have to suffice.

Tom, this is a nice view, but I like it even more because of the people. If it was an empty plaza, I don’t think it would be as interesting!

Chuck, are you saying that you hate the rest of Fantasyland and want it changed into "Frozenland"?

Matthew said...

Great Scott... more talk about lederhosens (see also MONDAY, MAY 04, 2015, Castle and "It's a Small World", August 1969 post on Gorillas Don't Blog) This time however, I would agree with Anonymous... it is a Cast Member (the other was just fond of "The Sound of Music"). ;-)

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Matthew said...

PS Many a Fantasyland Skyway male ended up dating many a pretty Storybook Land girl. Nod to my friend Troy Hunt who married Julie. They met that same way... probably in the Storybook Land break room.

Anonymous said...

When an attractive but clearly underage female boarded a skyway cabin at one station, a call was made to the other station on the "P" (private) line that an "RP" was in cabin such and such. RP of course stood for Roman Polanski.

Chuck said...

Major, the rest of Fantasyland is occupied against its will by imperialist running dog cowards from Burbank. Only the glorious resistance by the children of the world prevents their capitalist slurry from encroaching upon the unstained paths of righteousness of True Fantasyland. For proof, one need only glance at a major attraction sign and note that even capitalist letters have been banned in this wondrous realm of harmony and prosperity, where everyone sings the same song all day every day in unison.

Excuse me - it is time for me to salute the smiling face upon the Clock of True Happiness as it chimes the Child Worker's March of the World. Long live North-, er, I mean True Fantasyland!

Melissa said...

Love the existential dread on the brown plaid boy in the foreground of the second picture. He's like an emotionally mixed-up Kilroy. I, too, thought of the other post with the lady in Germanic costume in the it's a small world queue and was hoping this was her husband coming to join her!

Anonymous said...

@Chuck, channeling the DPRK news feed, I see.

@Alonzo: When mice from outer space land, they will ask to be taken to the Liederkranz.

The change in color to match the change in architectural style is as good a reason as any, but when the new paving was put in for Small World, it had to be "some" color.

It's almost impossible to match an existing shade after fading in the sun, so...
...instead of missing by a little, miss by a lot, and pick a completely different color. So I'm guessing that is approximately the line where old left off and new began.

JG