Kids in Disneyland, April 1969
Kids - t's always something with kids. They're tired. They're hungry. Somebody hit someone else. They need to "go". This is why I am a fan of robot children - they are obedient, and can lift your car when you change a tire.
But I have to admit that the first of today's two photos is pretty cute... a gaggle of Fun Mom's children (and maybe an interloper or two?) are taking a break, and enjoying various snacks. There's three popcorn boxes, and three cellophane bags of what might be peanuts, or they might be spiced, roasted grasshoppers. The yellow and white umbrellas in the distance provided shade for the Plaza Inn.
Now we're in line for a mystery attraction - the Motor Boat Cruise queue building can be seen to the left, so perhaps they were about to board Casey Jr. or the Storybook Land Canal Boats? Red Sweater Mom has to carry that kid through the switchback queue, and the kid looks heavy.
Some fun details are the two different shopping bags in the hands of the two older ladies, the little girl with the tartan plaid coat, and the cute Fantasyland information/ticket booth.
15 comments:
Major-
Oh, those kids-! I can't get past the flower print pants adorning the legs of the lass on the far left. (It must be the late 60's-!)
In the second image "the kids" are queuing-up for Storybook Land. It appears the two different shopping bags and the girl in the tartan paid coat has distracted your gaze, Major - for if you avert your eyes to the far left of the image you'll see some rather frightening pants: Flower power and a pair with some wild, diagonal stripes. (Again with the late 60's fashions. Oh my-!)
Thanks, Major.
I can see the yellow-and-white roofed kiosk structure of Alpine Gardens in the distance (1st pic) along with a Matterhorn waterfall towering behind Alpine Gardens. The swirling flowerbeds of the Tomorrowland entrance are visible here as well. Seeing the lawns is pretty striking. Love all that green. Of course the kids are cute. The girl on the right with the blue pants looks like she's having a good ol' time.
As I mentioned yesterday, I love this area (2nd pic) where Fantasyland and Tomorrowland meet and blend. Visible here is the section of track that takes the monorail through the outer edges of Fantasyland proper to pass between the Matterhorn and Alice and Wonderland attraction to its final stretch towards the Tomorrowland Monorail Station. And then there's Matterhorn chalet and the Fantasyland Autopia beyond that. I love it! Thanks, Major.
All the best Fun Moms attract hanger-on kids. That's why they have to mark their own offspring I the brightest colors to make it easier to count at the end of the day.
That Kodak Picture Spot sign in the second picture ain't exaggeratin'! You got the Loud Pants Contest at far left, the weapons-grade babushka on the shopping bag lady, the red-plaid-clad tot doing a commercial shoot with her hair in the breeze, Drac, Jr. in the baby blue windbreaker, baring his fangs and reaching for the viewer in the foreround, Colonel Mustard (ret.) and family under the Picture Spot sign, and therw he goes - The Saddest Giant In Fantasyland.
It's 1969, and alota folks are in, lets just say, an "altered state of reality." Unfortunatly, some of them were clothes designers. Yow! I love these vintage Disneyland pics. Time capsules of iffy fashion and attractions gone forever. Kids enjoying a day at the park, and parents having as much fun as their kids. Now that's Disney Magic. Robot kids are fine for some folks, but then you always know which one did it. Thanks Major, I am going out to buy a flower shirt and some bellbottoms. Far out.
Agreeing with Nanook here, the photo 2 queue is for the Story Book Land Canal Boats. Interesting to see so much space allocated to this area. Today it is squeezed to the minimum due to parade crowds. Both photos packed with details.
Notice the relatively mild fencing around the lawn in photo 1, this would not work today. There is an odd green box in the planter of the restaurant patio which is possibly an irrigation controller. Not exactly bad show, but this would probably be concealed in today's park.
In photo 2, just beyond the eyeball-frying pants, we can see the Motorboat entrance has a vaguely nautical theme like the superstructure of a steamship, while Autopia is displaying those weird international traffic signs. Why can't those foreigners speak English? I'm sure they could understand it if we yell it loudly enough.
Re the two bag ladies, is the red striped one on the right a purchased shopping bag, rather than one provided free, like the psychedelic design on the left?
The man in the mustard sweater looks like my uncle, but his companions don't look familiar.
I think the sign by the ticket booth must be explaining the ticket purchase regime, since it is similar in appearance to the one seen yesterday. I was hoping it might have been the one explaining how tall you must be to ride the bobsleds. Imagine waiting an hour in line to find out you are too short.
Thank you, Major, and the Fun Family.
JG
Just thinking that those kids are now well into their mid-50s and could possibly be grandparents really woke me up this morning. April '69 was my first month as a CM on Main Street so the nostalgia button has been pushed with these pics. I can smell the popcorn and feel the traditional morning gloom of the day. KS
I guess the four arm Perey Turnstiles aren't quite as rare a sight at Disneyland as I implied almost three weeks ago, as here's another pair in the second image. And I suspect there are still others to discover.
Nanook, yes, those flowered pants make a statement. Something about geing groovy. I didn’t remember Storybook having those metal railings, but looking at other photos, I see that they are indeed there!
K. Martinez, I’m sure Disneyland lawns stayed green all year long, but I can’t help thinking that, being April, they have been rained on for a few months. All of those flower beds and gardens and expendable in the name of making room for more people! I’m glad you like today’s photos.
Melissa, I don’t remember seeing the kid in the brown jacket in any other pictures, and yet he sure seems to be part of the family. The little girl with the helmet hair thinks he’s hilarious! I sort of miss the days of the loud patterns and crazy colors. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was interesting.
Jonathan, I do sort of wonder where the giant flower patterns and loud plaids came from. Who decided that they were fashionable? Designers in Paris, Milan, and New York? If you look at a Sears catalog from the 1970’s, your eyes will be sore from the sheer ugliness of those clothes. And yet people thought they were nice!
JG, yeah, I notice that very simple rope/fence that was enough to keep people off the grass - you’re right, people would camp out on it today to watch the fireworks. I wonder why they chose to use traffic signs from other lands, rather than the kind that would be familiar with most kids, especially those from SoCal? The red striped (plastic) bags must have been for large items such as clothing. I have one in my collection.
KS, you started your stint at the park at the best time!
Nanook, it does seem reasonable to extrapolate that if there are two examples of those turnstiles, there must be more.
Great comments everyone! I love reading your comments. You are all so pithy, profound and productory (not to mention all of the whit and wisdom you whirl). On with the show... what I love about today's photo is we are getting closer to answering the question... when did the railings arrive around the planters?
@JG points it out in his post and I would have to agree... it couldn't have been safe to have a rope up around the planter. But without the small rope, people could have easily tripped over the small curb. BUT what I loved about early Disneyland is that the lawns were free for you sit upon and rest and relax. There were no, "Keep Off The Grass" signs (so I've been told... although I thought I saw one in a much earlier post).
Finally, I enjoyed being able to see right where this mom is located by taking a look at yesterday's (October 29, 2018) post... specifically the second image. There you can see behind the Storybook Land lighthouse, and behind that palm tree the queue our mom and children are standing in. You can also see @Nanoonk's Perey Turnstiles in yesterday's second image. I did not realizing how much distance there was between the dock and the exit. Also, you can see another Perry Turnstile, painted white, in yesterday's post next to the lighthouse... which I think was the original entrance but I wonder what they used it for in 1971?
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
Major-
"I don’t remember seeing the kid in the brown jacket in any other pictures..." You don't-?? How's about the AUGUST 28th POST-?; or the APRIL 25th POST-?; or the post on APRIL 22nd-?; or even the FEBRUARY 13th POST, among others-? He's all over the place, I dare say.
Nanook, I totally missed "brown jacket boy" as well. Good eye. The man on the right in green, is hanging his head in sorrow after learning his favorite ride, the Midget Autopia, is gone.
@ Matthew-
Good eye on the four arm turnstiles from yesterday's image - one painted in white/red, no less-! Both the action (stabilized with a rotary shock absorber) and the ratcheting-sound of the tripod arm are so embedded in my brain from the countless visits to all the Disney parks - and everywhere else on the planet-! - you'd think the four arm variety turnstile would really stand-out; but apparently not so. (I wonder where the next ones will turn up-?)
The brown jacket kid kinda looks like Jerry O'Connell in Stand By Me. He's gonna show the other kids where he saw a dead body in the woods, next to that burning cabin.
@Nanook - Thanks for sharing such a vivid and auditory memory of those turnstiles. I wonder where the next ones will turn up too!
Always your pal,
Ha! I think I just realized something in that first photo... the photographer must have abandoned their box of popcorn on the bench to stand up and take the photo. Ha! It just makes me smile to think... "You kid stay here I'm going to get a photo." That is all.
Always your pal,
yada-yada-yada
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