Pirate Ship, October, 1963
We're revisiting an old favorite today - we've visited it LOTS of times before. It's the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. The sun could have made more of an effort, I'd say - the marine layer has it whupped. A tour guide stands to our left, while a young girl eats her ticket book.
It was kind of a bummer when Chicken of the Sea ended its sponsorship of the Pirate Ship in 1969; if only Starkist Tuna had stepped in. They could have replaced the mermaid figurehead with a Charlie the Tuna figurehead! With his beatnik cap and dark glasses, Charlie would have brought a different energy to the ship.
In this photo I am intrigued by the rack of postcards to the right; I recognize some rare and valuable Art Corner "squeaker" cards (they squeaked when you squeezed 'em) that can fetch well over $100 apiece for scarcer examples.
Just for fun I put this together so that you can see those rare cards a little bit better.
16 comments:
I had/have the "It's The Tops" card with Mickey on the Matterhorn, and also a Pongo and Perdita squeaker card. I think it says something like "Having a Doggone Good Time." However, when I was very young, I carefully pulled that card apart so that I could see what made it "squeak"! Sometimes kids do the stupidest things, I tell ya! But I still have the front part of the card. Do you think maybe I can get $50 for the front half of it? ;-)
Wow, if only the people had known those postcards' value. They would be stocking up; I can't imagine the price back then would be more than 25 cents.
As a bonus, I see another trash can with a "hat"!
You know, it's an amazing coincidence that after sprinkling it with pixie dust, Tink just so happened to set the Pirate Ship down in a small pool in her employer's theme park... Could it be that Walt set her up to do the job??? Tonight on Dateline: "Walt or Hook- Who Was The Real Pirate?" (Check your TV Guide for listings)
Yes but 25 cents back then could buy you a ticket to a double fearure. That's about $18 today. The imaginers were testing the churro flavored ticket book. It took them half a century to develop the churro flavored churro.
Gnometrek, and they actually got it right! We get churros on every visit we make. :D
love the postcards! I have collected some but I don't have any from this early era. My faves I think are Chip & Dale, and Jiminy Cricket.
the tuna boat. never got to see it in person. I would definitely have had lunch there.
thanks for the great views today, Major!
Major, thanks for the pics of the squeaker cards. Boy, does that bring back some memories. We brought home several of them back then, but they disappeared after a while. If I had only known. Fan of Chip & Dale too.
They make me think of Albert Brooks for some unknown reason. Apple core.
@ Gnometrek-
Well - not quite. 25 cents back in 1963 would be about $2.08 in today's dollars. A lot cheaper than what greeting cards go for these times - which seem like a total rip-off.
TokyoMagic!, ha ha, I can see myself taking a squeaker card apart (as a kid)! Now you can tell me, was there a tiny nuclear generator and motor inside? The Pongo and Perdita card is a good one, and I’ll bet yours is even MORE valuable after you customized it.
Penna. Andrew, every time I see a photo like that one, I imagine myself grabbing entire stacks of those cards. Maybe I would even go to the cashier and ask, “Yo, do you gots any more of these in the back?” (that’s how I speak). Then I would go into cryogenic hibernation for 50 years. JACKPOT!
Stu29573, Tinkerbell was the right fairy for the job when it comes to moving heavy or bulky items. Talk about a marketable skill! Walt definitely knew what he was doing when he hired her. And when he didn’t need any more heavy lifting, she continued to work for him, flying down from the top of the Matterhorn.
Gnometrek, 25 cents is equal to $18 today, and $18 back then would have bought you a 3-bedroom ranch house on 1/2 acre of land (no pool though, let’s not get crazy). Churro flavored churros were developed by NASA (with the help of the Mexican government).
Nancy, we have had churros at other parks too, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, so their fame has spread far and wide. I am not sure if they have them at Knott’s, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The Jiminy card is a good one, and one of the harder examples to find.
DrGoat, I’ll bet your squeakers fell victim to a mom who figured that nobody wanted them anymore! My dad insisted that he had an Action Comics #1 (the first Superman), and that his mother threw it out when he left home for the Navy. Chip and Dale remind you of Albert Brooks… hmmm, trying to wrap my head around that one!
Nanook, you forget, Gnometrek is using the “new math”! I think he was just joking around. Meanwhile, I was going to look up how much 24 cents in the 1960s would be today, but was too lazy.
Major-
You’re probably right. (Gnometrek-?); as I often take things too seriously. And this, coming form someone who normally delivers outrageous claims in the driest, droll, and serious tone possible, often resulting in consternation from those within hearing range. Merely another “feature” of my barely-tolerable personality-!
And for those keeping score, 24 cents translates into about half of a filter from a filter-tipped cigarette these days.
Major, any oppor-tuna-ty to see the Tuna Clipper is welcome to me.
I don't recall having any of these coveted cards, but I did have a "squeaker" card from somewhere else. I can't remember where it was from, but I did the same thing Tokyo did and took it apart.
Mine had an oil-fired steam plant powering the squeak engine, it would only reach Warp 0.00000000000000003.
JG
Re: Churros.
I had thought these were a made-up snack invented for theme parks until our recent trip to Spain.
We had churro snacks in Bilbao and Madrid, the Spanish ones are much less sweet than the US versions, and came with cocoa or jam filling/dip. Quite good after a bunch of tapas and wine.
I am now a fan of churros and await the churro flavored FastPasses that are undoubtedly going to be used in Wookie World.
JG
Nanook, aw, it’s no big deal! I have definitely learned the hard way that *tone* is often lost with the written word, or at least with my hastily written words. I have sent perfectly nice notes to friends who somehow thought I was angry with them (much to my astonishment). Then I have had to go back and explain what I really meant. Also, why use a filter tip? You miss so much of that sweet, sweet tobacco flavor.
JG, ha ha “Tuna Clipper”. I’m almost surprised that there wasn’t a ship with that nickname, since tuna are so famously speedy. I have an old squeaker postcard with a photo of Bettie Page on it! Steam powered squeakers are especially sought after.
JG, I’m like you, I thought churros were strictly an amusement park / carnival treat. Of all the treats in the world, I wonder how some genius came up with the idea of selling them in parks - clearly the concept was a hit with the public, to the point that churros are now a meme.
Major, Tuna Clipper was my Dad's nickname for the Pirate Ship. We also called it the Tuna Boat, as I have seen others do here.
I miss this silly restaurant so much.
JG
Major, the squeaker device was small and cylindrical. If you want, I'll take my "Mickey on the Matterhorn" squeaker card apart and photograph it for you. ;-)
And yes, Knott's has churros. They actually sold churros way back, before Disneyland ever started selling them. It's yet again, another case where Disney copied Knott's.
Knott's recently changed one of their small counter service restaurants into "The Churro Factory." They sell churros with different fillings, including boysenberry.
I have never tried a churro but I might try one filled with boysenberry - but only at Knotts!
Groovy pictures today, and lots of great comments is the result!
The only thing I really have to add about the pictures is how much the couple at the postcard stand looks like my grandparents. Though if Mrs. Postcardbuyer turned around, I might see that her hairdo, dress, and build are the only similarities to Grandma.
IIRC, Churros y Chocolate was the title of my Grade 7 Spanish textbook. And there's a brand- new box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros cereal in my kitchen as we speak.
@Nanook, a gift for deadpan is both a blessing and a curse.
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