Costumed Characters, July 1976
Disneyland's costumed characters are the rock stars of the theme park world. What (or who) will Minnie be wearing today? A Maleficent sighting is like seeing Garbo when she appeared on the streets of Manhattan. And how about a big walrus wearing a top-hat? Correction, not A walrus, but THE walrus. Goo goo g'joob! Ordinarily I would question the idea of a pink waistcoat (I'm more of a paisley guy), but ol' Wally makes it work.
The look of sheer joy on that little girl's face almost melts my frozen, blackened heart. Almost. All the kids have moved in for a nice fuzzy group hug, and Chip (or is it Dale?) is happy to oblige.
16 comments:
And Snow White is trying to blend in with the crowd, off in the distance in that first pic!
Great character pics, Major!
These are quite the snapshots! Nothing says "Tomorrowland" more than a big fat walrus.
In the Walrus photo, dig the woman's outfit at extreme right, about three o'clock. It's 1976 for sure.
In the second photo, note a couple of Mickey Mouse Club cowboy hats in the right background. Must be Friday, "Talent Roundup Day." The chipmunk appears to be rounding them up all right - rounding them up and eating them. This is why you shouldn't feed wildlife - they begin associating people with food. Of course, I have the same problem; it's been fairly persistent ever since I saw Soylent Green.
Andrew, for someone who's never been there and too young to remember it in person even if he had, your powers of observation and spatial orientation are spot-on. Well done, lad!
Major-
That ... look of sheer joy on that little girl's face ... has little to do with being hugged by Chip [or Dale]. Turns out that just off-camera is the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, just informing her of a lifetime of riches. She's merely practicing acting 'miserly' around pushy relatives and (soon to be) former friends-!
Thanks, Major.
I see that the walrus is not very appealing to the children (nor to me, either) - but Chip (?) is! He's adorable!
Sue
It is said that when Lennon wrote "I am the Walrus" he had misread the Walrus and the Carpenter poem and thought that the walrus was the good guy. I'm not real sure how you could think that (I just bet drugs were involved!) but I do know The Carpenters would go on to have an impressive career all of their own. By the way, "Goo goo gajoob" actually means, "I'll have a hundred more oysters on the half shell, please...and a Coke." Now you know!
Was John Bolton invoking the Walrus when he cultivated that frightening moustache?
The girl on the left of the chipmunk photo looks to have found a zipper, and is about to pull some naughty stunt.
I always thought the walrus was Paul. Maybe now that John Bolton is unemployed, he will grow a beard to go with that magnificent soup strainer. I really like that green hat though. I think I could pull it off. Thanks Major.
The essence of the old Park.
Imagine getting a photo with a Character and not having to wait an hour in line or pay for an enhanced Character Experience.
Thanks Major, that Walrus is a fashion forward pinniped, no doubt about it.
JG
With the look in the eyes of that Walrus it appears the fumes from that marker are getting to him. Either that or some bad sardines are giving him the wind. Notice all the kids are walking away from him.
Chip and Dale never let you down. I have some shots of my kids with them from about six years ago and they are about that excited.
TokyoMagic!, I think I see the hats of a few of the Dwarfs, over there near Snow White. In fact, in the first photo it looks like two of the girls near us are gazing longingly toward Snow White. “There she is!”.
Penna. Andrew, in the future, humans will be gone, replaced by sentient walruses. Nostradamus said so.
Chuck, it was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius! Or something. Good eye on the MMC hats on those boys; you’d think that by 1976 kids wouldn’t even know what the Mickey Mouse Club was. Perhaps it was running in syndication? And yes, I am impressed with Andrew’s sense of place for a park he has never been to.
Nanook, well, winning the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes would have made me grin too, I admit. Where’s my oversized novelty check?
Lou and Sue, with that massive head, perhaps the Walrus was a little bit scary? I agree, I’d welcome a hug from one of the chipmunks.
Stu29573, are you telling me that John Lennon did drugs?! I wonder if he never actually read the Walrus and the Carpenter, but had only heard about it second hand. He was a very smart guy, but stuff like that happens. The Carpenters RULE!
Stefano, I think Bolton was channeling Wilford Brimley, my personal hero. Ha ha, imagine when that girl yanks the zipper and finds a sweaty person inside!
Jonathan, John does say that the Walrus was Paul, but I have no idea what any of those songs are about anyway. I also like the green hat with the sprung top.
JG, do the characters ever just walk around (or stand around) anymore? Or is it strictly a “wait in line” experience, all the time? The only character I have a photo of (with me) is Buzz Lightyear, he was just walking through Tomorrowland. But that was probably 15 years ago.
Alonzo, ha, the Walrus does look a little spacey. I remember those old permanent markers and the way they smelled. Xylene or something? I sort of liked it because I associated it with arts and crafts at school. Bad sardines, does that mean there’s such thing as good sardines? My dad used to like those little cans of fish, and the smell alone made me never ever want to try them.
Chuck, one time Chip tried to eat my sister's birthday button.
Thanks, Chuck, I guess I just have a weird memory for things like this. I saw one picture of those "swirly" flower beds and the image just stuck in my brain. And although I have been to Walt Disney World twice with family and am going with school this year, Disneyland (of the past and present) continues to captivate me. I am making a personal goal to go there in the next five years!
Major, I don't remember if the characters still walk around or not.
I recall a fair number of ordinary human cast members in costume, especially in DCA, where there is a policeman and some other "citizens" of Buena Vista Street.
I just don't remember seeing any of the plush costume type in the last couple of visits, so I assumed that Disney moved them behind a "pay wall". I would be happy to be wrong.
JG
That isn't a marker the walrus is holding, it is the top of his walking stick.
Melissa, um, I'm afraid to ask where she had it pinned.
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