Thursday, October 10, 2019

Mad Tea Party, July 1970

The Mad Tea Party is a fairly modest attraction, but it has become one of the more iconic Fantasyland experiences. Again with the spinning and the laughing?! Oy! Not to mention the color; no wonder it was a popular photo subject. Look at those kids, they have gone completely mad due to mercury poisoning (which, admittedly, is the funniest form of poisoning there is). 


Meanwhile, ya gotta love that Mr. Toad façade. YA GOTTA! 


19 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
It appears as though that pair of kids is sharing the same set of distinctive "chompers". And who wouldn't love the Mr. Toad facade with that giant, snow-capped mountain piercing through its roofline.

Thanks, Major.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Priceless smiles!! :)

I like how the mom(?) is in both of the pictures, too!

Sue

Melissa said...

The Shadow Photographer is so cool!

TokyoMagic! said...

Those kids should have never taken up millinery as a side hobby. In addition to going mad, their exposure to the mercury has apparently resulted in tooth loss, as well. I bet they had to endure being called "Merc-Mouth" by the other kids at school.

Chuck said...

I wonder if the plain ones were faster without all of that extra paint to slow them down.

My office mug looks just like the green and blue one behind them in the first photo and at extreme left in the second photo (except it doesn't have any people in it).

Andrew said...

I really do like the hand-painted look of the old Fantasyland "tent" facades. Also, if you look closely, you can just see the part of the mural that has Mr. Toad's car descending into you-know-where.

It would be quite fun riding the tea cups with all the hustle and bustle of Fantasyland spinning around you!

Anonymous said...

I don't know what it is about this ride, but when we took my grandson to WDW on his 7th birthday we rode this three times. He loved it! We literally didn't ride anything else more than once. Go figure...

Stefano said...

It's a Tea for Two ride; the third and fourth wheels just sit back and let others do the spinning.
Beautifully detailed as the 1983 Fantasyland is, I miss these first facades with their open waiting areas, and the way this ride and others were grouped. Fantasyland lost some of its feeling of community after the revamp.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, Both of these kids had rich careers playing hillbillies on a variety of TV shows, including “The Bob Newhart Show”, “Happy Days”, and even into more modern shows like “Breaking Bad”.

Lou and Sue, I like the warm sunshine colors, especially in the first one (and yes, those smiles too)!

Melissa, who knows what camera lurks in the hands of moms?

TokyoMagic!, I’m not sure about the wisdom of taunting somebody who is crazy, but it would almost be worth it to say “merc-mouth”.

Chuck, one of the key ingredients in the paint for the teacups was depleted uranium, so you’re right, the plain cups weighed 100 pounds less than their decorated brethren.

Penna. Andrew, I agree; even though the reason for those buildings looking so flat was budgetary, they have a certain charm, and definitely echo the appearance of late 40’s and 1950’s animated backgrounds. I like riding the teacups at night, spinning the cup really fast, and then just sitting back and looking straight up at the hanging lanterns overhead. It’s an odd sensation!

Stu29573, kids are just nutty, that’s all you need to know. You earn extra points for going on the teacups 3 times - there are many people who avoid that spinning ride like the plague.

Stefano, I don’t think I’ve ever been on the teacups ride without spinning, but maybe it would be kind of nice to sit back and watch the action going on all around. I completely agree with you re: the new Fantasyland versus the old one!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Chuck, after reading your comment about having an office mug like one of these cups - I went on Ebay and bought the same one. (No lie.) I never knew they existed until you enlightened me. I did buy a brand new one so that it wouldn't have any people in it, just like yours, too. Now, I'll be reminded of all the fun and laughs that everyone shares everyday on GDB! :)

Sue

P.S. On Ebay, for some reason, the peach-colored cup was the most expensive (triple the cost of the others), and the Tokyo Disneyland cups are 2 times higher. ??

JC Shannon said...

I am mad about the teacups. No kidding, you never lose the desire to make it spin faster. Just be sure not to go on it after a heavy meal. The color in these shots is as good as it gets. They need to go in the GDB Hall of Fame. Thanks Major.

Melissa said...

My coffee cup isn't exactly like the Mad Hatter's cups, but it's in the same vein.

A few years ago, I made a bunch of custom hats for a play I was costuming. I lucked into a bunch of identical boxes just the right size to serve as hat boxes, and I made fancy labels for them that read, "La Chapelière Folle" (The Mad Hatter).

"Lou and Sue" said...

Melissa, I like your coffee cup! . . . they should add that pattern to the plain Disneyland cups.

Sue

Warren Nielsen said...

Oh gosh. The teacups.

Our kids loved them, Kai and myself not so much. My equilibrium is starting to whirl and swirl just looking at these.

I'll be over in Frontierland. Catch up to me there. I'll be sitting down so I don't fall down.

W

Anonymous said...

Oh...I loved these teacups...that is until I found one day that I had grown up and spent a couple hours prone on a nearby park bench. KS

Chuck said...

Major, depleted uranium - of course! While they weighed more, they could also penetrate several inches of plate steel if fired from a large enough cannon.

Sue, we're twinsies!

The funny thing is that when they first came out, you could get them for considerably less than you can now on eBay via the online store at Wal-Mart (which is now officially spelled "Walmart" - they ruin everything, don't they?). I didn't discover that until they were sold out (which is why I only have one).

Melissa, I like your cup, too.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Hey, Twinsie! Let's both wear polka-dots, tomorrow!

Sue

Melissa said...

Hey, those kids may not be dressed alike, but I just noticed they're missing the same toof!

Chuck said...

Sue, I just realized I don't own anything with polka dots. You have a plaid skirt? I can wear my kilt to match.