Two Beauties From 1956
Here's a couple of really nice views of Disneyland, circa 1956!
I love this shot taken near the entrance to Tomorrowland; those yellow flowers to our left surround the base of the Clock of the World (in case you have completely lost your bearings). If there was a breeze, maybe we would have heard all of those small nautical flags snapping in the wind. Many of the guests are looking in all directions trying to take it all in, but it's just too much! They've been reduced to drooling buffoons. We can see the names of so many familiar sponsors, such as Monsanto (on the "Hall of Chemistry") and TWA of course, but the little fingerboards show "American Motors" and "Kaiser Aluminum" too.
Next is this lovely photo of the courtyard behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, with Merlin's Magic Shop to our left. I've always thought that the greenish color of that building was such an interesting choice. This small section of Fantasyland did not rely on the painted flats and colorful tents that were in front of the dark rides; there are details aplenty.
EXTRA! EXTRA! By request, DrGoat was nice enough to send along a photo of a wooden tiki that he personally carved. The tiki is ferocious, but that's the only thing that will frighten away evil spirits. The cactus flowers are a nice touch, my grandma loved those and always had them on her back patio. It would be fun to eventually work one's way up to a nice 9 foot-tall tiki! Maybe even paint it, like the ones at Disneyland.
Thank you, DrGoat, for sharing your tiki!
32 comments:
Major-
What a swell shot of Tomorrowland. There's so much to behold - including the new Skyway. And polka dots definitely seem to be 'the thing'. The architecture of Merlin's Magic Shop even prominently-sports a bold downspout.
Now, I must have a carved tiki. Nice work, Dr. Goat. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Major.
It’s Polka Dot Dress Day in Tomorrowland! That one Mickey balloon hovering over the crowd is a nice artistic touch. The globes of his ears echo the shape of the toothpick and olive lamp posts.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Fantasyland trash cans. I love when something so utilitarian can also be so pretty.
Wow, DrGoat, that tiki is amazing! I tried to carve a boat out of a bar of soap once, but all I got was a cut hand and a bloody bar of soap.
DrGoat, I agree...amazing job on the tiki! Thanks for sharing with us.
In the second pic, it looks as though there is a grown man, sitting in a stroller and smoking a cigarette (near the far right of the photo).
Today's Disneyland pics are tops. Both wonderful in color and composition. Thanks, Major.
DrGoat, love your hand-carved tiki. Nice touch with the cactus flowers too. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Great pictures and a cool Tiki! What a day!
Perfect for a Friday morning.
Thanks dr goat and major!
Those faces on the Mickey balloons are pretty weird looking, and they look almost devilish from a distance. Thanks for the tiki picture, DrGoat! All I can say is wow!
And I gotta mention... happy 65th anniversary, Disneyland! For once the park will rest on its birthday.
Although I usually pick Tomorrowland, today's favorite is Fantasyland! That downspout on Merlin's was probably needed in the event of any rain. A roofline like that could channel water like you wouldn't believe! I love DrGoat's tiki too! I have a feeling mine would come out looking like a beaver's snack. And yes, Happy 65 to Disneyland. I don't want to think about there being no one there right now. I need a drink...
In my first TWO attempts I misspelled "Disneyland." Where is that drink???
Thanks everyone. You're very kind. It must be said in the world of Tiki carvers, that thing I labored over is definitely the work of an amateur. It does guard the olive tree and Ceres well enough though.
The thing that really drew my eye in the second pic is that flowered Aloha shirt that guy has on right hand side. For '56 that was a quite a choice.
Melissa, that Mickey balloon in the first pic really does do it.
Ok, that little bit of a flag in the upper right corner of the first pic. Can anyone identity it? Looks a little like a a certain flag, which I don't think it could be, could it?
Thanks Major for the indulgence and for the really nice pics.
PS My wife nicknamed that tiki Tangaroa-ru, after our favorite Enchanted Tiki Room god. We certainly need the rain here, so it's appropriate.
I agree with Andrew - that Mickey face looks odd, almost like it has a single, buck tooth. It kinda reminds me of a Jack-o-lantern. But on a balloon. Which must have been a pain to carve.
Speaking of carving, that is some mighty impressive work, Dr Goat. I tried to carve a deer whistle once while I was at the 1983 World Scout Jamboree. Only time I've ever hit an artery. I am a walking, talking first aid dummy.
Stu, I feel your pain. I end up misspelling Dinseyland about 30% of the time myself.
TokyoMagic! Yep, that man and his nanny are taking a smoking break.
Love that tiki, DrGoat! You could have a great side job! Are you still carving?
Leave it to the kid to remember Disneyland’s birthday. The rest of us are getting forgetful. ;)
Great pictures today, thank you Major!
Dr Goat, I think that's the 1956-2001 Georgia state flag.
Great people watching photos today! The women in the foreground of #1 look like they made variations of the same dress pattern.
Sriped guy in #2 looks like he might be a cast member. I would wear that today.
I'm pretty sure they moved that downspout to Toon Town eventually.
Nice carving, DrGoat. You've got skills! I carved a stick once. After several minutes it looked like a stick with a point.
Thanks major. Happy Birthday DL!
zach
Happy 65th birthday Disneyland! So sad no one is there. :-(
Lou & Sue, no, not carving anymore. Too many others things to do and time is short. Would like to dabble in it a bit later though.
Chuck, think you're right about the flag. As for carving stories, what did me in when I was in the scouts was cutting out balsa wood wings for a glider, slipped and ended up with a great bloody deep cut across the top of my hand. What a mess. Mom was very angry.
Chuck, you must hand over your Totin' Chip to Dr. Goat.
Dr. Goat, wonderful carving. Thanks for sharing it. I'd love to have a bigger one like that, but it would not fit in the suitcase.
Old Tomorrowland sure feels like a Worlds Fair, which was probably the idea.
That corner of old Fantasyland is very successful design. I have always liked the little diagonal tunnels that siphon you off to Tomorrowland or Frontierland. Those trash cans are really something special too.
Merlin's rain drainage was by Dr. Caligari.
Thanks Major. These pics are most appropriate for Disneyland's 65th.
JG
For whatever 50's Tomorrowland was lacking in content, it certainly made up for it in being festive. Perhaps it was a polka dots and plaid event? Overall, people in the 1950's seem much better dressed than today.
I've always loved the Castle forecourt, (ante court?). I think my family used those side tunnels much more than crossing over the actual drawbridge. The side pathways were just as interesting, if not more so.
Balloons! I never new before that they once had faces on them. Its also cool that the tops are black, like they are wearing Mickey hats.
I'd get a Tiki for my garden, but I worry I'd neglect the daily offerings of fresh pineapple and mangoes and he'd get angry with me. This one looks like he wants his pineapple. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, nice tiki, Dr. Goat! Fun colorful photos today. I like the paper souvenir hats in the second picture. Would adults wear something like those now? (I would!) I see a deflated ear on a weird Mickey balloon in the second photo too, poor thing. Disneyland won’t have birthday guests but I heard about people virtually lining up trying to buy limited merch for it online.
Chuck, I see what ya did therre...
Those of you that are not as old as me, will not remember the surfer tiki craze of 61 and 62. Absolutely everyone had one around their neck, mine had green emerald eyes. Anyhow, love yours Goat. Any day that starts out with a Moonliner photo is gonna be a good one. Thanks Major.
Once again, Blogger says I have to split my giant comment response into two...
Nanook, I’ve said it before, but as much as I love the 1967 Tomorrowland, the 1955/56 version holds a lot of appeal for me. I’ve always wondered if Merlin’s Magic Shop was based on a real building somewhere? That downspout is definitely bold!
Melissa, it’s funny how we can sometimes observe specific fashion trends; I was just scanning some slides from 1963, and so many ladies are wearing white overcoats; only a few years earlier they would have been red. I wonder if those Fantasyland trash cans were custom-made for Disneyland? I carved a Liberty Bell out of a bar of Ivory Soap, it still pretty much looked like a bar of soap.
TokyoMagic!, ha ha, sometimes we just need to feel pampered. LITERALLY Pampered!
K. Martinez, I thank you, and DrGoat thanks you.
Budblade, glad you liked today’s pix!
Andrew, I noticed the faces on the balloons too, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that particular design before. Mickey looks mentally unbalanced. And oh yeah, it’s Disneyland’s birthday… creating these posts weeks or months in advance makes me forget a lot of significant days.
stu29573, I guess that downspout must go around the corner and to the ground? Now I’m imagining how much water could come off of that steep roof - a veritable waterfall! I love the idea of making my own tiki, but would definitely start smaller and work my way up. It IS strange to think that Disneyland turns 65 today, and there’s no celebration or massive crowds of fans! Don’t worry about spelling here, I never do.
DrGoat, I love the tiki, and hey, you actually made the thing, which is a lot more than most people can say. Like me, I just think about it, but don’t do it! The Aloha shirt is pretty great, especially considering that we are in 1956. I think that flag is the Arkansas state flag, but I’m not 100% certain. It definitely has traces of “a certain flag” as you say. But I don’t know why that flag would be flying there! Thanks again for the great tiki photo.
Chuck, balloon carving was a fad in the 1950s, along with flagpole sitting, phone booth stuffing, and goldfish eating. People were really, really bored. “Hey Clem, I’ll bet I could swallow more goldfish than you!”. “You’re ON!”. A deer whistle?? Is that really a thing?
Lou and Sue, for some reason my brain goes to a daytime TV ad. “Tired of your humdrum job? Are you good with a chisel? Well, get into the profitable business of tiki carving TODAY! Operators are standing by”. I forget Disneyland’s birthday every darn year, so why should 2020 be any different?
Chuck, oh, your answer is much better than mine, I agree, it must be Georgia’s old flag. I had no idea that they’ve gone through EIGHT different flag designs since the 1870s!
zach, it’s funny how I used to want photos of the park with few (or NO) people, and now I really like photos with LOTS of people. It just adds to the fun to see all the clothes, the hairstyles, the hats (souvenir and otherwise), and the the general hubbub. Merlin’s Magic Shop has a kind of old-Europe, Dr. Caligari vibe that I’ve always liked.
SundayNight, let’s all go there and hop the fence!
DrGoat, you could speed things up by mastering the art of carving with a chainsaw. What could possibly go wrong? The one thing I learned when trying to carve with balsa wood is that even that soft stuff is hard to master. I once used a Dremel tool (a tiny circular blade) as an aid for carving, and sliced into the tip of my thumb about 1/4 of an inch. The amazing thing is that it healed and you can’t even tell.
JG, “Totin’ Chip”? Is that hippie drug talk? We’ll have none of that here, mister! Like you, I’ve always liked the castle tunnels to the other lands, and I can’t help wondering if the space above the tunnels was used for storage, or maybe a nice hot airless room for some poor employee. And seeing your reference to Dr. Caligari… I just said a similar thing to zach!! I was just going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, reading about German Expressionist films. Most of which I have never seen.
Omnispace, maybe the thing I like about the old Tomorrowland is the way they had to make due with their budgetary issues. As you said, they had to make it festive, and that meant nautical flags, those “olive and toothpick” lights, the alien-looking giant Bird of Paradise plants, and colorful signage. All to hide the fact that most buildings were basically industrial sheds. You can placate your tiki by giving him a shot of rum (a little shot) each day. One for him, one for you!
Kathy!, I’ve always liked those souvenir paper hats. I have one from the 50s, but it is in sorry shape. Sometimes you’ll see photos of fancy versions made of shiny coated paper, or even versions that appear to be woven out of some sort of grass (not sure if that is just a printed effect). Why do some Mickey-ear balloons have those malformed ears?
stu29573, that Chuck, he’s always doing stuff!
Jonathan, I sadly missed that tiki craze, but it sounds very fun. I have a little tiki that has abalone eyes that are very green, but I admit that green emeralds would be much cooler. All this tiki talk has got me wanting to see what’s available on eBay!!
@ JC Shannon-
Evidently we both had the same tiki necklace. (Hadn't thought about that one in, well...)
Major, I guess a more accurate term would be "deer call," but yes, it's a real thing. This one used two pieces of wood and a fat rubber band. The whole thing came in a ziploc-bagged kit (some assembly and carving required) courtesy of our subcamp staff from Nova Scotia (the 1983 World Scout Jamboree held in Banff, Alberta, and staffed primarily with volunteers from Scouts Canada).
Stu, in all honesty, that really is how I type it about 30% of the time.
Speaking of balloons, let’s hope Disney doesn’t start banning balloons -after the one scared the horse, the other day...google “Disney Princess Bravely Jumps to Safety as Horse Gets Spooked by Balloon at Magic Kingdom.”
Major, a Totin' Chip is Boy Scout terminology. It is a little card license to carry a pocket knife.
To earn the Chip, the Scout has to demonstrate proper knife usage, safety precautions and etiquette, including adequate social distance for carving, no one in your "blood zone" (the reach of your arm and blade)etc. to prevent injury to others while whittling.
Younger scouts are required to carry the Chip with their knife, not having it or violating the rules means their knife can be taken away, and the privilege of carry re-earned.
There is a similar Fire Chip for matches.
I placate my tikis with rum, just as you recommend.
JG
JG, oddly, mine was never taken away, although I did lose a corner once as a Tenderfoot. And in my case, there should probably be a "Tent Pole Chip" as well.
Chuck, definitely the tent pole, and probably the ground cloths as well.
The troop tents were tied up with a bit of colorful nylon cord (added by our Quartermaster) and required the Scout who checked out the tent to also return the cord or he was docked for losing it. Made them very careful with troop gear. But we still had to have a bucket of stakes, even though we inventoried after every trip, stakes still get lost or broken.
As I recall the only Scout injured with a pocket knife in my time volunteering was one of the adult leaders (not me).
JG
Sue, I wonder who was brave (no pun intended) enough to go over and unwrap that balloon from around the horse's leg?
And wow, just like in the recent "Welcome Home" commercial for Walt Disney World, Merida was not wearing a face mask! :-/
Nanook, I’m surprised they never sold those necklaces (as far as I am aware) in Adventureland.
Chuck, ah now I understand. You use the rubber band to shoot one piece of wood at the deer, thus stunning or confusing him. Then you finish him off with the other piece of wood. Very clever!
Lou and Sue, Disney can’t ever give up that sweet, sweet money. I’ve read that they charge $9 for a simple balloon, and up to $14 for a “specialty balloon”. I’ll look up that story about the princess when I’m done responding to comments!
JG, I wonder why they call it a “Totin’ Chip”. I guess because you are allowed to tote a knife around? Hopefully part of the knife training involves that game where you stab a knife between your spread fingers (on a table) as fast as possible. So there’s a little paper license, but not a cloth badge to add to your sash?
Chuck, I think there should be a “Napping Chip”.
JG, I wonder if the Scouts still use old fashioned tents, now that everyone seems to use those “pop-ups”?
TokyoMagic!, I can only assume that there are horse whisperers who have the ability to calm and soothe a drunk, angry horse. It seems so strange that they reopened WDW, can it be worth the cost given the small crowds?
I was only in Cub Scouts and never used a knife there. Just sold tickets to the Scout Craft Fair. For selling all my tickets I was awarded a tiny "spy" camera that used real film. I don't think I ever took any photos with it.
I also had a plastic tiki that I wore around my neck in the early 60s. I know it had fake gem eyes but I forget what color. I can't remember where I bought it. I did buy a St. Christopher medal (another early 60s must have) at a shop on Catalina Island. It was purple.
The characters are "socially distant." I don't think any of them wear masks...(except the non-face characters, of course)
Major, you are right, is was called that because you could tote a knife. Look, I didn’t name it. LOL.
There were little uniform badge tokens a boy could wear showing that achievement. Scouting is big on awards and recognitions like that. These were usually set aside as minor achievements as their uniforms gained more rank recognition. Rare to see a first class or higher wear one. Officially, only merit badges are permitted on the sash, although this rule is often broken.
Our troop tents were the nylon pop-up type, fairly expensive as these go. There is no official BSA tent of which I am aware. Each troop chooses their own. Many small troops don’t have troop gear, each patrol figures out their own.
We had over a hundred boys and 30+ trained adults, often took 10-15 vehicles & multiple trailers to an outing. I think we had 20+ 4 man Troop tents and similar # of 2-man. Probably $6-8K in tents alone.
Sunday night, similar for me. Only a Cub in youth. I found my old neckerchief slide last weekend while looking for Disney photos.
JG
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