Today I am sharing the last two scans, generously shared with us by 1937Fan! Her Aunt took these back on November 27, 1964. I wish we had lots more!
This first one a teensy bit blurry, but still a fun look at the entrance to the much-missed Tahitian Terrace, where guests could enjoy Polynesian-inspired food, and watch graceful dancers perform. What a place! 1937Fan's Aunt is peeking out behind that shield, which should be in my collection.
Next is this neat view of the building that housed The Enchanted Tiki Room, which was just over a year old (having opened on June 23, 1963). I'm not 100% certain, but this side might have been the exit - there is a sign steering folks toward the entrance near the gateway to Adventureland. And there's Auntie once again, to our left, holding a classic turquoise and white striped popcorn box.
MANY thanks to 1937Fan for sharing her Aunt's photos with us!
I want a shirt made out of the same material, used for that Tahitian Terrace hostess's dress.
ReplyDeleteMajor, that is the exit side of the Enchanted Tiki Room. The exit door is located on the far right, behind that blurry head!
Thank you again, 1937Fan, for sharing your family's DL photos with us!
That Tahitian Terrace hostess' outfit is something else - floral print dress showing a lot of leg, pink sweater, and a lei - but it works! I think it's the nametag that brings the whole ensemble together.
ReplyDeleteNote the tiki dangling from the roof beam to the left of the 4 shields on the upper side wall, about the 10 o'clock position from the sign in the second photo. I'd love to have a miniature version suspended from my rearview mirror.
Check out the bench in the first shot! It's neat that they used the same shield mold even for the Tahitian Terrace sign.
ReplyDeleteBoth of the pictures show the Tiki Room exit porch, I think, with the second pic being shifted a bit to the left as compared to the previous one.
Thanks 1937Fan!
Ah Tikis...we can never get enough! Add a couple of sweet rum drinks and it's Heaven! Of course you couldn't get the drinks then, so you'd have to settle for the magic of Disneyland, which, after all, is much much better!
ReplyDeleteThanks 1937Fan and Major!
Chuck, took a good look and oh yeah. That looks like the cutest little baby tiki (with a shock of red hair) you could find. Good catch. It's the ancestor of baby Groot, or baby Yoda.
ReplyDeleteTokyo, you might be able to find that shirt on the Rayn Spooner site. They are the go to, top of the line Aloha shirts. I've even got a few from them with button down collars, for work of course.
Dig these pics Major. With bonus of a Disneyland popcorn bag to the spy-lady peaking through the sign.
Thanks for all the great pics 1937fan and thanks to you Major. Good times. Wish I was there.
A friend of my parents had a island themed bar in his basement family room. It was complete with thatched roof and tikis. I thought that was the coolest thing ever when I was a kid. I always said I'd have one when I grew up, but alas, the island craze ended in the 70s. Major, everything in Adventureland should be in my collection as well, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks to 1937Fan and Major.
ReplyDeleteThese may be the end of the line but of a very worthy subject.
Plus we have red heart babushka to boot in photo 2.
Nice pics.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm starting to wonder if Tiki culture would have been able to become a thing these days. Would the Tiki Room have been able to be created today under our current socio-political climate? My guess is no. First, it's just a simple show, so most people in our thrill-seeking culture would not care for it. And second, most people would probably cry cultural appropriation over it. I've even heard rumors that they're going to replace it with a Moana-themed show. That, at least, sounds somewhat interesting.
Many many thanks to 1937 Fan and her aunt for the journey. Views of Tahitian Terrace and the Tiki Room are a fine way to wrap up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tokyo, this is the exit side of the TR, we saw a similar vantage point recently. Apparently the stairs were in this configuration in the early days. Now, they are somewhat to the right (in the photo) and come straight off of the deck across the little stream. Maybe this was done to widen the concourse, which is pretty tight through here.
Ditto for the shirt, I'm a fan of Tori Richard designs also. I want the shield for my collection, and a reproduction would be just fine.
On recent travel to Hawaii, I read some competing viewpoints about the Tiki culture. There is a faction of Hawaiians and other Polynesians who decry it as an appropriation and cheapening of their religions, while others defend it, as it served to create interest in the region and its' customs with outsiders, and has served in some ways to preserve portions of the original culture and their stories. Like all civil arguments, there are points on both sides. For my part, I'm not offended by depictions of Vikings as savages and raiders, or crass bumpkins like Hagar the Horrible, but I can see how someone could be hurt by the duplication of their childhood religion on keyrings, coffee cups, and t-shirts.
In any case, I am grateful for the Tiki Room, and all of Adventureland, since it sparked my interest in Hawaii and Polynesia. I travel there as often as I can, and always spend generously. Those places are so beautiful, and increasingly, the chief commodity they have to sell is their beauty. It's important to protect that and pay our share to support and respect their society when we visit.
Thanks Major, much appreciated today.
JG
That is one primo babushka. And Auntie looks like an awesome fun lady.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, yeah, that dress is pretty wild! People would need sunglasses when they’re around you. I can’t be too proud of knowing that this was the exit side for the Tiki Room, since there is a sign (!), but thank you for the confirmation.
ReplyDeleteChuck, the pink sweater is funny - something a grandma might wear. But hey, those girls don’t need to freeze! I learned from a recent photo that those leis actually had Disneyland tags on them, yet I’ve never seen one come up for sale. They must have handed out tens of thousands of them over the years. Where did they all go? The landfill? I love that little tiki (which I didn’t notice), and would also like to have a miniature version. Come on Disney, make good merch! Looks like a serviceman was just about to pass in front of us in photo #2.
Andrew, some people like telephone poles and wires, you like benches! That one isn’t painted green, but it works better in a place like Adventureland. I thought photos 1 and 2 were different sides of the building, but I am always wrong, so…
stu29573, there is just something so appealing about a tiki bar! I don’t even drink much, but I like everything about the aesthetic. Bamboo, glowing pufferfish lamps, Martin Denny and Les Baxter on the hi-fi, rum drinks with lots of pineapple and other fruits… and tikis of course.
Jonathan, I wonder what happened to that basement bar you mentioned? Was it eventually re-themed? Maybe they did a nice “Saturday Night Fever” look with the light-up disco floor. I’d love it if they didn’t touch it, and it remained an authentic vintage tiki bar.
Alonzo, these were definitely a lot of fun! I encourage everyone out there to share their vintage Disneyland pix, especially if they have family in them. Red heart babushka? Those are worth 250 points!
The Magic Ears Dudebro, I have wondered the same thing. The show we have now is “grandfathered in” as an artifact of the early 1960s, and maybe that gives it something of a pass. But it would make me very sad if some sort of outcry meant that its days were numbered. I liked “Moana” OK. It was just fine. But I can’t get too excited about the idea of a Moana-themed show, personally.
JG, yes, that other recent view was also from 1937Fan, though from a different year and batch. Tori Richard? I don’t know her. Or him? I am not the one to ask when it comes to figuring out if tiki bars are OK or not, but I also feel like some people choose to be offended when no offense was intended. Of course anything crass or tasteless can be hurtful, but there is also plenty of people trying to be authentic. Like I said, I’m not the one to judge!
Melissa, I'll bet that's her favorite babushka.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Major - how did I miss that USMC enlisted man's barracks cover? The guy practically bumped into us. Hey - I'm walkin' here!
ReplyDeleteThe boy with glasses on Andrew's bench is practicing 'belly bucking sitting down', a much advanced discipline.
ReplyDeleteI am liking the usual vintage Disney attention to detail. I still like a good Tiki bar. I haven't been to Trader Sam's yet at the DL Hotel what with covid and all. We can't even visit my wife's father yet who lives in Anaheim, behind DL which always includes a trip to the park or at least the Hotel and Downtown Disney.
Thanks 1937Fan and Major,
zach
Thank you, 1937Fan, for sharing your Aunt's trips with us!
ReplyDeleteChuck, I only noticed it today, and I’ve looked at that photo many times now! I am amazed at what you can glean from that very blurry image.
ReplyDeletezach, I am not familiar with “belly bucking sitting down”, or if I am, I know it by another name. “Being a spazz”? From what I’ve heard and read, Trader Sam’s is a lot of fun - if you can find a place to sit. I appreciate that they wanted to make it kind of intimate, but spaces like that don’t work so well at Disneyland.
Lou and Sue, if only more people had stuff to share, like you and 1937Fan!
Now that I'm looking at my monitor from a different angle, I can't make up my mind if that hat is olive drab as I originally thought or Brunswick green, which would make it a US Army enlisted man's service cap. I think it's more likely to be olive drab worn by a Marine (there were two Marine Corps Air Stations - Tustin and El Toro - close by Disneyland, and Camp Pendleton lies between San Diego and Los Angeles), but only his hatter knows for sure - and I'm not sure we can trust him (he's mad, you know).
ReplyDelete@Zach, Trader Sam's is totally worth it.
ReplyDeleteJG
CHUCK , MAJOR:
ReplyDeleteDisneyland DID sell miniatures if 5 of the 6 baby Tiki gods - including the version hanging from the tiki room roof eve. They were done either for the 40th or the 45th anniversary of the attraction. They came in a clear cylinder plastic display box with retro tiki graphics and could be displayed hanging in it out of the package .They were about 5 inches tall and retailed for 20.00 each. They were sold as WALT DISNEYS ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM “NEW LIFE TIKIS”
Today they go for about 150.00 each.
I have a Tiki Room themed guest bathroom and used some of them to hang from several vintage bamboo Hanging light fixtures.
Mike, I have two requests:
ReplyDelete1. Please give the Major pictures of your bathroom, to post here. Please.
2. May I use your bathroom? (I’d like to swipe a baby tiki.). Please.
Mike, now that you mention it, I think I remember seeing that in a Disney catalog in the Oughts. I also remember a reproduction Tiki Room men's cast member shirt that I think was retailing for $70. Out of my price range at the time. I'm sure it's way out of my price range today on the collector's market.
ReplyDeleteI sent Major pictures of the baby tiki’s but none of the bathroom. The baby tikis were sold only at Disneyland - in Adventureland and the Disney Gallery /Disneyanna Shop. The catalog did sell two miniature Tiki Garden Gods as part of Disneyland’s big 50th collectible line.
ReplyDeleteThat “San Francisco’s Park bench along the Tiki Room is nothing unusual. That same type bench was used originally on Main Street Ave the hub , but also in Adventureland , New Orleans Square , Frontierland River Landing pavilion , Fantasyland and even at the Tomorrowland Train Station! The benches were also used all over the Disneyland Hotel, the park’s main entrance ,the parking lot team loading areas and cast common spaces around Disneyland and backstage. I think the only “land” that didn’t feature some of them was BEAR COUNTRY.
That “San Francisco” park bench
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that the boys on the park bench are dressed in a variant of twinstyle we called “The Same, Only Different.” It could be the same garment in different colors, like the sweaters the boys are wearing with their otherwise identical outfits. It could be different garments in the same color or fabric, which was easier with the homemade dresses we often wore. Or sometimes it’s negatives, like a blue dress with white buttons and a white dress with blue buttons, or black pants with a white shirt and white pants with a black shirt.
ReplyDeleteI was deeply disturbed when my sister started wearing glasses. For a while I insisted on wearing a pair of sunglasses with the lenses poked out so we would still match.
Chuck, jeez, I can barely discern ANY color, and I’ve learned that different scans can result in slight color variations - a lot of times it is up to the person doing the scanning to decide what looks “right”. There is (was?) a Navy base in Long Beach too, not that far from Disneyland, could he be a Navy officer?
ReplyDeleteJG, nice! I have a cool tiki mug from there.
Mike Cozart, $20 each?!? Oh man! Now I really wonder why I didn’t buy any! I’m such a dope. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to buy other things, too, but I never learn my lesson. Your tiki bathroom sounds awesome!
Lou and Sue, soon this whole blog will be about bathrooms. Just bathrooms. Maybe that’s what it will take to make me an Internet superstar.
Chuck, I remember the reproduction Tiki Room CM shirts, they are real beauties. I wish I had one of those, too! Or more than one, I think there were at least two different patterns. I’m sure I’ve seen people asking $500 on eBay.
Mike Cozart, I’m away from home all day today, but tonight if I am not too pooped I will share your mini-tiki photos on the blog. Someday there will be a whole coffee table book about “the benches of Disney”! Maybe YOU should be the person to write it. I will buy two copies, one to look at, and the other to place in my climate-controlled vault in the Arctic. Didn’t people want to sit down in Bear Country? Seems like an odd omission.
Melissa, those boys might be twins, or they might just be siblings close in age, dressed to be easily spotted in a crowd. They do look kind of good together! We’ve seen examples of “the same, only different” on this blog, though I couldn’t tell you exactly when. Did you never need glasses yourself??
Mike, I think I was remembering the Tiki Garden Gods from the 50th catalog.
ReplyDeleteMajor, not with a green cap. There was an "Aviation Working Green" winter uniform for naval aviators similar in color to the Marine Corps Class A uniform, but by 1969 (and, indeed, throughout most of its period of use from 1917 to 2011), it was restricted to work environments only and would not have been worn at Disneyland. The Service Dress Khaki and Service Dress Blue uniforms, which could have been worn at Disneyland, had a khaki or white cap, respectively.
$500 for a reproduction shirt? Oh, man...
Sorry - "Marine Corps Service 'A' uniform." "Class A" was the Army's equivalent (and the Air Force may have still been calling theirs "Class A's" at that time as well).
ReplyDeleteMajor: Bear County has plenty of benches , that land didn’t use any of the wrought iron ( aluminum) and slay kinds. They had two styles both a all wood construction - mostly painted green, brown or boxcar red .
ReplyDeleteNew Orleans Square has probably the widest variety of benches in the park. And with the exception of the Tomorrowland Train Station , almost ALL the bench seating after 1966 was built into planters and landscaping. By the 1980’s there are some cast concrete exceptions .
DrGoat, thanks for the tip about Reyn Spooner. I had a former employer who always wore their shirts. He never wore anything as wild as the pattern on that dress, but I will have to check out their site to see just what they do have!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad everyone enjoyed her photos. I'm pretty sure she had a life size spear from adventureland as a carry on back to Chicago for her little brother. Times have changed!
ReplyDelete