Donald Duck's 50th Birthday Parade, October 1984
Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I was unsure about what to post today. "I wish I had some good photos of a parade of some kind..." I mused to myself. And then I remembered that Sue B. had sent me a nice group of photos (taken by her dad, Lou) from a parade at Disneyland celebrating the 50th birthday of Donald Duck. Perfect! Sure, it's not from the 4th of July, but it is festive and fun in a way that fits. Ordinarily I might divide this many photos (16 of them) into two or three posts, but for this special occasion I wanted to make one big MEGA POST.
As we've seen before, Lou found himself a prime vantage point for the parade, up on the steps of Main Street Station. And the parade started out with a bang by featuring Mickey and Minnie!
It's probably nice for them to not be the main attraction for once - they seem pretty happy to be celebrating their friend's big day. It's kind of amazing to see that the crowds are not too bad, that one lady even got a whole bench to herself.
Swiveling toward the Firehouse, a giant blue birthday cake (?) goes past; doesn't it seem like somebody should be standing on top of it?
Goofy! There's Goofy! I'm losing my mind!
Snow White looks very pretty in her classic costume, while Dopey accompanies her.
Even Eeyore seems to look a little less gloomy than usual.
Next is a float with Baloo the Bear and King Louis, flanked by two of the Three Little Pigs.
Chip and Dale made a giant cupcake (or is it a normal-sized cupcake, and they are just supposed to be small?).
That baby on her mother's lap thinks, "Now I know what it's like to drop acid".
There he is, the Duck of the hour, Donald! He's accompanied by Daisy, his sweetheart, his Uncle Scrooge McDuck (not seen in the parks very often), and... Mrs. Beakley maybe? Except that "Duck Tales" didn't start until three years later. Who else would a female duck with hair bun (feather bun) be?
Ah, the spotlight! Donald always craved to be in it, and it's every bit as great as he'd imagined.
Here's a better look at Uncle Scrooge and whoever that other duck is.
Donald's float heads around Town Square!
I don't ever recall seeing Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the park before. And I didn't know that they were accomplished musicians.
From south of the border comes Donald's old chums - the other two of the Three Cabelleros - Jose Carioca and Panchito.
The whole parade heads north on Main Street for many more people to enjoy - this is a pretty neat shot!
MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue! And I hope that all of you have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
26 comments:
In the fourth and last shots (and a couple more in between those), we can see a kid totally passed out, laying across his father's lap and missing the entire parade! D'OH!!!
That lady managed to get an entire bench all to herself, because when you splay yourself across a bench like that, people are afraid to come up to you and ask, "Is this seat taken?"
I do wonder who that female duck next to Scrooge is? Maybe it's actually Gyro Gearloose or Ludwig Von Drake, in drag? Or perhaps it's Magica De Spell, who used one of her potions to make herself old, so she could trick Scrooge out of some of his money?
Thank you Lou and Sue, and Major, too!
In the first pic, the guy holding the "U"...or is it a "C"....well, he's in front of the blond lady, who's holding the upside down "D" (below Snow White)....anyway, he looks familiar. If it's who I think it is, his name is Federico and he used to do a lot of DL parades in the early to mid eighties.
Hi, TM! In the 4th to the last picture - is that guy in the beige short shorts, pink/blue/white-striped shirt and white knee socks wearing DRESS SHOES??
...no pink stripes in his shirt. I see him in another shot, and it's a gold or tan stripe. Too bad I can't see his shoes in that other shot.
I notice that "big" (high) permed hair isn't in style, yet, for the ladies. I guess it must've started in 1985 or 1986. I cringe when I think of what we did to our hair, back then.
Sue, it's hard to tell. His soles and heels are cut off at the bottom of the pic. But he might have snatched those "knee-highs" away from Alice!
Now that I've taken a second look at that fourth to last pic, I noticed the two women next to that guy, who are wearing pirate hats with large feathers. I bought one of those at the Pieces of Eight Shop in NOS, for a Halloween costume, back in 1983! Mine had a white feather. Unfortunately, that is one of the few things that I have actually gotten rid of, over the years! :-(
TOKYOMAGIC : that female duck next to Scrooge McDuck is GRANDMA DUCK. I think this parade is the only time - and a WDW Easter parade around the same time that I’ve seen a costume character of her. Now is she Donald’s Grandma ? Huey , Duey and Louie’s grandma ?? Because if so wouldn’t that make Grandma Duck Donald’s ( and Dumbella - Donald’s sister ) mom??
When I was little I wanted one of those Pirates of the Caribbean hats with the feather plumes in it. My parents told me that to get one people had to ride Pirates .... I was deathly afraid of the water drops at that time and would offer create tantrums in line .... once I even kept saying I’m not afraid and then seconds before my family boarded the boat I ducked under a line sanction chain and took off running out the pirate entry in a unused line. A cast member walked me back to my family and I was forced to ride against my will. At some point I rode Pirates and and NOT create a scene and was able to get my pirate hat. I remember I got to pick the color of the feather plume - I picked a silvery white - grey color. I also got my name embroidered on it so it had to have come from Main St. Or Fantasyland. This was the very early 70’s so the Pirates of the Caribbean hats then didn’t have the round logo patch but a felt skull and cross bones . I wore that hat all the time untill the feather fell apart and the soft molded felt hat became dented and crushed and long lost to time.
HAVE A GRAND FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!
Wow, Lou was really at the top of his game that day! These look like something out of a glossy brochure! I love how the streamers are fluttering in the wind in the cake picture, and everybody seems to be having a great time.
I think this parade is perfect for the Fourth. What could be more patriotic than a naval hero like Donald?
I guess Grandma Duck could Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s grandmother on the other side of the family.
But then I guess her last name wouldn’t be Duck.
Again, I do not know how or why I have no recollection of this parade in the slightest...possibly because it was so short and small- might have been a blip on the screen for me. I do remember these floats though...they were re-hashed and re-hashed and re-hashed over and over and over- especially the octagon shaped ones- which were speakers, or had balloons in them for a balloon release- hence no peoples on top of it. Tokyo, I think I DO remember that Frederico guy...and yes, he was in a lot of parades- to the point that even random guys like me knew his name. In the same pic there are the Circle D guys doing "crowd control"- that is Doug on the left, enjoying the parade like everyone else. Big blond hair! Yes! Those kids look straight out of Golden West College in Huntington Beach...they seemed to all look like that at the time- it was known as a "party school"- I think due to it's proximity to the beach. Pic 13 has more crowd control guys from Main Street Vehicles...the one on the far left has appeared in another pic on here where he is driving his vehicle...with the same unbuttoned vest and name tag in the center of his shirt- if I was his lead I would be having none of it! I'd be getting "feedback" for the slightest tiny thread out of place. The other Main St. guy on the right also has his vest unbuttoned, but the Circle D guys are all buttoned up! ...different departments. It must have not been hot enough to roll up your sleeves (just ONE roll mind you). Mr. Lincolns' exit doors are closed...must have been in some rehab- they did something to the audio animatronic figure one year- this must have been the year (?) 1984 was a momentus year- Eisner, the strike, the Olympics, take overs...and Donald Duck- with Bruce Jenner, Donna Summer and Andy Warhol appearing on his TV special...that is quite the combo platter.
Major-
It is kinda hard to believe that woman has managed to hog the entire bench for herself AND there seems to be 'elbow room' everywhere you look. My how times have changed-!
What a great series of images. Thanks again to Lou and Sue. Happy 4th everyone.
Rampaging ducks! Crazy crowds! Babies dropping acid! Disneyland really DOES have it all!
Thanks, Lou and Sue!
I missed this parade, off busy getting married.
Looks like fun, though.
That man with the little boy asleep on his lap would be me in few years, when my son fell asleep over lunch at the Creole Cafe.
I get my 80’s fix now watching “Murder She Wrote”.
Thanks Tokyo, Mike, Bu, Lou, Sue and Major!
Thanks Donald for hanging in…
Happy Fourth, everyone!
JG
TokyoMagic!, man, that kid is really OUT. So funny, it reminds me of Michelangelo’s “Pieta”. I assume that lady is saving at least one space for another person - otherwise she’s just being rude. And yes, that lady duck must be Ludwig Von Drake in drag. We all remember that educational “Wonderful World of Color” episode.
TokyoMagic!, maybe Federico will comment today! It looks like a lot of those letters are upside-down, I assume the cast members were constantly turning them.
Lou and Sue, we just can’t see that guy’s shoes clearly enough. Lou should have zoomed in on them! They might have just been loafers or Hush Puppies or something. I remember girls in ’85 or ’86 using up cans of hairspray at an enormous rate (for their “Flock of Seagulls” hairdos), it’s probably why there’s a hole in the ozone layer.
TokyoMagic!, I always think that men in shorts and knee-high socks is an odd look, but we see it all the time in old photos of Disneyland. The man with the pirate hat appears has a good look, with that faded red (or dark pink?) vest, but the red purse is unusual.
Mike Cozart, I figured that with that bun, the lady duck was supposed to be older, but I am not familiar with “Grandma Duck”. I assume she must be Donald’s grandma, but who knows. And Donald has a sister named “Dumbella”?? Aw, I can relate to your fear of riding on “Pirates”… kids at school said that your boat went UNDERWATER (I assume they were referring to the two waterfall drops), and I really didn’t want to be submerged underwater, so the whole time I was waiting for that part to happen. Afterwards I realized that those kids at school were just really terrible at describing things (they also said that the ghosts on the Haunted Mansion “went right through you”, which I was also not looking forward to).
Melissa, Lou took lots of parade pictures, and he had it down to a science. I was very happy to have today’s photos to share, and am thankful to Lou and Sue for sharing them. “Duck” must be one of those very common last names, like “Smith”!
Bu, I would think that you would have remembered the parade, they made a pretty big deal of Donald’s 50th. I remember seeing pinback buttons of the event on lots of people at the park. I was sort of hoping to see a friend of mine who worked on Main Street at this time, but… no such luck. But we have seen some of these floats used before, in some of Lou Perry’s other photos… these parades might not have been the most elaborate (giant floats are expensive), but the crowd sure seems to be enjoying seeing all of their favorite characters. What was Federico’s secret? He doesn’t seem extraordinary in any way (no offense), and yet everyone knows his name. Somehow it doesn’t seem like a lot of crowd control was necessary back in those days, but I could be wrong. At least nobody is standing in the street with a big cardboard sign saying, “Allez, Opi/Oma”!
Nanook, I agree, these days there would hardly be room for everyone to breathe, must less for one woman to somehow hog a whole bench.
Stu29573, “babies dropping acid” is the kind of thing that separates GDB from all the other Disneyland blogs!
JG, well I guess we all have our priorities, but in my opinion you should have gone to see this parade and postponed your wedding for a year. Imagine how overwhelming a day at Disneyland must be to a three year-old, no wonder they conk out so completely. I kind of envy them, I wish I could take a nap at the park!
My favorite thing about these 80s photos is the crowds. Oh those 80s fashions. I myself was guilty of wearing short shorts, pastel striped shirts (tucked in) and high riding socks with colorful stripes as I pushed a stroller around the Park.
Fortunately I never wore dress shoes with those outfits! :D
Oh, and Happy 4th everyone!!
Thank you, Major and everyone!
Happy 4th of July!
I just realized our country’s 250th is in 5 years. Wow! I remember the 200th like it was yesterday...I hope Disney doesn’t bring back that Bicentennial parade (I’m one of the few who got creeped out by it).
Rampaging ducks! Crazy crowds! Babies dropping acid! Disneyland really DOES have it all!
Stefon?
Grant, yeah, I had some pastel striped shirts - I looked like a box of candy. At the time I thought it looked great though! Happy 4th to you.
Lou and Sue, yes, I vividly remember the Bicentennial, and still have my commemorative coin (worth millions, I’m sure!), and some other 1976 items. I don’t think we have to worry about that Bicentennial parade coming back, thankfully!
Melissa, I’m sure I should get the “Stefon” reference. Does he play the rock and/or roll? Is he an internet influencer? Does he have his own TV show (Suddenly Stefon!)?
I'll be gone the rest of the day, so have a GREAT 4th, everyone!
This is a great parade. I was going to chime in that that was Grandma Duck. I know her from reading a bunch of Carl Barks Donald Duck comics, but didn't think she was in any cartoons. The Two Other Caballeros are fun, but their tiny human-sized hands are kind of strange. You can see that Huey, Dewey, and Louie are on Mickey and Minnie's float in the first two photos. I read one caption as "Donald's head floats around Town Square!" instead of "float heads..." Now that would be an acid trip!
Thanks Major, and Happy 4th of July, all!
Happy 4th of July to All!
Love today's pics, Lou and Sue. I especially love the Jose Carioca and Panchito.
1984 was a big fashion change at my high school ..... the early 80’s style hold overs began to really change .... the short -shorts like Dolphins , Doves and OP’s gave way to “long shorts” or ss my mom would say “ we called those Clam Diggers when I was in H.S” . Also cargo pants with the suspenders worn down also faded out if style. I remember black penny loafers were very popular again and wearing your jeans with the cuffs rolled also popular. Wide plaid shirt sleeved shirts also became very popular .... in pinks and purples too! 50’s styles became very popular by 1985 .... there was a while resurgence in retro 50’s .... hence the popularity of such events like BLAST TO THE PAST etc. At the end of the summer my best friend Grant and I got flat tops .... teachers said we were probably the first students to have flat tops at my high school since 1985. I can remember at Disneyland’s 30th birthday in 1985 having palmade in my hair ( to train the flattop) melting down my forehead in the hot sun!! Super HIGH hair was very popular with the girls by 1985 ... but so was very short hair with MODS and Ska ( ska in 1984-1986 was a mix of popular 80’s with 1950’s Styles )
By 1987 the mid 80’s began to give way to the bright fluorescent pop colors.... and flattops were fairy common but now we wore them with sideburns!!
Correction : the first students with flattops since 1965!
Mike, you and California “kids” were always ahead of the Midwest teens, in hair and clothing styles. We were behind by maybe a year, I’d guess. I thought all California teens were SO COOL! On one trip to California, as a teen, I went shopping with one of my California cousins, for clothes to bring back—knowing I’d find some fun things (and I did), One of my California aunts would even mail clothing to me. Nothing was expensive—but I always LOVED seeing the new styles you wore. I was also probably the only Midwesterner in OP clothing (in the 1980s??), thanks to my one aunt.
Mike, when I was 16, on a California trip, one day I tagged along with one of my cousins to all her high school classes. I was in “awe” being around lots of cool California teens.
Even my mom loved the women’s clothing sold at the Disneyland Hotel shops. I know they carried lines of clothing that we didn’t have in the Chicagoland area. Now it’s a whole new world...everything’s available on the internet.
Had scads of things to do today, but a belated thanks to Lou & Sue for these great shots. Of course they're great photos, Lou's behind that camera.
Major, I have only one item I picked up 1976. I big tin button with Mickey, Goofy holding the flag and Donald playing the fife, with a long red, white and blue ribbon attached. It's still got it's blue colored price sticker marked 75 cents. What a bargain.
Hope everyone is having a great 4th. Eat good food and enjoy the moment. I rained here yesterday, so I guess Tucson has decided to put on the fireworks show. It's been so dry here, it was doubtful. This is Arizona, so we usually have a lot of bangs and booms around the city. Some legal, some not. Lots of firearm discharges, which is not the best idea, but like I said, this is Arizona.
Have a safe holiday all. Sue, take care and say hi and salute Lou if you see him.
Thanks Major, for stepping up and doing the work hosting this fine blog.
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