It's a Small World, May 1981
"It's a Small World". Maybe you've heard of it? You'd think it would be little, but it's big, baby, BIG!
The friendly, smiling face right out front was always a welcome sight, pivoting left and right with a pleasing TICK TOCK sound. Most clocks don’t have gears and pulleys visible from the outside, but Rolly Crump's has to. He couldn't resist. As you can see, the former white and gold color scheme has evolved to include various hues of blue. I'd love to hear the rationale behind this decision - it's not bad, but why mess with what had looked so good for 15 years?
I'm not sure if this photo was taken from the Disneyland RR or not, but I think so. The exterior queue had been extended quite a bit, and that entry structure (what else to call it?) was new as well. It even looks like they added some new topiaries. Whenever I see somebody pointing their camera in my general direction, I like to put a finger in my nose. I'm making a statement.
More topiary action! It's so exciting! We've got an elephant, and some other critter (I dare you do identify it), and then a shape that resembles a greek amphorae. One that needs a trim. Maybe it was still filling in, so they were letting get a little shaggy. Look at all those trees in the distance! Is that roughly where Videopolis was eventually added?
And I decided to include this late-afternoon shot, even though it is very dark. I like the "giraffe" looming up over the hedges, apparently gazing at us. Many people have some pretty harsh words for It's a Small World, but I have always loved it.
24 comments:
In the 2nd pic, the guy in the foreground, on the right, has an odd stance. I wonder what that's about?
In the next image, that mystery topiary critter looks like it could be a rabbit. That is, if you take away that huge snout/mouth part. Maybe that 'snout' is actually a separate topiary on the other side of the walkway; it just looks connected to the rest because it's in 2D? (probably not)
Major, the people with the harsh words strike me as being elitist. Small World is a fun, cheerful, feel-good, kind of attraction. And the theme song, earworm that it is, is also wonderful and a perfect accompaniment. The ride, and the song are still there after all these years. That should tell the naysayers something. (I'm through harumphing now.)
Thanks for today's IASW images, Major.
- Jellied Berries (preferably cranberries)
I think the mystery animal is meant to be a sort of stylized hippomopotamus, but I'm no zoonomist.
it's a small world chokes me up every time, with both its artistic beauty and its more relevant than ever message. It's true Gesamtkunstwerk. GESAMTKUNSTWERK, I tell you!
I’ve never heard a definitive reason as to why the Small World exterior was augmented with the blues and (creams) but starting in the mid 70’s there was a program of updating the color schemes of Fantasyland and this probably included It’s A Small World. The use of white and gold on its a small world in 1966 is classic to us today , but in a decade a pretty quick color tastes changes, it was architecturally already a passing color trend. In the 1959-1962 period white and gold was one of the most popular schemes for higher end residences , bank buildings, expensive restaurants , department stores .... even the first Judy’s were white and gold ( with a little black tile and “Judy” logo) I know I’ve mentioned this before but my grandparents neighborhood was built in 1960 and we used to call a neighboring home “the small world house” . It was white with a gold courtyard gate, gold porch lights and gold shields on the garage doors. Trimmed hedges and cypress trees added to the look! In the 1970’s that house looked 20 years older than it was .
Major, the Motor Boat Cruise and Submarine Naval Yard, is on the other side of those trees in the third pic. Videopolis was eventually built where all of those tall trees in the fourth pic are.
In that second pic, we can see a Skyway gondola hovering in the sky. There appears to be a second one, too, hiding behind the finial on the Small World entry structure.
Does the sand in that hourglass (on the clock tower) take 15 minutes to pass through? I'm guessing it does, since the clock goes off every 15 minutes. And the sand itself, is very representative of the days of our lives.
Tokyo Mincemeat!
Mickey-ear balloon sighting above the trash can in the second photo. Is it just me, or is that a castle in the distance?
I think that topiary is supposed to be a donkepottamus, once common in the Arctic latitudes of Africa but now thought to be extinct. No wild examples have been documented since at least 1957.
Gesundheit, Melissa!
"it's a small world" is classic Disney and the clock tower so iconic. I love this attraction! I know some hate the song, but I enjoy it. And yes, that TICK TOCK sound is magical.
Thanks, Major.
It's odd but I have absolutely no recollection of the blue paint scheme. In my memory it was always white and gold. 14K gold incidentally. Thats what they told us anyway as gold paint turns black shortly after painting. What's true or not...who knows. The thing with the heffalumps and woozles are a spinning top I believe or maybe this is a dreidel foreshadowing a holiday layover to come much later. I have been on this ride literally over a thousand times at least...for real. You start to notice the most minute things going on...or not going on. Animatronics that are tired and worn. Costumes falling off...that sort of thing. Un-seeable to the guest as the entire thing is so severely an assault on ones senses. There were fake topiaries somewhere...backstage...like "place holders" if the one growing (or dying) needed a stand in. That's in my memory...perhaps I saw it backstage at WDW (?) That gate is not Hideopolis, or the motor boats..although they are near...that is the parade gate...you go beyond that and you pass over train tracks, see the roundhouse for the trains and monorail, and all of the other trappings of backstage. The parade came out of there, and it was also the way in, or out as a service gate for off hours access to on-stage. I will tell you it was odd at first driving around a little truck on stage. You had to wait for an "all clear" to go on-stage at the end of the night- that was the signal the last guest had left. One night we THOUGHT we heard "all clear"...so we went about our business, tarping popcorn wagons, etc. A few minutes into it we CLEARLY heard "all clear!" Uh...ohhhhhhhhhhh......that was an "oh "shucks" moment for sure, and we were lucky that we weren't severely punished for it. Many stories about It's a Small World...too many for today. Thanks for a bit of blue paint this morning!
Ah, the Small World façade as it should be! At WDW, Small World was given the same canvas festival awnings as everything else, which meant absolutely no fun stuff to look at as you waited to board. They recently (fairly, anyway) added an attempt at the iconic clock, but in my opinion it just doesn't work. It's not on a tower and it doesn't have most of the whimsical elements of the original.
I DO like the fact that in the Florida version, the whole rooms are flooded, not just the boat trough. And I like how the people eating at Pinocchio Village Haus (why does an Italian puppet have a German named restaurant?) can look over the boats starting their cruise.
However, I also like that the original boats are outside for a short while. If I had to give grades here, I'd say WDW is a B, and Disneyland is an A. WDW could do some extra credit to build that score up, but it probably won't.
The boats are so close to the clock in Florida that you can see it's plywood. Takes a bit of the magic out of it.
Interesting to note that the tick-tock sound is mechanically created in a cabinet in the boat room, then broadcast via microphone, amplifier and speaker at the clock. No electronic tomfoolery here!
@ MIKE-
How can I live in your grandparents neighborhood-? It kinda describes parts of Mt. Olympus in the Hollywood Hills.
@ Chuck-
I suspect that "castle" seen in the distance is the turret positioned at the corner of the Mr. Toad show building that 'overlooks' the spiraling track of Alice In Wonderland.
Thanks, Major.
JB, I think that guy was annoyed that he had to stop so that that lady could take the photo. Maybe? I think you are right that the “snout” is a separate topiary, but I like the idea of a hippo/rabbit. I honestly have never found that the song in IASW to be that much of an ear worm - there’s so much to distract afterwards that it doesn’t stick in my head for very long. Nothing else ever does either!
Melissa, maybe if you paid more attention in the first grade you’d know that the animal is a rhinocerworst. I’m good at animals, and own many plastic dinosaurs too. I can also do their noises (accompanied by hand gestures).
Mike Cozart, I’m sure you’re right, the color scheme that we now view as “classic” probably felt a bit dusty and dated by the late 1970s or early 1980s. Funny that you used to call that neighborhood house the “small world house”. I don’t remember Judy’s being white and gold, by the time one of my friends worked there they must have changed to a more “modern” aesthetic.
TokyoMagic!, thank you for the info, you always know the answer. How do you do it? You’d think by now I would know all that stuff. Yep, there’s a Skyway gondola, playing peek-a-boo. I’ve wondered about that sand in the giant hourglass as well, but don’t really know if it is timed to a 15-minute interval.
Chuck, that is definitely the castle, but man, I had to search and search for the Mickey balloons. I’m still not sure I see them, is that pink thing right against the castle wall a bunch of balloons?
K. Martinez, one of my best memories is the first time I took my eight year old niece on IASW, she was so dazzled!
Bu, I think that the blues were not so obnoxious that many people noticed the change, unlike the tutti-fruity pastels that came afterwards. Yes, many gold paints oxidize, so the real gold leaf was probably ultimately a better choice, cost-wise. My buddy Mr. X has complained to me about the various gags and effects that were not working in IASW, and he also pointed out how there used to be more flying carpets. Or something. Why fix them when you can remove them? Fake topiaries?? How disappointing. I guess it makes sense if they need one to fill in temporarily, and honestly these days they can look so real anyway. Ha ha, I love stories of your days as a CM, especially when things went awry! Thanks, Bu.
Stu29573, I’ve always wondered why the Florida version of IASW wasn’t done in a grand manner (the way so many other attractions were)? They certainly had the room. I’ve seen photos of the half-assed “upgrade”, and I guess it’s better than nothing, but not much. I agree about the “flooded room” look of the Florida version, that is pretty cool. Since the Anaheim version was based on the one at the World’s Fair, I guess they hadn’t thought past the flume idea. I’m not sure that most guests care about the look of the exterior of the Florida ride, so… yeah, no changes will be made.
Melissa, I’m surprised they didn’t use something smooth like masonite or MDF, then it would have no texture at all!
Anon, wow, I did not know that. I assumed it was some sort of pre-recorded effect that was just repeated endlessly. Do you know what is used to make the tick-tock sound?
Nanook, I agree, that neighborhood sounds pretty great! Very SoCal, in a good way. And I agree, that must be the corner of the castle that is near Mr. Toad.
Bu, what do you believe brought-on your blue blackout block?
I agree with Mike, the gold and white scheme might have seemed dated by the late 70's and it certainly was a fairly common color scheme in the 60's. Reminds me of the bank with all the unusual branch designs with murals and white travertine. Also the Kennedy Center in Washington DC by Ed Stone.
I didn't mind the blue accents, but the Spumoni scheme that came later was a bridge too far. I think that was influenced by the pastel 80's and the Michael Graves building designs that were everywhere at that time.
On the whole, I'm glad we are back to classic white.
The castle, four trash cans, and I think the pink things are the Wonderland leaves from the Alice queue in photo 2.
Yes, the tick-tock sound is a "practical" effect, not a recording, but I have no idea what is banged against what to make that perfect sound.
Fun fact, when I was younger, I didn't read the smile under the nose of the face on the clock as a smile. The face looked like an owl to me, with his beak sticking out, and the arc underneath was more of a decoration... Only recently did it start reading like a smiley person.
Major, I have harsh words for those who have harsh words about IASW. It's a fine attraction based on a fine sentiment, and is literally a work of art, a 3D ride-through sculpture and musical, something never before seen. In keeping with the new WDI emphasis on IP in all attractions, they should try to make a movie of IASW. I have no idea how, but I am only a humble fan, not a multimedia megacorporation, so go figure this out, Disney. We are waiting.
JG
I know I’ve mentioned this here before , so those of you have already heard it .... but originally the small world Tic-Tock SFX WAS indeed mechanical with a microphone broadcasting the sound to the attraction area ..... HOWEVER it was eventually replaced with a recording that was made of the Disneyland ( california) mechanism for use at Tokyo Disneyland . Today Disneyland guests are hearing the Small World Clock of the early 1980’s!!
The sound was created by A metal rod lifted up and then dropped onto a wooded block ( Baltic Birch) cresting the “TICK” and in a sea-saw like fashion , the opposite end created the “ TOCK” sound . A microphone catches the mechanical sound and used to broadcast it live to the surrounding area.
The two blocks of wood being changed out as needed.
This system was replaced with a recording after the engineering department was giving a tour to a group Disney executives was brought in to see the the clock interior when they were shown this mechanism working . One of the executives - in amazement to what was creating the sound - exclaimed “ you gotta be F - - - ing kidding me” ........ broadcasting his swearing around fantasyland .... live.
The change was made pretty quickly.
I think the mystery animal in the 3rd pic is a hippo, like one of the dancing ones in Fantasia. It's sitting or standing on its rear legs and facing away from us - ears to the left of the head, snout to the right.
I'm just old enough to remember Small World being the Big New Thing, something previewed on World of Color before I got to ride it. I still think of it as new and modern, perhaps because most of Fantasyland was and is dedicated to vintage animated features. While Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were recent releases when the park opened, and Sleeping Beauty was a few years in the future, to a kid in the early 60s they felt like they'd been around forever in comics, records, merchandise, etc. An odd memory: Looking over the side of the flume and seeing a cartoony flower was based in a big coffee can resting on concrete.
I still have a souvenir map, the folds worn out from use, that shows nothing but the Fantasyland R.R. Station in that spot, with a freight train approaching. The same map has Liberty Street and Edison Square off Main Street, a circus tent for Holidayland, and a lot of little golfers around the hotel -- but no wacky motels or other signs of civilization. As an adult I was a bit disturbed to hear someone describe a pizza place as "right behind" Disneyland. I had a lingering illusion that reality couldn't exist just beyond the berm. Just a few years ago I made my first visit since the 80s (I'd saved my pennies for Florida), and felt the same disorientation when the Tomorrowland Monorail almost instantly took me over a street lined by hotels and such.
As for the WDW version, the big interior space where they loaded the boats looked and felt like an airport's main lobby trying to be friendly. Last time I rode, around the turn of the century, the lady with me was emphatic that the Disneyland version was better -- although she last saw that one as a child.
Major, the balloon is to the left of the entry structure. There's a person holding a small child to the immediate left of that building. Keep tracking left and you'll find a silver trash can. There's a stroller parked behind the trash can with a light blue balloon hovering overhead, presumably tethered to the stroller.
And Nanook & Major, I was kidding about the castle in the background. I was trying to make it sound as though a castle would be the absolute last thing I would expect to see in Disneyland. I failed miserably. I will go lock myself in a dark room until you tell me it's safe to show my face again in public.
Lou and Sue, his brain was fried by the IASW theme song!
JG, YES, funny, I totally remember places like Home Savings having a largely white and gold color scheme, I’d forgotten about that. I’m glad they didn’t redo the Kennedy Center in whatever the latest craze was. Remember that crazy “Memphis” style from the ‘80s?? I kind of liked it to be honest, but when you see it now, it screams “MTV 1980s”. Many people loved the spumoni colors, but it’s like giving food to children, you don’t always give them candy and ice cream, sometimes they need something more “nutritious”. I was VERY happy when I read that the gold and white was coming back to IASW. The tick-tock sounds like a mallet hitting some sort of hollow wooden block, there’s probably a name for whatever that is. I can definitely see the “owl”, that’s not so crazy! There was a recent PBS documentary about Walt Disney, and they talked about how his Disneyland rarely featured people of color. I couldn’t help thinking how often he had parades (or IASW) that featured people from all around the world, living in peace and friendship. Also the Indian Village was pretty progressive for the 1950s. But maybe I’m wrong.
Mike Cozart, interesting! A metal rod dropped on to a wooden block, that sounds about right. I guess it only makes sense that the effect would have been updated by now. I do love that it used to be a live effect though! Oh if only I had been there to hear the executive swearing over the PA system, that would have been one of the highlights of my life! Obviously that executive was not only a potty mouth, but he had no appreciation for anything that was actually cool.
Dean Finder, I guess it’s those big ears that throw me off. Don’t hippos have little ears? You know, they only wiggle when they’re angry (or whatever)?
DBenson, they devoted at least one episode of “The Wonderful World of Color” to some of Disneyland’s new attractions, with a solid 15 minute ride through (which might have actually been filmed at the World’s Fair). Now THAT’S the sort of thing that would have made me happy when I was a kid! I don’t need all the musical numbers and C-grade celebrities. It’s crazy to think of Sleeping Beauty as not being ready when the park opened, since the castle is named for her! I wonder what that cartoony flower was for? i love those old souvenir maps, they are one of the best things ever produced. At one point I wanted to get all of the versions, but after a while that notion fizzled out. I do have at least six or seven though! It is a little shocking to see just how close the city of Anaheim is, with the motels and busy streets right on top of the park. But… that was just the way things were for Walt’s bold experiment. I’m sure he would have loved to have had another 100 acres. I have the feeling that a lot of rides that we see as children are “the best” to us, because we are primed and ready to be blown away by that Disney magic.
Chuck, ah NOW I see it! Not sure why I couldn’t before. Maybe I suffer from that tragic conditon, “balloon blindness”. Time for a telethon! I had the feeling you were kidding about the castle, but… you know, I figured I’d answer seriously just in case. I hope there are no mice in that dark room!
I especially like the first picture. I wonder if the blue wouldn’t look better with silver—instead of gold.
Chuck,yep, I do see the small child tethered to the trash can. Silly parents.
Thanks, Major!
Lou and Sue, it does seem like blue and silver are a more "friendly" combo. Those parents probably had to tether their child to the trash can, you know how kids can wander off. I did it myself when I was little!
There is one blue moon and one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to everyone
I've always liked how the tune would theme itself to match the style of the different lands.
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