Thursday, August 25, 2022

Canoes, 1996

I scanned a batch of negatives for Mr. X a little while ago, mostly photos that he took back in 1996. And he said it would be OK for me to share some of them with you!

As far as I am aware, the Canoes still operate in Frontierland, at least during the busy months. This is an attraction that provides a pretty unique experience, especially with the closure of the Keelboats. Guests who are willing to participate get wonderful close-up views of features along the Rivers of America. Here's one of the Explorer Canoes, gliding past Cascade Peak. The Mine Train stopped running way back in 1977, but the track was still there.


Here's a beautiful shot of another canoe with Tom Sawyer Island in the background. The large "mill" structure for "Fantasmic!" had been there for four years by this point, but the verdant island looks great, otherwise.


And finally, here's a nice look at two "racing" canoes, once again passing Cascade Peak, which would be gone in two years, a victim of time and neglect. It sure looks wonderful here, though!


Many thanks to Mr. X!

20 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
My hat's off to Cascade Peak-! And my hat's off to Mr. X, too.

Thanks, Major.

JB said...

#1- I think this is the first time I've seen this version of the Canoe CMs costumes. Looks like a yellow chamois shirt (or something that looks like chamois) with (maybe) buckskin pants; or maybe just a tough canvas-type of fabric?
One of the passengers/rowers appears to be a Muslim woman wearing a hijab. Either that, or the Virgin Mary decided to make one of her unannounced appearances, as she is wont to do.
It makes me sad to see the disused train tracks there, knowing that it used to be part of a well-liked attraction.

#2- I see a couple of little kids among the rowers of this canoe. Which makes me wonder: What happens if a kid (or anyone) loses their grip on the paddle and it becomes part of the Rivers of America?
The rear CM appears to be steering the canoe with his paddle. That's quite a wake he's leaving behind. They must be traveling at full Impulse Power, if not Warp 1 or 2!

#3- Everyone, including (or especially) the Cast Members are enjoying the racing aspect of the dueling canoes. The one CM on the right (in the front) is standing up, which seems chancy. I suppose these huge canoes weren't prone to tipping like a normal-sized canoe.

Thank you, Mr. X. And you too, Major.

JG said...

The canoe focus is very nice today. I’ve always loved this attraction, so it’s just a matter of time before it’s discontinued.

Cascade Peak was a great piece of scenery, whether trees have scale or not. I’m looking for the fire bell, but it must be around the corner to the left.

Fantasmic should be like the Klingons head bumps “we do not speak of it”.

Little did those canoe racers know, the losers would be sentenced to 6 months hard labor in the Seven Dwarves Churro Mines.

Thanks Major and Mr. X!

JG

DrGoat said...

For me, and many other I'm sure, the canoes are always a part of the Disneyland experience, as it were. And Cascade Peak, till '98 when TRE. Just learned what TRE means (thanks Sue, Stu and Major) and it fits. Always like to see images of the canoes and the happy crew rowing away. Great memories of Dad and Mom doing the same.
Thanks Mr.X and Major. Nice stuff.

Nanook said...

@ JG-
That "Reliable" Fire Alarm Bell should be off to our right, and 'to the left' of Big Thunder Falls.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, while they have added some anemic little waterfalls at the back part of the river near Galaxy’s Edge (Mr. X told me they weren’t even working when he went a few weeks ago), I would sure love it if we had another big waterfall to see and hear.

JB, those shirts are made of 60-grit sandpaper. It seems like a bad idea, but the savings were considerable. The pants are very stiff plastic with sharp edges. You are right about the woman with the hijab, kind of interesting. That’s a good question about lost paddles, which must have happened every day! I assume that a canoe coming along afterwards might retrieve it, but maybe that would be a tricky maneuver for inexperienced guest paddlers. The canoes used tiny pieces of neutron star as ballast, so they basically couldn’t tip over.

JG, I know, what could be an easier way to cut costs than to discontinue the canoes? Hell, close ALL the rides, that’s my big idea. I wonder why they didn’t plant bonsai trees (maybe larger examples, but still small compared to a full-sized tree) around Cascade Peak? Those big trees really did screw up the forced perspective of CP. Mmmm, churro mines. You come out fatter then when you went in.

DrGoat, I agree with you, the Canoes are a simple, fun experience that doesn’t involve Star Wars or Toy Story or Olaf. Which is why it is probably more vulnerable to future cost cutting. These photos show that the Canoes were still very popular, I wonder if they still are?

Nanook, once you (I think it was you?) pointed out that alarm bell, I’ve wanted to see if it was there all along, but those scale-less trees cover it up.

Anonymous said...

Nanook...looks like nearly everyone's hat is off. Wonder what happened to the faux coonskin caps of the CMs. We would tuck the tails of the caps under our belts or wear them. Just can't see any myself in the pictures.

JB...guests losing their grip on the paddle happened. Another canoe would eventually see it and pick it up. Usually canoes are only open on busy days so there are, or should I say were in my time, multiple canoes out on the river. The shirt fabric was a hardy one..yet with the weave breathable and comfortable to wear. Fringed pants were comfortable as well. A little warmer. It was a cotton-blend fabric. The canoes were fairly stable and easy to stand up in with the ballast embedded in them. As the front CM, you were responsible to communicate with the guests so standing was the way to do it. As for the wake in #2, appears the "Steerer" has begun his turn and the canoe is in motion. The steering paddle was larger and had more surface than the regular paddles so it would cause a noticeable wake.

As for the loss of Cascade Peak...for one day I wish I could have been CEO and told them to replace it...or else. KS

Stu29573 said...

AH, the canoes! Such a wonderful low tech attraction, that works simply because it's a low tech attraction! (Notice how the rocket powered canoes never caught on in the Tomorrowland lagoon. Launch 15-20 guests out of the park and everybody gets all upset...)

I'm pretty sure that the Disney end game is to bulldoze the parks and make them all into multi-level parking facilities. Oh, and a gift shop. You'll have to pay 300.00 a person to park, but you'll have the opportunity to buy a limited edition cheap plastic popcorn bucket full of stale popcorn for only a hundred bucks. (Refills are 75.00)

I wish I was kidding.

Nanook said...

Major-
Back on the 9/25/18 post, Stefano was the first to comment on the "big chocolate M&M"; and it was JG who ID'd the 'candy' as to its actual function: a fire sprinkler water gong. Matthew "Amazon Belle" (where is he, BTW-?) confirmed it. I simply provided a link to an image of it. HERE's THAT LINK, AGAIN.

@ Stu29573-
Better be careful what you wish for-!!

Anonymous said...

Oh…TheyRuinEverything.
So true here, Cascade Peak was all kinda awesome. Especially the sounds of roaring waterfalls. Disneyland used to be, haha, overflowing with lots of wonderful waterfalls… “cascade”, Scull Rock, under House of the Future, Tomorrowland entry (best done at WDW!), even the submarine’s used to be much more impressive.

MIKE COZART said...

Regarding the lack of coonskin hats on the canoe castmembers. In 1993 Walt Disney World’s costume standards became “hats optional” and about 1995 Disneyland also followed with “hats optional”. There are two kinds of canoe costume Davey Coonskin hats available : the full complete “winter” version and a “summer” version which has no top and resembles a headband with a tail.

The canoe costume in these pictures should be very similar to the canoe costumes in use since the mid 1970’s. Over time the costumes are revised to meet contemporary cuts and manufacturing techniques. Although not visible the pant feature tassels down each leg side. They are prone to tear off . There is a maximum about ( I don’t have the number at hand) that can go missing before the costume pants must be retired from service.

Incidentally the mid PRESSLER 1990’s was a very bad time for the Disneyland costume department : many of the long time designers retired and a big chunk of the existing costume team were relocated to Florida. Also in more Eisner-Pressler cost cutting , certain lands began to have their costume assortments replaced with a single design. Adventureland was the first : all attractions tiki, Treehouse , Jungle cruise , and merchandise switched to a single costume …. Used all through Adventureland. New Orleans square did the same with a single merchandise costume used in all locations and a single food service costume. (Excluding Blue Bayou and club 33). Luckily after Pressler’s departure Disneyland went back to specialized costumes for attractions and sone individual locations again like food or merchandise.

A similar change took place with Disneyland’s decorated trashcans. The larger assortments of designs began to be cut down . The Tom Sawyer island “tree stump” trash can and Frontierland “crate” can was replaced with one general Frontierland styled. The mark Twain dock “mahagony” with painted gold hinge designs lasted through the 50th…. Other quick examples of lost trashcan designs included the Matterhorn area mint green cans with the triple heart patterns. About 8 other styles were “retired” around this time.

JB said...

JG, six months hard labor in the Churro Mines sounds a little harsh just for losing a Canoe race. More of Walt's hard facts, I guess.

DrGoat, it was TokyoMagic! who gave us "They Ruin Everything". I think it was Stu who gave us the shortened version, "TRE". And I think it was Bu who first started using TRE as a verb. (Major P. is keeping track of all this, right?)

Major, your description of the CMs clothing reminds me of Steve Martin's short story, "Cruel Shoes".
I guess if the Canoes are capable of Warp speed, then it makes sense that they would use bits of neutron star as ballast.

KS, wow, you answered all my questions! Thanks for more Canoe lore. I was hoping you would chime in today. Now, what's my favorite color?

Nanook said: "@ Stu29573-
Better be careful what you wish for-!!"
Better yet, wish it into the Cornfield.

Mike, thanks for our daily quota of costume and trashcan info.

I guess it makes sense that churros come from mines. They do have a passing resemblance to columnar basalt.

Anonymous said...

JB, your favorite color is blue.
I think DrGoat is thanking me, Major and Stu(?) for TRE—because we had answered his question about what it meant, the other day.
BTW, I’m glad you’re keeping notes on the details...still wish we could find that first grounded Matterhorn Christmas star...

Fun day and comments! Thanks, all.

—Stu

Major Pepperidge said...

KS hmm, I didn’t notice the absence of coonskin caps. If they were genuine fur, I might guess that animal rights people would have complained. But since they were not real, that idea makes no sense! Thanks for the info on paddle retrieval. I’m glad to hear that the costumes were durable and comfortable, not just the cheapest polyester they could get. I wish you had been CEO!!

Stu29573, yes, the rocket powered canoes were short-lived, and my idea of canoes powered by baking soda never caught on either. Arm & Hammer refused to sponsor it, amazingly. Your idea for the future of the Disney parks has put you next in line, should Bob Chapek ever resign!

Nanook, wow, the alarm bell post goes all the way back to 2018! Where does the time go? Thank you for the link. I don’t know where Matthew went, I met him once long ago, I guess me moved on to the Kardashian fan blogs!

Anonymous, I’ve always loved any water features at Disneyland, from roaring waterfalls to beautifully landscaped ponds, to big rivers, sub lagoons, moats, you name it!

Mike Cozart, I’m just glad they didn’t go “pants optional”. Har-de-har! I wonder if they went “hats optional” due to complaints from some CMs? “It messes up my hair, which I spent hours feathering!”. We’ve seen how other costumes evolved, so I’m not surprised that the Canoe cast member’s costumes had regular updates. So wait, are you telling me that Paul Pressler’s era was bad? :-) That guy, what a friggin’ disaster. One of the worst things to happen to the park, his legacy lives on. I’m glad that some traditions were brought back once and and Eisner were gone. I hate to bag on Eisner too much, he did many great things, and then it all seemed to go to hell. Gosh, I had no idea that the trashcan designs were reduced in number, the fact that they used to put so much thought into something as humble as a trashcan really says something about how much they cared. As I said in an earlier comment, there is nothing so easy (and idiotic) as saving money by cutting out quality. I’m sorry that shareholders don’t care that much (in general).

JB, working in churro mines could sometimes result in “cinnamon lung”. Yes, TokyoMagic! should trademark “They Ruin Everything”, and make merchandise. Soon he will wear all-white suits and speak with a southern accent. Because that’s what happens when you’re rich, ya see. I think I read “Cruel Shoes” in Playboy magazine. See, I really DID look at it for the articles! Mostly.

Stu, does JB prefer a nice sapphire blue? Or perhaps an aquamarine? Or maybe even periwinkle!

DrGoat said...

True Stu, thanking those who answered my question about TRE. Need to add TM! also. I certainly can use the term about Tucson. They gentrified the heck out of what once was old, beautiful historic neighborhoods. Families that have lived there for generations can't afford to live there anymore.

Anonymous said...

LOL! That was me “Sue”, above—I incorrectly signed “Stu.” Sorry about that. Now I confused everyone—including myself. (Stu, you ARE on my cell’s autocorrect, and so is everyone else. Scary.)

—SUE

JB said...

Sue, wow, my favorite color IS blue! Or maybe purple... I'm not sure. That's why I asked. And yeah, I knew that's why DrGoat was thanking you, Major, and Stu. I was just giving him a little GBD history.
My 'notes' are being kept in my head. So....
(You're signing your name "Stu" now?)

Major, a nice deep sapphire blue, preferably with metallic flakes. Then again, metallic flakes make ANY color attractive.
Can't wait for the plush TRE toys!

Sue (SUE? Stu?) again, yeah, I knew it was you from the get-go.

Anonymous said...

Laughing out loud at these comments.

Really good stuff today, Junior Gorillas.

Nanook, I can't stay oriented with Cascade Peak, if it were still there, I would be constantly lost.

Cheers.

JG

Melissa said...

Anybody else remember Mr. Canoehead?

"Lou and Sue" said...

Melissa, I never saw that before. Thanks for sharing it. :oD

But I do remember, "Can-you Canoe?" And I also remember THIS! Take note, fellas.