I always enjoy any photos featuring the Tomorrowland Spaceman. If he's accompanied by his Space Gal, so much the better - but she was getting her hair done on the Moon, what are ya gonna do? Both of today's examples are scans of black and white photo prints.
This fellow obviously grew up in the microgravity of space - his bones and muscles didn't have to struggle against 1g. If he'd grown up on Jupiter (one of the floating cities), he'd only be two feet tall! This fellow seems to have stepped through a dimensional portal into an early 20th-century plaza of some kind. How strange and squirmy these tiny hu-mans are!
This particular Spaceman spent most of his life on Earth (or Urf, as he calls it), so his height falls within acceptable International Space Academy parameters. The little girl posing with him is wearing her brand-new Goofy t-shirt, which is pretty cool!
Whoa, Mr. Spaceman looks pretty scary! Even though he's holding a Mickey balloon. Judging by his complexion, he must have flown too close to the Sun (or some other star).
ReplyDeleteIs that the Red Wagon Inn behind him?
The second Spaceman doesn't look scary, but his spacesuit looks kinda silly with all those big puffy rib things.
This photo must be from circa 1960, with the Submarine Voyage conning tower in the background.
Let's play "guess the color of the bucket"! The Skyway bucket, that is. I say it's metallic orange. It looks too dark for gold and too light for blue.
Today's photos must've saved you tons of money to post, Major. You didn't have to pay extra for all the many colors of e-Ink. Magenta, in particular, is quite expensive.
In many Disneyland photos showcased here on GDB, we will see guests appearing in photos taken in the 1950’s or 1960’s who look like they are from or dressed liked people of the 1920’s or 1930’s…..
ReplyDeleteBut today are 1961 Disneyland photos taken with CAMERAS from 1921…..
Bi-jingo!!
In the second photo, there is an image of a cat or dog....or maybe it's a ghost or demon, that appears on the Spaceman's pant leg.
ReplyDeleteThese are fun photos!
ReplyDeleteJG must be around there, somewhere.
TM! Yep, that’s definitely a cat on his leg (near the girl’s armpit)—with the shadow of a dog, below, I think.
Thanks, Major.
Another mega-spaceman. They make them big in space. The pic I have with my mom and the space-couple, they tower over my mom and shes 5'8". What is NASA feeding these people?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, is that you, Sue?
ReplyDeleteJB, in space, nobody can hear you scream....or talk funny, after you've sucked in helium from a Mickey Mouse balloon.
Yes, Tokyo, it’s me. I forgot to sign off.
ReplyDeleteThanks for catching that!
—Sue
Yup, the spacemen were cast to be big guys, or they grew that way after eating those Space Food Sticks in zero-G. Remember those?
ReplyDeleteNeither of these strapping hulks look to be the guy who posed with me (see profile pic) in early 1968, but it’s fascinating to see the nearly constant changes in the costume. There are scarcely two photos where the apparatus is the same. Photo 1 spaceman has the big embroidery “D” on the shoulder, I think this was a later feature. Notice the difference in helmets, the gear became less complex over time.
JB, yes that is the Red Wagon (now Plaza) Inn. The space folk hung out right at the TL entry. My profile pic was made right under the “Y” in the brand-new PeopleMover track.
Thanks for these, Major. Always great to see the space folks!
JG
The suit in photo 1 is the same suit as my profile guy, see the little circular widgets on the horse collar. In my color pic, these are brass colored. So this is the later of the two pics.
ReplyDeleteJG
As a person of height, I've always been fascinated by the Disneyland Spacepeople. Spaceman 1 is boring the kids with his theory of how the Mickey balloon's ears are orbiting its head. Spaceman 2 is just goofing around, which is getting a much better reaction. Imagine getting your hair done on the Moon - you could get a pretty big bouffant in zero gravity.
ReplyDeleteGood space afternoon to all the Junior Space Gorillas and Major U.F.O. Pepperidge of Star Command!
Major-
ReplyDeleteI wonder what that 'transistor radio-type thing' is that's hanging around Spaceman #2's neck. It looks more like a "modified 4-barrel change maker" with added geegaws to look otherworldly - but from this angle it merely looks cheesy - than a fabulous communicator, or whatnot.
Thanks, Major.
JB, it is kind of unusual to see a Tomorrowland Spaceman who does not appear to be anglo. I’d love to know his story! Those big puffy rib things might look silly, but each one is vital to keeping him alive in the toxic atmosphere of Anaheim. Yes, that is the Red Wagon Inn, you can tell by those “trellises”. My guess is that the Skyway gondola is gray!
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, it’s true, I usually think of black and white photos as often being sharper and nicer, but these have a “cheap lens” feel to them.
TokyoMagic!, oh my gosh it’s the DEMON CAT!
Anonymous (Sue), maybe that cat is encouraging us to “Hang in there, baby”? I’m not seeing the shadow of the dog.
MRaymond, in space they eat Chef Boyardee ravioli and Zero-G Spam, both of which provide all the nutrients a body needs.
TokyoMagic!, of course that was Sue! Imagine if HAL had a “helium voice” instead of the creepy voice that he actually had. Different movie.
Sue, I knew it was you. What do I win?
JG, the funny thing is that we’ve seen photos of some of the earlier Spacemen, and they look like fairly ordinary guys. At some point they got the idea of casting taller individuals. College basketball stars and such. The Spaceman costumes changed a lot, maybe not as much as the Jungle Cruise skipper outfits, but whenever I compare two photos side by side, they almost always differ in various details.
JG, I’ll have to compare the two photos, not sure I have a good copy of yours anywhere handy. But it’s interesting, if I’d had to guess, I would have posited that the first photo was the oldest.
Melissa, aw, I hate to criticize Spaceman #1, he looks nice enough. It’s not his fault that Urf hu-mans don’t understand the ways of space. I’ve seen footage of lady astronauts with their hair floating around, it’s always good for a laugh.
Nanook, you see that gizmo in some photos (like a famous Viewmaster scan), I assume it was some actual thing that was repainted. It kind of looks like an upside-down desk radio to me. Imagine having that in your collection! I love it.
JG, you almost got me. There isn’t any “y” in “the brand-new PeopleMover tracks.”
ReplyDeleteChuck, the "y" is there, but in the fourth dimension.
ReplyDeleteChuck, you can only see the "Y" in plan view, as viewed from space, although a portion is visible in my complete photo.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad because I can no longer stand in the exact spot of the photo, it has been reworked heavily to become the queue for the Astro-Orbiter.
Major, I am guessing as to the comparative age of your photos, but my guy has the embroidered "D", the same horse collar and helmet, and no control box at the waist, but he is wearing a little jetpack gadget. Overall, his outfit is fairly streamlined. So he resembles the first guy pretty closely.
I know the photo was taken in February 1968 (Presidents Day holiday) our first visit to TL 67, and according to Dave DeCaro the space folks were discontinued shortly thereafter. Dave told me my pic was one of the latest he had of them. You can see how huge this guy is, my friend and I are standing on the bench and we still barely come up to his shoulder. The helmet makes him even bigger.
https://davelandweb.com/tomorrowland/images/spaceman/2_68_JG_Spaceman.jpg
JG
Tokyo!, Ha! The poor little kitty looks like he was vacu-formed into the suit.
ReplyDeleteThe top spaceman sort of reminds me of Buzz Lightyear.
JG, you beat me to the Space Food Sticks joke. Thanks for the Red Wagon Inn verification.
Major, I thought the dark complected Spaceman was anglo. Or maybe he's from Metaluna. I just noticed his hand (holding the balloon). Is he wearing some sort of 'space gloves'? Or are his hands misformed. This lends credence to my Metaluna theory!
"My guess is that the Skyway gondola is gray!" [JB slaps his forehead] Duh! So obvious now that you mention it!
Actually, Chef Boyardee ravioli would probably work great in zero-G. The sauce is thick enough to stick to the pasta. I'd like to see the astronauts pour a bowl of Grape Nuts in Zero-G! (Including milk and sugar.)
Major said: "Chuck, the "y" is there, but in the fourth dimension."
ReplyDeleteOr in the 5th Dimension... Up, up, and away!
I think the ultimate space food would be ultra-concentrated Heinz products, stored in tiny cans on a bracelet
ReplyDeleteJB, that explains the beautiful balloons in his hand.
ReplyDeleteWe used to play like our crayons were space food sticks.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I have to ask... Did you eat them?
ReplyDeleteSeeing the word "Disneyland" embroidered on a spaceman's suit looks really silly!
ReplyDeleteAll the comments, today, about our spacemen and their gizmos and outfits, etc., made me think of THIS SPACEMAN.