1963 Spring Fling
You know how much I love vintage Disneyland paper ephemera, and I also have a fondness for any item mentioning the "Spring Fling" events that they used to do in an attempt to draw more guests to the park in the months when attendance was not as robust as they might have wished. The example I am sharing today is the only one of this sort I've ever seen, though I have no doubt that there are others floating around out there in Regularland.
Not too long ago I visited a person who happens to be writing a book bout Walt's Disneyland, and he had some rare photos of some windows on Main Street; the scenes all had some silly rabbits in them. This person was mighty puzzled, but thanks to this flyer, I could tell him that the windows must have been decorated to tie in with the 1963 Spring Fling event.
So what is this Spring Fling anyhoo? Order your $4 ticket in advance (at several handy locations), and get unlimited usage of all Disneyland rides and attractions, not to mention special musical acts and dancing for those so inclined. It looks like KFWB radio (with DJ Gene Weed) was a sponsor of Spring Fling. Gene worked in Dallas, Omaha and Miami before joining KFWB. The "Weedy One" worked weekends at KFWB at the age of 23 while assigned to Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in Hollywood. He worked at KFWB during its glory Rock years and went on to an enormously successful directing and producing career with dc (Dick Clark) Productions.
As if that wasn't enough, there were prizes. Over $7,500.00 worth of them! Including a fully-restored 1946 woody station wagon. Cool! There were also surf boards, waterskis, the world's smallest sailboat, tires, Pendleton shirts, a Columbia tape recorder... so much good stuff!
I hope you have enjoyed this SPRING FLING item!
25 comments:
Major-
What a great brochure. For easily 25 years now, I've had a nine minute audio track containing many Disneyland promos - and one of them features this very Spring Fling. (narrated by Paul Frees). I felt as if I were meeting an old friend.
It's nice to see images of that 1946 Ford Woodie 'with rack and 2 Velzy Boards'-! Although many prizes weren't mentioned in the radio spot, including that RCA Color TV, Honda 50 Sport, and Kodak Motormatic Camera.
Thanks, Major.
You can hear that promo HERE. Scroll down to Track #102.
Regularland is a boring place, too many twits. I much prefer GDB where we have a very loose grasp on reality and an overly developed sense of absurdity.
On the cover: Took me a few seconds to figure out what the bottom bunny was doing. He's playing an ocarina, I think. Or maybe it's the world's smallest saxophone.
Inside: I was hoping to see the "except shooting galleries" line... and I wasn't disappointed. It always seems slightly silly to have all of Disneyland at your fingertips EXCEPT SHOOTING GALLERIES!!! (Or, "shooting galleries excepted", as it is here.) Seems so random, but I suppose there was a good reason to exclude them.
Prizes: I wonder what the "New Vista Tuner" was/did on the RCA color TV? It looks a lot like our first color set, except ours was a Zenith. There's Barbie & Ken modeling the latest in water ski attire. And the Jolly Green Giant is sporting a scuba outfit. If you don't win the cars, boats, or TVs, there's always the record albums (in the fine print, on the right).
Nanook, thanks for the link. Although I gotta say, the "Spriiiing Fliiing" got kinda annoying by the time I got to the end. ;-)
Thanks, Major. Now I have to trudge back to Regularland where everything is in black & white, instead of green & white, like it is here on GDB; at least it is today.
@ JB-
The "New Vista Tuner" is the 'marketing-side' of their television tuner that utilized a miniaturized vacuum tube (or was it a pair-?) - developed by RCA called a Nuvistor tube. (Get it-? It was a laugh-a-minute over at their ad agency-!) They were first used in RCA color sets beginning in 1961, and throughout the 1960's.
As for your Zenith color TV, although Zenith made excellent television sets, they refused to license the color demodulator circuitry from RCA (its 'inventor'), opting instead to "make its own". As such, their color television sets always displayed inferior color to virtually all other brands. (Zenith groupies, please keep your opinions to yourselves).
And just so you don't think I'm 'Zenith bashing' - their Gold Video Guard Tuner is often considered the finest [mechanical] television tuner ever built - coincidently first offered in 1961...
If I couldn't win Weed's Woodie, then I would hopefully be the winner of the 4 UMCO tackle boxes!
My earliest memory of a family TV is of one that was very similar to the one pictured, but I don't know the brand.
JB, odd....."Ken" looks like a real guy, but "Barbie" does look like a manikin. I wonder if the female model was a no-show that day, and they had to get a manikin for the photo shoot?
The "12 Suppers for 2" at Aunt Jemima's Pancake Kitchen is an odd prize. That's assuming that the winner is going to be coming back to the park frequently enough to use those. I wonder if there was an expiration date on that prize? Can you imagine showing up at the park in 2023 and saying, "I still have some free suppers owed to me, that I haven't claimed yet!"
Thanks for sharing this super neato piece of ephemera with us, Major!
SPRRINNNGGGG FLLLINNNGGG....fun and creepy commercial. Thanks Nanook. For those watching at their work desk, use headphones...it sounds strange like a Fractured Fairy Tale. "WHAT are you listening to?!" I think would be the comment of someone within ear shot. Love those rabbits...they look kind of stoner-ish...driving to Disneyland to get tickets at the ticket booths sounds a bit torturous when you don't say "well...I could spend a couple of bucks and just look around NOW..." I'm not sure I'd bring the kids on that trip...."ok kids, were going to Disneyland and NOT go in..." sounds like Dad would be unpopular. I could only hope as a kid that I could go in and peer through the gates while dad was stuck waiting in line at a ticket booth...like Charlie looking through the gates of the Wonka factory. The prizes are pretty spectacular, and I'm wondering if those winners still have those things in their possession? Or the off-spring. 8 1/2 gallons of ice cream and a box of oranges....4 boxes of free candy...did they get these things home? I don't know if I even KNOW 50 people to have a party eating Fritos at the Disneyland Hotel. I wouldn't mind a chauffeur and a Caddy for a week. Does the chauffeur go home at night? Or does he stay with you? I don't see any rules and conditions on here, which is kind of nice. Even to ENTER the park now, there are pages to read before you can purchase a ticket...which is quite honestly...annoying. During the 80's car give away time, California law said that to enter a contest there was "no purchase neccessary"...so we'd get the people coming in, just to see if they could get a winning ticket...and possibly win a free passport. We would make them go through a lot of hoops, with multiple pages to fill out, etc. They would go through a special turnstile to be "counted", and then go to the newsstand to get their prize if they won. Some people would come every day. Some people wanted to get multiple sheets to fill out to take home, so they didn't have to complete them on the spot, which we didn't allow. Yes...we will let you play the game...but you have to go through many gymnastics to play, AND you did it by our rules. Canadians had to complete a "test of skill" (true story) to win, as just "entering" the contest was illegal and considered "gambling". It was a hand written test, with multiple choice questions....more paperwork, which all had to be kept and filed. Some people figured out they could get free parking in the 10 minute zone to do all this...until we figured that all out and shut it down. A purchase was not required to enter the CONTEST, but at least we would get a dollar out of them. It amazes me that people have all that time...passports at the time were I think $14 for an adult (?)...then there was the whole tax thing if you won the car. That WAS real...and if you won the car, there were many gymnastics for that too...even if you came in with a ticket. Foreigners were given money in lieu of cars. Yes...it all happened. I'd like to see that random photo of bunnies in the windows....sounds very fanciful. Thanks for the morning inspiration Major.
I’m not sure exactly how long Disneyland held SPRING FLING , but I have various flyers and counter standees from the 1960’s where a Ford Mustang is given away ( a few years ) , a Buick Wildcat , a Mercury Cougar …. And in 1973 a Datsun Pick Up Truck! My very first car for a short time was a 1971 Datsun pick up … all white with narrow white walls with a burgundy interior - My best friend in high school had a 1972 Datsun in burgundy… they were good vehicles as a first car … and we could transport our surfboards easily… they had double fuel tanks .. (odd) if you got low on gas, you could reach a lever under the seat and switch over to the secondary tank. My Datsun truck was NOT a SPRING FLING prize.
Goodness, all this info about Spring Fling!
I vaguely remember (because that’s about how I remember anything now) the ads for Spring Fling, but never knew what it was.
And now I know more than I could possibly imagine.
I’d enjoy those Gourmet Dinners for 2 with Mrs. G.
I hope I see everything today in shades of green. Thanks Major!
JG
I just noticed the clarification on the Party for 50 Guests “of your choice”.
I guess Marketing thought it would be weird to assign guests to your party of 50, “here, congratulations! Meet the 49 people who will be attending your party!”
I wonder if you couldn’t think of 50 people, say only 10?, if they would assign random folks to make up the count?
JG
I forgot to thank Nanook, for that link! Although, once I heard the creepy voice saying, "SPRIIIIIIING FLIIIIIIIIIING!", I realized I had heard it previously at some point.
I remember the Desmond's stores in Whittier and West Covina. I wonder why the flyer doesn't mention the one in Torrance? Maybe that one wasn't open yet? I remember after West Covina Desmond's store closed, it was used as a "Haunted House" in the Fall. My friend's mom took us there one year, but they wouldn't let us in, because we were too young! We were in eighth grade! That must have been some really scary haunted house for them to not allow junior high school age kids. We ended up driving to another haunted house and we were allowed in that one.
Nanook, for some reason that I can’t explain, I’m a big fan of Spring Fling items. I think I have perhaps six or seven pieces, and am always looking for more! What the heck are “Velzy boards” anyway?
Nanook, thank you for the link, I am almost certain that I’ve heard that nutty ad before, though I can’t think of where. Good old Paul Frees!
JB, I agree, Regularland stinks. The ocarina is an odd choice, I had a plastic ocarina when I was a kid - are there people who are masters on that instrument? I’ve also kind of wondered why shooting galleries were nearly always excepted - I guess those sweet, sweet quarters were what really kept the park going. Barbie and Ken? I’m going to get sued! They aren’t Disney IP. I don’t think “Spriiiiiinnnng Fliiiiiiinnnng!” got annoying at all, and neither do the neighbors who have heard be shouting it for the last 20 minutes.
Nanook, interesting that Zenith made such high-quality TVs, but that they siffered by not having the “demodulator circuitry” from RCA. They left the demodulator circuitry off of the robots in Westworld, and we all know what happened there.
Nanook, I was pretty upset at your Zenith bashing, but I guess I”m over it now!
TokyoMagic!, tackle boxes are perfect for keeping thimble collections organized. Remember when you’d turn off your TV and the picture would shrink to a tiny point of light that lingered for a few moments? Remember FDR’s Fireside Chats? ;-) I think “Ken” looks pretty fake too, but notice that his face is also on the scuba guy! I’m pretty sure that the 12 suppers were for 12 different people! But I could be wrong!
Bu, Paul Frees did some silly ads for the Haunted Mansion, they are easily found on the Internet. I wonder if he wrote them himself? I know Hans Conried did voices for “Fractured Fairy Tales”, but I think that Paul Frees did as well. It’s been a long time. I’d love to know more about Disneyland’s ad department back in those days - did they have their own artists? Or did they use folks moonlighting from the animation division? I agree, driving to Disneyland just to buy tickets for another event seems nuts, but I guess it could theoretically be a lot closer than the nearest Desmond’s. I certainly would be screwed if I was expected to invite 50 people to ANYTHING. A chauffeur? “McDonald’s again, sir?”. “If you would be so kind, Sebastian”. “My name is Chad”. Not only does he stay with you 24/7, he is not allowed to let you leave his sight. I’ve always imagined how odd it would be to win a car. but that old Woodie wagon would be somethin’. Finally my aloha shirts and trilbys would make more sense. I can’t fault people for trying to work the system for Disneyland’s contests, in fact I admire them for doing it!
Mike Cozart, I wish I was more organized, but like you, I have a number of Spring Fling items, going into the 1970s. It seems like it generally ran from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s. I think one of the last flyers I have offers a Pinto as the “lucky” first prize! Datsuns were considered pretty cool when I was a certain age, and the guys in school who owned Datsun pickups were admired. Double fuel tanks, I had no idea!
JG, if you do a search for “Spring Fling” in my search bar, you’ll see a flyer for the 1967 version. It must be a rare flyer, because I think I have only seen one other since I posted that back in 2008. In ’67 you could have won a sweet Mercury Cougar, it looks pretty awesome.
JG, Disney had members of a local motorcycle gang ready at all times to help people fill up their parties!
TokyoMagic!, nobody talks about the Torrence “Desmond’s”. It’s too shameful. Just thinking about it is making me blush. Wow, that haunted house must have been super scary! Maybe it would have stunted your growth and you’d still look exactly like you did when you were 10.
12 stereo albums - “Let’s Go! With the Routers”
That’s an obscure album they pulled out of the woodwork.
Major: that’s funny … I too have see things like that with a big private party or event as a prize or option and wondered “ do I even know that many people!?? And certainly if I did they wouldn’t necessarily be people I’d mix….
Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s when we’d go clubbing ( club hopping and partying) there would sometimes be these giant parties in LA or Hollywood …. And you’d sometimes find out that the hosts had paid party “plants” : young hip good looking people you could have attend your party’s and make it look like you have lots of interesting good looking guests …. In fact I found out two friends of mine who are twins did that for an agency who staffed ( hired? Casted?) fake part guests for expensive parties!!! They said it was good money till they started real
Modeling and acting jobs. Sometimes my friends and I would play a game “real guest ? Hired guests?” Or we’d take turns picking out guests and make up fact backgrounds about them and why they were at the party .. lol.
@ Chuck-
The bigger question is: just who was "Renovado Records"-? As a record collector, that Routers album isn't all that obscure - especially in Southern California.
Major-
"What the heck are “Velzy boards” anyway?"
JUST LOOK HERE.
Major, I remember Ogg's fireside chats. We'd all sit around the campfire and he would grunt and gesticulate and somehow get the message across that we need to go on a mastodon hunt in the morning.
("Gesticulate" sounds like a dirty word.)
Today it would be fairly easy for an amateur to knock this out on a desktop. I remember pre-pagination days when even a simple brochure took planning, sweat, and rock-steady hands.
For something like this each photo image had to be assigned its final size before it was reproduced as a halftone; type blurbs had to set in advance by a Linotype operator; non-standard fonts had to be hand-lettered or crafted from Presstype; and everything had to be precisely placed on a board with rubber cement or hot wax. Here they had the luxury of an illustrator who could draw the rabbit to fit, and also do all that hand lettering. When I created flyers for newspaper carrier contests, I had to search books of hokey clip art for acceptable images, lay "point rule" lines and borders, and remove backgrounds from halftones with an exacto knife (The real artists would create orange gel masks before sending images to engraving).
And I drove to work in a Ford Pinto.
I thought Spring Fling was where we all got together and chucked Slinkys at each other.
DBenson, there was a boy at my high school who was 6'8" and drove a Ford Pinto.
Nanook, well, I guess I will have to look that album up now. I was really just going for the pun.
Bu - the 8 1/2 gallons of ice cream was soft serve delivered directly from the machine. You can to eat it as it came out.
I was in DL on the day they restarted AP sales last fall. There was a line of people there just to buy the passes. So I guess people will still drive to DL not to go in the park. Nevertheless, it sounds like complying with those contest regulations sounds like a real chore.
When I was a teen, my girl friend drove an orange Pinto and named it "Kumquat." She crammed a lot of us in that cute little car. Speaking of kumquats, you rarely find them in the food stores, here. My aunt, while she was living in California, shipped some to me. They are tasty!
Several things, about the brochure, that jumped out at me:
1. "Geen Weed plus other surprise KFWB guests will be there in person!"
WHO are the KFWB guests? The janitor? The cleaning crew?
2. "FREE Prizes"
At least they're FREE prizes, as opposed to pay-full-price prizes.
3. The party for 50 guests is courtesy of Carnation, Coca-Cola, Fritos, and Van Camps.
mmmmmmmm! Ice cream, coke, fritos and baked beans.
Am laughing at all the fun comments, today!
Thanks, Major.
Now I'm going to go listen to that promo track that Nanook linked in the comments. Thank you!
Oh, dear! That "SPRIIIIIING FLIIIIIING" commercial IS creepy.
Chuck, I sure don’t know “The Routers”. Did Mitch Miller cover any of their songs?
Mike Cozart, in my case I KNOW that I just don’t have that many “friends”. And I’m totally OK with it. I’d rather have a few good friends than a large group of internet acquaintances. I guess there are those people out there that love to party and do big hang outs. Good for them! Just not my style. As for party plants, people like Kim Kardashian supposedly might get paid tens of thousands of dollars in one night just to show up to a party or club and make it seem like it’s a hip, happening place. Don’t they know that they need Major Pepperidge at their event??
Nanook, how many records do you have in your collection? And what do you focus on?
Nanook, OH, I thought a Velzy board was a part of a car. Oops!
JB, yes, that Ogg really knew how to grunt a story. I loved the one about the Saber-tooth tiger!
DBenson, I started out in the days of real paste-up, ruby-lith, etc. It was sort of fun, but such a pain compared to the speed and convenience of today. I especially liked doing the custom line art for the things our company produced. I still have some examples in an envelope, drawn on frosted mylar with a Rapidograph pen.
Melissa, that’s a good way to get a kink in your Slinky!
Chuck, maybe it’s on YouTube?!
Dean Finder, I’m surprised that people couldn’t buy their annual passes online. Having to drive to the park seems so old fashioned.
Lou and Sue, I’m not sure I have ever been in a Pinto, but my dad used to have a Mercury Capri, mostly for his learning-to-drive kids. It felt cheap, but hey, we were happy to have anything. I couldn’t tell you who the KFWB guests were, possibly other well-known DJs? You have to emphasize FREE, people need it spelled out. Don’t forget, Van Camps also owned Chicken of the Sea, so you could have a delicious tuna burger!
Lou and Sue, ha ha, I sort of like the creepiness. It definitely got your attention.
I’m pretty sure that the 12 suppers were for 12 different people! But I could be wrong!
Major, DUH!!! Of course, you are right! I don't know what I was thinking. I would use the excuse that it was very late when I was commenting, but it was only 2:20 in the a.m.!
Wow, that haunted house must have been super scary! Maybe it would have stunted your growth and you’d still look exactly like you did when you were 10.
Major, but with a white oval over my face! You forgot that part! Now that I'm thinking more about it, I think that the Haunted House peeps must not have wanted to let us go in unaccompanied. I think my friend's mom did not want to go inside with us. At the next one we tried that night....the one that did let us in, she waited outside.
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