Snoozles™ are problematic, you already know that. But today's scans could have been great! Which makes their issues all the more frustrating. But what are ya gonna do?
This first one is from March, 1963; you probably remember those little boys from before (see HERE and HERE). This time they're inside the Adventureland Bazaar - a rare interior. But the low light took its toll! I wish I could remember the full story, but Rolly Crump was tasked with designing the interior of this shop, and he had a small budget and little time. I think there was a vampire in the story, but I can't recall how that factored in.
In spite of the blurriness, you can see lots of quality items made of brass, copper, and pewter, textiles, and... well, that's about it. I need that big copper platter for eating pa-sghettis. There's not a plush doll or bubble machine in sight!
This next one also suffers from poor focus; the composition is weird too, frankly. What was the photographer aiming at? Perhaps the whimsical ticket booth for Casey Jr. But he also wanted the Skyway gondolas. And the Pirate Ship. I guess that one pole has lights on it (?), though they are very weird lights and they make me a-scared and I might cry.
Major-
ReplyDelete"... though they are very weird lights and they make me a-scared and I might cry".
Dry your eyes, Tiny Tears... those are merely ellipsoidal reflector spotlights, with very deep 'Snoots', 'High Hats', or 'Top Hats' - used to reduce light spill or viewing angle to the fixture lens. Those are very fancy lighting instruments for outdoor use at an amusement [or theme] park-!
Thanks, Major.
Ah, the Sweater Bros again! I ask you, what good is a shop that doesn't sell plush or bubble machines? Seriously though, this shop looks really interesting! The dim lighting makes the highlights on the metalware glow, and makes the photo look like it was taken in Marrakech (just outside Oxnard). I'd be tempted to spend an hour in here but... you know... the rest of the Park awaits! And besides, everything is blurry in this shop.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the focus and composition, the Park is also tilted to the left. Maybe the weight of the Matterhorn (probably being built at this time) made the park sink a few feet in that direction. The striped trashcan probably dates this photo to after 1957. Not a bad photo really. Deep blue sky, lots of color, plenty of 'only in Disneyland' things to see. I think that pole you mentioned has laser cannons mounted on it. Quickly erected when they heard that Khrushchev was going to visit the park; you never know what kind of crazy stuff he might pull. Fortunately, he never made it to the park.
Nanook, you're wrong... they're laser cannons. ;-)
Interesting Snoozles this week, Major.
I didn't know that Rolly Crump was the designer of the Baazarr...or is it Bazaar...or B'zar...or Bizarre...or perhaps none of those... It is great to see the inside of a Disneyland Vintage store...in the way that they were intended. Stores were theming...and commerce would follow...if things are done right. I'm not sure why we need Ariel bubble makers in Adventureland, but I've seen it...and although I get it...I don't have to like it...and I don't. I'm not sure commercially if all that brass stuff works...but it does give a feeling and a mood...and quite frankly...the cost of that kind of stuff is (or was) minimal...AND...to give it some "Souvie-Gravitas" it could be Adventureland/Disneyland branded...it seems that if it was it was have a huge potential NOW on Ebay, et al. There is a balance in retail...things are fabulous, and things are commercial...and the big win is when both of those things merge. I'm not sure if even a thimble of these architectural elements still exist today: but there is a huge potential to make this retail location incredibly cool and profitable (like many of the TRE Disneyland retail locations.) You can still have Mickey...and Ariel...etc...just not in Adventureland...and IF they were to venture into Adventureland, there is a creative way to integrate the characters into a theme: however: it would be hokey...Mickey with a pith helmet on...Ariel: in the Jungle Cruise: as a "power source" for the Jungle Boats...there are a million ideas: great and not so great, and they seem to pick the most unsophisticated and most plastic commercial ones the most. I feel for them, as they are stuck in the "bubble maker drug"...when something drives millions of dollars a year in business...unless you have something to make up the millions...it's hard to dump it. There IS a cool and sophisticated way to do everything, and guests would respond...as they did in 1955 when these places...where you'd see the ladies with their gloves shopping and looking at EVERY item...(and eventually buying a few things)...or having them sent back to the manse in the Hills of Beverlee...As a retail guy for most of my adult life: patterns and psychology has not changed....some ideas I had 30 years ago are STILL being used today in some of my past iterations...people think that it has to be "next/new/etc." "young" "relevant" I've heard it all...but cool stuff is cool stuff...and now: I'm going to go play with my vintage "Love Boat" playset....with a fully articulatable Julie McCoy action figure. Thanks Major for the thought provoking Snoozle (tm) Sunday.
ReplyDeleteBu, I had to look up "Love Boat" playset, to see if you were just joking, or if that was really a thing. How did I ever miss out on that? Now I want a "Vicki" figure, along with a miniature gurney, a miniature I.V. bag, and a Barbie jet playset. Then I can act out scenes from the movie, Airplane!. A Joyce Bulifant figure would just complete such a collection.
ReplyDeleteThat shot of the Bazaar is a real TRE reminder. I understand that a lot of that stuff would be beyond the budget of the typical guest, not very convenient to carry around, and less profitable than plush and shirts; but it would be appealing to a portion of the guests who would pay for it. They could keep it around for sale for a way to keep the shop changing and drawing people in to see what's new.
ReplyDeleteOn a more frustrating TRE note, Disney has apparently replaced the ornate tile in the Moroccan Pavilion in EPCOT installed by artisans sent by the King of Morocco with stuff that looks like it was purchased in the bathroom tile section of Home Depot.
Nanook, thank you, now I’m not so a-scared!
ReplyDeleteJB, it is quite something to see these old Disneyland shops full of unique and interesting items, and not a Mickey Mouse to be seen. It must have taken a lot of work to fill the store with these things from around the world. As for the crooked photo, I’ve noticed that some photographers ALWAYS list to the left or right, in every photo. Sometimes I will straighten them out before posting, but I usually don’t. And I thought “laser cannons” too, but Nanook has set me straight.
Bu, it’s spelled “brassiere”. We don’t need Ariel bubble makers, but man, do they sell a lot of those things. I feel like I see nearly every kid grasping one. I’d love to get a nice copper platter or bowl, today those things would cost a fortune, not sure if they were relatively inexpensive back then. It’s like turquoise jewelry, it used to be common and cheap, and now good turquoise is very pricey. I have a collector friend, he has some of the most incredible, rare Disneyland stuff I’ve ever seen, and one of the things that is amazing is how much of it is unique to one particular store in the park. He has things that are branded to Merlin’s Magic Shop, or the Emporium, and so on. SO COOL. I’m not sure if the architecture is the problem with Disneyland shops today - as many have pointed out, it is the bland “sameness” of merch in every store, no matter which land it is in. It’s all the same coffee mugs, shirts, glittery mouse ears, and so on. It feels no more special than what you might get at a mall. Yes, a good setting is nice, but ultimately it’s about the STUFF. Galaxy’s Edge is well-designed, though I am not a Star Wars nerd, but I don’t care about the merchandise, so it doesn’t matter how nice the design of the building is. I’ve even had ideas that I’d love to see on sale, not that I have any way to make them a reality. “The Love Boat”, I can’t believe I used to watch that show, I saw a few minutes of an episode and it was so hard to watch!
TokyoMagic!, I didn’t know that there were “Love Boat” figures and playsets. Maybe you can get a vintage set on eBay for cheap, can there be that much demand for things from that show?
The Bazaar in the 70s was filled with everything from the Asian sub-continent. Not to mention incense and some of the prettiest CMs in their long, flowing and form- fitting dresses. In the late 60s and early 70s, brass was IN! To think all those special places and merchandise "finds" now common watered-down bubble makers does put a frown on my face. To think years ago, folks would pay general admission just to come into the Park and shop. I had my own employee credit card issued by the company for items purchased in the park. Still have it as a memento. KS
ReplyDelete@ Dean Finder-
ReplyDelete'Thanks' for sharing that sad story of yet another "improvement" to EPCOT. This company has truly lost its way.
KS, you beat me to it. I was also going to mention the incense, as I had purchased some at that shop—along with a small brass incense burner—in the early 70s. I also purchased some miniature glass animals—all piled together and individually for sale in little baskets on the counter. Another item purchased there, at that time, was an origami kit…it was a small envelope filled with sheets of paper in different colors, along with instructions. No bubble blasters, back then.
ReplyDeleteDean Finder, I’m not sure I ever went into the Bazaar when it was at its peak, sadly. It’s not exactly a place that children would love! But I still wish I had some personal memories of some of these places. I assume that a guest would arrange for shipment if they bought a heavy brass platter; and I do understand that most guests wouldn’t even want most of these unusual objects, but wasn’t it amazing that they could be purchased at Disneyland? Meanwhile, I saw that photo of the redone tile on Facebook, what a waste! I don’t even understand why they did it.
ReplyDeleteKS, the same collector friend who I mentioned to Bu also has somebody’s old employee credit card, something I’d never heard of until he sent me a scan! I’ve gone to Disneyland, wandered around the shops in various lands, and come home empty-handed because I didn’t find anything that interested me.
Nanook, you know that a movie with a decent budget could have made a magnificent tile fountain, but Disney will cut corners to save ten bucks.
Lou and Sue, funny, I remember buying incense at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History after seeing some mummies there (the incense was in an Egyptian-themed box), and I still have a glass dolphin from Japanese Village and Deer Park. I know I’ve had origami kits too, but likely not from an amusement park.
Hm, my post from this morning is gone.
ReplyDeleteOh well, Blogger giveth and Blogger taketh away.
Thanks Major.
JG
I was there on my first trip back since childhood in 1993...and it was still like Rolly designed it, an exotic place...kinda like a Chinatown and prices were cheap...
ReplyDeleteThank you Major!