I've been scanning more vintage Disneyland items, and I'm sharing a good one today!
"What the heck is it?". Well, if you read the title of today's post, you already know - it's a scarce child's menu from the Disneyland Hotel, circa 1957. The cover illustration shows a stylized (very mid-century) Mark Twain, but otherwise it does not indicate what's inside.
Unfolding the item, we see the selection of items - as with other early children's menus, it's surprising to see fillet of sole, roast turkey, a lamb chop (with mint jelly!), and so on. At least there is pasketti or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for those very picky eaters. But there are no chicken nuggets, no pizza, not even a humble grilled cheese sandwich.
The menu was brought to you by the makers of Pablum, a Disneyland lessee in those early years - and that means that they have specialties for very young guests, or for very weird older guests. As usual, I am amused by "Junior Beef", which should have been my blogger name. But alas, it's too late now. The back panel of the menu shows that it is a mailable item (place a 3¢ stamp in the box), while the other panel shows a simple map of the park, and a microscopic map of the SoCal freeways.
And now, something for the true nerds (and that includes me, of course) - a variation! This menu can fetch pretty high prices, but I managed to acquire a second one at a bargain, only to discover that the layout is a little bit different. The prices are all the same, and it still has the 1957 date on it, so I'm not really sure why there are two versions.
And here's side two comparing the two versions. Collect 'em all!
Major-
ReplyDelete'Collect 'em all', indeed. What a fun piece of paper ephemera-! As a child, I would've loved those choices of more 'adult-themed' offerings in the Child's Menu. (I was a rather adventurous eater as a youngster).
Thanks, Major.
Major: ( or JUNIOR BEEF) I’d gather the reason for both menu versions from the same year is one is for family’s with just children …. The other for family’s with babies.
ReplyDeleteThere’s been many times I’ve made purchases that included duplicates of an item I already had …. Excited that I can sell it a recoup costs for the other items … ONLY to discover upon inspection a variation or another detail before unknown.
Once again, I love the vintage graphics on these older items!
ReplyDeleteGround Round Steak Patty? That's a hamburger patty, right? Gee, let's get all fancy about it! ;-)
What!?!? No steak tartare topped with a raw egg and caviar? No salmon sashimi drizzled with soy sauce?... All kids love raw meat and fish eggs!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure out how "Junior Peaches" are the same price as "Junior Beef". Maybe the portion sizes are so small that the expensive items aren't really any different in price than the cheaper items.
Sounds like Nanook would've liked the raw meat and fish eggs.
I love the soft, warm colors on this menu. And of course, the graphics. I was 4 years old in '57; I probably would've gone for the "Ground Round Steak Patty" or the "Hot Sliced Roast Turkey". Thanks, Major.
COLLECT THEM ALL! They are like troll dolls...or possibly cabbage patch kids...or American Girl dolls...or Madame Alexander dolls....Trolls make sense...the dolls: Marie Osmond: have at it. The graphics are great on these, and as a kid I would have been staring at these for hours. It's interesting to note that possibly the simplest of rides: Dumbo continues to be so popular...and even more interesting from a movie that was made in 1941: and this menu 16 years later. Classics endure, and who couldn't love Dumbo? Ketchup or Catsup? Only Kreskin knows for sure. At one point in time as a kid, Hunt's CATSUP I preferred over Heinz Ketchup. I'm not sure I've seen a bottle of Catsup since. Did Disneyland have Hunt's Catsup? Hunt Wesson owned Orville Redenbacher, so possible Hunts was the office CATSUP of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I have a faint memory of talking to a Japanese TDL trainee who was telling me that the people in Japan did not like ketchup on their fries, so something else would be served with them...hmm...vinegar? I grew up with malt vinegar of fries and fish, so I say YES to that. There was also a thing with popcorn not having salt but sugar instead...not sure what eventually happened as I didn't make the trip across the Pacific to help them out. Someone knows. Back to the menu: "Broiled Lamb Chop" really? To this day I still do not like Lamb as much as it was forced on me as a kid. And with mint jelly? I personally do not understand Mint Jelly at all, in the least...and I am a huge mint fan...just in a candy cane please...not in a jelly...and definitely not with meat. Not sure that as I kid I would have eaten very much on this menu....Burger....that's about it. No Pablum please. I don't enjoy even hearing the word Pablum...what is it? why is it? and why is it on this menu? I do enjoy...even as an adult...fruit baby food...nothing like strained bananas or strained peaches...it's so soft and easy to eat. In my gym-rat days the (very large) guys would have baby food in their bags to slurp down during the course of the day: it was easy to eat, and very nutritionally complete...and was just enough without filling you up and making you throw up during your workout. There were buckets near by for those who ate "real food" and couldn't keep it down. True stories. As a starving artist: baby food was cheap, and there was always a coupon for it in the paper. 10 cents are jar..or something like that.... I have gone down a Pablum Rabbit Hole with no way out, so I will end it there...thanks Major!
ReplyDeleteBu, during my visits to the Tokyo Disney parks, there was only one popcorn cart that sold "salted popcorn." All of the others sold flavored popcorn, and each cart carried just one flavor, without any duplicate carts selling the same flavor. The flavors at that time were: Cappuccino, Chocolate, Curry, Honey, Black Pepper, Strawberry, Sea Salt, and Soda. I'm not sure what "Soda" flavored popcorn was, because I didn't try it. I've heard that they have added at least one more flavor (in their new Fantasy Springs section of Tokyo DisneySea), but I can't remember now what it is. Flavored popcorn is VERY popular in the Tokyo parks, and the lines at the carts can get crazy-long. Also, they had the "souvenir buckets" over there, before the U.S. parks.
ReplyDeleteI love these!
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for mid-century graphics (which is why my house is completely covered in mid century wall paper. Even the outside!)
I would have gone for the hamburger patty (and often did as a kid). In fact, that sounds good now!
Thanks, Major
ReplyDelete1. great, great graphics!
2. fillet of sole, while on the permanent menu, perhaps did most of its sales on Fridays
yay, hotel life!
What a beautiful graphic item!
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen partial scans of just the menu, but never the whole thing, much less two versions!
Interesting to see the swings in style over the years. Kids must be assumed to have a wider range of taste then. Not only are the modern fast foods mostly missing, but not a French fry in sight. When we first took our little ones to the Park in the 90’s, the kid food offerings were gross, practically all French fries and fried objects, and now there are many healthy options available. Nothing wrong with fries, I get some about every other month, and mayo or aioli is good as well as ketchup (from SE Asian KETJAP), but we shouldn’t live on them.
I’ll have (and probably did have) the turkey and mash.
Bu, there are “energy pastes” on the market now, for just the situations you describe. My scouts would take these on hikes so they didn’t have to stop to eat. Little packets of high calorie & nutrient gel like a ketjap packet. One brand even called “GU”. I’ve never indulged. Beef jerky is better imho.
Thanks Major, now I want breakfast!
JG
I know the preference for KETCHUP and CATSUP spelling was regional and Heinz bottled the exact same product with different labeling depending on your region. As communications makes the world smaller and more the same , those regional preferences become fewer and farther between.
ReplyDelete“CATSUP” is closer to the original name of the Chinese red-fermented fish sauce the Portuguese and Dutch explorers brought back with them to Europe from their trading with the Far East. The red fish sauce was as popular and as old of a recipe as what we know as Soy Sauce. Both originated at about the same time. The fermented fish sauce was wildly popular with Europeans - especially the Dutch … however the red fish wasn’t easily available so changes in the recipe over time included the addition of tomatoes to create the red color of the fermented sauce. The recipe was altered again by Dutch settlers in America eventually evolving into what we know as KETCHUP/CATSUP. With the spelling of “CATSUP” slowing falling out of favor.
In Germany, Switzerland and Belgium French Fries “Pom Fritz” are eaten with mayonnaise and mayonnaise similar sauces. And of course the FRENCH in French Fries has nothing to do with the county but with the type of frying once called “FRENCHING”.
I eat lamb (chops) about once a week - sometimes more- l love it! The best lamb chops I’ve ever had were from STEAKHOUSE 55 at the Disneyland Hotel … alas no more .
Most restaurants still have a fish special on Fridays for us Catholics : it’s reasoning has a religious blanket over it but it’s real reasons we’re pure financial; the Vatican noticed a decrease in tax revenue amongst the fishing guilds along the port cities of mainly Italy …. The beef herds being brought in from Spain and Portugal, gave these citizens inexpensive alternatives to fish all the time . So to help protect some of its tax revenue the Pope ( or was it a bishop?? I can’t remember) decreed long ago that Catholics could not eat fish on Fridays as well as several other holidays.
Catholics could ONLY (eat fish in Fridays)
ReplyDeleteNanook, this menu is so fun that sellers now regularly expect $200 and up for one! I’m glad I got my before the insanity.
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, as far as I can tell, other than some of the panels being rearranged, the menus are basically identical. Unless I’m missing something? I do love finding variations on old Disneyland paper, I recently compared a rare item I have to an item that a friend has, and we discovered that there are differences. Cool!
TokyoMagic!, I know some finicky adults who will still order a “hamburger steak”, and hey, if it makes them happy, what the heck!
JB, I know I loved raw meat when I was a kid, and cried when we drove past some fresh road kill. I think Junior Peaches are ten cents less than the Junior Beef, but I apologize for not putting larger jpegs up. “Hot sliced roast turkey” sounds good, even at 9:30 in the morning!
Bu, part of the fun of collecting vintage Disneyland paper is that nobody will ever have it all. I keep learning of new items - usually rare things, since I generally know all of the “usual” items. I think the Dumbo ride is so popular because it is so “Disney”. Plus it’s just right for little kids, of course. I finally went on it as an adult just because I felt like it was one of those things I had to check off my list. “Catsup”, I have no idea why it is ever spelled that way. I suspect Commies. I’m kind of surprised that Japanese folks apparently don’t like ketchup - I think they like tomatoes, and vinegar, and sugar (?)… but they like what they like (and don’t like what they don’t like). I do like malt vinegar on fries. My grandma used to make roast lamb, and it had a crust of lemon juice, garlic, thyme, etc. I used to like it! I do understand that lamb has a particular taste though. I haven’t had it in years. And mint, on MEAT? Sounds disgusting. My mom used to have a jar of mint jelly in the fridge, it was pretty, but I have never had mint jelly on anything. I’m sure it was to help disguise the gaminess of the lamb. I’m happy to not be around gym rats puking into buckets, I feel like that is a body’s way of telling you to take it easy. My mom used to buy some sort of apricot baby food when I was older than a baby, she wanted the handy little glass jars, and we liked to eat it as a dessert.
TokyoMagic!, that is fascinating, I would love to try all of those flavors of popcorn! The Japanese do it right. Strawberry?! Black pepper?! Mix them together! “Soda”, yeah, no idea. Not “baking soda”, I hope. I would imagine that new flavors would be tried all the time, but perhaps it is a harder endeavor than I think. I think I read about a dill pickle flavor?
ReplyDeleteStu29573, mid-century wallpaper can be pretty cool! Boomerangs and atoms. I’d be perfectly happy with a grilled hamburger patty, with a side of fries, and a coke. Oh alright, I’ll take a small salad too.
LTL, I’m glad you liked this one, now that you mention it, I wonder if they DID sell more fish on Fridays?
JG, collectors of vintage Disneyland menus will pay some crazy prices, I’ve seen examples go for over $400. I would never pay that much, and have managed to get some good ones for way less, thankfully. But once in a while, a super rare Tahitian Terrace menu might pop up, and it’s like chum in the water. $$$! I used to think that mayo-based French fry dips were odd, but now I’m used to it, and even like some. How about some chipotle mayo? Yum. When I used to ride a bike 20+ miles every morning, folks tried to convince me that I needed those energy pastes (sort of like pudding), but somehow I got along just fine without them.
Mike Cozart, wow, a history of catsup/ketchup! Only in the comment section of GDB! I’m way too lazy to do something like that in the main article (“article”, ha ha). I always thought that “Frenching” fries had to do with the way they were cut, but as usual, I’m sure I’m wrong. When I got to spend a month in Paris years ago, the waiters would laugh at Americans’ love of fries. And “American champagne” (Coke). My friend Mr. X used to go on and on about the schnitzel at the Disneyland Hotel, and he still complains about the fact that it is no more. Not sure how he feels about lamb.
Perhaps "Soda" Popcorn has "fizzy powder" on it like Pop Rocks or something ......or what were those hard candies called?.....ZOTS! Tokyo has many things beat over the American Parks: good for them, and they (and their popcorn) are on my bucket list..."curry flavor"....that is compelling....I would like white cheddar and white truffle please....with a base of clarified butter from Ireland...happy cows always...
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic is correct about Tokyo Disneyland starting the collectible plastic popcorn bucket craze ….but it’s now evolved into a smaller “Snack Box” . Tokyo Disneyland is getting a Tomorrowland restaurant & shop that will offer guests ALL the Tokyo Disneyland flavored popcorns in one single location. A shop will also sell TDL popcorn related stuff … included the Popcorn bucket “snack boxes” and the popular miniatures of them . There’s 1983 retro restaurant tray miniatures and what I’m excited about : POPCORN WAGON MODELS!!!
ReplyDeleteThat image of the MT on the cover is nice. It looks like the retro art they'd hang on the walls of the DL Hotel. I think I'd buy a print if they offered it.
ReplyDeleteJunior Beef was never matched the success of Senor Beef, champ of the Tijuana Luche Libre league.
I'd guess that soda flavor popcorn was cola, possibly cola flavor Pop Rocks as Bu suggested. It's strange that the 2 big fan obsession of Tokyo Disneyland are Popcorn buckets and stuffed toys. Maybe with people living in small houses and apartments, there's no room for the infinite variety of Disney merchandise available in the US parks.
Major and Mike, the KETJAP/Catsup question goes on forever, here’s a link with the thing I was thinking of..
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/food/ketjap_manis
There’s also a sweet red sauce that is somewhere between our ketchup and KETJAP
Undoubtedly the terms and recipes merged over time…
JG
Here’s more…
ReplyDeletehttps://thekitchencommunity.org/catsup-vs-ketchup/
Fascinating.
JG
Major: that is definitely true about collecting vintage Disneyland paper : there is always something completely unknown that shows up … even today. I was chatting with some Jr. Gorillas about a New Tomorrowland flyer that showed up on EBay recently : it advertised to guests that after 5 pm The New Tomorrowland would open up to regular guests on that very day!!
ReplyDeleteMany Years ago at an antique shop in Temecula California a dealer had a booth filled with vintage Disneyland stuff … lots of it was the typical but so much of it stuff at the time I had never seen before. Two things : proposal booklets for LIBERTY STREET and EDISON SQUARE at Disneyland! ……because I love The Carousel of Progress I decided I would get that one … but I felt guilty spending so much money and I hemmed and hawed about the LIBERTY STREET booklet …. Upon reflection I should have just got both!! Ironically I have seen two other copies of the EDISION SQUARE book … but never another edition of the LIBERTY STREET book! ( I did get to view a copy at the WDI research library)
Bu, oh boy, I did not even consider a “cola” flavor, but it seems possible. Fizzy as well? Maybe. Zots, those things would dissolve until one edge was razor sharp. I cut my tongue more than once on those things. Curry’s not my thing, but hey, it’s not all about me!
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, I am just thankful that Duffy the Disney Bear has not really caught on here. I hate that character so much! Talk about a cash grab. As if the company doesn’t already have a library of hundreds of characters to use.
Dean Finder, the steamboat definitely looks like the sort of thing you might see in a history textbook from the 1950s, or as some other decorative object (yes, a print hanging at the Hotel seems like something we might see)! I actually did not know that collectible popcorn buckets started in Japan; I have no interest, but they make people happy, so whatever works!
JG, I feel like I’ve heard about ketjap before; reading the recipe, I think I expected something with more chilis. Maybe that’s just sriracha. Which I love.
JG, so much ketchup trivia!
MIke Cozart, wow, I wish I’d at least seen that flyer for the New Tomorrowland! I’d love to know what it was. I have a friend who constantly astounds me with his rare paper items, things I have never seen elsewhere. Once in a while, I’ll see something that he has shown me in a Van Eaton auction, but I am always outbid. I have one of those Edison Square books (with the comb binding), it’s one of my favorite items. Of course a Liberty Square proposal booklet would be neat too, even though I don’t typically collect WDW items (I do have a few things, however).
Major, re: Junior Beef and Junior Peaches- I saw all the ".25"s and thought they were all that price, I shoulda looked closer.
ReplyDelete"cried when we drove past some fresh road kill." HAHA. That made me laugh out loud. At a time when it's looking like our country is spiraling down the drain, it's good to find something to laugh about. Thanks.
MAJOR : it was a 1950’s DISNEYLAND proposal booklet for LIBERTY STREET in Disneyland NOT Liberty Square in WDW. The booklet is also spiral bound and the exact format as the Edison Square book. It features herb ryman art and lots of 1950’s line art … oddly it also features Tinkerbell wearing a minuteman hat and sleeping beauty birds and owls also wearing Colonial hats and Lillians ( bonets)
ReplyDeleteI think I read about a dill pickle flavor?
ReplyDeleteMajor, yes...that was the new one that I couldn't think of. They are selling it in the new Fantasy Springs section of Tokyo DisneySea.
I also forgot that "Caramel" popcorn was one of the flavors they were selling, during my visits.
@Dean Finder YES!
ReplyDeleteJG
Howdy, the new popcorn flavor in Tokyo DisneySea Springs is Roast Beef (not Junior Beef) - pickle was a flavor of beverage at EPCOT recently.
ReplyDeleteI’d be delighted and surprised at an all-the-flavors-location, since the scarcity and uniquenesses of each cart is the main attraction.
Cheers-
MS
MS, oh yeah....THAT was it! Roast Beef! I hope it comes with a little cup of au jus!
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the all-the-flavors location will be pre-popped and pre-packaged popcorn? For me, popcorn is like cotton candy, I want it to be fresh! If it was made earlier and then packaged to sell later, then I can't get too excited about it.