Vintage Disneyland paper! My favorite. I have two 1957 flyers for you today, both extolling the advantages of buying ticket books.
First up is this example, with Tink on the cover. Back then, they didn't use Mickey on much Disneyland stuff, but Tinker Bell, Dumbo, and others were used instead. This flyer is scarce, I'd love to upgrade someday, the "tanning" on the white paper is not ideal to a persnickety collector like me.
I'm fascinated by the idea that only the "Big 10" ticket book is offered. What, no "Jumbo 15"? I plan on doing a lot of rides! I have a 15 coupon book that is either from 1957 or 1958 (it is undated but has the Viewliner listed as an attraction), so we know that those were around. The thing that interests me the most is the mention of a Guest Card that "gives you admission to ALL of Disneyland's attractions for one day". I've been aware of "gold passes" and "silver passes", and shoot, I might even have one or two of those Guest Cards in my collection, I'll have to dig and see.
What kind of maniac wants to be at Disneyland from 10 AM to 10 PM?? I need to be in bed by 8:00, or I'll be a total grump the next day.
Here's a second 1957 ticket plan flyer; the Tink flyer mentions Summer fireworks ("Fantasy in the Sky"), and this one mentions a "Winter bonus ticket". Do they mean "early 1957", or "late 1957"? Now you can get a "Big 10 + 2" ticket plan (gotta lure them in during the slow months), and, as before, the Special Guest Cards.
There is still special pricing for Juniors, Servicemen, and Clergy. I'll show up dressed like a clergyman and save 50 cents! What a brilliant scam! I am imagining a whole family showing up dressed like clergy. "Tommy, you got chocolate on your collar!". "Aw, gee whiz, Pop!".
I guess I have my answer about which part of Winter the flyer meant, since the bonus tickets are only good until June 1st, 1957. So this one pre-dates the Tinker Bell version. I like the simple spot art to the right, with that interesting-looking hippo.
If you are a real cheapskate (and I know that none of the Junior Gorillas fall into that category), you can just pay for an admission, and then buy individual tickets for each ride. I love the phone number: KEYSTONE 5-8171. Call now, operators are standing by!
I hope you have enjoyed these 1957 ticket plan flyers.
"What kind of maniac wants to be at Disneyland from 10 AM to 10 PM??"
ReplyDeleteThis maniac. I used visit Disneyland from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. multiple days in a row. Those days are surely over.
I'd love it if Disneyland had throwback prices on their special nighttime event "Disneyland Throwback Nite".
Thanks for the vintage fliers, Major.
Major-
ReplyDeleteSign me up for a Special Guest Card immediately. Nice flyers.
Thanks, Major.
Interesting....I had no idea that "unlimited attraction" tickets were available so early on in Disneyland's history!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the peek at some more vintage DL ephemera, Major!
Hmm, Tink looks a little different here; Tink, but not Tink.
ReplyDelete"a Guest Card that gives you admission to ALL of Disneyland's attractions for one day." And not one second more! If you're still in the Park when time runs out, you turn into a pumpkin!
The 2nd flyer is the same color as the $500 bills in Monopoly. I've always liked that color.
"The special Guest Card is your 'magic key' that opens all the doors..." Wow! Disneyland had 'key cards' way back in 1957! They were sooo ahead of their time! There must've been little boxes on all the doors where you could 'swipe' your Guest Card. We need to check all of Major's 1957 photos to see if we can spot any of those boxes!
Whoever drew that "interesting-looking" hippo must have been on LSD.
It's always great to see some of your 'paper stuff', Major. Thanks.
10 to 10? I can barely take a few hours at a time before I reach my "I can't be around these people for this long!!!" limit. Happens when you officially become an old grump. I find that wearing headphones to drown all the guests out helps. "Guest Card"...I am fascinated as it's the first time I've seen it. Silver Passes are for employees that have reached a certain status/longevity/retiree/etc. Gold Passes are only for very very special people, and are gifted by the Company. They have many perks attached: all secret. There's the "Main Gate Pass", also for employees (all of these are "back in the day") which only gets YOU into the Park. Silver passes you usually get three more people in, with you being the fourth, and you can sign in people when working as long as you are on an official break or lunch. At one point, people had to be with their guest for a certain length of time before going back to work...don't know how that worked....even when I had a silver pass I don't think I used it....ever. All of my friends were Disney employees...and we just signed in on our ID's. Perhaps once I used it if I roll back the tape. When I ultimately left the Company they wanted the pass back even though it was not usable anymore:or pay $25 if "lost or damaged". If you did not surrender it at time of separation, they deducted it from your final paycheck- which they did. When I turned it in they issued another check. Same for employee ID....but I think that was $100. I was a bit bitter at the time about the Silver Pass as IF I was officially RETIRING after 10+ years of service I would be able to keep it AND use it into eternity. But if you are NOT retiring: you have to give it up and you get nothing. I had some "consistency issues" at the time as I didn't see the difference between the two. I understand it now: ultimately thousands of people would be getting in the park for free. The retirees: well....the longevity or desire to enter the park at all is questionable. I wouldn't say they cared too much about my POV as a young whippersnapper with a few more careers left in me. In my day the retirees got many perks, and were still very much part of the "family" with clubs, etc. Depending on who you were and what you did and who you knew, Creative Services would do a custom piece of Mickey Art...tailored for you (eg: someone went to work for the CIA and Mickey was in a trench coat/sunglasses/etc.) and the rest of your co-workers would sign around the borders. It was sweet. I unfortunately got nothing as I officially was not a "Disneyland employee" anymore (?) working at "WCO Port Properties" (Queen Mary) A company Disney set up after they went forward with plans for Disney Seas...never to be realized, (but kind of in Tokyo.) Disney is odd with seniority and whatnot: even when I transferred from ODV to GR I had to "quit" and "come back" to "prove" my "loyalty" and my "commitment" to the Company...and I basically went from Yellows one day to plaid the next with no break...so my seniority date was all over the map....same thing with the "temporary" gig at the QM. I actually was loyal and committed so I agreed to it all without a problem. In today's world, I'm not sure I would be so agreeable: especially when seniority dates are what governs things like Silver Passes, etc.....And now: I've gone down another rabbit hole. Thanks Major!
ReplyDeleteTommy: “Aw, gee whiz Pope”. Have to stay in character…
ReplyDeleteTinker Belle with the side eye, and the artist who had to have a hippo explained to him before drawing it, because he had never seen one…
Yes, no more days in the Park from rope drop till closing, not without going back to my room for a midday nap.
These are fun, Major. I see that “Fantasy in the Sky” has been around a long time, do they still call it that?
JG
K. Martinez, back in January, I got to the gates at 7 AM (walking there in the pouring rain), and stayed at the park until it closed at midnight. YES, I was pooped by the time I got back to my hotel!
ReplyDeleteNanook, I’ll have to look to see if I really do have any Special Guest Cards in my collection. I may be confusing those with something else.
TokyoMagic!, yes, I also did not know that they offered what was essentially a “passport” as far back as 1957.
JB, I am wondering if this version of Tink was designed by animator Tom Oreb, who designed some commercials with a “modernized” Mickey Mouse at about the same time? The only problem is that I don’t know if they would bug him about designing a park flyer. Monopoly! Boy do I dislike that game. My niece loved to play it, and it seemed to never end. Maybe that hippo is the rare “long nosed” variety that I just made up?
Bu, see my comment to Ken Martinez! The park is so expensive now that I feel as if I have to maximize my visits. I can sleep tomorrow! Do you actually wear headphones while at Disneyland? I’ve seen photos of old Gold Passes signed by Walt, imagine having one of those. I think Roger Broggie’s pass sold at auction for many thousands of dollars. I have some vintage Main Gate passes and some vintage Silver Passes, I guess I should scan those. Funny that they demanded the pass back from you when you left, I don’t get it. What’s the harm in you keeping it? And I’d want my employee ID, in fact I do still have mine from when I worked at the studio. I was a lowly and despised “red badge”, so I got almost no perks, which was kind of a drag, but I was so happy to be working there that it didn’t make a huge difference. When buying Christmas presents at the Disney Store that was on the lot, a nice woman standing in line next to me used her ID to get me the 20% that I would not have qualified for otherwise. I do wonder how many former employees are sick of going to Disneyland and never want to go back after they retire? One of my dear friends worked on Main Street for years, and when I’d visit her, the thought of going to the park made her cringe. We DID do it though! I think she had a love/hate relationship with the place. Did you go to the Queen Mary voluntarily? Or did they send you there and then take away all of your seniority? If the latter, that’s really crummy. “I don’t even WANT to go to Long Beach!”. But I’m sure you were being a “good soldier”. I love the idea of “proving your loyalty”, even though employers have NO loyalty to an employee, no matter how hard-working or enthusiastic. Rant! Complain! Gripe!
JG, “gee whiz, Pope”, nice. I wasn’t thinking “Catholic”, more “Episcopalian”. I kind of like the off-model hippo, it has charm. I doubt they call the fireworks show “Fantasy In the Sky” anymore, it lacks the words “wishes”, “magic”, and “dreams”.
thanks, Major, these are amazing artifacts... lots of nitty gritty here.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I just read that Walt Disney specifically decided around 1954 to NOT use Mickey Mouse for Disneyland branding, in case DL was a flop
A couple comments from the 'cheap seats'... First, the cost of going to Disneyland even back in 1957 felt like a luxury to most middle class families like mine. Seemed like we would plan 6 months in advance. And we lived in Lancaster CA, not NY, NY. Second...all this talk about passes made my head spin. So simple my time there as a "C" status employee with my Main Gate Pass. I could sign-in 3 people each day. I'd get a call from Main Gate saying my guests were waiting and when on break, I'd walk over to sign them in. Like BU though, most friends were CMs, so I didn't use the pass that frequently. My folks used the benefit the most. KS
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDelete"I doubt they call the fireworks show “Fantasy In the Sky” anymore, it lacks the words “wishes”, “magic”, and “dreams”.
Evidently it is (or was) still kicking around. Including Fantasy in the Sky there seems to be a total of five [different] fireworks shows. And rest easy, pardner, "dreams" and "magic" are incorporated into two shows. (Evidently all the "wishes" have been used up).
You’d think the special guest cards would be something I’ve seen before - maybe they are rare and just didn’t sell well?? I’d love to see one. I imagine it’s a die cut card stock shaped “key” with the castle on it with a brass grommet for string guests wear it around their necks……. If it probably a variation of the Silver pass or Autopia card.
ReplyDeleteMAJOR: what happens at the main gate if you wear a sailor uniform WITH a priest’s collar??
LTL, I’d also read that Walt didn’t want Mickey to be tainted in case Disneyland failed. Seems hard to believe that it wasn’t a sure thing, but it really was a big risk!
ReplyDeleteKS, I often see vintage items shared on Facebook (for example), and people think, “Wow, admission was only $5??”. Adjusted for inflation, that is more like $50, which is a bargain for us, but very expensive for the average family! I’m sure that’s why many of my trips to the park were on “Navy Nite”. I wish I’d known a cast member who would have gotten me in for free when I was old enough to drive there myself!
Nanook, ha ha, I am relieved that they have not given up on those important words!
Mike Cozart, I think (but am not sure) that maybe one of those Special Guest Cards was on eBay. Like I said earlier, I might be confusing it with something else. I’d be surprised if it was as fancy as you imagine, but it would be cool!
I remember going to the Magic Kingdom at WDW a few years ago for a day with closing extended to 1 AM. We rented a locker at 7 or 8 AM since we wanted jackets in case it got chilly. When we returned the key at the end of the night (they still had keys then), the CM commented, "you sure got your money's worth on that locker." I also remember the guy directing people to buses and ferries saying "good morning" to people as we passed.
ReplyDeleteNeither WDW nor I could manage a day like that anymore.
"For your convenience a Tourist Information Center is located in the Plaza Apartments on Main St...."
ReplyDeletePlaza Apartments??
Are you sure that's a hippo? Looks more like a hound dog.
Thanks for sharing these ticket flyers, Major.
Sue: all the buildings that n Main Street USA have/had prop businesses in them to look like a real town. The Disneyland Carefree Corner ( today the Plaza Pointe Christmas shop) was in the “Plaza Apartment building”. Other surviving examples include The Town Square Hotel ( the Disney Showcase Shop & Magic Shop) etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mike!
ReplyDelete