Tomorrowland, 1956-ish

Tomorrowland, 1950s-style. My favorite! After singing doo-wop around a trashcan, my friends and I would ride our scooters (made from scraps) over to Disneyland, combing our greasy hair the entire time. Those were the days. 

There it is, right in front of us! All we must do is take a few steps forward and we will be in THE LAND OF TOMORROW. Maybe buy an ice cream bar first, they might not have ice cream in 1986. My understanding is that they'll eat a "miracle food of high energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world" (anyone? anyone?).  Plankton? Give me two scoops! That boys in front of us are all bundled up, you can't tell, but this was likely December (based on other photos in the batch). The Clock of the World and the Moonliner beckon to us, but be sure to appreciate the beautiful attraction posters along the way.

Next is one that is not as crisp as I'd like, but I still enjoy the image of guests gathered in front of the Rocket to the Moon attraction. Another hint that this is an early ('55 or '56) photo is that no females are wearing pants... it seems as if, by 1957, you'd see that a lot more. Mom (to the right) is examining her ticket book, I'm assuming the girls with her are a combination of her own children and maybe some of their friends. As JG pointed out in an earlier post, the "TO THE ROCKETS" sign is awesome.

Gate Handouts, 1960 to 1964

I hope you find vintage Disneyland paper ephemera as interesting as I do! Today I'm going to share scans of five "WELCOME" gate handouts, all sharing a similar design that began in 1960. These are among the first paper items I collected, and I still love them. Below is a look at the covers of all five:

Here's the 1960 version. The simple graphics on the cover show five characters who fit into the five themed areas of Disneyland. You know them as well as I do! As you can see, the brochure offers handy information about special shows and exhibits (including the Upjohn Pharmacy and the Monsanto House of the Future), as well as tips on where to get first aid, where to board your beloved pets, lockers, rest rooms, and more.

The other side unfolds to reveal a charming little cartoon map of the park, with callouts for each land listing the attractions found within. Interestingly, the Monorail is listed, but was not represented in the drawing. 

The 1961 example looks much like the one from the previous year; in fact I used to just think that there was only one "blue one", until a friend set me straight. One of the main differences is the omission of the Crane exhibit in Tomorrowland.

Now the map shows the Monorail with its track extending to the Disneyland Hotel, and it also lists the Flying Saucers as one of the Tomorrowland attractions. 

Next is the 1962 version, somebody finally came up with the genius idea to switch out the color. And it's orange, voted "Best Color Ever" in LIFE magazine. For some reason, this '62 handout is considerably harder to find than all of the others, and I've never had a good theory as to WHY.

Notice that the Enchanted Tiki Room is listed under the header "Complete Meals and Specialty Foods" - as most of you know, the Tiki Room was originally planned as a restaurant.

As far as I can tell, the map hasn't changed much (except for the color of course). 

Next, the pink one - from 1963. Another example that I should upgrade, but... you know. Lazy. Or cheap. Why not both?

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is now properly listed as an Adventureland attraction. I can't think of any other significant changes from '62. Feel free to point out anything I missed

And finally, the green 1964 example, the last of this style; in 1965, they came up with a whole new design for the "Tencennial".

The map changed drastically, and I can't say I love it. Green and grays, and combinations of both. Like a moldy avocado. And it has been reduced to minimal graphics for some reason. Why not just keep using the fun drawing from the previous four years? Meanwhile, there were changes to some older rides ("Astrojet" became "Tomorrowland Jets" - not that you would know it from this map), but nothing major was added.

Well, that's it for this batch! Maybe it was too much, but it felt wrong to split these up into more than one post. I'm just happy to know that the time you spent reading this blog article kept you out of the speakeasies and opium dens.

New Year's Day

Happy New Year! Did you have fun last night? I sat in my home all by myself, staring at the wall, but it was pretty fun. So, what photos could I share on January 1st? I know just the thing! I have two vintage images from the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena - well, actually from after the parade, when the flower-covered parade floats were parked near the Rose Bowl for guests to admire up close.

The 1954 parade's theme was "Famous Books in Flowers"; See's Candy (still a SoCal favorite) sponsored a float featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I haven't been able to find any mention of Disney's involvement with See's, but the characters are all easily recognizable as "the Disney versions". Grumpy! Sneezy! Happy! Dopey! Crunchy! And the rest. To the right of the cottage we see two interlopers, one wearing a chef's toque, which means he is whipping up a batch of candy, hopefully some classic liver brittle. Just like grandma used to make!

You'd hardly know it, but the stately San Gabriel mountains are back there - sometimes the televised parade would show Pasadena in glorious sunshine while the mountains had a frosting of snow. Beautiful! But this day looks smoggy, sadly - unusual for a Winter day. The float with the clock is the "Cinderella Float", sponsored by Minute Maid Orange Juice. 

Let's all hope that we have a sane and happy 2025!