July, 1969
Here's a nice duo of scans from July of 1969. Perhaps Apollo 11 was on its way to the Moon! This first example is a fun look at all Three Little Pigs, marching with the Big Bad Wolf. He has reformed his evil ways, but he's still a wolf, and can't stop dreaming about pork chops and bacon (that explains the lolling tongue). It's fun to see the smiles on some of the nearby guests. Overhead, the yellow Mark II Monorail passes with a peculiar hum and whoosh. I hope the pilot honks the air horn in a "shave and a haircut - two bits" rhythm.
Next, a somewhat standard (but still nice) view of the Sub Lagoon as seen from the Skyway. The "Ethan Allen" glides by below, and two Peoplemover trains move slowly above it. The Fantasyland Autopia (hello, Screechy!) appears to have quite a large queue, while other guests make their way back to It's a Small World. One Motor Boat makes a surprise cameo.
13 comments:
I see that Monorail Gold has the Santa Fe logo on it. Love how the people inside the monorail are visible and looking outward. The Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs are a nice touch.
The second image is wonderful showing the layers of transportation. Both pics are tops today. Thanks, Major.
I'm with the Wolf; those (not so) Little Pigs wouldn't last long in our house. ;-)
The 3 Pigs: (left to right) Clueless Pig, Tasty Pig, and Grouchy Pig. Just above Grouchy Pig's head we can see a blue PeopleMover. But no purple PeopleEater in sight.
So, is the Fantasyland Screechy, Screechy 1 or Screechy 2? This is a good photo; lots of movement, lots of levels. I'm surprised the Motor Boat is in focus, considering that they travel at near Mach 1 speeds. Love the deep sapphire blue water of the Sub Lagoon... or is it azure? Or Clorox blue?
Like Nanook said, these pics are better than most. Thanks, Major.
It looks as though one of the Monorail passengers might have fallen asleep. Or maybe he/she was just bored? Maybe they were from a country where Monorails are commonplace? Or maybe they just hated Disneyland and were counting the minutes until they could get the heck out of there?
Thanks for the 1969 views, Major!
Is that the Global Van Lines building rising in the haze to the right of iasw?
We’ve discussed before but by Easter 1969 all four of the new 1969 MARK III MONORAILS had long completed their testing trials and were in full operation along with the new Tomorrowland Monorail station.
I remember those pig costumes, you could just make out that the poor CM had to squint out through that tiny slot in the hat and where did their arms fit in that outfit? The character arms are stuffed and just flop around. They should have had helpers to navigate them. The wolf’s tongue was made of that shiny “wet-look” vinyl, very much in the spirit of the thing.
Hooray for the Santa Fe sign and a blue PeopleMover!
It’s good to see a nuclear submarine named after a furniture store, or is it the other way round? And to see a yellow PeopleMover, Autopia car, AND motorboat all at once. There are other colors lurking out there, we can see bits through the trees. A beautiful photo.
Thanks for these today, Major. A good start to the week!
JG
Yes, I think so. It’s big, blue and in the right spot.
JG
Well yes, I thought that, but hadn't got around to saying it... yet-!
Thanks, Major.
K. Martinez, it’s funny how we love those old sponsors, such as Monsanto, or GE, or *definitely* Santa Fe. They are like old friends. I do like the very “Disneyland” scenes with the characters, and the other one showing a part of incredibly Tomorrowland!
JB, sometimes I will look at a person and they will turn into a giant drumstick. That’s normal, right? I wish they’d called the Practical Pig the “Grouchy Pig”. I think that’s the Fantasyland Screechy, but they are clones of one another, so even genetic testing wouldn’t help. The blue lagoon is something I will miss so much if the subs are ever removed - all that water is beautiful.
Nanook, you can always just send me a Candygram!
TokyoMagic!, that’s the trouble with kids these days, they don’t appreciate a Monorail. All they do is twerk and look at their cell phones. I actually know people who hate Disneyland, so that is not impossible.
Chuck, I think you might be right about the Global Van Lines building, though I didn’t think it was that tall. Maybe TokyoMagic can verify?
JG, was the Global Van Lines building blue?!?
Mike Cozart, I know you are right, and yet… that sure looks like a Mark II Monorail to me.
JG, I’m sure you remember several stories from people claiming to have been fondled by one of the little pigs, or even hit by them. Only for the claimant to discover that the arms hang uselessly at the sides. Whoops. I suppose it is possible that a pig that was turning might have gently brushed somebody thanks to centrifugal force. One of my top three forces! I’m wondering why there is a furniture store named after Ethan Allan. At least Paul Revere was an actual silversmith. Maybe Ethan built birdhouses in his spare time.
Another clue these pictures were probably taken sometime in 1968 :
Mark 2 Monorail
Mark 6 Autopia cars in fantasyland : in late 1967 the new Mark 7 Autopia began testing on the Tomorrowland roadway …. And the new cars were integrated into all 4 roadways by 1969 - Fantasyland Autopia was the last to operate the Mark 6 cars .
The PeopleMover in these images has the first versions of the safety bars … installed in 1968 when the PeopleMover cars had their warped ABS bodies replaced with fiberglass .it’s nitpicking but the slides were probably developed in 1969 but show a 1968 visit.
But on the other hand they could be proof that what was thought to be true … isn’t .
Oops, sorry J. Nartubez (haha), I'm so used to following Nanook that I didn't check to see who commented before me. And to Nanook, I guess I didn't waste my Bitcoins on those Kreskin Mind Reading courses after all!
Soooo, Major Pepperidge now goes by the username "Anonymous"? That could get confusing!
Mike Cozart, yep, even though these are date-stamped “July 1969”, it’s pretty clear that they were actually taken quite a bit earlier. It’s always a little weird to me that people waited so long to process their rolls of film, but on the other hand, it wasn’t cheap, and maybe they waited for some worthy occasion to use up the entire roll of film.
JB, I was going to say something, but didn’t want to make you cry. I’m sensitive that way. Can I have some of those Bitcoins? Just a couple?! Ha, I didn’t notice that I needed to sign into Google (at my mom’s house), so I wound up being Anonymous.
Chuck, I think you might be right about the Global Van Lines building, though I didn’t think it was that tall. Maybe TokyoMagic can verify?
That building doesn't quite look like the Global Van Lines building to me, but I can't figure out what else it would be. Maybe it was under construction at the time the photo was taken, and that's why it looks different?
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