I hope I never meet a person who hates the Omnibus. Talk about a red flag! "You, sir, are disturbed!". I walk up to at least six people a day to tell them that very thing. We've lost our Surreys, and the old Chemical Wagon is out of action inside the Firehouse, but by golly, we still have our Omnibuses. I finally rode one about two years ago, after one failed attempt (they don't let guests up to the top level if the steps on the spiral staircase are wet from rain). It was fun! As you can see, Donald Duck is aboard this Omnibus for a ride, much to the amusement of the guests (and even the sweeper).
We get a great portrait of a nice family just before they deplaned, and we also get an excellent look at those beautiful mini-posters on the side. I'm not sure if those were silkscreened or hand-painted onto steel panels, but either way, they are awesome. They occasionally show up at auction, and fetch thousands of dollars apiece. I was going to pick a favorite, but realized that I just couldn't do it.
It's been a while.
ReplyDeleteLast time I went to Disneyland, I rode the Omnibus, Fire Engine, Horseless Carriage and Horsedrawn Streetcar one after the other for two complete circuits around Main Street. I didn't realize the Streetcar was horse drawn. I thought it was drawn by Gurr.
Thanks,
Ken Martinez
The two ladies sitting up top are sure amused at something! On the left edge of the pic we can see part of an arm with a hand attached pointing up at the ladies. And the two gals holding those classic psychedelic shopping bags are also amused. But I sure can't tell what the source of the amusement is. Is it just Donald? It doesn't look like it.
ReplyDeleteI think Melissa will agree that today's fashion award goes to the little girl in front of the Sweeper's trashcan. All decked out in red and white; she looks like the "Strawberry Shortcake" doll!
Wow, the "nice family" sure got dressed up to go to the Park! Well, most of 'em did. The boy with the coonskin cap looks the way most people looked in the early seventies. Mom has a giant-sized version of the shopping bags we saw in the first pic. I can't decide on a favorite poster either, but it's between the Jungle Cruise and Monstro. We also see a nice golden-orange Mouse Ear balloon.
Ken, I'm sure the horse helped Bob with the drawing. So it gets some of the credit!
Nice photos with nice people. Thanks, Major.
Recalling the WDW resort buses in the 80s. My parents were impressed by how clean they were. I was impressed by the ad cards for Disney Afternoon shows. When you were in the bubble, you were in the bubble.
ReplyDeleteLike JB, I noticed that arm of the far left, pointing up to the two ladies on the second level of the Omnibus. I wonder if they knew each other? Or did the person on the ground hear that one lady's very loud belch, and that is why she is covering her mouth, and why her friend is laughing so hard. We may never know.
ReplyDeleteI always loved those mini attraction posters. I liked how they used the familiar graphics of the larger posters, but had them arranged differently due to their size and horizontal layout.
Thanks for these really nice and kind of unusual Omnibus pics, Major!
ReplyDeleteFor some odd reason, the very tall gentleman in the beard and striped tank top in the first photo is standing out to me. Tank tops…I had a few as a kid in the ‘70s. Fellas, what were we thinking?
Ken, nice to see you! It’s true that the streetcars were horse-drawn. Bob would occasionally saddle his assistants with an important rendering.
Donald is confused because he thought all double decker busses were right hand drivers. Just as well, as he has a slight road rage problem.
ReplyDeleteI spy Orville Redenbacher and wife framed by the front window in the second photo! Wow, you never know who you're going to see at Disneyland!
"I spy Orville Redenbacher and wife framed by the front window in the second photo!"
ReplyDeleteStu, WOW! You can even see one of Orville's suspenders. But I don't think that's his wife. I believe that is Lillian Disney! ;-)
The girls under the Market House sign were the Beatles inspiration for The Girls with Kaleidoscope Bags. Strawberry Shortcake has that 'Where's Mommy ' look.
ReplyDeleteIn my old age I will also slow down and ride various vehicles. The Omnibus is my favorite unless they let me drive the Firetruck.
Thanks for the ride, Major.
Zach
Donald is hitching a ride to the No-Pants Coaster, why walk when you can ride!
ReplyDeleteThese are rare Main Street views with no trash cans, unless we count the one driven by the White Wing sweeper.
I notice the bus has a California license plate, so these were street-legal? I vaguely remember Mike Cozart explaining that.
I agree, those poster panels are very much collectible. If I had a choice, I’d take the Jungle Cruise because elephants and rhinos. I wonder what is in Mom’s fancy bag? School clothes for the kids to prove they went to Disneyland?
Thanks for the bus travel memories, Major!
JG
Ken, Welcome back! Take all the time you need for yourself, this blog will be here!
ReplyDeleteJB, yes, I wondered what those ladies on the top level were laughing at. The only thing that would make somebody laugh that much is Milton Berle, perhaps he was standing just off-camera being incredibly hilarious as always. “Makeup!”. Classic, I’m laughing while I’m typing. I love that the boy is wearing a coonskin cap, by 1972 I would assume sales of those went way down. I heard rumors that they used cats for those, but you never know.
DBenson, I’m glad that the buses at WDW were clean; there’s just something disappointing about taking buses when we’ve all seen the photos of the Monorails, as if that’s how everyone got around for everything.
TokyoMagic!, that arm is doing a one-finger point, so it isn’t a Disney employee. Or if it is, it’s a BAD one. A loud belch would make anyone laugh, it’s almost as good as a fart joke. ALMOST. I also like the way those mini-posters were rearranged versions of the full-sized ones, though I do wonder why they made the Storybook Land mini-poster with a blue background instead of yellow like its big brother?
Chuck, yes, tank tops in the 70s were a big deal. And those visors that sort of clipped to your head. And long sweat socks, and tennis shorts. It’s like everyone was going to be competing at Wimbledon.
Stu29573, Donald has traveled the world as a sailor, so he gets confused as to which side has the steering wheel. Do they put it on the left side or the right side in Tahiti?? I could never be a driver of a Main Street vehicle, I’d get too frustrated at all the people who won’t get out of the way! Wow, it’s great to see Orville.
TokyoMagic!, I don’t even want to know why Orville was with Lillian.
zach, I love the sortof counterculture look of some of the girls, it takes me back. I still remember my family went to San Francisco in the early 70s, and I was fascinated by the hippies! I guess living in Huntington Beach I was more used to the surfer types.
JG, we can count the sweeper’s trashcan, but we must put an asterisk next to it. I think you’re right, somebody explained why the vehicles had CA license plates. But I forget the reason! Perhaps on occasion they ventured out of the park onto some of the side streets, even if just going “backstage”? I love the Rainbow Caverns mini-poster, but the Storybook Land example really draws my eye.
Major-
ReplyDeleteI forget what Mike said, but at the very least, the Disneyland Hotel Tram needed to be licensed as it crossed [the then] West Street making its daily rounds. I presume many of the vehicles were licensed for similar reasons.
On the other hand, [at one time, at least] "Disneyland was taxed like a town of it's own. Utilities, streets and roads, motor vehicles, food sales, etc. The plate was a device to place the tax stamp (we know it as the licence registration renewal), and that ALL motor vehicles in the state must be registered and have a plate (even if only used on private land) which included farms and such. The vehicle also was taxed as a commercial carrier. Later, Disney got a variance to delete the plate, but still had to pay".
Holy crud, JB said EXACTLY what I was thinking about Strawberry Shortcake!
ReplyDeleteThe boy just about to walk under the "Market House" sign grew up to be Colonel Mustard. Legend says he did it in the Opera House with a stale churro.
I think the Mom and kids in the second picture may have been the subject of the picture, since Mom and the older daughter are looking at the camera. Dad's probably over on the sidewalk, yelling something about saying cheese, and hoping the giant mouse doesn't hear him.
I haven't gotten to ride any of the Main St. Vehicles since my early teens - either they weren't running when I was there (usually), or the people I was with weren't interested. But they're some of the fondest memories of those early trips.
The original Disneyland omnibus ad card panels were all hand painted EXCEPT the 1972 Bear Country ad - it was silkscreened however because it had been touched up by hand over the years many collectors mistakenly think it too is hand painted.
ReplyDeleteThe WDW 1971 omnibuses didn’t get their ad card panels till 1972. Theirs were lithographed then applied to aluminum panels with an aerospace coating over them ( done at the Martin Marietta Plant in Florida) the replacement ad cards in the late 90’s were digital prints - with a UV coating .
The current WDW omnibus ad cards are screenprinted on aluminum and no longer feature park attractions but Main Street shops & businesses.
TOKYO DISNEYLAND : the 1983-1990 ad cards were screen printed on aluminum. The current versions are mostly the same artwork but digital output applied directly to aluminum. ( these are attractions ads)
DISNEYLAND PARIS : Main Street USA shops & businesses screenprinted on aluminum
HONG KONG DISNEYLAND : Main Street shops and businesses screenprinted on aluminum.
EPCOT - WORLD SHOWCASE BUSES : ad cards for world showcase pavilions were designed but never put into production or used.
Nanook, it makes sense that the Hotel tram would need a license, but I wasn’t sure about vehicles such as the Omnibus. Thank you for that info about how “Disneyland was taxed like a town of its own”. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, li’l Strawbs looks pretty cute, I’m sure her mom spent lots of time putting together adorable outfits for her. Who needs dolls? I like that boy’s mustard-yellow shirt! You could be right about the ruckus going on in both photos, we will never know for sure though. I still need to ride the Motorized Fire Truck, and a Horseless Carriage, but those should be easily doable next time!
Mike Cozart, oh cool, I know I have seen some of those “mini posters” in person, and I had the feeling that they could have been hand-painted. But they were beautifully done, so they could have been screen-printed too. I really love them! I’m amazed how much info you have about all those signs and such! I’d think that screen printing would be so much easier today, with machines that can cut the shapes perfectly. I just found a slide with a photo of an EPCOT Omnibus, I thought of you when I found it! I think the bus is painted a yellow similar to a regular schoolbus. If I recall correctly, you said that the EPCOT Omnibuses were originally from Disneyland.
IDK, Maj, I'm starting to doubt myself about the second picture. The floral dress Mom probably goes with the floral dress daughters, and the brown and blue separates Mom with the brown and blue separates son. Maybe they're one extended family; the three kids look like they could be cousins out with their mothers. Maybe I'm projecting (it's not like I've ever been the younger floral dress daughter, no, not me). All's I know is, that bus is kind of British Racing Green,
ReplyDelete"TokyoMagic!, I don’t even want to know why Orville was with Lillian."
ReplyDeleteMajor, she liked the way he popped her corns.