Knott's "Transfiguration" Souvenir

Today I am sharing one of my favorite oddball Knott's Berry Farm souvenirs!

Paul von Klieben was an early art director for the Berry Farm, and one of his first projects was a painting of Christ called "The Transfiguration", which could be found in the Little Chapel By The Lake (which was built just for this purpose). I will quote Chris Merritt's excellent book, "Knott's Preserved", because his description of the simple-yet-dramatic presentation is better than anything I could write!

"Entering the unadorned adobe church, guests would be seated in wooden pews and the room's dim lighting would diminish until only two golden doors were illuminated. As the recorded narration was played, the doors slowly opened to reveal von Klieben's painting... The focused lighting on The Transfiguration would gradually transition from incandescent to fluorescent and, magically, Christ's eyes would appear to open".

Zowie! Understandably, guests wanted a souvenir of this moving experience, and somebody came up with a clever concept. I realized that I have two slightly different versions of this item, one from when Knott's was known as "Knott's Berry Place" (probably pre-1947), and another from when it was the Berry Farm. The lighter, whiter copy is actually the older version. As you can see, both examples resemble a closed pair of heavy wooden doors, like you might find at one of the California missions.

Here's a view of the backs of both versions. Again, the older one is on the left.


Each version opened like a medieval triptych, with a detail of of Christ's portrait in the middle. If you compare the two, you can see that they are a bit different. The eyes are closed here, but there was an additional layer of glow-in-the-dark paint that was applied, and when you held it to a light and then viewed it in a darkened room, His eyes would be gazing at you. I hope you've been good!


The written description of Christ's physical appearance and demeanor is interesting. Yes, very very interesting. Maybe even weird.


I have the mailing envelope for the Knott's Berry Place version. Be sure to use a 3-cent stamp! I wonder what other Chapel souvenirs were available?


And finally, thanks to a 25 second exposure, here is the glowing portrait with the eyes open! Cue the heavenly music. Part of what I love about this souvenir is the honest sincerity in which it is presented. There is no crass commercialism or irony to be found. Sadly, the little chapel has been torn down; hopefully von Kleiben's painting survives somewhere.


Once again, I would like to recommend "Knott's Preserved" for anyone interested in Knott's or theme park history in general!

Small World Clock, January 1975

It's a Small World is one of those attractions that you either love or hate, it seems. I happen to love it! The song doesn't get on my nerves the way it does for others. Anyway, even people who don't like the ride seem to appreciate the fanciful Mary Blair-inspired exterior with its ticking clock.

And as you probably already know, every 15 minutes the clock goes crazy! Gears turn, springs sproing, and doors open to reveal a parade of children from around the world.


Even I can tell what time it is! Wouldn't you love to be able to see the inner workings?


Here's one more view! I see a Scotsman, a Spanish flamenco dancer, a French cancan dancer, an Irishman, a vaquero from Argentina, and somebody in the background wearing a tutti-frutti hat (so... Brazil I guess). Not sure about the fellow with the accordion... does anybody know?

"Souvenir Dungeon" - Pic Pak Viewer

Welcome to the Souvenir Dungeon! Sorry about the smell. Every once in a while we'll delve into the mouldering depths of the dungeon, and see what we can find.

I loves me some vintage cheap Disneyland souvenirs, and today's entry is a great example. It is a "Pic Pak" Viewer; 34 color views (that's a lotta views!) all contained in a sturdy little plastic box. While undated, it must be from 1955 or early '56 - there's no Skyway in Tomorrowland. I seem to remember one of these (with blue plastic instead of black) from Bruce Gordon's estate being sold on ebay ($$$).


Mine has some wear, but that just means that some kid loved it a lot. I'm going to be sending $1.00 cash money to the American Souvenir Company in Garden Grove and suggest that you do the same.


Hey, guess what? I went to the trouble of attempting to photograph each of the 34 tiny images for you by putting my camera up to the eyepiece, which was trickier than you think (unless you think it was really tricky). The results are iffy, but you don't have to look at them. I'll be terribly disappointed if you don't, but fine, whatever. I combined them into groups to cut down on the tedium.

Notice that the station and buildings on Main Street have red, white and blue bunting. Opening day bunting?

More bunting. Bunting, bunting!



I love this shot of the little Frontierland Station.


"Donkey rides"?? They are mules, dammit, MULES! Or maybe they are donkeys.


The "pavilion of days gone by" is so poetic, and kind of sad. I go to Disneyland to feel sad.


The end of Dumbo's trunk is painted red, like a cartoon kiss.


In the early days there were big helium balloons on cables hovering over Tomorrowland, like barrage balloons in WWII-era London. They added a bit of movement and visual interest to this largely unfinished land.


That last picture is especially gray and mungy, isn't it?

I hope that you have enjoyed today's visit to the Souvenir Dungeon and that you are all jealous of my Pic Pak!

Lion Country Safari

Let's take a trip to Lion Country Safari, in glamorous, exciting Irvine, California! We'll have to go back in time to do it, though - - there were 6 Lion Country Safaris at one time or another (including Cincinnati, Atlanta, Dallas, Richmond, and West Palm Beach) but the Irvine version closed in 1984.

I love this wonderful shot of the marquee that could be seen at the park's entrance! Check out the undeveloped land in the background... I guarantee that it is all covered in buildings today.


Peek a boo! These huts resemble the kind found in various South African villages, with their thatched roofs and brightly-colored and whitewashed exteriors. I'm not sure if they were just empty shells or if you could go inside.


Dammit, if I wanted to see tigers I would have gone to Tiger Country Safari! I demand my money back, plus and additional $100,000 for pain and suffering.

Adventureland, '57

The entrance to Adventureland hints at the exotic and strange sights that you would see if you dared to cross that bridge and leave civilization behind. Grass-thatched huts, native shields and spears, and human skulls were all a little "pre-show" for the Jungle Cruise - which was really the only attraction for years.

There's the giant man-eating python. I never take a bath before going to Disneyland in order to be as un-delicious as possible.


Here's the front side of Schweitzer Falls, before global warming reduced it to the trickle that you see today.

Major Pepperidge's Photo Class

Here are two lessons on how to take pictures at Disneyland!

First up, be sure to focus on an uninteresting lamp post/mail box while leaving the rest of Main Street as a blur in the background. Be sure to bisect the frame symmetrically as possible. Make sure to lean a bit to the left so that everything is a bit off kilter.


Make sure to have all of the subjects of interest far away and behind foliage, or lost in shadow. Tilted to the left? Check! This image reminds me of the unknown master who took this series of photos.

"Anything Goes" Saturday... Vegas Style!

Well, Junior Gorillas, today marks the first "Anything Goes" entry on this blog; which is to say that on one or two days a week (probably weekends), you just never know what you are going to see. I'm going to delve into my not-very-vast collection of non-theme park/World's Fair images (only a box or two), and see how it goes. If nothing else, these posts should introduce a bit more variety to what is normally seen here, and hopefully that will be a good thing.

Today I chose this photo from 1964, with a happy group of folks posing in front of the old marquee for the Tropicana hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's like a giant pineapple crown, which is apropos (I just wanted an excuse to use the word "apropos"). Love the sign for the Golf Club Motel in the background, too.


Here's the pool, which is not as vast and over-the-top as some of the pools you'll see in Vegas today. No water slides or wave machines... but it still looks mighty inviting, especially on one of those 100+ degree days.


And just because, here is the classic Stardust casino in 1962, only four years after it had opened. I love the planets and stars, and of course at night it shimmered in colorful neon. The Stardust closed in 2006, and was imploded in 2007.


I hope you've enjoyed this first Anything Goes installment!

Knott's Berry Farm 1955

1955 is probably best known to readers of this blog as the year that Disneyland opened. Knott's Berry Farm had been around for many years at that point, and luckily for us, it did not whither and die when its flashy new neighbor moved in - in fact, it thrived!

Here's a beautiful photo of one of the magnificent steam locomotives. I really love these earlier shots of the trains, when they still had their more subdued, authentic paint schemes. All of today's photos are from stereo slides, but I resisted the temptation to turn them into wiggling (headache-inducing?) animated gifs.


I don't recall seeing photos of the "Lucky Cuss" mine before. This apparatus apparently hoisted up buckets full of ore-laden rock and dirt and dumped it into that wagon. The dirt was then panned by Knott's visitors nearby. I think that might be the ticket booth for the gold panning visible behind the wagon and through the timbers.


And there's Old Betsy! You can still see her at Knott's today.

New York World's Fair

Four more from the Fair!

What an amazing sight this must have been, standing on the observation deck of the New York pavilion, 200 feet up. I'm trying to imagine this scene with the additions of sound and wind and of course, movement! The US Royal Tires Ferris Wheel is a familiar landmark; beyond it is part of the Chrysler pavilion, including the giant car that you could walk beneath. Sinclair's Dinoland is right in front of us. At the top of the photo you can see a wavy structure that is...


... the Hall of Science! Exhibits included a rendevous in space, realistically simulated with special effects. There was also something called "Atomsville U.S.A.", which explained nuclear energy to kids (and probably a few adults as well). And a "brain" consisting of 38 miles of wires and 30,000 lights was part of a display that helped folks to understand the senses and perception. This building still stands today! I'd love to check it out.


Nearby was the U.S. Space Park. Oh man, I would have loved this too! Rockets, as big as the real versions that were sending astronauts into space, right in front of you! You could even touch them. This one is a replica of a Titan II (110 feet high), with a Gemini capsule on top of it. Gemini missions would start launching in 1965.


And finally, just because I thought it was an especially neat picture, here is the Unisphere (also seen from the New York pavilion tower) looking suitably spectacular.

One Man's Trash...

Some people would consider today's items to be worthless garbage. But I prefer the collector's favorite term, "ephemera"!

ephemera: əˈfem(ə)rə - items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity.

Yep, that just about covers it! Let's start with this very pink bag from Taylor & Hume's Magicland over at the Disneyland Hotel. Taylor & Hume also ran the Magic Shop on Main Street (and, I think, Merlin's Magic Shop in Fantasyland). It's a plastic bag, for garshsakes, so avid lovers of paper collectibles will despise it. But I like it! I got this for 99 cents, and the seller thought it was from the late 1960's. I'm guessing that it could be from the 1970's. Let's go buy some magic tricks and liquor.


Here's a neat little throw-away item (that is, normal people would throw it away) from the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship in Fantasyland. I'd like to think that the white sword was run through a delicious tunaburger. (See the recipe on Kevin Kidney's wonderful blog). There is no date, but it has to be 1969 or before. I love the original CoS mermaid!