Japanese Village, Buena Park - October 1973

Not far from Knott's Berry Farm and Movieland Wax Museum, you once could find a fun little park called Japanese Village. JV was a beautiful little oasis in the middle of Buena Park; formal gardens, koi ponds, doves, deer (of course), and more. There were also a number of animal shows, performing seals, dolphins, bears, and more. How about a demonstration of martial arts? They had that too, I'm guessing at least partly due to the popularity of Bruce Lee, and the movie "Billy Jack". Here's a great photo at a tori gate, obviously placed there for pictures like this.

By the time these photos were taken in 1973, Japanese Village only had about two more years before it would close. It had a brief return (with a number of changes) as "Enchanted Village", which opened in 1976 and closed only a year or so later. 

More From WDW, December 1971

I have a few more pictures from Walt Disney World, taken only about three months after the grand opening. 

Things are busy over in Fantasyland, which at the time was considerably more fancy than the Disneyland version. Being unfamiliar with the Magic Kingdom, I can't identify much in the picture... it looks like there is a dark ride façade almost right in the middle of the photo, but which one? Notice the ticket and info booth to our left, and the Skyway overhead.

Adventureland certainly has a different ambiance when compared to its Anaheim counterpart. It feels a bit too clean and sterile, maybe a bit of patina and faux grime would help, or some small amount of "visual clutter", although that wasn't Disney's style at all back then. 

The Autopia over in Tomorrowland appears to be pretty big (you'll see more photos of that attraction in the future); considering that Disneyland used to have two (or even three) Autopias at one time, I'm sure the Imagineers expected to have at least as many riders on their one attraction. The iconic A-framed Contemporary Hotel makes for a fitting background.

Stay tuned for more WDW pictures!

Knott's Berry Farm, August 1963

Oh boy, more Knott's Berry Farm! Unless you don't like Knott's, in which case you are frowning right now. Frowning is cool.

The Indian chief is a real chick magnet. It must be the bonnet, ladies love bonnets! That's why I am introducing my own line of genu-ine feather bonnets. Look for the name "GorillaCo" (made in the USA) on the label, accept no imitations.

Another train robbery ends in typical hilarious fashion - with a dead guy! I want his boots. The conductor and undertaker don't seem even remotely concerned... this is just business as usual. 

Look, ma, a performing minky! This one will caper and dance and doff his little chapeau in exchange for cold hard cash (or cigarettes). You can just see part of a sign that asks people not to tease the minky; I guess some people really are that dumb. We love you, Mr. Minky! 

Tomorrowland, September 1959

I always love a good picture of the earliest versions of the Monorail, when it was only 3 cars long. It looks sort of stubby, and more than a little bit like the famous (and expensive) Schuco toys that were sold at the parks and other stores. On a side note, I accidentally gave the files names an August 1963 date, which is stupid because the Monorail was lengthened to 4 cars in 1961. So there.

More lagoon action, with the Monorail/Sub station and the Skyway buckets. If you look carefully you can see a single tiny American flag to the far right, likely left over from the dedication of the Monorail, Subs, and Matterhorn.

Merms, 1966

I love merms! You used to see merms at Disneyland, lounging around the lagoon, playing lyres, combing their tresses, and frying baloney. There's three of them in this photo, I thought they usually worked in pairs. They are probably discussing what products to buy that will make their scales more lustrous and barnacle-free. How about Clairol's "Fin-tastic"?

The shadow of the Matterhorn provides some relief from the sun, while a thick coating of lard protects their skin from the chlorine in the water.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Our nation's capital! We might not like what's going on there most of the time, but it can be a fun place to visit. My first experience was during a school field trip (taking a bus all the way fromPennsylvania), and it was very exciting! 

Anyway, today I have two vintage pix from D.C., starting with this 1947 photo of the Capitol building. Construction began in 1793, and continued for many years through various expansions. The cast iron dome (which weighs nearly 9 million pounds) was added in 1863. The giant Slurpee machine was added in 1974. I love the old cars, the old-fashioned stop sign and the general park-like ambiance.

From "sometime in the 1950's" we have this nice picture of the Jefferson Memorial. I always assumed it was built as a tribute to Jefferson Airplane, but it turns out that we once had a President named Thomas Jefferson. Who knew! I wonder if he liked tacos. 

Franklin Roosevelt encouraged the idea of a Memorial to T.J., and this Beaux-Arts style building began construction in 1938; it was officially dedicated by F.D.R. in 1943. The bronze statue of Jefferson was added in 1947.

Fantasyland, 8-15-59

Here are two bright, sunshiny photos from August 1959, mere weeks after the debut of the Mighty Matterhorn (among other things).  Jolly stripes are the thing, from the sails of the Pirate Ship to the umbrellas, the Storybook Land ticket booth, and various tents. This elevated perspective was presumably taken from the Monorail.

I suppose it was almost inevitable that we would get a picture of the Matterhorn. Those blue banners were seen for a few months around its debut. Joe Football and Cindy Pepsquad make a great looking couple, don't they?

Two From August 27, 1965

Both of today's photos are dated "August 27, 1965", which helps us to find some fun specific information about that particular day (thanks, as always, to Jason's Disneyland Almanac). It was a Friday, and the park was open from 9 o'clock AM until 1 o'clock the following morning. It was hot (a high of 89º), and the attendance was 34,255. 

First up is this nice shot of the Haunted Mansion, some four years before the attraction would actually open. It looks so beautiful and grand... if you showed somebody this photo out of context, they probably wouldn't guess that this is a picture from an amusement park. Just look at it! So detailed and elegant. The color might be a bit off here, but the decorative wrought iron does not appear to be as green as it is painted today.

What do you do when you are aboard the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship? You might grab a bite to eat in the galley, but mostly it was fun to explore and to enjoy the elevated viewpoint from the decks. The whirling, colorful teacups attracted the eyes of many photographers; how could it not? Behind the teacups is the tent with the Carrousel, which is surrounded by all of the old Fantasyland dark rides.

Knott's Train, October 1967

Choo-choo! Choo-choo! That's what I yell uncontrollably every time I see the trains at Knott's Berry Farm. I also jump up and down and point. It's kind of embarrassing, and might be a form of Tourette's. Fortunately, my friends and loved ones are used to it. But man, just look at that beautiful locomotive, is it any wonder that I get so worked up? I think the water tower is leaning slightly, or maybe it's just me.

Knott's needs to hire some Pinkertons, because the train gets robbed every time! You'll be sitting there, staring out the window as the world passes sloooooowly by (the Knott's train does go really slow), when you will be startled by a very loud BANG! BANG! These guys use blanks (ever since the Geneva Convention), but it still scares the pants off of everyone. Each day the robbers acquire huge piles of purses, wallets, and cell phones, prescription drugs, and watches, which really raises the day's receipts! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! 

Let's all make some crazy resolutions on this significant day, shall we? I promise to try a new weird flavor at the frozen yogurt place near me (maybe coconut, yuck), and to replace any old, frazzled socks and underwear. These are resolutions I can live with!

Meanwhile, let's enjoy some nice Instamatic photos of Disneyland's Mine Train, just because. Everyone loves the Mine Train! This first one is a great and unusual view of a little train as it passes over a waterfall and is about to go through a tunnel. Notice the Pack Mule riders, just visible above the tunnel. I really love this picture!

This Instamatic negative was actually cut into two pieces, but thanks to the miracle of Photoshop's cloning tool, I could put them back together seamlessly. This is another fantastic view; If you look at the top photo, the locomotive looks too small to admit guests and the engineer, and yet I think that the photo was taken from the cab, maybe. Could guests somehow ride up in that little cab?

And finally, the return to civilization. This was before you exited through the gift shop!

I hope that all GDB readers have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!