Knott's Berry Farm, July 1978

Here's a selection of slide scans from 1978; I am reasonably sure that they are from Knott's Berry Farm, mostly because of this first photo of some energetic girls posing with two aloof flappers. The flappers were added as part of KBF's "Roaring 20s" area - do they have names? Were they sculpted by Knott's legend Claude Bell? Did he like eating at Taco Bell? So many questions. Cotton candy is a treat that I honestly don't recall seeing at Knott's, and have definitely never seen at Disneyland.

The next three photos show the girls on Antique Autos, I found these before I found the previous photo, and there are MANY amusement parks with similar attractions, so I was at a loss as to where these were taken. There are some steps in the middle of the picture, with guests coming down from someplace up above - was this part of some other attraction?

This looks similar to the previous photo, but I noticed that the car has two steering wheels, which is how they do things in Europe (or so I'm told). So... it's a different ride? 

Hello, Mom, nice to meet you! She's a good mother too, since she let the kid drive. It always amused me to see pictures of the Autopia where the kid sits in the passenger seat while Dad is at the wheel. But I suppose it's possible that a timid kid might prefer to take in the scenery and let somebody else worry about  Sunday drivers.

 

Orphaned Slides, and a Birthday

Let's start today by wishing GDB friend KS a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! As usual, Sue B. went above and beyond and sent this vintage scan from a vintage birthday party; two boys proudly show off their brand-new wiffle bats! Little sis is almost as happy as they are. Notice the velvet painting, a large and particularly stunning example of the art form. Is it a vaquero? Or perhaps a pirate? 

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Both of today's scans are the last examples from larger lots of scans; they sat in a folder, a dark, scary folder full of spiders and ghosts. But now they've found a home! I love a happy ending. 

First up is this picture of the Columbia, from "sometime in the 1960s". The ship is moored over at Tom Sawyer Island rather than Fowler's Harbor, and that is likely due to some sort of massive construction going on over on the shores of Frontierland/New Orleans Square (possibly in 1960 or 1962). If you look closely, you can see that some maintenance is being done, stuff is covered in gray tarps (probably made from walrus hides), and that rope ladder is just begging to be climbed by piratical guests. 

Next is this view of the Motorized Firetruck, from August, 1960. A few guests have sought shade on this hot August day, and there is not exactly a long line to people waiting to ride the Firetruck, for some reason. They were probably standing somewhere waiting for "Galaxy's Edge".

Faded Snoozles™

Today's Snoozles? Florida Man says that they "Aren't that bad". Thanks, Florida Man!

Two Skyway gondolas pass each other, like ships in the night (except that it is broad daylight). "Hello, neighbor". "Howdy, friend". That's the beginning and end of their relationship. It's sad, there was so much potential. Those crazy kids never had a chance, dammit (*bangs fist on table*).

In the 1950s, the Rivers of the World was filled with pipin' hot pea soup rather than water, thanks to a surplus (left over from WWII). Guests were given mugs so they could reach down and scoop up a serving, sort of like Willy Wonka's chocolate river. Some lost hands to crocodiles, but it was all part of the fun. 

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For those of you who might have missed it, GDB friend Matthew (I call him "Matt"!) chimed in (via the comments) about those "bad show" Mark Twain photos from a few days ago. It's very interesting! We also got a comment from the man with the cigarette, which was awesome! Check it out.

Allentown, PA - 1940

In a box of random slides, there were a few stray examples that were particularly old - "1940" was written on the cardboard mounts, but there was no further info. If you look at this first scan, that tall monument at the end of the street seems like a pretty good clue. And it didn't take too long to figure out that it is the Soldiers and Sailors monument in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which means that we are facing West on Hamilton Street. It's very cool to have a color photo of this street from 84 years ago!

Here's a screen-grab from Google Maps' "Street View". The building with the arches can still be seen to the right, as can the monument, which was unveiled October 19, 1899, on Allentown's Center Square at 7th and Hamilton streets, honors Union Army volunteers from Allentown and Lehigh Valley who were killed in defense of the Union during the American Civil War. The monument is topped by a statue representing the Goddess of Liberty. In 1957, the statue atop the monument was removed due to its state of disrepair and was replaced in 1964.

Our photographer did a 180º and took a picture looking East; there's the Americus Hotel to the left, another helpful landmark. 

And another Street View!

Park Entrance, June 1962

Well, what do you know, today is our friend Melissa's birthday. Melissa, if you are out there, please drop us a line, we love you. As usual, Sue B. has sent in something extra fun for the occasion - a lucky little girl with an impressive birthday haul. I was spoiled rotten, and I don't think I ever got this many presents! A phonograph, a stuffed dog, a purse, a doll and baby buggy, and so on. No idea what the "Clean up" poster is for. Maybe the girl was a slob!

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For many people, those first moments at Disneyland are among the most exciting. Buying your tickets (well, you don't really do that like in the old days anymore), and then waiting to go through the turnstiles - the feeling of anticipation is off the charts. And then you might have the Disneyland Railroad at the station, bell ringing, whistle blowing... so great.

Here we get a look at the front from just outside the original teensy ticket booths on a June-gloomy day, 1962. I was wondering where all the people are, but it's almost 3 o'clock. They're already inside! Is that parked van "bad show"? Technically he's outside the gates. Still, it's a little odd to see it there. Maybe some dad made a wrong turn. To the right, you can see a sign that we saw before, check it out HERE.

I'm unsure as to whether the lady in the foreground was the intended subject of this photo, but she's blurry, so the joke's on her. Other late arrivals are heading in, not even pausing to admire the floral Mickey Portrait. Visigoths!

 

Adventureland Scenes, June 22, 1965

Hey hey! Let's all wish GDB friend Grant a very Happy Birthday! Sue B. provided a hilarious vintage b-day photo, four kids (all siblings?) sitting at the kitchen table. Is the boy to the right the celebrant? If so, his sister is giving him some lethal side-eye. Hopefully Grant will have more fun!

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I'd say 90% of my Adventureland slides are from the Jungle Cruise, so I'm always grateful when I have other views from there.  

OK, I know that this one has "issues". Hey, so do I, and yet I am still humble and lovable. The focus is a bit soft, but it's still an unusual angle on the Tahitian Terrace - normally photographers are facing the stage, which makes sense. But in this view, it appears that somebody looked behind them (if you look carefully you can see some buildings from outside the Terrace). So... I'll take it! The waitresses stand out in their brightly-colored dresses. And that one kid ordered the always-popular Chunk o' Pineapple.

And now for something a bit more familiar - it's the Barker Bird and Uti. Uti looks stern, but inside she is a-burble with laughter. She has grown to love the Barker Bird and his little straw hat. I'm glad these two crazy kids are together. 

Knott's Berry Farm PETLAND

Today I am sharing photos of two very unusual Knott's Berry Farm souvenirs. They are both license plate toppers from PETLAND! OK, first of all, what is a license plate topper? License Plate Toppers are small porcelain (enamel) signs... that can be screwed over the top of your license plate. License toppers were very popular in the 1930's and 40's. These decorative items were attached to the top of a car's license plate and were designed to add a bit of style and flair to a vehicle.

And what, pray tell, was Petland? The Knott's Berry Farm Facebook page had a helpful history: The Petland pet shop opened at Knott's Berry Farm in 1954 and brought with it the Old MacDonald's Farm petting zoo. Within a few months, more critters found their way to the Farm in the form of 30 sea lions (30? I am skeptical)! In December 1954, the Knott's "seal pool" debuted, operated by Petland concessionaires Bill Yeager and Bill Smalls. The 130,000-gallon tank was described as the largest seal pool in the US and its rock work was sculpted by Claude Bell and Ross Yost. Guests could purchase sea lion food (Northern Herring) to feed the hungry and talented critters. The "seal pool" operated rain or shine from 1954 until its closure on February 3, 1974. No trace of the pool remains as it was buried, leveled, and covered in terrazzo for the Fiesta Village dance floor, which debuted the following May. NOW YOU KNOW.

This first license plate topper is a heavy sonofagun - iron, if you can believe it, and coated with porcelain enamel, the way many old gas station (and other) metal signs were made in ye olden days.

Somebody must have discovered a small stash of these, because I saw one on eBay, and it went for a lot of money. Then there was another, and that also went for a lot. By the time the fourth or fifth example went up, the price was a lot lower, and I finally got one. Hooray! 

It seems funny to me that visitors to Knott's would want to buy one of these signs (as awesome as they are) and put it on their car. In this case, the topper was never used.

Is it "Pet Land", or "Petland"? Well I'm not really sure,  though "Petland" seems to be the most common usage ("common" being a relative term). Anyway, it turns out that there is yet another Petland license plate topper; I think it's safe to say that this one is newer, because it is now stamped out of steel and painted - much less expensive to make. This one appears to have actually been used.  

If you are wondering where Petland was, check out this 1955 map - you can see that it was over near the North end of the park (North is to the right), near the little lake.

I hope you have enjoyed these Petland souvenirs!

 

it's a small world

Photos of the facade of it's a small world are a dime a dozen; It would be easy to take them for granted. But take a minute and really look! It would mean a lot to me and my bookie.  First up is this example from around 1970, somebody standing in the queue wanted to capture the charming mechanical clock as the dolls from around the world marched by. As a kid I was always thrilled when we saw this feature, and on crowded summer days, we might have seen it more than once before boarding The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed 'Round the World. 

Next is another view of the facade, also from the 1970s. The variety of shapes, patterns and textures are very pleasing to the eye, and so mid-century (in the best way). I've always kind of dreamed of building an accurate foam-core (or styrene) model of this, but... you know... that requires effort. And skill. For now I'll just look at pictures!

Lotsa Twain

The Mark Twain photos from the Mysterious Benefactor continue. So many! 

The first three are from a series showing a distracted cast member talking on the phone. To whom could he be speaking, and why? Admittedly the phone is authentic to Sam Clemens's era, so it's not that bad. The guy walking past looks guilty about something. I'm on to you, fella!

I wondered why they needed a little clock right at the turnstiles, but it looks like it says something like "Next Sailing At". So it's  just for the Columbia?

It seems like it would be "bad show" to have a Mark Twain CM casually chatting on the phone like this, but what do I know? I'm just a simple nuclear physicist.

Dude! The cigarette! What. The. Heck? Things were lax back then, folks. I don't ever recall seeing a cast member with a cigarette in his mouth. I've seen photos of Stagecoach drivers chomping on a cigar, but somehow that doesn't seem as egregious.

We've seen a few other photos from this series of night shots, you can't miss the woman in white! THE WOMAN IN WHITE... she haunts my dreams. Philosphers and moonshiners have speculated that this was a Grad Nite, and I concur.

And finally, here's an unusual composition. The color is a bit off too, but we can pretend that it is Autumn and that the leaves have turned yellow. 

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

SNOOZLES™

Snoozle Time! It's like Miller Time, only with less beer. Both of today's scans go way back, we saw this nice lady on GDB many years ago. Both slides are from September, 1964, and I probably skipped them because I didn't think they were that good. But here they are.

Here's our redhead, she stopped to admire the dent in the castle's conical spire thingy (sorry to get so technical). "As dents go, it's a lulu!". She's a connoisseur of such things. Like TokyoMagic's grandmother, Red has smuggled a whole roast chicken into the park, using the genius idea of putting it in a large Disneyland shopping bag. And as long as she takes bites with her head in the bag, nobody will hassle her.

Well, after all that chicken, Red is feeling ready for a nap. I guess a shady bench next to the Red Wagon Inn will have to do - but MAN, the temptation to lay down is powerful!