Friday, January 30, 2009

1956 In Glorious Color: Dumbo



Dumbo Flying Elephants is a Fantasyland favorite for the young ones; many a photo has been snapped of parents riding around in circles with their children on the “back” of one of Disney’s beloved animated elephants. Here is a full journey of the attraction, circa 1956. First you see the ka-raaaaazy long line and are witness to the anticipation of waiting for a Dumbo of your very own. And lest you be unsure about whether you should ride Dumbo or not, please read the sign; this attraction is EXHILARATING!



In shot #2, our time has finally come, and this set of parents begins to load the children into their very own Flying Dumbo!



Now it’s time for dad to shoot photos, before Dumbo takes off and all becomes a blur. You’ll note in this shot that as stated in many of the other Disney blogs that Dumbo’s ears were originally designed to move.



Compare with the architecture of the current Dumbo; the ears are now molded right into the body:



Keep smiling—we’re not done yet; Dad wants a long shot!



See more Disneyland Dumbo Flying Elephants photos at my website.

4 comments:

Major Pepperidge said...

Those are some of the nicest Dumbo photos I've seen. For some reason I especially like the first photo the most, even though it is just the queue.

I used to have many opportunities to buy a Dumbo poster, and for some reason I never did. Now I never see them!

Chris Merritt said...

Wow - great queue signage!

Anonymous said...

Love these shots. The photographer really wanted to tell the little story of his wife and kids riding the ride. Whoever you are sir, we thank you.

outsidetheberm said...

What's great about the sign is that there's no mention of Dumbo whatsoever! It's merely 'The Exhilarating Flying Elephant Ride'!

Dumbo must have been getting all high and mighty - had to take him down a notch or two.