Sometimes, one new photo to the collection can spawn a more interesting article by tying together other random images to provide a cohesive tail. Don't you mean "tale"? Well, in this case, I am referring to the curled tails of everyone's favorite pigs: The Three Little Pigs. One of the most famous Disney Silly Symphony cartoons, "The Three Little Pigs" was released in 1933, during the height of the Great Depression. Its theme song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" (composed by Frank Churchill) became an anthem for weary America during this troubled time. Recently, I acquired my oldest image to date (July 1959) of one of the pigs at Disneyland. Just like the rest of the characters in the park, this costume morphed a great deal over time. Here's a photo history of how that looked.
February 1960:
August 1960:
In August 1962, you can see that the heads are an entirely different sculpt:
These three January 1965 pig photos scare the bejesus out of me; looks like he has swine flu!
Even the Big Bad Wolf made the leap from 2D to 3D at Disneyland:
During my first visit to Disneyland, on Dec. 27, 1970, I had the great fortune of being able to pose with one of the pigs in front of it's a small world:
1971
My last shot of a pig is an undated 1970s image. Rarely will you see the pigs anymore at Disneyland, unless it's a special event. I believe the last time I saw them was at the D23 Fantasyland event back in 2010.
Although sightings of the pigs might be rare, you can visit their homes every day in Storybook Land. Here we have the brick home of Practical Pig:
The abode of Fiddler Pig:
And the straw home that belongs to Fifer Pig:
Hope you enjoyed this post on my favorite sows! See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web page.
That's a great collection of photos! I've always loved how angry the "Practical Pig" looked. How come you and your friends are looking at some other camera (and do you have the matching photo)?
ReplyDeleteLove the pic with the little girl gazing up at the Big Bad Wolf while clutching her popcorn box.
Wow, Dave, you went hog wild today.
ReplyDeleteI really remember those evil pig suits and the Bad Wolf too.
Thanks for sharing that family pic, very special indeed.
Thank you for finishing with Story Book Land, those little houses are wonderful. Don't forget, the Wolf's house is right across the water to your left as the boat comes out of the tunnel. His place is a mess.
Now all I can think of is bacon.
JG
JG:
ReplyDeleteNow all I can think of is bacon. LOL!!!! I love it!!!
I was stopped dead in my tracks by the white rectangular hard plastic purse that girl is holding. I had one just like it!
Those early pigs look like they should be carrying chainsaws.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the pigs are still in Fantasmic? I don't really ever watch the show anymore....I'm usually trying to get the heck out of that area when it's going on, but they used to be on the Mark Twain waving flags during the finale.
ReplyDeleteGreat report showing the evolution of the costumes, Dave! And I always like seeing shots of the old Fantasyland caricature stand (in the background of the 1971 pic).