The Adventureland Bazaar

Before it became a retailer of Disney-themed merchandise, the Adventureland Bazaar had a delightful assortment of treasures from faraway places. Photo number one of the exterior is from October 1962, followed up by a close-up FauxD© image showing the Rolly Crump designed interior displays:



The March 2, 1978 Disneyland Line Newsletter featured this interesting article about The Bazaar:

The Adventureland Bazaar, A Marketplace of Friendly Smiles

Adventureland is known as a land of mystery and intrigue. It's a land of lush tropical surroundings and outdoor bazaars, where excitement lurks around every corner and goods from the Asian and African continents tempt passers-by. Yet there's not secret to the success of shops like those in our Adventureland Bazaar—it's the winning combination of exotic merchandise and a top-notch team of Hosts and Hostesses.

Guests walking through the Bazaar are easily awed by the wide range of imported merchandise neatly displayed in its three shops. Located in the left-hand corner of the Bazaar is the Adventure Traders shop, which specializes in merchandise from the Hawaiian Islands. In the center of the complex is the Magic Carpet shop which offers guests a wide selection of wares from India.

The third shop which composes the Bazaar is Far East Imports, where jade jewelry, oriental carvings and other products imported from the Far East can be found.

According to Adventureland Merchandising Buyers Donna Scarnecchia and Susan Cleave, the main merchandising philosophy of the Bazaar, as well as throughout Disneyland, is to create for our guests an atmosphere which makes them feel they're actually shopping in the Far East, India or Hawaii. One of the ways in which this goal is accomplished is by, as Donna puts it, "merchandising looks, which means keeping like merchandise together so that it has more visual appeal."



Helping to maintain this "look" along with assisting our guests, are, of course, the Bazaar's Onstage Cast. Working under the expertise of Working Leader Sue Wuchner, the Adventureland Bazaar crew includes regulars Cindy Diemert, Pam Doyle, Stephanie Alex, Annie Pruett, Bob Fulton, Steve, Hayden, Lance LaVenture, Jody Coffee, Yuki Sechi, Sandy Nagamoto, Patty Flynn and a supporting cast of many more.

Due to the intriguing nature of Adventureland and its shops, many interesting situations can arise. Such an incident took place in Far East Imports recently, when an art instructor from Japan recognized one of his creations displayed on the shelf. Hostess Yuki Sechi recalls seeing the man burst into tears when he saw his clay Hukata dolls. As she asked the man what was wrong, he told her that he was overwhelmed with happiness to see a piece of his artwork on sale at Disneyland.

It's that kind of international renown that keeps attracting visitors to Disneyland and shops like those in Adventureland Bazaar—and it's the smiles and courteous service of our Hosts and Hostesses that keep bringing them back!

See more vintage & current Adventureland Bazaar photos on my Adventureland Bazaar web page.