At Disneyland, the original Dumbo’s ears flapped up and down, causing a number of mechanical problems. The original sculptor was Rudolph Parducci. Chris Mueller Jr., created new casts with no hinges for movement of the ears. This December 1957 shot shows the hinged movement.
Dumbo with his ears down:
The one-piece mold version seen today:
A figure of Timothy Mouse rides atop the central hub; he was not original to the attraction and didn’t appear until later in 1957. The figure originally held a training whip, which was briefly replaced with a magic feather during the 1990’s. It has since been changed back to the whip.
Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any shots in my collection of that elusive feather!
See more Disneyland Dumbo photos at my main website.
3 comments:
Dave, do you know when the ears were changed?
I want to say that I remember when they moved, but probably before my time.
Happy Fourth.
JG
Based on my photos, it looks like the mold changed sometime between 1963-64. However, I am guessing that they stopped the ears from actually moving before the mold change occurred based on what I have read.
Thanks. It’s probably a false memory, although I kind of remember the original skyway from that same era.
JG
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