Welcome (back) to Disneyland! Back in 1976, guests saw quite a different entrance. At that time, the U.S. was swept away with Bicentennial fever, as the country had its 200th birthday. Disneyland contributed to the celebration with “America on Parade.” I had to zoom in for a closer look at Monorail red!
This particular parade never did much for me. While it was great that the Disney celebration showed their patriotism, the parade (and its scary characters) just seemed out of place.
Whoever had this character as a nanny is probably still scarred today.
To help take the edge of those gigantic figures, how about two less scary shots from the same decade? These two ladies look thrilled to be at the Park:
Where did the attraction posters go? Based on the photos in my collection, it seems like they were taken down around 1968. It looks positively bare!
How many of you have ventured back to Disneyland? Would love to hear how the experience has been for you.
See more vintage Disneyland entrance photos at my main website.
4 comments:
Today the posters have been replaced by a dozen social media influencers in a perpetual state of trying to get the right pic for their video's thumbnail.
How do you like that 10-7 schedule too? The parade was an all year event, even in the off season. I could never get over those heads...even while working crowd control periodically on weekends and busy season...never adjusted to them. I particularly like that blow-up of Monorail red with the red 240Z below. That year I got a new 280Z. Oh those were the days. KS
I remember that parade...because I was in it!...with our high school band. The school was sent the music months before and I remember it be rather tough to play (at least for this trombonist from a small mountain town Paradise). The band had to split to 2 or 3 sections with float(s) in between each, so we couldn't hear each other section. I'm sure we didn't sound great. Even with the multiple day trip from Nor Cal to So Cal IN A YELLOW SCHOOL BUS!...I was lucky to get the chance.
Darryl, I probably saw you in that parade, so belated greetings!
Dave, those weird tall figures remind me of those "ninots" seen in some Spanish Mardi Gras festivals. There was a James Bond film where he escapes in a crowd filled with them. Not sure why they became Disney Americana, and I remember thinking they were weird in 1976.
JG
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