Wee Wayfinding

Wayfinding is an important part of…well, finding stuff! Even for the non-existent inhabitants of Disneyland’s Storybook Land, the signage was part of the original attraction, as seen in this 1950’s image, most likely from the initial days of the attraction, judging by the barren landscape. 

By 1959, the Giant’s Patchwork Quilt was growing in nicely:



I am constantly amazed by the detail and artistic craftsmanship that went into the Storybook Land attraction:



An aerial view of the scene from the 1950s:



Anyone able to read what is on the sign at left?



A May 1958 shot taken from a Skyway bucket:



This detailed view provides a shot of the “island” known as Peter Pan Park as well as the Fantasyland Train Depot:



Jumping forward to August 2013, Peter Pan’s Park had been renamed London Park. Poor Peter.



This duck graciously posed for me so that I could demonstrate the scale of these miniature buildings!



See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

65 Years Ago: Disneyland, August 1960, Pt. 3

The final installment of the August 1960 series begins with a shot of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship restaurant. The Skull Rock tableau had not been added yet. The below shot was most likely taken from a speeding Casey Jr. car.



A cast member does a little watering at left to keep the landscaping green. Below, you can see that the canal boat is named after Walt himself!



A back view of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, taken from the Storybook Land attraction:



That beautiful mermaid! I wonder how many cans of tuna she sold?



Toad Hall in its original location:



How it looked in 2012 in its “new” location:



A nice closeup of Gepetto’s Village; no, that’s not the Matterhorn behind the Village. Those are miniature mountains that seamlessly blended into the 1959 attraction when it was built.



Final shot shows two little girls looking into the jaws of Monstro, wondering if anyone ever comes out alive!



See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Tomorrowland On The Move

Disneyland’s Tomorrowland was once a land on the move. This September 1967 image in both static and Genuine FauxD© mode showcase the land shortly after its rechristening as “New” Tomorrowland on July 2, 1967. In one image, you can see the Skyway buckets, the PeopleMover, the Matterhorn, and the Monorail. All were attractions that guests could see moving by as they walked underneath on the pavement below.



Get up close and personal on the PeopleMover tracks:



…and in Genuine FauxD© mode. It’s the next best thing to being there!



This January 1968 shot shows an empty PeopleMover train. While they were not the most thrilling attraction (they did move fairly slowly), it was wonderful to get off your feet for a bit and see Tomorrowland from the comfort of your PeopleMover car.



There is a lot to see in this July 1968 shot. The Rocket Jets soar over Tomorrowland, the Skyway is floating overhead back and forth from Tomorrowland, the Carousel of Progress is still rotating, a yellow Monorail is visible below, and the PeopleMover cars flow along at a leisurely pace giving guests an opportunity to peek at some of the land’s attractions.



A closeup view of the Rocket Jets perched atop the platform:



…and the Yellow Monorail with the GE Carousel of Progress in the background:



From the same batch you can see the Ethan Allen submarine:



How the “New” Tomorrowland entrance looked; the floral is reminiscent of the Yellow Brick Road from “The Wizard of Oz” in Munchkinland!



Zooming in you can see the Disneyland Hotel in the background, the roof of the Enchanted Tiki Room, and in the foreground, the Plaza Pavillion.



More from July 1968:



The distinctive roofline of the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge can be seen at right:



Moving ahead to August 1969, this shot was taken from a Skyway bucket in Fantasyland:



When you look closely, you can see the PeopleMover on the left and a Matterhorn bobsled whizzing by the falls while the Skyway buckets float THROUGH the Matterhorn!



Taken from the PeopleMover, August 1969, with the Mary Blair tile mural at right:



Oh, to have the Jets back up on the platform again, AND something moving on the PeopleMover tracks!



A semi ho-hum shot from August 1969:



…except when you get closer you see ANOTHER attraction that moved that is no longer: The Motor Boat Cruise.



LOVE this shot of the Tomorrowland Skyway station:



…with The Mod Hatter below. Take some time to check out the selection of hats! You just know that sewing machine was moving faster than the PeopleMover to keep up with all the embroidery orders from guests.



I hope you enjoyed this vintage view of Tomorrowland when it was once vibrant and full of movement!

See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Storybook View: A Happy Accident and Mystery Mural

Over on X (formerly known as Twitter, and yes, I’m on there too) the other day, there was a discussion about the view from Storybook Land of the Matterhorn. Image #1 for today is from August 7, 1957, and shows Gepetto’s Village with the Skyway in the background (also note the Zorro hat in the foreground). Below is approximately the same view from August 1958:



…and September 1958:



Flash forward to May 9, 1959 and you can see the Matterhorn under construction in the background:



This is what I would call the beginning of the happy accident.



The next shot in the sequence from May 9, 1959 moves over ever so slightly, showing more of the Village:



This June 2006 photo I snapped shows the peak of the Matterhorn blending in perfectly with the snow-capped mountains of Gepetto’s Village. I would love to know if this was planned or a “happy accident.” Unless Walt knew that the Matterhorn would be built three years after the Gepetto’s Village scenery debuted in 1956, my vote would be for an accident. I know…call me Debbie Downer.



February 2013:



The thread about the Matterhorn construction also included a question about this mural on the side of the church, as seen in the August 1957 image:



…and the May 1959 shot:



When comparing it to one of my contemporary shots, it is basically the same mural albeit with a few minor changes. My guess is that the mural tells the tale of Jesus and Peter and the miracle of the fish.



By 2013, it looks like the miracle was touched up with a silkscreen repair; note the dot pattern on the angel and the figure I am assuming is Jesus. It also seems like Jesus had a shave. The net is more pronounced in this version of the mural, too. Perhaps water damage caused the necessity of this repair, as a cut line is visible above the mural.



Anyone know more about this mural? See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.