Last (for now) vintage Disneyland Town Square

Hopefully you can all take one more (for now) vintage post on Disneyland's Town Square. Dating back to the first summer at the Park (1955 to all you newbies out there), this shot shows a stylish lady in plaid with City Hall and a popcorn vendor behind her. That box below the cart does not make a pretty display!



It seems so funny to see the young and scrawny trees that barely cover the berm.



View number two shows the peak of the Matterhorn in the background and the information/souvenir booth in the foreground.



25¢ for a Guide Book. Is there ANYTHING at the Park today for that price? What a great assortment of souvenirs here!



Meanwhile Vesey Walker and the boys march through Town Square.



Last shot for today is a blurry view of a Horseless Carriage zipping by from Spring 1957.



Just in case you still need more Disneyland Town Square, visit my main website.

Disneyland Town Square, Summer 1956

Welcome to Disneyland's Town Square, circa 1956. Need some dinero? How about stopping by the Bank of America Town Square branch?

This detailed view shows that Town Square Realty is still around (selling swamp parcels in Orlando to unsuspecting guests, perhaps?). At the information/souvenir kiosk, you can buy a paper parasol, a guidebook, or one of those cool plastic white hard hats. The two gents in the booth seem to be enjoying the shade while the older gent is sucking on his cig for all its worth.



Pulling back a bit we get a better view of the east side of the square.



Maxwell House is still in operation, although on this very day in 1957 it would close down (that does call for an un-happy anniversary?) and International Street is being heralded by a construction wall behind which absolutely nothing is being constructed.



Last detail: how about these fancy trash cans? Nothing but state-of-the-art here!



See more Daveland vintage & current Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

What's My Theme?

Recently, one of my followers on Twitter brought up how out-of-theme this Souvenir/Information Kiosk was for Town Square/Main Street, U.S.A.

It is so common today to debate whether a change to the park should be made or not and whether it's "on-theme," citing the recent Fantasy Faire addition to Central Plaza that replaces the former Plaza Gardens. Somehow, it never occurred to me to scrutinize early park photos for "violations" of theming when this little kiosk so obviously cries "foul"!

It seems to have disappeared by the 60's, and although it's very festive and eye-catching, it truly seems out of character with the other muted buildings and shops that guests found on Main Street, U.S.A. back in the 1950's.

Of course, this won't stop me from zooming in so that curious readers can see the merchandise being offered in this 1956 photo:



How about those souvenir construction-style hats?

While we're near Main Street, as a follow-up to my recent post on the Silhouette Studio, Daveland reader Cherie generously sent in a photo of the portrait she had done at Disneyland back in 1960:



As she recalls:

I went to Disneyland in 1960 on Thanksgiving Saturday when they had a special Date Nite. I was a freshman at UCLA and my new boyfriend invited me. It was a cold, gray, sprinkly day but I had so much fun. We danced a lot in the Carnation Plaza to great big band music. I had never been there after dark before.

I lived in the Valley and my mother took me and three girlfriends to Disneyland shortly after it opened. But this Date Nite was very special. And I cherish the silhouette.

Thanks for sending your photo, Cherie - it really is a beautiful piece!

"Frankenweenie" is out on home video now. I skipped this movie in the theater; I was determined not to like it, since I was so enamored with Burton's original short live-action version of this story. However, I watched it last night and truly enjoyed it. Although the story is similar, it (obviously) has been expanded, and definitely stands on its own. The stop-action animation is breathtaking; the details blew my socks off and put 'em in the wash! Note of caution; I do feel that this movie is quite a bit more emotional, as Sparky the dog is much more endearing, and the relationship between him and his master gets fleshed out. Whereas the original movie seemed more tongue-in-cheek, this version is a bit more serious. If you are a dog-lover, get the hankies out.

See more vintage and current Disneyland Town Square photos on my Town Square photo web page.

Gems from Year One

Slides that are unstamped are a pain in my arse; they make me have to think and pull out my Sherlock Holmes hat. This batch wasn't stamped, but somebody had written Disneyland 6/55 on them. Considering the park opened in July, this is obviously not correct. However, I do believe the year is correct. In this first Town Square shot, the chicken wire around the young planting, year one guidebook, and the heavy push of Davy Crockett souvenirs are pretty good clues.

Note the Keystone Kop in the background:





This Town Square shot focuses on City Hall, draped in patriotic bunting, a happy annual Disneyland tradition.



Zooming in for two things; the stylish lady in the pink suit (when was the last time you saw a guest at Disneyland with this much style and grace?) and the Scenic Rides sign:



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Town Square photos at my regular website.

Chicken of the Sea, 1950s

Here are two undated photos of the venerable (but now defunct) Chicken of the Sea/Jolly Roger Pirate Ship Restaurant. Althought the second one took a lotta’ lovin’ to bring back any color to it, I still love the detail of the rear of the ship.



For Disneyland Fan, I am also including a closeup of the Souvenir Stand from yesterday .



For the Major, I am finally posting a closeup of the Dog Show:



For more vintage & current Disneyland Fantasyland photos, visit my regular website.