Jayne signs an autograph

Back to Jayne Mansfield at Disneyland, circa May 1957. As luck would have it, I have been able to acquire a few more images from her family visit to the Park. In the previously posted shot above, Jayne is attempting to sign an autograph on the back of a cast member. The recently purchased image below shows her writing it on the side of the passenger car. I am going to “assume” that she had difficulty writing on the cast member’s back and decided to use the train siding instead.



A closeup of the sign on the back of the passenger car:



This shot has Jayne’s husband, bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay at left, Jayne and daughter, and radio/TV star Art Linkletter, near the Casey Junior attraction:



I wouldn’t bet the house, but the guy at left looks an awful lot like silent screen star Harold Lloyd:



MELTDOWN! It would appear the Jayne’s daughter is on the verge of a meltdown on the King Arthur Carrousel; it had been a very long day!



See more Jayne Mansfield photos at my main website.

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.

Fantasyland Friday: Storybook Land Changes

Storybook Land, like other attractions at Disneyland, has seen a number of changes over the years since it first opened in 1956. One such change included the move of Toad Hall so that Agrabah could be added to the attraction. This 1950s image shows the original location of Toad Hall:



Look at all that movement! Casey Jr. circles Storybook Land while the Canal Boats journey through the water. Two different views of the same attraction; a photographer’s dream!



Flash forward to the addition of the Aladdin tableau where Toad Hall once lived, showing the bustling city of Agrabah. In Storybook Land, you will not see any bustle, as it is purely architecture and landscaping; no people or characters. You have to use your imagination!



Fortunately, Toad Hall was spared and put in another area of the attraction. See the Windmill in the lower portion of the frame? Keep that in your brain for a second.



Ratty’s house was also moved:



In October, the Disney Parks Blog excitedly announced the addition of a “Tangled” tableau to Storybook Land;

One of Disneyland’s original rides has reopened after an extended closure for refurbishment and the addition of a modern movie setting: Rapunzel’s tower from the 2010 film “Tangled.” The Storybook Land Canal Boats reopened on Friday, once again taking guests on a journey past the miniature villages of Disney classics like “Pinocchio,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Cinderella.”

When making a change to Walt’s original Park, Disney Corporation typically tries to justify it by trotting out his famous quote, “Disneyland will never be completed…as long as there is imagination in the world.” If only true imagination was used in some of those changes! Some of the historic info the blog gives about the attraction includes these tidbits:

Walt long had a fascination with miniatures, which he collected for many years. His love of these petite creations was an inspiration for the creation of the attraction that would become the Storybook Land Canal Boats. The attraction reopened as Storybook Land Canal Boats in June 1956, inviting guests to tour a tiny wonderland of fantastical realms. Residences from some favorite stories were painstakingly recreated at 1:12 scale and surrounded by impressive works of horticulture. Today, tours through the peaceful waters are narrated by expert cast member guides who point out landmarks from some favorite Disney stories, like the castle from Cinderella perched high on the hill and the humble workshop where Geppetto carves his wooden masterpieces. Over the years, the attraction has evolved to introduce iconic scenes and sounds from Disney Animation stories such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Frozen. On the opening day of Disneyland 70 years ago in 1955, Canal Boats of the World debuted as a serene boat ride. The attraction underwent a transformation months later to bring beloved, small-scale fairytales to life along the banks.

What they failed to mention is that in order to make room for “Tangled,” they removed the Windmills from “The Old Mill” (1937). If you want to honor the history of Disney, why would you rip out that significant scene?!? “The Old Mill” was one of the Silly Symphonies animated shorts produced by Walt Disney, and was the first use of his multiplane camera, which was instrumental in the look of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”(1937), released a month later. Below is a shot of said camera on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco:





In 2015, The Old Mill joined the Three Little Pigs as a Silly Symphonies short selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Below are a poster for the short as well as concept art by Gustav Tenggren:



This May 2007 image shows a good overall view of the area where Toad Hall exists, along with Gepetto’s Village and the Three Windmills. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy them before they were removed!



Faded closeups of two of the windmills from 1969:





Was there not enough imagination to figure out how to keep this historically significant scene?
 
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.

Main Street Model Monday, Part 2

Faithful readers knew that at some point I’d get around to part 2, and here we go! This recently listed vintage image from ebay shows the model that was created for Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. If you look closely at the original model, you can see that the original intention was to call the store below Crystal Palace. At some point before opening it was changed to Crystal Arcade.



The model also shows the building below as being a Sporting Goods Store; Coke stepped in at the right time with a sponsorship and won this coveted location…



where it still resides today. Could the Crystal Palace and Candy Palace co-existed peacefully on the same street? I guess we’ll never know.



Eagle-eyed readers will see the concept art for Storybook Land on the back wall…



and Peter Pan’s Flight…



and the Jungle Cruise.



See more Disneyland Main Street photos at my main website.

All Aboard! Casey Jr. Circus Train, circa 2007

Take a ride aboard the Casey Jr. Circus Train at Disneyland, circa February 2007! Based on the circus train from Disney’s animated classics “Dumbo” and “The Reluctant Dragon” (both 1941), it has been part of Fantasyland since pretty much opening day; technical difficulties caused a brief shut down for repairs.



Even seventeen years ago, establishing shots were important to me, including the original ticket booth (photo #1), the entrance sign, and of course the engine itself!



How Casey looked pulling into the station:



I scored the backseat on this ride, which provides unfettered views of Storybook Land:



…without any other guests, flailing arms, or selfie sticks to get in the way. In 2007, cellphones had yet to invade the world to the degree that we are unable to enjoy living without them.



The Matterhorn looks even larger against the back drop of the miniature landscape of Storybook Land.





An overview of the homes of the Three Little Pigs, the Three Windmills, and Toad Hall.



Gepetto’s Village:



Zooming in for a better look; who wouldn’t like to be able to walk around at their leisure to see all of the little details here?



Alice’s Village:



The French Village below Cinderella’s Castle:



The details of this still blow me away; even decorative items sitting in the windows.



Hope you enjoyed your ride aboard Casey Jr.!

See more Disneyland Casey Jr. Circus Train photos at my main website.