Tales From The Trunk

When the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse opened at Disneyland in 1962, it had one massive tree trunk.



When it morphed into Tarzan’s Treehouse, a second (albeit smaller) tree was added to the mix.



One of the tree knots was supposedly a tribute to Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars.



Yes, I guess I can see that. I am assuming (and we know how dangerous that can be) that with the recent remodel and removal of this second tree, that Jabba also bit the dust.



Over on Tom Sawyer’s Island, the young ones could climb up into Tom and Huck’s very own treehouse. You could get some pretty spectacular views of the Park from up here.



If you look a little closer at the March 1958 image, you can see that Tom and Becky have their names “carved” into the artificial tree.



It’s also visible in this July 1965 shot:





Just before Tom Sawyer’s Island was converted into Pirate’s Lair, I snapped as many photos as I could in February 2007. The carving appears to be the exact same one, unchanged after over fifty years.



Huck had his own little spot at the base of the tree.



Whether these little details are still around or not I have no idea. I remember Tom and Huck’s treehouse was closed for quite some time, but it appears that guests are able to climb up into it once again. Anyone know if that’s correct or not?

See more Disneyland Tom Sawyer Island photos at my main website.

My Favorite Adventureland Gadget

Some of my very favorite memories of Disneyland as a kid involved the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Today’s first image is from February 1965. Why did it appeal to me? That water wheel...that great big beautiful Rube Goldberg mechanical wonder! If you don't know who/what Rube Goldberg is, look it up! Briefly, let’s flash forward to 2012 to see a very similar view of the Adventureland border below:



Why was I fixated on Rube Goldberg type machines? Blame it on this game by Ideal: Mousetrap! I didn’t care what the rules were or how you were supposed to play it. I just lived for the final moment when you could watch the ball go through the entire maze and see how each section of the game helped catapult it forward. It still gets me excited to think about watching that cage come down on the plastic mouse!



Here are two from July 1963:





Look at the sense of wonder on those guests’ faces!



All that intricate machinery! It’s like Mousetrap...ON STEROIDS! May 1965:



August 1966:



March 1968:



December 1968:



Three from February 1971:







And then...the day my favorite treehouse got dumbed down. Tarzan took over in 2000.



RIP, you beautiful Rube Goldberg wheel! You inspired my brain with your awesome gadgetry!

See more vintage Disneyland Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse attraction photos at my main website.

60th Anniversary Trip, Pt. 9

After my short siesta back at the hotel, I returned to the treat of being able to see Soundsational, one of my favorite parades of all time at Disneyland. And I am really not a parade person!



I love the styling of the floats (great job Kevin & Jody!) as well as the musical arrangements.



I especially like the jazzy arrangements for the Aladdin and Little Mermaid sections.



Let's zoom in for a closeup of Ariel, shall we?



The Three Caballeros make an appearance in this parade as well.





Naturally Donald Duck is on TOP of the float above his two compadres.



The parade ends with a rowsing "Step in Time" arrangement from "Mary Poppins."





After catching the parade I headed over to the Riverbelle Terrace where I had made my Fantasmic! dinner reservations; the Blue Bayou was sold out. On the way I stopped to photograph the rushing waterfall at the Tarzan Treehouse:



The dinner destination!



A great view of the Treehouse from my table inside:



Light fixtures…I need a 12-step program.





Dinner started off with a garden salad:



followed by a seasoned chicken breast with vegetables:



and an apple dessert. All in all it was very tasty and the service at the Riverbelle was attentive.



My next destination was Mickey's Toontown. On the way, I noticed the Peter Pan Crocodile from Fantastmic! lurking in the Rivers of America:





I arrived in Toontown just as the sun was beginning to set.



The Mickey fountain looked beautiful with the setting sun behind it.



Oh how I wish the Jolly Trolley was unfettered and able to run again.



Last one today shows the Chip 'n Dale Treehouse:



More Toontown at night in my next installment!

See more Toons in their Town at my main website.

View From A Treehouse

This most recent visit to Disneyland was one of those rare times that we climbed up Tarzan's Treehouse. I love the views, and I also love checking out all the details, but once the crowds begin to hit the Park, I typically avoid this place like the plague. As you can see, there were some from our group that…well, avoided this attraction like the plague, and instead, waved to us from below!



This bridge is one of the reasons I do not like to be on this attraction when there are too many peeps in the Park; it makes me queasy as it sways!



Yet…as you can see, some of the views are outstanding.



And one visit to this attraction is never enough to catch all of the details.



I took the time to experiment a bit with exposure times. The results of a very slow one:



and much faster; which do you prefer?



The long exposures can produce a very cool milky effect when mixed with a waterfall-like feature:



See more Daveland vintage & current Disneyland Tarzan's Tree House photos at my main website.