Calling All Disneyland Ephemera Nutz!

Calling out to all my Disneyland brochure/guidebook/ephemera nutz! I have a batch of undated slides (most likely 1960s) that include this shot of the Flower Market on West Center Street. Can anyone give a year based on the book/brochure next to the register visible in this detailed view? I know, the lady in the pink fluffy hat is pulling your focus. Try…try hard to look away.



UPDATE! Thanks to Daveland readers Tom & Eric over on X, the mystery has been solved. The publication is Disneyland World of Flowers, released in 1965.





Here are two previously unposted shots that the guest had the kindness to get date stamped! From August 1966 (might even be the same cast member):



…and September 1963, which includes a Keystone Kop:



See more Disneyland Main Street Market photos at my main website.

Disneyland in 3D: June 26, 1966, Pt. 2

Part 2 of June 26, 1966 at Disneyland begins with the Crystal Arcade on Main Street, U.S.A. For these, I have included a flat version which melds the left and the right view, providing a slightly wider frame.



I do love looking inside the shops, especially since we rarely see vintage interiors. Note the window display on the right for the Upjohn Pharmacy, which was next door.



One of the Emporium window displays, also seen in yesterday’s photo:



Across the street you can see Lon Chaney in “The Phantom of the Opera,” playing at the Main Street Cinema:



Definitely summertime, as the patriotic bunting appears on the lightpost at left:



If you’re wondering about the name Edgar Kennedy on the right side of the marquee, he was typically in the Keystone Kops comedies that were featured here, too.



As we approach East Center, we come to the Swift Market House:





See anything you’d be interested in purchasing? Note the old fashioned wallphone visible in the window on the right:



The Art Festival is going on in the East Center Street alleyway:





Guests were once able to have their portraits sketched here. Below are some samples:



The Carnation Company borders on West Center Street:





I could sure go for a sundae right now! It’s so fantastic to be able to see the employees inside the lit interiors at night.



How about a fake bouquet from the West Center Street Flower Market?





$1.25 and 80¢? Not bad!



Still more on the way!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

1960s Upjohn Pharmacy Interior

The Upjohn Pharmacy was a staple along Disneyland’s Main Street until 1970. The exhibits inside touted the pharmaceutical manufacturing firm that had been founded in 1886 in Hastings, Michigan, by Dr. William E. Upjohn, an 1875 graduate of the University of Michigan medical school. The company was originally formed to make friable pills, which were designed to be easily digested. These could be “reduced to a powder under the thumb,” which was their big selling point. Note the slogan on the clock detail below:



These “friable pills” dissolved in the stomach, releasing the active ingredient into the bloodstream and letting patients feel their effects. The patent was granted in February 1885, which helped the business to grow and made possible the founding of the The Upjohn Pill and Granule Company in 1886 in Kalamazoo. What else did you get to see at the Main Street Upjohn Pharmacy? Leeches. I think I’ll pass on that one.



For this previously posted shot, the accompanying publicity caption was this:

A slightly-scary exhibit makes Cathy Smith's eyes pop as she looks at a jar of leeches, the flat worms once considered very important in medicine. As part of the treatment of a variety of ailments, the creatures were used to draw blood from patients.



This previously posted 1960 image gives another vantage point of the Pharmacy:



…and a better detail of the clock:



Upjohn went defunct in 1995, only to be briefly resurrected in 2015 by its then owner, Pfizer, who used the Upjohn name for the manufacturing of drugs with patents that had expired. The name disappeared again in 2020 when Pfizer merged Upjohn with Mylan and came up with the name Viatris.

See more Disneyland Upjohn Pharmacy photos at my main website.

Monday's Medicine

Where’s the best place for some medicine to combat those Monday blues? Why the Upjohn Pharmacy on Main Street at Disneyland, of course! The first photo hails from 1956.

I have to zoom in for a closer look at the 1950's fashions. The young boy in the yellow cap is the winner, hands down.



A better view of 115 West Main Street’s entrance:



This creative 1957 shot was taken from inside the Pharmacy:



I wonder who these two sketchy looking guys are?



For a better look at the overall interior, here’s a previously posted shot from 1960:



See more vintage Disneyland Upjohn Pharmacy photos at my main website.

Disneyland September 1956

Another batch of black and white gems, this time from September 1956. You know it's the early years of the Park when you see the chicken wire fencing around the young plantings.



Look how bare the Park is; unbelievable. If only people knew how expensive it would be visit Disneyland in the future, they would have rushed the Park when it was affordable! Ah, the wonders of hindsight.



Check out the White Wings at the Popcorn Cart in Town Square.



In previous posts, readers have commented how much more realistic Main Street looked in the early years. This photo would definitely support that sentiment; you could almost believe that the Upjohn Pharmacy pictured here is the real thing!



We have to get closer for a better view! A Keystone Kop, vintage outfits...does it get better than this?



What?!? Nobody sitting in the Carnation Company Truck? Unheard of.



Names on the windows are nothing new; they existed way back when!



A contemporary shot shows that this window for Christopher Miller, Walt's grandson, has been virtually untouched!



Last one for today shows two lucky ladies climbing the steps to the recently demolished Fantasyland Skyway Station.



See more vintage and contemporary photos of Disneyland at my main website.

Disneyland The First Year at Night: Pt. 1

This amazing collection of twelve night time shots documents Disneyland in its first year. I don't know this for sure but I would have to hazard a guess that the photographer was a professional, as these are well composed and pretty sharp, especially for evening shots. These are presented in the order that they were shot. The first shows a pretty young lady (who is in a few of the photos) taking a look at the Park from the Main Street Train station.

Down to ground level, we see City Hall.



Zooming in, it's hard to believe the lack of crowds and guests being able to just relax.



Walking down the street our photographer stopped at the Upjohn Pharmacy.



Let's zoom in for a peek through the windows. I see edutainment!



Standing under the amazing Upjohn street lamp, our young lass probably couldn't even begin to imagine that 60 years later there'd be a Starbucks across the street!



A straight shot down Main Street towards the Train Station.



A closeup view shows that a Keystone Kop is keeping guests safe at night. We need him back!



Last one for today takes us to the Castle.



More early (and contemporary) Disneyland photos at my main website.