The Purple Trash Can

Although it doesn’t show the Fantasia mural, I still yelped when I saw this interior shot of the Welch’s Juice Bar in Fantasyland from March 1965. Pluto poses with these two chaps (Doug on the left, can’t read the name on the hat for the boy on the right) who can’t wait to have a 15¢ Welch’s Frozen Grape Bar! Note the themed purple bullet-style trash cans on the right and the left. I’m assuming the “W” visible on the left can is for “Welch’s. That’s a pretty safe bet! This little refreshment shop was where Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is currently located.



Zooming in to this August 1964 shot you can see the exterior:



See more Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.

Holiday in Fantasyland, 1963

It’s December 1963, and my favorite feather hat gal’s daughter is meeting Pluto! In the background, you can see the Mad Hatter Shop. The detail shot below features the back of a Disneyland Tour Guide and two guests eating a DELICIOUS frozen treat from the Welch’s Grape Juice stand.



THIS feathered hat is even more spectacular. I think she wins the prize. Pluto thinks so, too.



Soaring high over Fantasyland on Dumbo, NOBODY’S feathered hat is safe. Hold on tight!



Moving a little further into the depths of Fantasyland we have STORY BOOK LAND! And of course Casey Jr., my favorite little circus train.



A rare shot of one of the Windmills:



The last two for the day show the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant:



…and what I probably miss the most about Disneyland of yore: Skull Rock Cove.



See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.

Pluto in Fantasyland

Time only permits a quickie today, so I present this February 1964 shot of Pluto posing with guests in front of the Welch's Juice Bar in Disneyland's Fantasyland. Despite the cooling temperatures, a Frozen Juice Bar sounds heavenly. The mom on the right looks like she could use a Juice Bar. Maybe even a fermented one.

See more Fantasyland photos at my main website.

Chicken of the Sea Medley

Today I realized I have a backlog of COTS images that I have not posted yet - yikes! Here we go, beginning with an undated gem showing this gorgeous handcrafted lamp. Guessing this one is from 1956 based on another one in the same batch.



This 1956 shot shows the view from the other side of the ship. Casey is in operation and Storybookland looks like it's in its infancy.



Still working on those mountains!



A shot from dry land, also from 1956.



How about a close-up of the Mickey Mouse Club Theatre's Welch's Juice Bar?



This undated 1950s shot...



yields some fun closeups, beginning with a Disneyland shopping bag:



and handcrafted signage. Sigh.



More vintage Disneyland Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship shots at my main website.

1950s Skyway Magic

Let's travel back to March 1957 and soar over Fantasyland in one of the original round Skyway buckets. The view is incredible, isn't it? In the distance beyond the waving children you can see the Fantasyland Skyway Station.



Our second image from the same batch takes us over the Mickey Mouse Club Theater, which is where the Pinocchio Dark Ride is currently located.



You can also see the Welch's Grape Juice Stand:



From a different batch of 1950s images, we can see the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship in the background. The Dumbo attraction was moved to this location in 1983 for the Fantasyland remodel.



Our next image is even further away…



but through the miracle of a closeup zoom, we can see the Fantasyland Skyway Station and the gigantic promotional Skyway book that was located in front of it. On the left-hand side the Timothy Mouse statue is visible above the Dumbo attraction in its original location.



More Disneyland Skyway magic at my main website.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Odds & Ends

Today's post features a few vintage views of the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, starting off with this pre-1952 shot of the front. For those interested in the nearby shops on Hollywood Boulevard, here's a closeup:



A similar view from Christmas 1955 in color:



The Roosevelt was especially known for its pool, where plenty of would-be starlets waited to be seen and discovered:



On my last stay there, I took this shot from the same vantage point:



And yes, I take requests! The other day, I was asked to zoom into the Fantasia Mural at the Welch's Grape Stand in Fantasyland. Unfortunately, not much is really visible, other than the appropriately purple colored trash can with "Welch's" on it:



Zooming into the Storybook Land entrance you can see a worker near the ticket booth:



And great catch on the "New" Tomorrowland construction:



Again, not much to see when I zoom into the windows of the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street:



See more vintage and current Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel photos on my Roosevelt Hotel photo web pages.

Early Morning in Fantasyland

At first glance, this photo may seem a bit boring. Once I zoomed in to look at the details, I realized I needed to add this June 1957 image to my collection. I have yet to get a decent shot of the Welch's Grape Juice stand mural; however, at least this photo shows the entrance, not to mention a nice view of a cast member touching up the paint on a Fantasyland lightpost.

I'm not sure who took this photo, but they either had special early morning access or ran into Fantasyland first thing before the kiddies took over the attractions. In 1983, Pinocchio's Daring Adventure took over the location seen here which bears the signage of the Mickey Mouse Club Theater and the Teacups were moved closer to the Alice attraction. In their place, King Arthur's Carrousel was moved. You got this all straight now? Wow...that's a lot of moving!



See more vintage & current Mad Tea Party photos on my Mad Tea Party web page.

July 1960 Visit: Fantasyland!

Yesterday, we boarded a Skyway bucket in Tomorrowland and were headed straight for Fantasyland. Along the way, our photographer got this nice shot of Monstro, who is looking a little hungry for another Canal Boat. Photo #2 is of the teacups, and I have included a closeup of the Welch’s Juice Bar area. You can see a trio of ladies standing in front, thirstily slurping up another cup of that delicious Welch’s Grape Juice.





This shot includes not only my fave Casey Jr. chugging alongside the Patchwork Quilts, but the Fantasyland Train Depot waaaaaaay over yonder on the righthand side of this photo:



No Fantasyland post would be complete without a Chicken of the Sea shot; must have been a little hot on this July day in Anaheim; the windows on the ship are wide open, allowing a breeze to (hopefully) come in and cool the guests who might be ordering a Tuna Boat.



For the big finish our the July 1960 series are these 2 views of the Sleeping Beauty Castle:





Meanwhile, at present day DCA, here are a few recent shots of the Toy Story Midway Mania attraction, which will be open for previews in early June. Naturally, the gift shop is already open for biz!









Love the Donald Duck gingerbread border atop the building across from the Midway Mania:



This one is for CoxPilot & his upcoming garden project, taken at the Snow White Wishing Well:



Last bit of news: on the DVD front, Disney is about to release National Treasure 2. In anticipation, lucky So Cal residents can watch a giant sand replica being built of Mount Rushmore at Venice Beach by Todd Vander Pluym. Here’s the schedule: Saturday, May 17, 2008 7am–8pm, Sunday, May 18, 2008 7am–8pm, and Monday, May 19, 2008 7am–8pm. This thing will be huge: 400,000 pounds of sand, 10' tall x 25' wide x 12' deep. Those that are close enough to see it being built will need to go to Venice Beach, end of the street Windward Ave., at lifeguard stand BRKWTR (stands for breakwater.) PCI Parking, 2700 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291.



See more vintage and current Fantasyland photos on my Fantasyland photo web pages.