1960s Tomorrowland Gems

A trio of July 1960 Disneyland images give some rare views into the original Tomorrowland. First, we see the mighty Kaiser Aluminum Telescope in the background; I sure would love to see the footage on the camera belonging to the guest in the foreground! Kaiser Aluminum wanted out almost 3 years before their 5 year contract had expired because they felt that the Disneyland TV show had competing sponsors on it. With some persuasion from Walt Disney himself, this exhibit stayed on until July 1960, making this one of the final images ever taken here.



A slightly out of focus but still color shot of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry exhibit:



It’s hard to believe, but yes…there was an exhibit about bathrooms in Tomorrowland. Welcome to the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow! I see a DIY project in the making for all you vintage Disneyland geeks out there.



This set had a fourth image, taken near the Plaza Inn off Central Plaza, showing Teddy and Kenny, the Disneyland shoeshine boys. This is now my earliest image of the duo.



See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship & Guidebook, Pt. 3

The bathroom of the future...this is what I came to Disneyland for? Hey, Walt had space to fill, and Crane was there to answer the call.

Zooming in, we see another special area of Tomorrowland: The Flight Circle. Cox Pilot - see anything worth commenting on?



Zooming in again to the heart of the action at the Flight Circle:



It seems funny today that anyone in Southern California would find amusement driving a miniature car on a miniature freeway, but Walt knew it would be a hit. Such a hit that the Autopia is the only attraction in Tomorrowland that has been open since day 1.



Moving on to Fantasyland, the heart of Disneyland and the main reason that children run from the entrance to the Castle when they arrive.



Rarely do you get to see the happy expression on Casey Jr, the Circus Train. Sure is adorable, huh?



I love this color version of the Storybook Land map featured on this page:



I just had to zoom in:



Here's a complete black and white version:



See more vintage Disneyland Brochures at my main website.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Tomorrowland, Pt. 2

Now we start getting into the good stuff! Yup, vintage Tomorrowland at its best. Susie and Bobby have rejoined us and are ready to take us through the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry.



I never cared much for Chemistry, but when it’s Disney-fied, ANYBODY would enjoy it! Over at the Kaiser Hall of Aluminum, you can marvel at this way-crazy space suit:



And in case you’ve had too many Pepsis, the Bathroom of Tomorrow may be just what you need!



A trip to the Dairy of tomorrow perhaps? Unfortunately the flying milkman never happened.



Our last two shots show the movie sets from 20k that were repurposed as a Tomorrowland attraction. Sure, it was a move of economy, but who cares...it’s too cool to ignore—let’s explore!





More Tomorrowland fun next Saturday! See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

Upgrading The Bathroom of Tomorrow

There are certain rare images of Disneyland that I get excited about, even when they’re fuzzy. So, you can imagine I was pretty stoked to get my first photo that actually showed the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow. Well, as you can see from photo one, it barely shows it. But hey, you can see the letters that spell “Crane”!

Flash forward to photo #2. Things are looking even better, now! A nice clear shot of the same entryway in glorious black and white.



But at Daveland, even that’s not good enough. I combed the ends of the earth to upgrade that image so that you, dear Daveland readers, could see that entryway in glorious Technicolor (with a big “T”). Not that crappy Eastmancolor, but Technicolor. Check out this shot from November 1959:



For Jason: The lady on the right indeed works for Crane, however, that is not a nametag on her dress, it is the insignia for Crane.



See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my website.

Early Tomorrowland Exhibits: The Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow

It’s a day of being stingy, as I present only 1 new image to represent the Crane Plumbing Bathroom of Tomorrow, which opened on April 5, 1956 and was also called Fun With Water. It featured a display of citrus yellow "Criterion" fixtures, designed by Henry Dreyfuss. The last part of this exhibit was called "Industrial Flow Control,” which was a display of "Valves in Industry," where guests could use the valves to control the flow of water in a colorful display of transparent “pipes.”

This previously posted image of the Spaceman shows the entrance to this "attraction." The Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow became part of the past when it closed on August 31, 1965.



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

September 1958: Pt. 2

I still have a few more 9/58 photos up my sleeve, and today will be posting three. #1 shows the entrance/exit area to the park (thrilling, I know!), and #2 takes us into Tomorrowland with a view of the Autopia. Our photographer appears to be about 2 feet tall, unable to stand much higher than the rail that obviously needs a little TLC and some paint.



Last one for today shows the Spaceman and Spacegirl with the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow in the background. That boy on the right wearing plaid looks like trouble...like something out of "Leave it to Beaver." He could be Eddie Haskell’s distant cousin, but don’t quote me on that. And please don’t miss the little tyke in the stroller in the lower righthand corner; he’s the one giving dad the snake-eye.



In the New Find Department, Chris Jepsen pointed out one to me at the Disneyland Hotel last weekend; the miniature Jungle Cruise attraction called "Safari Adventure." How’d you like one of these in your backyard?!?







Get your tokens, folks, it looks like fun!





See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.