I Love A Parade: 1968 in 3D!

Back in July 1968, a photographer shot these 3D images (now presented in genuine FauxD©) of a Disneyland parade. It’s as close as you can get to being there, folks!

Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Mr. Smee are waving to the crowd.



Any idea what these ribbons/tags are on Pan and Smee?



Donald is feeling lazy, too:



Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs (Dopey is hiding in the back):



From Pinocchio comes J. Worthington Foulfellow:



Even the recently released Jungle Book was featured in the Parade:



Alice skips by the Wurlitzer Shop:



With Splash Mountain gone, will we ever see these characters back in the Park?



See more Disneyland Parade photos at my main website.

Melinda Goes To Disneyland, Pt. 1!

Just when you thought Melinda didn’t make it to Disneyland, here comes the series showcasing her collection of FABULOUS images from 1980 (the Park’s 25th Anniversary), the era that is sorely missing from my website. THANK YOU MELINDA! The first shot is a total wow; all you Disneyland newbies may find it hard to believe that at one time you could park your car near the front gate. No Disney California Adventure, no security guard lines, just one big parking lot! From Melinda:

I wondered if our visit to Disneyland had anything to do with it being the 25th birthday, but I suspect it was the lure of all of the roller coasters in the small area to ride with the recent opening of Thunder Mountain (September 1979). My parents were big fans of roller coasters and liked to ride them whenever they could - even nature's variety, aka river rafting. My sister and I watched Wonderful World of Disney every week; I had the records with story books that I listened to over and over, and we grew up with and have always loved Disney so we would not have objected to learning we were going on vacation there even if it meant days of driving there and back. We lived in eastern Washington state at the time. I was pleased to find recordings of the 25th anniversary commercial advertising the celebration with its catchy song on YouTube in my research. Music has always been a huge part of life and my sister and I could sing every TV jingle from the commercials growing up. I'm sure we would have known the Disney one and sung along whenever it came on.



A view of Main Street:



Let’s zoom in to see all of the non-Disney shops; Polaroid was the sponsor of choice for the Camera Center. Notice the large clock, too, and the name “Elgin” on it:



…which makes sense when you see that the Clock Shop across the street is sponsored by Elgin! A burst of vitamin C from the Citrus House would be a good idea on a hot Anaheim day.



The plastic Flower Market was still in business, outside the Hallmark Communication Center:



A closer look at the souvenir bag AND the realistic plastic rose:



Melinda and her sister loved meeting Tigger:



America on Parade was expanded to incorporate the 25th Anniversary, as seen in this publicity still:



The Parade in full color, as experienced by Melinda and her family. The Can-Can dancers from the Golden Horseshoe:



The Country Bear Jamboree!



This float seems to be Tahitian Terrace themed:



Another vantage point from my collection:



The approach of Cinderella outside the Carefree Corner (I could use that corner right now!):



Cinderella in her coach:



What parade would be complete without a balloon release?



The Disneyland Band received new costumes to commemorate the Anniversary:



More Melinda at Disneyland to come! See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Further Tales from David M.

Former cast member David M. gave me MORE great stories to share from his days at Disneyland. Enjoy!

Tales from the Park

One time, my supervisor called me from my duties on Tom Sawyer Island to help supervise the Main Street Parade. He told me that my one duty was to keep people from climbing onto the raised flower beds near the entrance to Tomorrowland in order to get a better view of the parade. So, in my Cavalry Trooper uniform, I stood at my assigned station and soon, sure enough, a woman had climbed onto the flower bed and was trampling the petunias. I politely asked that she step down whereupon she replied that she couldn’t see the parade from street-level. I told her that nonetheless, she was killing our flowers and she had to step down. She replied, “You son of a bitch.” I said, “Yes, ma’am, that may well be, but you still have to get down from that flower bed.” She complied, and another guest who had watched the whole thing, said, “Buddy, well done – but I wouldn’t want your job.”

 A few weeks later, my supervisor again called me off the Island with an unusual duty. It seems that someone in Entertainment thought it would be fun to have The Big Bad Wolf (who wore loud and intimidating cleats on his shoes) march the Three Little Pigs though the park. The Pigs would be in front with the Wolf following – and with a big club slung over his shoulder. The problem was that little kids hated the wolf and they would come up behind him and kick him in his tail and legs, which of course could be painful. My job was, in my Cavalry Trooper uniform, to follow closely behind the Wolf and protect him from the mean kids.

 And speaking of the Three Little Pigs: girls in the know always stayed away from them. Why? Well, because the Pig costumes were made in such a way that the body and the head of the Pig’s ended at the shoulders of the actor inside, with the actor’s head above & inside the Pig’s hat with the hat made of a black gauze material so he could see out. The Pigs all had the job of merrily wandering the Park (at least when the Wolf was not herding them) and happily bouncing into guests. Well, few people knew that the Pig’s nose was as flexible and soft and the actor inside could put his hand inside, almost as if inside a glove and the nose thus became an appendage. This resulted in many a female guest’s being bumped into and providing the actor inside the Pig costume with the proverbial “free feel.”

I also heard from fellow staff who supervised Monsanto’s Ride Through Inner Space in Tomorrowland that when viewing the attraction through unseen slits in the set, that they would see some pretty heavy make-out sessions between the start and the end of the ride through the attraction.

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

Paint the Night

A little over a month ago I finally had the opportunity to see the Paint the Night Parade. I am not a huge parade person, so it really has to blow me away to get me to watch it repeatedly. So far, the only Disneyland parade that has flipped my switch is Soundsational. Paint the Night is enjoyable, but I won't be fighting the crowds to see it again. Here are some shots from that chilly November evening.



Plenty of Peter Pan:



and Tinker Bell, too.



Tigger:



The Genie from Aladdin:



A ton-o-Pixar:









A little break with King Triton and Ariel:



and then right back to Pixar:





No Disney parade would be complete without a little Princess action:





Surprise! There's a float for Frozen:



Between Star Wars and Frozen, it's hard to pick which one I am more tired of having crammed down my throat. Must appeal to masses…must appeal to masses...



And then the classic characters, such as Donald:



Minnie:



And naturally, Mickey Mouse himself!





More Paint the Night photos at my main website.