Fifi and Jose, 1966

In this October 1966 shot, José the red plumed Barker Bird is drawing customers in with his spiel, voiced by Wally Boag:



Originally, it was the blue plumed Juan who spoke to guests at the entrance of this attraction as shown in this image taken just a few months earlier in August:



Back to the October 1966 batch, the photographer captured Fifi in action during the show:



See more Disneyland Enchanted Tiki Room photos at my main website.

Trip Report: Adventures in Adventureland!

When my friends joined me in the park, it was a no-brainer as to what we should do first: The Enchanted Tiki Room! The show could not have started soon enough for us to bathe in the wonders of freon. When these doors magically opened, we were the first to enter.



A front row seat gave me a great vantage point for shooting my photos.



The scary face on the front of the Magic Fountain structure in the center of the room, which was to originally be a coffee station.



Pierre and Michael were right above me, doing their schtick and banter back and forth.



It wasn't long before the familiar strains of The Sherman Brothers' classic, "Let's All Sing Like The Birdies Sing" could be heard by the adoring audience.



Then the lights dimmed, and I knew it was time to watch the ladies descend from the ceiling.



Gigi and Mimi looked beautiful in the magical lighting.



The clicking of the plastic orchids could be heard throughout the room.



The drumming of the figures on the ledge increase the tension in the show...



then the Totem Poles join in...



and before we knew it, Pierre was telling us it was time to exit. Back to the heat!



If you are still craving all things Tiki, you can visit the current "exhibit" (aka a not-so-subtle merchandise opportunity) at the Opera House. On display was The Barker Bird, which was (according to the accompanying text) "positioned high above the crowd at the entry of the pre-show Tiki Gardens, to deliver a humorous, descriptive spiel. This proved to be such a novelty that traffic jams occurred in the walkway below as people gawked in amazement, and he had to retire from show business."



This bird prototype was created by Disney's first female Imagineer, Harriet Burns. She "presented this bird to one of the Figure Finishers who was creating the birds for the original Enchanted Tiki Room show at Tokyo Disneyland under her watchful eye. It was one of the prototypes that she had created as they were developing the ground-breaking, original show premiering at Disneyland in June 1963. Knowing its value, he donated it to the Imagineering Art Library for safekeeping and exhibition."



If I remember correctly, this painting by Shag was selling (or not selling) for a cool $18,000.



Back in Adventureland, the wait for Indiana Jones Adventure wasn't too bad, so we decided to check out the new special effects that I had heard about.



Snakes - yikes!



This attraction has one of the most interesting line queues in the park. Every inch of the way has something cool to see.



The perfect shadow is cast on the wall of the "Eye On The Globe" movie projection room.



"Is the Daveland vehicle ready for its journey?"



Getting ready to enter the Chamber of Destiny:



The new lighting effect on Mara:



Mara now has eyes that open. It looks pretty cool and is interesting to see something different after riding this attraction so many times. The voice isn't James Earl Jones, but when we went through, it still sounded like a deep-voiced male.





Indy was still attempting to hold back the swirling lights behind the gates.



This attraction goes by so quickly...next thing we knew, we were below Indy, about to get scared by the oncoming boulder.



Next up: brunch at Club 33.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Adventureland photos on my Adventureland web pages.

Make it blue! Make it red!

The barker bird that once enticed guests into Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is a relic of the past. Today's post will celebrate that long-gone bird and show how it underwent a series of changes during its short tenure outside this Adventureland attraction. In this 1962 pre-opening shot, he is hatless.



By January 1964, a straw hat and cane had been added to the mix:





This May 1965 shot shows a change from blue to red, as if the fairies from "Sleeping Beauty" had flown over the attraction and used their wands on the Barker Bird:





In August 1966, the Barker Bird is back to his original blue plumage:





Final shot for today is one from the archives of Bill H., dated July 1979:



I hope you all have a festive 3-day weekend and are able to get a little R&R; I know I plan to!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Enchanted Tiki Room photos on my Tiki Room web page.

August 1966 Medley

A trio for your Sunday reading, starting with a shot of the very young Plaza Inn. It had only been open a year at the time these photos were taken.

I am assuming this guest is posing with one of the hostesses. What a costume—looks like a cross between the Haunted Mansion and the Tahitian Terrace.



Over at the Tiki Room, Uti stands guard over the entrance and Juan (José's cousin) the Barker Bird is still greeting guests below—all is well!



Apparently the "traffic jams" this talking bird caused was the reason he was removed.



Last (and unfortunately least), here is a shot of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree exit area. This one might even be a hard sell for the signage geeks!



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Main Street U.S.A. photos at my main website.

Adventureland/Tiki Room Entrance

May 1967 brings us this photo showing the famous Adventureland arch as well as the entrance to the Tiki Room; be sure not to miss the very large bouffant on the left. Even in 1967, there are a ton-o-strollers. I have also zoomed in on the United Airlines sign/Jose the Barker Bird area.



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