Vintage Disneyland Christmas

Let’s travel back in time with this assortment of vintage images showing Christmas at Disneyland through the years, beginning with this December 26, 1955 image. It almost boggles my mind to see the simple decorations that initially hung on Main Street. In this December 1956 image, we see the area that is now Indiana Jones Adventure. Once known as Magnolia Park, it had a bandstand in the center that featured the Christmas Bowl show, which eventually morphed into the Candlelight Celebration.



Dancers, musicians, and a choir were all part of the show:



The Y’s Men was the name of the band; get it?



This family shot inside the INA Carefree Corner from December 1959 looks anything but carefree.



Three lovely carolers in the Park, from December 1960, are standing near Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House:



The legendary Matterhorn Christmas Star, as seen in December 1961:



This December 1969 Town Square shot has me perplexed; the area where the white Christmas tree is located appears to be backstage. Was it moved out into the Park after it was decorated?



These ornaments aren’t going to hang themselves!



From my first visit to Disneyland on December 27, 1970, my oldest brother’s photo shows the Sleeping Beauty Castle decorated for the season:



I’m on the right, sitting in front of the Castle with my Grandmother and my cousins, wearing those damn “corrective” shoes which didn’t correct a damn thing. Just made me look goofy.



The white Christmas tree in the background has a few barely visible ornaments hung on it:



Since the 80s are now vintage (yikes!), here’s one of the Castle from December 1980:



Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

See more Disneyland at Christmas photos at my main website.

Main Street Model Monday, Part 1

In my collection I have this image of the model that Imagineers created when designing Main Street at Disneyland. So many interesting things to unpack here. Recently on ebay, a seller had listed some alternate shots of this model that also included attraction concept art posted on the walls. The below image was one of those images, which shows Walt’s original intention of having a bandstand in the middle of Town Square.



The below shots from 1957 give a visual of how it all turned out. The design of City Hall and the Fire Department pretty much turned out as originally planned.



As you can see here though, the bandstand was replaced by a flag pole.



In the construction shot below, you can see Walt surveying his kingdom, with the unfinished bandstand in the background at right.



By May 1955, it had been located in its original destination, Town Square.



Still there in this aerial shot. So what happened to it? Apparently Walt realized the structure blocked the view of the Castle at the end of Main Street and decided he needed to open up the visual pathway. The bandstand was relocated to the side of Central Plaza.



The most recent shot I have of this area is from December 2015. The trees do a great job of obstructing the buildings, although I don’t think they are the original ones planted in 1955. Any horticulture experts out there?



See more Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. photos at my main website.

“A” is for Adventureland

When you have no idea what to post, this is what you do. Vintage Disneyland by the alphabet. This random assortment begins with a July 18, 1955 shot of Adventureland showing Casa de Huespedes (which stands for “guesthouse”) in the background.



My most recent corresponding shot is from 2011 (yikes!); it appears the thatched roof took up too much space and was eliminated at some point.



In March 1958, the Disneyland Bandstand had been moved from Main Street to Adventureland (approximately where Indiana Jones now resides).



One of the many events held there was this Ken-L-Ration dog show with Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.



An earlier shot of the Bandstand sans landscaping.



I wonder if this guest took the opportunity to serenade with a song while enjoying the Bandstand all to herself?



Adventureland was full of Tiki sculptures, as evidenced by this May 1961 photo:



Have to zoom in for this one to get a closer look at the base, which was sculpted to look like a palm tree trunk.



This tired and tatted gent proudly displays a brochure and ticket book in his pocket.



I’d show you what the 1961 brochure looks like, but then I’d be encroaching on the “Bs.”

See more Disneyland Adventureland photos at my main website.

Disneyland Christmas Bowl, 1956

You know you have too many vintage Disneyland images when...it takes you eight years to publish an image that you scanned at that time! I couldn’t believe it when I found this shot of an empty Magnolia Park Bandstand ready for the next Christmas Bowl program from December 1956.



Here are two previously shown shots from the actual program:





See more Disneyland Magnolia Park photos at my main website.

Japanese Dancers at Magnolia Park

These Japanese dancers from December 1961 are performing at the Magnolia Park bandstand, located approximately where the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse would be built in less than a year.



These are the most "recent" shots in my collection before the bandstand was removed from the park and shipped off to Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar.



I had to zoom in for a closeup of the outfits.





More vintage Magnolia Park photos my main website.