Disneyland 56th Anniversary Less-Than-Spectacular, Pt. 3

In almost every city, there seems to be a restaurant or business that has what's called a "kiss of death location." You know the one; where the dining facility or store seems to change its name and concept every so many years yet never quite catches on. One of those areas at Disneyland seems to be the parcel of real estate next to the Haunted Mansion. Originally designated the Indian Village, by 1972 it was rethemed as Bear Country.



The Crown Jewel of Bear Country was to be The Country Bear Jamboree, a show that was already quite popular in Orlando.



Featuring a lovable cast of audio animatronic Bears, it was truly a lot of fun. Imagineer X Atencio and musical director George Bruns created the tunes for the show.

Just look at Big Al; how could you not enjoy this character? Just one look at him and you can recognize the work of his creator, Marc Davis.



Guests who found their way over to Bear Country could also dine at the Golden Bear Lodge, shown in this July 1978 photo:



One attraction and one restaurant do not a successful land make. This area needed something to plus it, but that wouldn't come until much later.



In order to justify the impending addition of Splash Mountain, the area was renamed once again to the more expansive sounding "Critter Country" in 1988.



Sadly, the Jamboree was removed in 2001 and replaced by the more sedate dark ride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 2003. Hopefully, the rumor that the CBJ will find life again over at DCA is true; I'd rather not have to go back to WDW again to get my fix!



Next to Tomorrowland, this area is probably the second highest list of areas at Disneyland that needs a little help. The fact that it is located at the very far end of the park doesn't help. To draw people away from the more popular Fantasyland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square, this parcel would need a heap more excitement to accomplish that task. Hopefully the Imagineers can figure out a way to breathe new life into this "kiss of death" location.

See more vintage Bear Country photos at my main website.

Welcome to Disneyland, October 1972

Today we’ll take a visit to the early 1970’s, a place I rarely visit here on this blog. This is a small but fun batch of images from the polyester era; although in 1972, the full synthetic nature of this decade was still a few years away.

Nothing says “welcome” like this retro sign! I have also included a closeup view of the diverse signage from other restaurants and hotels along the way. The view today sure is different...and even more crowded than it was some 30 years ago. There have been some visual improvements along Harbor and Katella—thanks to the Gardenwalk project—but quite a few eyesores still remain. This became very apparent to me on one trip as I actually walked to Disneyland from the Anaheim train station. Not quite the happiest journey!



Over in Tomorrowland, the Disneyland Marching band is rousing the guests with a spirited tune. Just check out some of the outfits modeled by the guests on the right side of the photo. I can almost hear the pulsing of the Disco era getting ready to explode!



Here’s a closeup of the band; anyone know who the bandleader was at this time?



Over in New Orleans Square, the Pirates of the Caribbean exterior has yet to be excavated for the addition of the overpass.



You’ll note that The Haunted Mansion (although open for biz since 1969) has not made it to the signage of attractions listed for New Orleans Square...even though Bear Country has (which opened in 1972).



Last shot shows a few Tour Guides yucking it up in front of the Mile Long Bar in Bear Country. Just look at that one girl’s Disneyland Tour Guide “D” Pin sparkle!



This photo from 2008 shows a more current view of the same building as it now appears in the renamed Critter Country:



View more Disneyland photos at my main website.