Disneyland Population, Pt. 3

The “population” (aka guest count) at Disneyland hit 75,000,000 in September 1969 (as seen in my previous post). The number by November 1970 on the Main Street Train station had increased to 95,000,000:



For the 100,000,000 mark, Valerie Suldo was the honored guest to achieve that milestone number, shown with Disneyland Marketing Director Jack Lindquist on June 17, 1971:



A color shot from July 1972, still at 100,000,000.



The lady in front of the Mickey floral looks like she could have been the SNL Church Lady’s long-lost twin.



December 1976 saw an increase up to 150,000,000 along with another change from my previous photos; the clock that once said Timex was now sponsored by Elgin:



Something else you may notice is the removal of the Santa Fe logo from the station.



November 1978: 157,000,000





April 1980 saw the number soar to 175,000,000:



Note the blue and white bunting and stripes on the train to commemorate Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary.



August 1980: 192,000,000



August 1985: 250,000,000



June 1987: 263,000,000





The clock sponsorship changed once again; this time to Lorus:



May 1993 marks the first shot in this series that came from MY camera (and includes me). Population is now up to 300,000,000.





In October 1995 the number was still frozen at 300,000,000 in this photo that I snapped:



…AND the sponsorship of the clock was gonzo.



What happened with the population numbers after 2000? Come back to find out in part four!

See more Disneyland population numbers at my main website.

Disneyland Guided Tour, Circa 1962: Tomorrowland, Pt. 2

The last installment of the 1962 Disneyland Tour Guide Script begins at Tomorrowland's...

ART OF ANIMATION

Here is the Art of Animation where you will see the various stages in the development of animation from the beginning of time to the very present. This exhibit will give you an idea of how Mickey Mouse and the whole Walt Disney tradition was born. It takes three years to produce a full-length cartoon feature. Here Disney artists and characters alike combine to show you the technical processes necessary for such an undertaking. You will also have an opportunity to meet the latest Walt Disney character - Ludwig von Drake!



AVENUE OF FLAGS

Here at the entrance to Tomorrowland, is the Avenue of Flags. Lining the path are the Flags of our United States arranged in the order of their admittance to the Union. On each flag pole you will find the name of the state, the date it was admitted to the union and its motto.



Here is the "World Time Clock" provided by the Timex Corporation and designed by the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. This clock tells the time of day anywhere in the world at a moment's glance.





To the left of the Avenue of Flags you will find the Monsanto Home of the Future. This modern home features such elements as a television doorbell, ultrasonic dishwasher, and a microwave oven which cooks a potato in three minutes. The Home of the Future is one of the many walk-through exhibits in Disneyland which you can visit after the tour without charge.





The Bell Telephone Company invites you to see the latest innovations in telephone communications and also the Circarama film "America the Beautiful." This unique motion pictures is projected on a 360 degree screen completely surrounding the viewing audience. "America the Beautiful" offers a breathtaking sight-seeing experience of our great United States.





Now that we have completed our rounds, I would like to thank you for joining our tour and for being such a wonderful group. I have enjoyed showing you the Magic Kingdom and hop you enjoy the rest of your stay here in the park. Remember to use your extra ticket for any one attraction in the park and also try to make it back to Frontierland for the Golden Horseshoe Show. The last performance will be at __________. Disneyland will remain open until _____ this evening.

If you have any questions, anything I might help you with before we part I'll be happy to assist you.

I would like to leave you with this thought. We began our tour in Town Square. There at the base of the flagpole is the Disneyland dedication plaque which reads, "Disneyland is dedicated to the dreams, the ideals, and the hard facts that have created America with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." We sinerely hope that through your tour today you have shared in a part of this spirit.



I hope you enjoyed your vintage 1962 Guided Tour as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

See more vintage and current Tomorrowland photos on my Tomorrowland page.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Main Street Pt. 5

Yup, still on Main Street! Shot #1 is from the Swift Market House at the Corner of Main Street and East Center Street. Rumor has it that this will eventually be a Starbucks!

In image #2, the boys are just chewing the fat around the pot-bellied stove inside the market. We have Black Bart, Sheriff Lucky, a Keystone Kop, and I believe Trinidad, one of the White Wings.



It’s pretty obvious that Susie and Bobby have no interest in the Timex store, but the photographer told them to stand in the window and stare.



Susie has even less interest in these little ceramic figures. Check out that sneer! Sure would love to know about what happened to Susie and whether or not her face froze like that!



Time for lunch! Looks like the kids got to have a meal at the Red Wagon Inn, another Swift Enterprise.



A little cut-out character fun in Central Plaza and the kids seem much happier! The lunch at The Red Wagon Inn was probably a factor in those smiles, too.



And so dear readers, I leave you with a view of East Center Street. Only one more installment to go for the Main Street film strip (hang in there William!).



See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

Clock of the World

It’s a feature of early Disneyland that I know very little of, but the Clock of the World has always been something that has fascinated me. One of the first things you would see as you entered Tomorrowland, it was a way cool “gadget” that made it possible to tell you what time it was in any part of the world. Unfortunately, it bit the dust during the “New Tomorrowland” project of 1966-67.





The plaque in front of the Clock of the World said “World Time by Timex, July 17, 1955.”



The multi-colored blue tiles at the base are way cool as well:



See more Disneyland Autopia photos at my website.

ANOTHER 1956 Series

Families everywhere are scouring their attics & basements for 1956 slides, and YOU are the lucky winners as I present to you another colorful series from the park’s 2nd year of operation. First view is a proud young lad showing off his Disneyland pennant, with the E.P. Ripley & Retlaw 1 slowly pulling out of the station towards Frontierland. View #2 features the Disneyland newstand at the entrance (no package hold available yet, folks!) with the Ripley back at the station for another Grand Circle Tour. I have included a closeup of the newstand for you souvenir geeks! Mom & daughter appear to be wearing matching dresses.





Let’s take one of those new-fangled horseless carriages down Main Street; what’s this? Does the castmember talking to the driver actually have a cigarette dangling from his mouth? Sorry Sir, you will have to go under the Monorail pylons by the Submarine Voyage with the rest of the reprobates. Oops...that area isn’t there yet...what’s a smoker to do?!?



To see more vintage & current Disneyland photos, visit my website.

COTW, Enchanted, El Capitan, & Candlelight

Today is a post firmly rooted in the present & the future; no fears, I will return to the past tomorrow! First photo is from May 31, 1956 and shows the iconic entrance to Tomorrowland, featuring the Clock of the World. I have included a close-up of the plaque in front of it, reading “World Time of Timex July 17. 1955.”



Now it’s time to transition to the present; yesterday I saw “Enchanted” for the 2nd time, and pardon the pun, but I’m still enchanted. Seeing it at the El Capitan just added polish to an already brilliant movie. Seeing a movie in this restored movie palace harkens back to the golden age of movies. Your matinee begins with an organ concert featuring a medley of Disney favorites.



Again, I can’t say enough good things about this film and especially Amy Adams’ performance. Her character owes much to Snow White, but also the magic of Mary Poppins. I also can’t remember the last time I left a theater with the songs continuing to replay in my head...in a good way...not like “Small World.” Patrick Dempsey provides the perfect counterpart to Adams’ cartoon princess. GO SEE IT!



Here are a few photos from the Enchanted Experience exhibit featuring Disney’s princesses and props from the film.







The Disney marketing machine is doing a bang-up job of hammering in the fact that Giselle is joining the ranks of her famous counterparts from the past, and rightfully so:



See more photos from the El Capitan on my regular website. After the El Capitan, it was a quick trip back south to Disneyland to catch the annual Christmas tradition of the Candlelight Processional, with Jane Seymour as the featured speaker. Tickets are hard to get, but even without it would be a beautiful site to see from Town Square on the sidelines. The choir, featured singers, and Seymour worked together to bring in the Christmas in a most traditional and welcome way.









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