A Jester in Tomorrowland

That’s right; a Jester on a unicycle is riding through Tomorrowland at Disneyland, circa July 1964. The most famous unicycler at Disneyland was Christopher Fair. Alas, he left in 1963, so this is obviously his replacement.



The same guy (and outfit) circa 1965 in Fantasyland, which is where you most typically saw this character:



Christopher Fair, circa July 1963:



The location of the first image is near the entrance of Tomorrowland, where the state flags once resided. Here’s the one for New York, from roughly 1956/1957:



A detailed view of the info on the pole’s plaques:



A view from Spring 1960:



A genuine FauxD© shot from April 1965:



See more photos at my main website.

Tomorrowland, Summer 1962

Today, experience a brief potpourri from the Summer of 1962! In this July 1962 image, Spaceman John Glenn (not the one of NASA fame!) poses with two happy little gents outside of the Dutch Boy Paint Color Gallery.



By this time, the TWA Moonliner attraction had been re-branded/sponsored by Douglas Aircraft Company.



Want to see those round balls up close? Of course you do…



Below is an August 1962 image of the entire rocket ship:



See more vintage Disneyland Tomorrowland Spaceman photos at my main website.

Sleeping Beauty Castle: The Disney Crest

On the front of the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle above the entrance arch is what appears to be a family crest. Depending upon which story you hear, it is either the Disney family crest or something that Walt made up. Thanks to an article sent by faithful Daveland reader SJR, I feel like there is a legitimate backstory which explains it. For guests who crossed the drawbridge into Fantasyland on July 18, 1955 (when the below photo was snapped), they saw zilcho. No Disney family crest.



 Keep moving folks, nothing to see here. Just a flat slab. 



That’s how the front of the castle looked until July 1965. This photo from April 1965 is the last photo in my collection that shows the bare slab, just waiting for something to spice it up!



The source for the article I read was on the BBC website. Reporter Colin Paterson went to Norton Disney, Lincolnshire to meet with Disney historian Sebastien Durand at St Peter's Church, a building that dates back to the 11th Century. “This is the oldest place in England where you can find a trace of Disney, of Walt Disney’s history and his family tree and even his coat of arms,” the French Disney expert explained. In the summer of 1949, Walt was in the UK supervising the filming of a live action “Treasure Island” (1950) when his daughters, Diane and Sharon, convinced him and his wife Lillian to spend a few days in Scotland. He agreed, but only if they could make a detour on the way. Edited from the article:

“He heard there was a village named after Disney,” says Durand. “He was intrigued as he only knew that his great-grandfather was Irish. He didn’t know his history earlier than that.…He was from a rural village in America. He grew up in Marceline, Missouri - so when he was here, he met with stockmen and could discuss with them about raising pigs, because that’s what he did as a child. He connected with the people here and connected with his own history here.” It was in St Peter’s Church that Walt Disney made his most significant discovery. The minister at the time, Rev RK Roper, explained to the animator how the De Isignys had come over from France to England with William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and had settled in the area. Over centuries, the name had changed to d’Isigny, then D’Iseny, eventually becoming Disney around the 13th or 14th Centuries. Walt also saw the rather grand 14th Century tomb of Sir William d’Isney on which there was the family crest, with three lions facing left, the symbol of Normandy. It clearly made an impression. In 1965, for the 10th anniversary of the Disneyland theme park in California, Walt decided he wanted to add a coat of arms to Sleeping Beauty’s castle. He was asked if there was a Disney crest. “He said, ‘Yes, I remember I saw it in Norton Disney in 1949 when I was in England filming Treasure Island. I went to that little town and saw the coat of arms,’” Durand explains. “So they took photographs of it and they reproduced it on the castle in Anaheim, California, and since then it is on every Disney castle in all Disney parks. It even appears now at the beginning of every Disney movie.” What proof is there that Walt Disney really is related to the Disneys of Norton Disney? “You can never be totally sure,” Durand says, “because nobody can trace a direct history over 1,000 years except if he is from a royal family. We know that the Disney name began in France, continued in England and went to Ireland and then to America, so obviously all people who share that name Disney, including Walt Disney, share that same history.  The name comes from here. The exact possibility that Walt Disney is related to that is, I would say, 99%.” One other rather interesting historical Disney link, which is kept in the Lincolnshire Archives, can be seen in a charter signed in 1386. It shows that the name of the estate of the Disney family was Disnayland, albeit with an A. Durand cannot hide his glee. “So the first appearance of the name Disneyland is not in California at the park or at Disneyland Paris, but here in Lincolnshire more than 600 years ago.” When Walt visited in 1949, he presented the village with three prints of Disney characters, which he kept on him at all times in case of autograph hunters. For the company’s 100th anniversary, rather more thought has gone into a gift from Disney to the village. Durand handed over a specially commissioned picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking through Norton Disney, drawn by Disney illustrator Kim Raymond.

I was glad to finally have what appears to be the story behind the coat of arms on the castle, but it still brings up some unanswered questions. Clearly, there was an intention to put an insignia of some kind on the Sleeping Beauty Castle when it was built in 1955. Why did it take ten years? Walt’s trip pre-dated the design and construction by approximately 5-6 years, so it’s not like he wasn’t aware of what the coat of arms looked like. Below is a photo from the 10th anniversary celebration of Disneyland, July 1965.



Note that the crest is still missing. I can only assume that this was a staged photo taken well in advance of any possible unveiling ceremony…if there was one.



Here’s a 3D shot of the castle from August 27, 1965, WITH the coat of arms finally installed.



This photo that I took in 2012 shows the lions adorning the banners along the castle entryway:



Another genuine FauxD© image I snapped in 2012:



A closeup of a banner from 2009:



But that’s not the end of my questions. In this 1956 image showing the back of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, you can clearly see that there are 2 insignias above the arches as well as 3 unadorned spaces on the balcony above:





…and in this June 1957 photo:



Those three blank crests stayed that way into the 1980s:





The first shot I have in my collection showing crests on the back of the castle is from January 2003 (below). Yes, I have a huge void in my collection from the 1980s until 2000. My obsessions are limited by my bank account.



From 2012:



…and a closeup from 2010:



I have no idea where any of the crests/insignias on the back of the castle came from. On another website that attempted to explain the family crest origin, someone left a comment that their grandfather “painted” the three insignias on the back of the castle, and that the crest on the left with the fleur de lis pattern is THEIR family insignia. Since those didn’t seem to exist until after 1980, that story seems a little muddled.

There’s always some mystery out there to be solved!

See more photos at my main website.

Disneyland Has Character, Pt. 1

A June 1970 shot of the Three Little Pigs. This version of the Pigs is special to me because this is exactly how they looked when I met them at my first visit to the Park, December 1970.

Here’s a closer look at one of them:

Here I am, posing with my cousins:

…and how The Pigs looked during the early years, circa 1959:

See more Disneyland Character photos at my main website.

Behind The Storybook, June 1958

Sometimes I have to look at a photo a few times to catch all the wonderful details, like this one shot from the Disneyland Skyway showing the Storybook Land attraction. Zooming into the background, you can see the Fantasyland Viewliner station as well as the Junior Autopia. Yes, back in the day there were multiple Autopias.

I was not aware that there were TWO bridges for the Viewliner with the Santa Fe sign. Or, quite possibly I knew at one time and forgot over the years. I’m sure “Anonymous” will let me know my error.

Here’s the one that spanned over the Motor Boat Cruise attraction:


See more Disneyland Storybook photos at my main website.

1955 Dumbo Details

This 1955 image of the Dumbo Flying Elephants attraction at Disneyland caught my attention for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is that it captures the mechanism that allowed Dumbo’s ears to flap while the attraction was in motion. Apparently it was problematic, and guests today will see that the ear is now part of the overall mold rather than a separate piece.



Even modern day technology couldn’t make it work.



The biggest “wow” for me in the 1955 shot was this phone booth; very jarring. I don’t think it must have lasted long, as in my VERY quick search, I couldn’t find it in any other shots from my collection. Any way, what would you have needed a phone booth for? “Hey Ma, I’m at Disneyland! You won’t believe it...Dumbo’s ears actually flap!”



I also enjoyed seeing all the little gadgets at this refreshment stand:



The one mystery to me is this little area which looks like a vintage coffee can sitting in a recessed area.



Here are some previously posted shots that show the same area and the refreshment stand:





Leave it to “Anonymous” to see the same phone booth in my shot from December 1955:



Now if only “Anonymous” could solve the mystery of the coffee can. Waiting…

See more Disneyland Dumbo Flying Elephants attraction photos at my main website.

Blue Monorail and HOJO

Not wanting Disneyland’s Blue Monorail to feel left out, here’s a Summer 1970 shot of it circling the Matterhorn.



When I zoomed in to get a closer look at the bubble, I noticed the sign for the Howard Johnson across the street on Harbor Boulevard:



A previously posted shot from my collection showing the Motor Lodge itself with its cute little trolley. Wonder what happened to it?



See more Disneyland Monorail photos at my main website.