This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!
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You never know when June Gloom will hit - it might even happen in May! It's like when Friday the 13th falls on a Wednesday. Judging from the number of guests, this was a fine time to visit the park - perhaps it was Mother's Day. Or Memorial Day! The diffused light makes it impossible to guess what time of day this was, but people are already resting on benches, so I'd guess "what is 'early…
The kids are tired of TikTok! They want Pins From the Bag! This first pin is special to me, because it belonged to my dad, who was a big fan of Walt Kelly's "Pogo", a comic strip that ran from 1948 to 1975. Dad had around a dozen books (collections of daily strips) from the 1950s that I used to read, and I grew to love Pogo Possum, Albert Alligator, Churchy LaFemme (a turtle), Howland Owl, Porky…
An anonymous photographer from the 1950s seemed to be interested in some of the smaller details in Disneyland. Sure, that castle is great, and how often do you see a moon rocket? But some folks have an eye for the little things that others don't. The Fantasyland Skyway chalet was a real showstopper, perched on its hill, surrounded by an Alpine forest, and replete with charming folk art details.…
Here's an oddball pair from Spring of 1973. A fine time to visit the park! My family had moved to Pennsylvania by then, so I was looking at my copies of "Disney News" and counting the days before Summer, when we'd probably return to California to visit my grandparents (as it turns out, I did not get back to the park for three whole years!). There used to be a flowerbed smack-dab in the middle of…
From the same batch of Instamatic slides as last Thursday's post come today's snooze-tastic Jungle Cruise pictures. Not the worst things you'll ever see, but far from the best, also. It's that familiar African Veldt tableau, presumably an excuse to populate the Jungle Cruise with a significant number of critters. Why would they all be grouped into one rather small area? To watch one of their pals…
In a large box of slides, I found this group of photos from a defunct amusement park in Ocala, Florida - Six Gun Territory! There isn't a lot of information about this park on Wikipedia. The short version says Six Gun Territory was a Western-themed theme park in Ocala, Florida, United States. It opened on February 2, 1963 and closed on January 1, 1984. The rest of the article is about the Southern…
After observing a large weather balloon (launched from the top of Mt. Everest), I have determined that this would be a good day to share some RANDOS. First up is this nice photo, date-stamped "August, 1967", featuring the entrance to Adventureland. There's the arched sign, made of bamboo and woven palm leaves in the finest "Gilligan's Island" manner. Ivory tusks might be seen as problematic, but…
Way back on May 27th of this year, I shared some 1973 photos taken by Lou Perry from a visit to SoCal's now-defunct Lion Country Safari. After a too-long wait, here is Part 2! You can tell that these antelope feel pretty safe on this faux veldt, they could hardly be more relaxed. Some might not be alive, who can tell? My memories of LCS are mostly of animals half-asleep in the Irvine heat. It's a…
If your Spidey Senses were tingling this morning, it might mean that: A) You were bitten by a radioactive spider, and/or B) You knew that it is Steve DeGaetano's birthday. As always, Sue B. has something for the occasion, and undated photo of a vintage birthday party. 3 elves with pointy blue hats sit in a basement (?) at a card table with a magnificent tablecloth, and the finest, most comfortable…
It's time for some Vintage Disneyland Ephemera! I have three good ones for you, starting with this wonderful caricature, shared with us by GDB pal JG. He said I was going through yet another old box of stuff that hadn't been moved for 25 years, much less opened. No idea what I would find, and there this was... A caricature portrait of me in 1965. This has to have been made on the same trip as all…
