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| Scary Costumes |
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The character costumes at Disneyland have come a long way since the early days -- the first were downright scary! And this outfit is no exception. Mickey's head is big. Like, nightmarishly big! Even though M.M. went through a couple changes before acquiring his huge melon (see some old Disneyland TV show episodes for examples), this is the only "Crude Mickey Costume" postcard ever produced.
Here's what Mickey and Minnie look like today.
And, just for kicks, here's a few other crude-costumed characters:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Then... and Now
Alice, White Rabbit, and Mad Hatter: Then... and Now
Goofy: Then... and Now
Finally, as a bonus, here's a classic postcard of Walt Disney standing with several very early characters.
Life... you get one chance - make it count. |
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| Mike McKiernan is the webmaster of the 'Disneyland Postcard'; the only site on the Web solely dedicated to Disneyland postcards. He been collecting postcards from the park since the mid '80s, but only a few here and there. It wasn't until he bought the book, 'Disneyland: The Nickel Tour' that he took up the hobby full-time. Since then, he has acquired over 800 postcards, dating from the first one ever printed, to the current ones sold today. You can visit his site and see all his postcards at - http://www.disneylandpostcards.com/ |
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| Come back in the coming months to see more of Mikes unique postcard collection. |
| Postcard Archives |
| The Disneyland Hotel's Sierra Tower, circa 1963-1965 |
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The "Sierra" was the very first tower to be built for the Disneyland Hotel and Orange County's first high-rise building, when it opened in 1962 with 150 rooms. At first glance, this tower may not appear much different than today. But take another look at the building... doesn't it look a bit small? And what about the "hotel Disneyland" sign? Why is it backwards? Look at this postcard and compare, taken from almost the exact same spot. Yes, the original tower (which opened without any sign at all) was much smaller than it is today, and was expanded in 1966 by eight new columns - doubling its size with 300 rooms, total. After this, they could finally have the sign read, "Disneyland hotel." :-) Even today, if you walk across the hallway outside the rooms, you can feel a slight step in the hotel, where it was expanded.
What about the other towers?
In 1970, the Marina Tower opened with a new main lobbyfor the Hotel and the "Water World Marina" opening soon after. The Bonita Tower was the third and final (?) tower built, opening in 1978 with over 350 rooms, making it the largest of the three |
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| The "Traveling Bandstand," 1955: Card number: P12291 |
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This lonesome bandstand was originally placed in Town Square on Main Street, right in front of the Train Station entrance (where the flag pole and dedication plaque are, now). But when Walt noticed what an obstruction of view it was -- blocking the Train Station or the Castle, depending on which end of Main Street you were at -- he had it moved next to the Castle just before opening day. Despite of what this card shows (can you imagine a day at Disneyland, now, with so few people watching a show in such a prime location?!), the performances from the band at this bandstand were quite popular, so Walt wanted a more permanent stage built at this location. Therefore, Carnation Plaza Gardens was built and the bandstand was on the move, once again.
All in all, this "traveling bandstand" was in three different locations in the park: Main Street, next to the Castle, and then finally in Adventureland right next to the Jungle Cruise (but not used as a bandstand, more of a resting spot for guests). When the elephant pool was added to the Jungle Cruise in 1962, the bandstand was moved one last time, and it now resides in it's final (?) home at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA. |
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| The original Autopia, 1955. Card number: P12370 |
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Of all the "Lands" in Disneyland, Tomorrowland has seen the most changes during the last 51 years. And although Autopia has been through several changes itself, it still operates today as one of the few opening day attractions and the only original Tomorrowland attraction. In fact, Autopia was once so popular, that two others later opened in Fantasyland: Junior Autopia (which later became Fantasyland Autopia) and then Midget Autopia.
Look at this postcard of its original state: First, you'll notice that there is no guide rail. Surprisingly, the attraction was open for 10 years until one was finally installed. Then there's the model of the car, one of 7 different bodies to come (including the 3 different ones used now). You see those black and white cars about 3 and 4 cars back? Those are Autopia's police cars - more on those below.
Here's some details on it's many modifications and some trivia, too.
Modified:
1. Late 1956: Track divided into two lanes, new twin loading station installed
2. June 6, 1959: Track modified to accommodate the new Fantasyland Autopia
3. 1965: Center guide rails installed on tracks
4. Car generations:
- Mark II (smoother engine) - July, 1955
- Mark III (new engine based on a single prototype car's performance - some might even call that prototype the Mark III) - summer, 1956
- Mark IV (first new design since opening; added working headlights, front suspension, front bumper shocks, larger body - at 1,100 pounds!) - 1959
- Mark V (first to be built by Arrow Development, vs. Disney Studios, and w/o the side bumpers and Mark IV's headlights) - 1965
- Mark VI (all new design with flexible steel and urethane frame)- 1967
- Mark VII (3 new body designs) - 2000
Remodeled:
June 29, 2000: Now sponsored by Chevron with two all new mirrored tracks, which were combined with the former Fantasyland Autopia, as well as a new queue line (with holographic "cartoons" inside the hub), three new car designs, an "off road" area, and more eye candy along the track.
Trivia:
- 35 cars were operating on opening day, with four more designed as police cars (complete with flashing lights and a siren). The police cars were driven by Autopia employees and would escort the other cars in platoons. Sometimes a child who was too small to drive might be invited as a passenger in one of the police cars.
- By the end of the first week of operation, there were only two cars left running! Various mechanical problems occured and the cars needed to be rebuilt (thus the second generation, Mark II, was born).
- Some believe that the Mark VI car was inspired by the 1968 Corvette Stingray. This is false, as the designer, Bob Gurr, didn't even see the Corvette until after he designed the Mark VI. Coincidentally, the designer of the Corvette Stingray is a friend of Bob's and they were both surprised to see each other's (almost identical) designs.
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| Frontierland's "Living Desert," 1956. Card number: C-5 |
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You're looking at three attractions from the past in Frontierland: Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, Stagecoach, and Conestoga Wagon.
The Conestoga Wagon and Stagecoach rides only lasted four years of operation (1955-1959), closing abruptly after a Wagon horse tripped and fell on its side, pulling the wagon full of guests down with him! Since the Stage Coach was also pulled by horses, they retired on the same day as the Wagons, making these the first two of four attractions at this location to be doomed for "Yesterland" Pack Mules being the third). This area is now occupied by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which replaced the last of those four attractions, the Mine Trains (then renamed and themed as Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, in 1979.
The "Westward Ho" wording you see on the top of the wagon above is now part of the McDonald's Fry Cart in Frontierland, an homage to one of Frontierland's original attractions.
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| Casey Jr. Circus Train, 1955. Card number: P12452 |
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No, that's not a toy train, that is indeed the Casey Jr. Circus Train that we still ride today. Only today, you'll see much more vegetation, trees, and not a telephone pole in sight! And let's not forget about Storybook Land. When Disneyland first opened, Storybook Land was known as "Canal Boats of the World," and had nothing to show you. Literally. Nothing. It wasn't until September of 1955 that Storybook Land debuted, so for two months, while riding Casey Jr., you either got a view of dirt and muddy banks, or little villages under construction.
All of Disneyland's first postcards from 1955 (aka the "P Series") show the park's early age by severe lack of surroundings. However, this one of Casey Jr. may just top them all. To see an "after" shot, check out this postcard of a photo taken from the same exact spot, about 10 years or so later. |
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