The Sparkle of Disneyland's Tomorrowland 1967

The Submarine Voyage and the Peoplemover. What more can you say? Plenty! Add in the Carousel of Progress, the late and great Adventure Thru Inner Space and a refreshed entrance to Tomorrowland.  The year 1967 would remain one for the books in the annals of Disneyland history. 

Walt's park seemed better than ever under the guidance of those first generation Imagineers. And, boy, they were on a roll! It's a Small World was first, then Pirates of the Caribbean in the Spring of '67 and the Haunted Mansion a couple of years later. Let's not forget Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln coming hot off the World's Fair. 

Things would slow down for awhile, but as this photograph from the late and great Vintage Disneyland Tickets shows, the future was also moving at Disneyland- unless you look at Tomorrowland. That revision in 1998 was a dud- Rocket Rods aside-, and it was the last time that area of the park had even the slightest bit of cohesion. Will the Imagineering team bring a great new person of the future for the park's 75th Anniversary? Your guess is as good as mine!

(Photograph copyright Vintage Disneyland Tickets.)

Disneyland's Mickey Santa Hybrid

Mickey Mouse masquerades as the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus, on the cover of Disneyland's long gone Backstage magazine. Do you think the kids facing him might be a little freaked out or are they giggling with delight? Winnie the Pooh makes a guest appearance by hiding in Santa's bag.

I thought this piece of art was a different way to welcome in the Christmas season now that Thanksgiving has passed. The late great Vintage Disneyland Tickets had the piece hidden in plain sight. Such a wealth of great retro and vintage Disneyland and park related images. 

All Aboard the Mark Twain Steamboat! Got your Ticket?

Yes, the ticket says "Steamboat Mark Twain", not the more familiar Mark Twain Riverboat we are all accustomed to. When this beautiful ship premiered on the Rivers of America, special tickets were sold. They are beautiful!

Frontierland and Disneyland as a whole was a celebration of the ideals of America. In this land, it was a look at life in the Wild West. Sure, it was a fairly sanitized version. But it had to be. No one wants to go to a theme park that celebrates difficulties. Perhaps that's one reason why Disney's America had limited appeal. But I digress.

For many years an evening cruise about the Mark Twain was the perfect was to end a day at the park. It became even more magical when New Orleans Square opened up. (I'd always hoped New Orleans Square would be built at another park where the docks for the steamboat would be on the river in that land- with a mint julep bar next door!) 

Most nights you could hear the Dixieland music from the ship as you sailed by. The cruise was long enough to be immersed in a different world as she sailed into the darkness. Imagine being blessed by being selected to be aboard when the late great Louis Armstrong and his band played on her decks! That's the kind of magic that can't be duplicated by an Imagineer!

(Image from Vintage Disneyland Tickets.)

Vintage Disneyland Tickets Returns- Sort Of

One of my favorite Disney blogs just returned- sort of. Vintage Disneyland Tickets came back on the scene on April 1- but I didn't see it until now. Here's his infamous "F Ticket". I hope Tim returns soon.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Men of the Skull and Crossbones

From the 1970 issue of Vacationland magazine comes this full page ad celebrating the success of Pirates of the Caribbean at the beautiful New Orleans Square in Disneyland. From the now defunct but very great Vintage Disneyland Tickets.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

1976 Disneyland Dial Guide

Here's something from the Disneyland past we haven't seen again- a vintage 1976 Disneyland Dial Guide. All you had to do was turn the dial to the attraction you wanted to find. Map on the front, descriptions on the back. Notice "America Sings" and "Adventure Thru Inner Space", not "Star Tours".

This image, by the way speaking of "vintage", is from the great site Vintage Disneyland Tickets. Seems the last post was in May. I hope the blogmaster Tim is ok. He's a great guy! Maybe this post will coax him out of hibernation! I miss the great finds he always has on his pages.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Where Art Thou, Brother Tim?

Our friend Tim over at the great blog, Vintage Disneyland Tickets, has been gone way too long- over a month now. I'm sure missing his posts! The mix of old and new, tickets and maps, and trip reports make this one terrific site. Check in, Tim, please check in.

Disneyland's Summer of 1969

You just have to love Vintage Disneyland Tickets! Blogmaster Tim does an incredibly great job of finding undiscovered gems both from the Walt Disney Company's own artists and Imagineers and from outside sources such as old magazines and newspapers.

Today's post on the site shows one of my favorite things about his blog: old Disneyland guide books and maps. Here, the summer of '69 shines brightly. Go here to see the entire guide. It's enough to make Bryan Adams sing...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Mattel and Disney: Vintage Goodies

If you never explore something for yourself, you can be fooled by a name. The incredible Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog is so much more than you would think just by reading the name! For those of you that love Imagineering, old Disneyland maps, and more, you have to check out today's post and discover what Disney and Mattel Toys were up to in the 50s- entire decades before their sponsorship of It's A Small World. Wanna discover more? Go here.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

More Marvels from Vintage Disneyland Tickets

There are many super websites and blogs in this Disney World. I like them all for different reasons, but I just have to say I am always surprised by the excellent Vintage Disneyland Tickets site. Blogmaster Tim never ceases to amaze me with the stuff he digs up! And he's just a great guy on top of it all. Today's post on the New York World's Fair and the Disney attractions is just stuffed with concept art and other goodies. Go here now and just marvel!

Japan Pavilion Expanded

The always great Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog has a wonderful post on the Japanese Village and Deer Park that once occupied land in Buena Park, California. This smaller park was not too far from Disneyland, but it was world's away from Walt's lands! Think of your favorite pavilion from World Showcase at Epcot. Now expand that into a full blown theme park!

It was almost an entire days worth of shows, exhibits, shopping and food. The folks that worked there were terrific. Just like at Epcot, they spent the time to really interact with guests, making a visit a delightful experience. I loved this place so much, it was instrumental in me choosing Japan as the destination of my first international trip.

Thanks, Tim, for rocking my world with a trip down memory lane!

Walt Disney the Dad

Tim over at Vintage Disneyland Tickets offers yet another great post- this time by Diane Miller about her famous father. Heartwarming. Go here now. Really! (Watch for my Animal Kingdom post this week- Part 5 is on the way!)

Disneyland Line- The Christmas Editions

Today's post on the always excellent Vintage Disneyland Tickets, features Christmas editions of the Disneyland Line. This publication for employess provided insider information long before the internet made it possible for folks to share their secrets. Check this out! You'll be glad you did! (And keep an eye out for more "Tomorrowland Mondays" here at the Insights blog!)

Jolly Holiday

I am somewhat a day (or two!) late and many dollars short, but Tim over at Vintage Disneyland Tickets has a really interesting article from Holiday magazine. The reporter visits Disneyland in California circa 1963. Guys, this is a great site- worth an hour (or more) of exploration! Check it out.

Site-ing Worth a Look

Gotta check out this blog: http://vintagedisneylandgoodies.blogspot.com.

Why? If you are looking for tons of vintage Disney stuff- including a scan of Walt's invitation to visit his new magical kingdom in Anaheim, this is the place. There is so much more here, too. Just like the name says, you'll find Disneyland tickets, guidemaps, and more. Trust me on this one, it is worth a look!