Decades of Disneyland Tickets - Part 1

Let's take a long look at Disneyland's tickets thru the decades.  These scans were prepared last year for an awesome event I attended, there is at least one ticket for every year from 1955 thru 2001.  Today we'll look at the 1950's, 60's and 70's, come back tomorrow for 1980 thru 2001.



1950's:

1960's:

1970's:

The Last Disneyland Ticket Book - June 15, 1982

I recently received a nice email from a gentleman named Jon with the subject "Last Disneyland Ticket Books". Naturally I was interested from the get go.!  His first email read in part: 

"I purchased the last ticket books ever sold at Disneyland.  I went up there on the last day they were selling them and then waited at the last ticket booth window that was open and bought the last ones sold to the public. They closed the window right after I purchased them." 

Of course I emailed Jon back and asked to see the infamous tickets and as you can see below, Jon was happy to provide pictures and an amazing story about the Last Ticket Books Sold at Disneyland.

More from Jon's email that came with all the photos in this post:

"The date was June 15, 1982. The last booth closed at 21:30 hours and we were there.  Just ask my wife, she thought I was out of my mind hovering around the last open booth, waiting for any last minute people trying to buy them. I was anxious, paranoid and elated all at the same time. 

It was not general knowledge that this was the last time ticket books would be sold to the general public. So there was nobody there, and it was rather a non event.  If something like this happened today with Twitter and Facebook there would have been a riot. 

We lived in San Diego at the time and had only been married two years. So this was a lot of money for us to spend on tickets.  We went to Disneyland for the day, and starting about 20:30 I went outside to the ticket booths."

Jon even had his picture taken at the booth #8!  Hey Jon, I'm digging that early eights look, in fact, we looked pretty similar in 1982, I think I had that same jacket!.

More from Jon:

"There were a few open so I kept hovering around until there were only three, then two, then one. I spoke with the two ticket sellers in the last booth and explained to them what I wanted to do.  They were very excited to be the last employees to sell ticket books to the general public and were more than happy to help me out. 

I have enclosed scans of the front and the back of the ticket books.  I purchased an Adult, Junior and Child book.  I also purchased one each of an A,B,C,D,E ticket as well. You can see the booth #8 on the individual tickets."

The tickets look like they just arrived from 1982, Jon has keep them very safe indeed.

Sharp eyes will notice the date code of "815" for May 1981.  I've never seen a lettered ticket book with a later date, they must have done one last big batch and sold them thru June 15, 1982, which I believe we can now officially state that date as the last day Disneyland sold ticket books.

Just in case you don't believe Jon's story, here is his cancelled check from 1982!!!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Jon for supplying these pictures and the amazing details of when Disneyland sold its last ticket book.  THANK YOU JON!

Vacationland - Summer 1965

Happy 57th Anniversary Disneyland!  I couldn't let Disneyland's birthday go by without posting to the blog, after a long and somewhat brutal move I'm ready to start blogging again!

Let's celebrate Disneyland's 57th birthday by taking a look at Disneyland's "Tencennial" with this issue of Vacationland from the Summer of 1965.  The cover shot reminds me of the "Wonderful World of Disney". 

There's that cool giant drum.

There's Magic in this Kingdom.

Loosely detailed map in an odd two color print.

A great centerfold in this issue featuring the Disneyland '65 "Tencennial Celebration" logo

What no steel looping roller-coasters?

It's nice to see the old Farm in Color!

Why wait for Bonus Sunday, download the entire issue now:

***** Vacationland Summer 1965 - 103mb *****