The "A" Ticket - Part 1 the 1950's - UPDATE # 3

Well, well, well.... If you've been following my posts regarding the sale of these "first style" of tickets books sold at Disneyland, you might find this fascinating. I predicted these late 1955 ticket books would sell for over $250. I predicted this price based on the fact that the seller just bought them on eBay a few months back for around $350 (actually that auction came with a couple other early 1956 tickets too).

This auction closed last night for $1,125.00!!! That's right, One thousand Two Hundred twenty Five dollars! See for yourself: (EBay Link)

I've seen some high prices for Vintage Disneyland Tickets before, $300+ for super rare. But this seems way out of line. Eight bidders placed 26 bids to bring this auction to stratospheric levels.

I know you slide collectors have paid well over $200 for some classic sets (Hey, I watch that stuff on EBay too!) But this has to "take the cake" for Disneyland stuff that Walt didn't actually sign himself!

A good blogger buddy of mine sent me a scan of a Complete 1955 Ticket Book that his has (I will post it if he says its OK or maybe he will post it on his blog). A suggestion for my buddy; put that ticket book in a safe deposit box and insure it!

While we are on the subject of EBay, does anyone know if this is a legitimate Disneyland Press ticket?

This is currently listed on EBay (180210599334) and is at $20.00. This ticket looks pretty simple and easy to duplicate. Has anyone every seen these before?

Thanks for indulging my EBay hobby (lets not call it an "obsession" even though it is!). If this EBay stuff bores you, just remember, that's where 90% of my collection came from.

Tomorrow we'll get back to some stuff that is actually IN my collection.

Knott's Nickelodeon Music Souvenir Recordings

Here's an odd little Knott's Berry Farm Souvenir Record. I can assume there was a series of these as this one is "No. 402 - Tunes Unknown" Maybe the other tunes in the series were known! This item is not dated, if I had to guess I would say late 50's/early 60's, does anyone know when these where sold?

The back of the record sleeve has a picture of the "Band Piano". I seem to have a vague memory of there being a player piano at Knotts' around 1969 or 1970 (it's about as vague of a memory as the Chicken that played a song on a tiny piano for 25 cents!) Does anyone know where at Knott's this machine was located (the music hall?) and when was it there or was it even there at all?

Here is the record itself. Yes it's on that famous label "Frank Kappler". I love 45's, I have about 600 of them!!!

I know you are just dying to hear what this gem sounds like, so here is the first half of the record. Fortunately I have an old needle for just such occasions. I couldn't figure out how to post "sound"only so you can amuse yourself and watch the record spin around as you listen.

That was funky indeed. I like little odd collectibles like this, I hope you enjoyed it as well.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - World Premiere Invitation

Fourteen years ago today - January 26th, 1994 - One year (and 2 days) after Mickey's Toontown opened, the new Land finally got an "E" Ticket attraction. OK, a "D" Ticket, maybe a "C". But at least it was an attraction! This Invitation is HUGE, just like Toontown's opening ticket, only one inch shorter. The one time I rode this attraction I thought it was fun, it seemed like a mix between Mr. Toads Wild Ride and the Tea Cups!




This is the part the didn't fit in my scanner. It not a tear-off, it's just kinda there.

The back is interesting. Apparently you had to RSVP for this grand event. Your special visit included; "A whirlwind celebration that gets hopping in the morning" I wonder what that consisted of? AND "A Sneak peak at What's Upcoming at Disneyland Park" Hmmmm, what did people get to see there? "You wont believe what our Imagineers are creating" Anyone know what was on display in this "private preview"?

Looking at the fine print it appears that if you lived out-of-town you got complimentary air fare and hotel accommodations! I wonder exactly how you got invited to this thing anyway?

Did Disney really think Roger Rabbit was going to be the next Mickey Mouse? The movie was good, but, something about it seemed uninspired to me. I think that uninspired feeling translated right into Toontown and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Alright, I'll take my amature movie critic hat off now.

Helicopter to Disneyland Ticket

Today's little post is a Helicopter to Disneyland Ticket. Many of you know the history of this service, if you don't, well, I like to stay in the "Happy" side of blogging so we'll stick to the ticket itself today.

This just sold on EBay for $78, way over my head for one ticket! It is rare for sure, dated August 30, 1960. I have seen other tickets from later years that look more like conventional airline tickets. These were on Globe Paper (sweet!)






Here's a pic of the copter landing behind Tomorrowland in 1956. I bet you can hear THAT inside the berm!

Tomorrow come back and join us for the Grand Opening of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin!

Mickey's ToonTown - 15th Anniversary

It was 15 years ago today that our beloved Mickey's Toontown opened it's technicolor gates. According to Wikipedia, Mickey's Toontown was actually two previous projects merged together; Hollywoodland (to be located behind Main Street) and Mickey's Birthdayland (to be located at present day Toontown).

Interestingly, this Special Edition Commemoritve Passport was not valid until two days after Toontoon opened on January 24th, 1993. Did Toontown open two days early or did they just make people wait two days to used these special tickets? As you will see on my post in 2 days, January 26th 1994 was chosen as the day to open Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin.

This ticket is so huge, dare I say it's "cartoonish"! Measuring a ludicrous 14 inches by 4 inches, there is no way to scan the whole thing. Here is the main part, this is the part you get to keep after you use it.


Here is the admission stub section. Yes, this ticket was never used and it's still valid today. I like that even numbered serial number, I have no idea why.

The back is pretty simple, but I think the front makes up for it!

These tickets came in this HUGE envelope, again it won't fit in my scanner, but you get the idea.

Here is the Souvenir Guidebook Cover from January 1993.

The inside of the front Cover.

Nice Trifold map showing the latest "Land".

Mickey's Toontown gets it own section, just like a real "Realm".

To help celebrate Toontown's Anniversary I'm going to post the rest of the Guide Book. I'll use just about any excuse to post these guide books, I love them!

















If you read thru these pages (like I did) you will notice the park changed a lot in the last 15 years. For the better or for the worse? I'm thinking Toontown was the begining of some "dark clouds" that were starting to form over Anaheim in the early to mid 1990's... That's probably why it's my least favorite Land.

However, after this post I feel guilty for only have been to Toontown twice. I will stop in next time to ride my favorite attraction there, the wacky Jolly Trolley, what, it's closed, that figures!

Lion Country Safari

Today lets take a look at a few Tickets from "Lion Country Safari" Irvine, California. I only went there once and that was in 1972! As a kid I remember the car drive thru part was scary and the "theme" park seemed the same as Busch Gardens in Van Nuys. I was 7 so what the heck did I know!

There are some great construction photos here: theimaginaryworld.com, also be sure to scroll all the way down to the link for the "now" photo's, sad.

This first ticket would be the oldest of the three we will look at today. It's on thick globe paper, more like card stock. I am guessing they would punch out each of the four "attractions" once you rode them. Minimum retail Value $7.25, What was the maximum Value? Check out the rules on the back!




Here's a neat little membership card. "Not available to the general public" so who was it available to, the non-general public?

I'm guessing this to be towards then end of the run for the Safari. While these are still on globe paper, they are not nearly as nice, the print is pretty cheap and the back is blank. I have a big stack of these in a tablet format, I suppose lots of people never got (or wanted) their Complimentary Tickets!

What I remember most about Lion Country Safari the 1981 addition of the "Irvine Meadows Amphitheater". I have been there many times. To name a few; Jefferson Starship (when animals could still be seen behind the stage area!), The Eagles and my favorite band RUSH!

Yesterland.com has a nice write-up on Lion Country Safari, did you know the Original Lion Country Safari in Florida is still open? I didn't.

Tomorrow; come join the Grand Celebration for ToonTown's 15 Anniversary Special Post!

Summer Night Passport - 1981

Back in 2000 I was collecting Disneyland Guide books at a steady pace and I guess I never looked inside some of them. As I have been making a list of my Guide Books recently (I'm almost there Jason!) I have found several that have tickets in them!!! And most of the 1980's books also have the dated gate handout inside, oh boy, lots to post!!!!

I found this little mint gem last night in a 1981 Guide Book. "Summer Night Passport" this was getting near the time when the A thru E ticket books were going to be phased out. (MUCH more on that in a near future post as I have found more on when and how in 1982 the transition occurred.) $8.00 for 7 P.M. to closing, August 29th, 1981 was a Saturday, I would guess they were open till 1 A.m. of maybe even 2.am. Not a bad deal for eight bucks!

Hey the photo on the front of this 1981 Guide book looks a lot like the post card set I have been adding to the end of some of my posts (link). I guess they are from 1981!

Wow, Disneyland of my teenage years! I swear it actually felt like the colors in this map!

Back of the book has a neat promo for "Fox and the Hound" and "Condorman" I must have missed both of those. "Borrow a Polaroid for free"! Just buy the film, $15 for 8 so-so prints that probably wont last a lifetime! How about an 8 x 10 Polaroid taken on the back of the Lilly Belle (well, it looks like the Lilly Bell). I have never seen one of those, I wonder how well the 8 x 10 Polaroid format looked and has held up?

Tomorrow, well, tomorrow is up in the air, tune in and see.

Thursday, we have a Special post to celebrate ToonTowns 15th Birthday. Yes it's my favorite realm too (add sarcasm here), I love it so much I've been there twice! Shame on those of you that did not know this importand date was coming up! (I only know because I have the opening day tickets!!)

Questions and More Questions...

Today's post is not ticket related so I wont even try to connect it. I have a couple of things in my collection that have been nagging at me to get some answers. So hopefully someone knows something about my two questions today.

First, following up with my Hall of Chemistry post of the other day, here is a Hall of Chemistry souvenir photo mailer thingy. I have seen these before, but I think you the "visitor" is supposed to be in the picture. Any Idea why Luna-Lana is standing pretty all by herself? Could you just buy the photo souvenir without "you" in it? Seems kind of odd to me...

You can't see the whole picture when it's in the mailer, so I took it out and scanned it. Neat stuff on the walls! The back of the photograph only reveals that it is a "Polaroid", it has held up well over the years, anyone want to guess what year this might be from?

My second question is really a set of questions. I've been making a complete list of my Disneyland Guide Books for a friend (Jason, I'll have it done soon I promise). I came across a book that I can't get the exact date, but the stranger part is some of the attraction names are wrong or just weird.

Let's start with what we know. This is a late 1966 or early 1967 guide book. I can date this book as it has the Pirates of the Caribbean coming soon and as you can see, half of Tomorrowland is under construction. All seems well, right means right, left means left.

Here is where it gets weird and my questions begin. #15 lists "Monsanto's Magic Microscope"? I knew that was a preliminary name but wasn't the real name decided by the time the New Tomorrowland opened? Location #10 and #18 list these areas as "Coca-Cola Refreshment Gardens", when was it ever called that? And look at #14 The House of the Future, I have heard it co-existed with the new Tomorrowland for a few months, but it just make this little slice of history even more odd to me.

So we can have order back in the universe, from the 1970 Guide Book. We have Adventure Thru Inner Space and the Coca-Cola Tomorrowland Terrace. The House of the future has turned into a Souvenir stand! Now the guide book shows a real photo of the new Tomorrowland. Notice the 66/67 one above has the wild artist rendering, then the next one has a more tame rendering.

And since this post lacks color, and you know how I am about Color. "The world is a carrousel of Color" Here is a late 70's early 80's post card of Alice and her pals. Hey, Alice has that whole Marsha Brady thing going one, she's cute! Was there a Walrus in Alice in Wonderland?

Tomorrow - we'll get back to some tickets.

Rides Aplenty over at Knott's

It's a warm sunny Sunday in the late 1970's so lets go to Knott's and ride all the attractions as many times as we want. We wont be needing those pesky ticket books, we've got "Rides Aplenty" passes. I'm not sure if just anyone could buy these or if you had to be in a "club" like Disneyland's Magic Kingdom Club?

These are not dated, but I would place them as mid to late 1970's by the fonts and feel, but I have no evidence of an actual date. "SS" and "PP" what do you suppose that means? Notice the little string is missing from the white one. What a bummer if you lost one of these because the string broke!

But wait, fill out the back and I am sure someone will return it if you lose it.

Since it's clear these "Rides Aplenty" tickets did not get you thru the Main Gate, you will be needing this Complimentary Gate Admission. I wonder if this ticket is still valid? There is no expiration date. Ah, "Globe Safety" paper.

The back implies this ticket is still good anytime the park is open for normal business.

Tomorrow it's back to Disneyland!