Bonus Sunday

From Friday's post, here's the entire Summer 1980 issue of Disneyland Backstage. The front and back cover together make this painting. Personally it's not my taste, it reminds me of modern oil painting that just don't look right. 


Disneyland Backstage - Summer 1980 (62mb)






Here's a super article about Wally Boag.

See you Tomorrow on Magazine Monday.

Bank of America Money Order - 1978

Today’s post if a bit of a clean up day, I’ve been busy working on the new website, hopefully this weekend I will make some noticeable progress.

From November 1978, this is one of those that “got away” from my on EBay. This Bank of America Disneyland Money Order is pretty rare, I’ve only seen this one. I forget what it sold for, but it was over my head. What’s interesting is that it appears someone purchased this Money Order with the intent of making it a Souvenir, unless they really needed a $1 money order with a blank payee…






And for some color, here’s another of those 1980’s souvenir slides. Who else misses the Country Bears????

Disneyland Gift Certificate

At one time The Happiest Place on Earth had a pretty cool looking gift certificate. This $10 gift certificate is (say it with me) “undated” but is most likely from the late 70’s or early 80’s based on the “Happiest Place” logo that was used on the back of ticket books from 1977 thru 1981. 

The back has plenty of those round logos! I like the area to endorse it like it's a check.






From the Summer of 1980, here’s the cover to “Backstage Disneyland”. I guess this is kind of like the “Disneyland Line”. It has no volume or issue number? There is an article inside about Wally Boag and it mentions Wally was the first editor of “Backstage Disneyland”. Come back on Bonus Sunday for the entire issue.






Look what’s on the first page, RARE Vintage Disneyland Tickets!!! First Grad Nite Ticket! Holidayland Ticket! Mickey Mouse Club Circus Ticket with Stub! Hey I see a Disneyland Dollar with the same logo as the $10 gift certificate in this post, I’ve never seen one of those before!






The issue celebrates Disneyland 25th anniversary with some vintage photos. I like the Viewliner shot; I never realize it was elevated that much in relation to Autopia.




I have some exciting news. Besides having this blog, I’ve have a website that up until now I have only used as a big storage space for the large .PDF files I post on the blog. I will admit to being HTML challenged and the whole process of creating a website just never clicked. Finally, last Sunday I had an epiphany and HTTP, HTML and FTP all came into focus and I finally understand how to proceed with my website.

I’ve got over 480 posts from this blog to incorporate into my new website, so be sure to stay tuned here for anything new. It will take a while to get the website in shape but I wanted to share it from the beginning with my blog readers.  In the next few weeks as you see changes to the website, PLEASE feel free to offer suggestions, criticisms or even assistance with making it creative since I still lack in that department. So check it out, its Version .01 so don’t expect much, if anything. In fact, the only part that works is the abbreviated guide books section. Baby steps.

WWW.VintageDisneylandTickets.Com

Knott’s Berry Farm - Ghost Town Grill Place Mat

This breakfast place mat from the Knott’s Berry Farm Ghost Town Grill is great shape for being over 50 years old (except that it smells like my grandma’s house). Based on the fun but hard to read map, I would place this somewhere between 1955 and 1959, closer to 1955.

For a total of $2.80, this is what I’d order; “The Miner Struck it Rich and ordered This” (Includes: Breakfast Steak, two fried eggs, Char-Broiled Ham, Hash Brown Potatoes, crossed with Country Smoked Bacon, Buttered Toast & choice of assorted preserves) $2.00; Hot Cakes 50¢, Orange Juice 10¢, Coffee 10¢, and a Doughnut for 10¢. I’d be so full I couldn’t move… But I'd be smiling!





Here's a higher resolution version (link) 26mb.

Disneyland U.S.A. - 1956

From “Disneyland U.S.A.” and “People and Places” 1956 Technicolor production, here’s a black and white publicity photo. If you haven’t seen this amazing film, it’s on the “Walt Disney Treasures - Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic” DVD (review link). I scanned the photo in color and black & white. I know, it’s a black & white photo. It either has shifted/faded or it’s was in sepia tone. Either way, you get both versions.









Speaking of shifting and fading of colors, this 1956 Mark Twain ticket I recently acquired looked to be a new color when I first got it. However when compare to a “pink” version I’ve previously posted, I’m pretty convinced this new one is just a faded pink one. It needs a fancy color name like “roasted salmon”.









Also from 1956 another black and white photo, this time of Autopia and a lone (and empty) Skyway bucket above. A couple things of note; the man behind the trash can with the camera around his neck (let’s call him Bruno) looks very scary, watch your children. And I really like the fact the covered area was for spectators. The Florida version of Autopia has a large “Grand Stand” area. The current Disneyland version looks like it has seating, but its just more of the line!

The California Highway Patrolman - April 1988

Welcome to Magazine Monday! Can you believe we’ve done this every Monday since January? And there’s still more to go. I did warn everyone that the magazine posts would be getting more obscure, so here you go.

From April 1988 it’s the California Highway Patrolman. Produced by the California Association of Highway patrolmen, this is volume 52, issue number 4. The article itself is pretty basic stuff with a few stock black & white photos. The cover photo of course was taken just for this issue. That Mustang looks pretty stealthy with no lights on the top!





The Main Street Electrical Parade is hard enough to get good photos of, but black & white in a magazine does the parade no justice.






Star Tours and Captain EO (EO - possibly worse than Honey I shrunk the audience) are the main focus of this article.






This would be an amazing photograph in color.






Michael Jackson appears to be about half way thru his transformation into what ever he is today.






There are no advertisements of the usual type in this magazine, just sponsorship stuff, very dry & boring. Speaking of dry & boring, here’s an article on the history of the “Klystron”. Just when you thought you knew everything.






Since I complained a bit about the lack of color photos, how about a couple more of the Souvenir Slides from the ‘80’s? While these don’t look great, they do a little more justice to the parade than the photo from the CHP article.

Souvenir Saturday - Jiminy Cricket Fire Fighter”.

Welcome to Souvenir Saturday (and possible Sunday). Here’s a wonderful children’s book “Jiminy Cricket – Fire Fighter”. From 1956, this little book is similar the golden gems books, but this one is published by Simon & Schuster. While most of the book takes place in fictional homes of the characters, it is framed as being in Disneyland.

The art work is outstanding as it’s done by the Walt Disney Studios. I love Jiminy Cricket and there are some fantastic renderings here of the little guy. You can download the entire book at the link below.


Jiminy Cricket Fire Fighter 1956 - 60mb





Only a limited cast from the Disney animation vaults made it into this little book, but it was some fine casting indeed. Here are a few snippets of who’s in the book.























This of course reminds me of one of Jiminy’s super safety films from the 1950’s “I’m no fool with fire”. I have them all on 16mm film; someday I’ll figure out how to project, scan & post them, until then, enjoy this YouTube clip (link).

Viewpoint - Magic Mountain Newsletter - September 1975

Today’s post might be a little dry for some readers, but I know there are at least a couple of loyal readers who will appreciate this oddity. From September 1975 it’s the “Viewpoint” a newsletter for Magic Mountain located in Valencia, California.

The best part of the newsletter is this cover. It explains in detail what was inside of the Magic Pagoda. If you ever experienced this “walk-thru” attraction, the descriptions should bring back lots of fun memories. There are even a couple of black and white photos of the interior, which are so rare it's not even funny. Try a Google image search for “magic pagoda interior magic mountain” and the first three results are from my blog, and they aren’t even photos! “The report varies as to who actually posed for the creation of Hotei” I say it was Curly Howard.






Fascinating article on devices for smaller children to ride on height restricted rides. I wonder if that “unsuspecting test pilot” had a lawyer? I miss the Mountain Express.






Here’s the Mountain Express in it’s hey day at Magic Mountain. These photos came from the Roller Coaster Database website (www.rcdb.com) according to them, the Mountain Express saw two more parks, it was at Magic Landing in Texas in 1984/85, then in 1993 it went on to "Bosque Mágico" ("Magical Forest") in Guadalupe, Nuevo León Mexico. It remained in service until 2006 when it was disassembled and sold for scrap (link). Footnote: That little coaster went 40mph and was a blast to ride.








Back to the newsletter, “Magic Mountain Family Day at Knott’s”, how fun!






How about some "The Wizard and The Trolls" comics? This one is pretty darn funny and not PC in any way.




This short little comic is quite whimsical, it made me chuckle out loud.






Last up here’s the bottom portion of a fold out brochure, it highlights the Major Additions for 1975.





Hardcore Magic Mountain fans be sure to check out all my previous Mountain posts here (link).

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln - First Ticket

In honor of the upcoming return of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, lets take a close look at some early tickets for old Honest Abe. First let me say I am truly excited about the return of Mr. Lincoln to the Opera House. Even though this attraction scared the living daylights out of me in 1968, I have grown very fond of it over the decades since then. "The Disneyland Story: Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." … is slated to open September 26th, 2009”. I might actually be on hand for that opening.

Today’s featured ticket was donated to me by none other the Gorilla who claims not to blog, but he really has an amazing blog (link). Thanks Major! Check out this rare first issue Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln ticket. It’s from a June 1965 Junior ticket book. At first glance it’s just a run of the mill Mr. Lincoln Ticket. But notice a few things;

1. The upper right indicates the attraction opens July 1965, which one might ask “why did they put a ticket in the book if you couldn't use it yet?” I guess to make you come back!
2. This attraction is brought to you by “Walt Disney” and you are invited as “his” guest, soon “Walt Disney Productions” would invite you to be “their” guest.
3. Mr. Lincoln isn't “presented” by any sponsor, Lincoln Savings didn’t sign on until 1966. See before & after Lincoln Savings Marque’s from Daveland (1965 & 1966).
4. Although I believe Mr. Lincoln was always at the Opera House, this first ticket only listed him at “Town Square”.

Major’s ticket book has a date code of 656, for June 1965. There was a second set of ticket books issued for June 1965, with a date code 656A. The “A” designation is less common and was usually done as a replacement for an early season print, at least I think that what it means.







This June 1965 Mr. Lincoln ticket is from the 656A book. The “Open July, 1965” reference is gone. "Walt" is still inviting is to be “his” guest, Abe has found a home at the Opera House, and still no sponsor.






From late 1966 thru 1972, the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln tickets would look like this 1968 version. Walt has been replaced with a corporation and Lincoln Savings would remain the sponsor thru 1972.






And last up, the back side of the June 1965 ticket book (non “A” version). This would be the first ticket book to include the wording about the complementary Mr. Lincoln ticket.





Thanks again to Major over at Gorilla’s don’t blog. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”…