Holiday Time is Fun Time at Disneyland - December 1975

****** Originally posted December 22, 2010 ******

Holiday Time is Fun Time at Disneyland! This undated flyer is most likely from 1975, possibly 1976 but the dates seem to suggest 1975.





A Special Christmas Edition of "America on Parade" - I might even hang around for that one! Nice pirate ship and interesting skull in the Fantasyland section. Is that a star on the top of the Matterhorn and do you think it turns?






This cover to the Winter 1975 Disneyland Backstage magazine is sure busy. This style of art always gave me the creeps when I was a kid - it still does.






Is the cabin smoldering?






Space Mountain was still a year and a half away, I always love seeing this concept art.





Here's come concept art that I'm not familiar with - nice!






From the "Creative Ideas that never made it" department.





Interesting article, come back on Bonus Sunday to read the rest.





The last page has this photo - I guess you add your own caption.

Disneyland Lines - Christmas Editions

******* Originally posted December 12, 2009 ****** 

Welcome to a special Holiday post featuring a few Disneyland Line’s from holiday’s past. The Disneyland Line was (is?) a weekly publication for Disneyland employees.

In reverse chronological order, up first is the December 22, 1994 edition with a wonderful cover photo of the Candlelight celebration. I saw the setup for this last week; it still looks pretty much the same except that parking lot in the background is gone…


Complete Disneyland Line – December 22, 1994






For those who don’t know where the idea of Mistletoe and Christmas Trees came from, here are some answers.







Next from December 23, 1982 this issue had a super cover.


Complete Disneyland Line – December 23, 1982






The inside cover is actually the real cover.






You'll have to download the entire issue to find out who these people are.







December 22, 1977 has some gift giving on the cover…


Complete Disneyland Line – December 22, 1977






A Very Merry Christmas Party.







And last up for today, December 10, 1971. These Lines are just Xerox copies stapled together, but still lots of fun to read.


Complete Disneyland Line – December 10, 1971






Non-permanent employees are out of luck, maybe you’ll get a sack of coal as a consolation prize?

Home for the Holidays at Disneyland - 1980

******* Originally posted December 20, 2008 ********

Home for the Holidays at Disneyland, December 20 & 21, 1980.

What a nice photo on the front of this holiday gate flyer. The lady in the middle looks familiar to me?





Fantasy on Parade is back after a 3 years hiatus (sorry "Very Merry Christmas Parade", you must not have been "very" popular). Did they do the candlelight procession both night? Lots of great entertainment!




Parade Route and park map.

Today's Good News - December 25 - 30, 1981

******* Originally posted December 27 & 28, 2008 *******

From December 25 thru 30, 1981 there’s lots of “Good News” at Disneyland. Check out the newspaper Mickey is holding, one of the “fake” articles is titled “Kingdom Announces Unlimited Fun”. I believe that was actually true, “unlimited passports" were just months away, bye-bye lettered tickets….






Inside you’ll notice that “Fantasy on Parade” “comes to life again”, this after a four year replacement by the “Very Merry Christmas Parade”. Eddie “Carmine” Mekka (or better know as “The Big Ragu” on Lavern & Shirley). What do you want to bet he sung “Rags to Riches”? Fine trumpet sounds from Les Elgart and plenty of other grand entertainers.






The parade route. Did people start lining up 7 hours ahead of the parade back then?






And because this post needs some color and as a Holiday shout-out to our Florida cousin, here’s the super cover to “Ears and Eyes” the WDW version of the Disneyland Line. What a fun cover! Come back tomorrow (scroll down, its in this post...) for the complete issue, its, well, odd.

******* Previous Bonus Sunday posted December 28, 2008 ******

From yesterday’s post, here is the complete scan of Walt Disney Worlds “Eyes and Ears” from December 22, 1978.


WDW Eyes and Ears December 22, 1978 – 12mb





Starting in January the blog will have a new weekly feature called “Magazine Monday” with Disneyland (or Disneyworld) related Vintage magazine posts. (Click HERE to see all 89 Magazine posts!) We've already previewed a page from a 1956 McCall’s Magazine (link) check back on the first Monday in January for the full McCall’s post. Oh, and yes I do accept magazine scan donations, thanks Wishbook for the great vintage ad, I'll be posting it soon!

Here’s another “preview” this one is Christmas related and I couldn't bear to hold it for an entire year, so here you go. From December 1957 it Walt Disney’s Magazine (formerly titled Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club Magazine). Tommy Kirk and Old Yeller grace the cover. I cried liked baby when I first saw the movie, heck I still do!






How did they build Story Book Land? Read and find out….





Now a couple of fun Christmas stories; corny- yes, from another time and place – yes, fabulous artwork – you bet! Enjoy...

The Gala Premiere of Fantasy on Parade - December 18, 1965

******* Originally posted December 17, 2008 *******

Welcome to the Gala Premiere of Walt Disney’s Fantasy on Parade.  Saturday Evening December 18 – 8:00 PM. (Please be seated by 7:30 PM). There is no year printed on this ticket, but it must be 1965. Several sources list the start of the parade as 1965 and December 18th was a Saturday in 1965.

How in the world did you get one of these? It does not indicate admission to the park, maybe there was special seating for the parade that required one of these tickets? Was Walt at this event?




Below is a ticket for December 18, 1976, complimentary of course. Fantasy on Parade ran thru the 1976 holiday season and was replaced for 3 years with “The Very Merry Christmas Parade” which was featured in yesterday’s post. Fantasy on Parade would return in 1980.






A great 1975 Photo of Fantasy on Parade courtesy of Daveland, here a link to Daves post with several photos of the parade (link). Thanks Dave!






It seems clear the parade started in 1965, why did the Disneyland Collectors Series cards place it in 1964? Maybe because they wanted the “Tencennial” on the 1965 card?





If you want to see the entire parade on film from 1972 here’s a post from last Christmas on Micechat that has links to the parade in 4 parts. It super fun to watch (Link). Thanks MerlinJones!

The Very Merry Christmas Parade - December 17, 1977

******* Originally posted December 17, 2008 *******

Parade fans everywhere have been waiting for this, it’s “The Very Merry Christmas Parade” at Disneyland December 17, 1977. I am guessing this was the first year of this parade; I have similar ticket from December 18, 1976 (you’ll see it tomorrow) but it was for “Fantasy on Parade”.

This is a complimentary ticket, good on all adventures and attractions (except shooting galleries). The poor ticket never got used, it still has its stub and the little string is ready to be tied around one of the buttons on your Qiana shirt.






These next three scans were shamelessly borrowed from a super post on the blog “Disney on Parole”. The person that runs the Parole blog was a former cast member and was in “The Very Merry Christmas Parade” in 1977! Be sure to check out this great blog (link) there a post yesterday that has backstage photos of the 1977 parade! Great Stuff, thanks "Disney on Parole"!








And if you want to see the Parade, here’s a fun YouTube video of “The Very Merry Christmas Parade” in 1988. (Link).

Bonus Sunday

Welcome to Bonus Sunday.

Up first from Monday's Disney Family Christmas Party, December 10, 1979 post (link) here is the complete Your Guide to Disneyland Fall/Winter 1979


Your Guide to Disneyland Fall/Winter 1979 – 17mb






The 1979 Guide has a preview of super up coming attraction. “Hang onto your hats and glasses, folks, cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!" Fun artwork. “Disneyland’s Newest Thrill Attraction, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, opening Fall 1979”.







From Tuesday's 1990 post (link), blog reader lilyfair commented about the Party Gras cover of the guide book “That was my favorite parade (besides the Electrical Parade.) It had these huge balloon floats and was loosely based on the idea of Mardis Gras, only it was called Party Gras. They even threw beads to the crowds”. Maybe I was premature in giving it a hard time, especially since I never saw it…

Here is the complete Your Guide to Disneyland 1990 (version 2). It's actually a great guide. I would say this is the last big revision to the guides before they kind of stopped and became the “Your day at Disneyland” leaflet similar to what they hand out today.


Your Guide to Disneyland 1990 (ver. 2) – 27mb






The artwork for the “lands” got a major makeover too! Ok, I must be getting old; I’m starting to miss the 90’s…