Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will be celebrating it's 51st anniversary later this month (March 18th). Today, in honor of that anniversary, we will be looking at some Pirates of the Caribbean model kits from 1972.
"Hoist High The Jolly Roger" was one of a series of Pirates of the Caribbean models made by MPC. And just like that company's Haunted Mansion series, each of the models contained "ZAP/ACTION" motion that would occur after the push of a button or the moving of a lever.
And also like the Haunted Mansion series, most of these models did not represent actual scenes from the Disneyland attraction.
A description of the attraction at Disneyland, was included with each model. (Walt Disney World's abbreviated version of the attraction would not open until 1973.)
A history of "The Golden Age of Pirates" was also given.
Here are the instructions for building the model. This model belonged to my brother, and it looks like he might have been testing out some model paints on this first page. You might also be able to detect some areas of the paper that have been "eaten" by bugs. This box had been stored in our mom's garage for several decades, and unfortunately, neither one of us knows what happened to the actual model, itself.
This box is from Vintage Disneyland Tickets. I had this model when I was a kid and while I no longer have the box that it came in, I actually still have the parts to the model. I remember I wanted this one in particular because out of all of them, it most closely resembled a scene from the actual ride (minus the skeleton popping up out of the crate!)
These next two boxes are from eBay. I also had the first model pictured below, and I still have all of it's pieces as well.
The models were advertised in various comic books, back in the day:
Happy 51st anniversary, to Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean!
"Captain Villainy" is an awesome pirate name. He probably sat down as a lad, considered his future as Dr. Villainy, Constable Villainy, Judge Villainy, or Chef Villainy, and set his sights on a life of piracy there and then.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, Melissa. Thanks for commenting and thanks for making me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI always thought that these were such a cool idea - models, but they introduced motion. I had the "Condemned To Chains Forever" model, and remember having trouble putting it together and getting the "Zap Action" to work. I was probably a very slow child. When I eventually got braces, I remember thinking that the rubber bands were just like the kind they used in my skeleton model.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that my model was given to me by my grandparents - by then they knew that I was a "monster kid" (thanks to my older brother), and I liked things with skeletons, AND it didn't hurt that there was a Disneyland tie-in either, since I was already a fanatic about visiting the park.
Major, I also remember these being a little tricky to get working. The rubber bands were those tiny orthodontic ones, weren't they? My mom gave me my two POTC models for either Christmas or my birthday. And my brother was also a "monster kid," which meant that I was one by default....sort of. I remember my brother reading "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine and having many issues of it, while I had only a couple. He also had almost all of the Aurora Monster models, while again, I had maybe three. As a kid, I also remember watching the old Universal Monster Movies with my brother, whenever they were shown on TV.
ReplyDeleteWow, those are cool! I feel like the fact that these and the Haunted Mansion models weren't based directly on the attractions makes them actually more interesting now. Like if they had made Splash Mountain models of animal characters that weren't in the ride.
ReplyDeleteYou know, as much as people are griping over POTC having its auction scene changed, somehow I don't have too much of a problem with it. Sure, it could be a sign of PC culture gone mad, but on the bright side, the new scene looks just as good, if not better. At least they're still keeping the red head and upgrading her to a gun-toting pirate. Ain't nothing hotter than a young lass utilizing her Second Amendment rights. :D
ReplyDeleteThe term "Zap-Action!" should really be in more general usage. These skeleton poses are imaginative, and would be more welcome additions to the attraction than the world of Jack Sparrow. I wonder if ideas were gleaned from leftover Marc Davis sketches, he made so many.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw a bright and thoroughly un-PC staging of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "Pirates of Penzance" at Pepperdine University -- a conservative Christian college-- and apparently most of the audience loved it. Several times pretty girls were slung over buccaneer shoulders in attempts to carry off, and the world didn't stop spinning. With singing pirates and lighthearted displays of nefariousness, "Penzance" does seem like a forerunner to the Disneyland ride.
Dan, Disney Dudebro and Stefano, I am going through a personal family loss right now, and as much as I would like to respond in detail to your individual comments, I am unable to do so right now. Thank you for the comments though. I really do appreciate them...always.
ReplyDeleteI had the Dead Mans Raft model. One day I activated it and the skeleton popped out of the chest then flew across the room. What a great feature.
ReplyDeleteHang in there, TokyoMagic!; my heart goes out to you. Take your time, do what you need to do. We'll be here when you're ready to come back.
ReplyDeleteTM!, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. As the Good Major said, put all this on "pause" and do what you need to do. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you. We'll see you when you're ready to come back.
ReplyDeleteMajor and Chuck, thank you so much! Your words of support are appreciated more than I could ever say right now!
ReplyDeleteYo dude, just wanted to let you know that I changed my blog's web address, so please change your link and blogroll when you can. Thanks! My new address is: http://magicearsdudebro.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHello TM, I just found this post.
ReplyDeleteLet me echo Chuck and the Major's sentiments.
Sorry to hear that a friend is in travail.
JG
MRaymond, sorry...I didn't mean to completely ignore your comment. And I can totally picture the model doing what you described!
ReplyDeleteM.E. Dudebro, I made the change to the link on my main page. Thanks for letting me know.
JG, thank you. It is appreciated very much. It has been difficult, but I have continued to keep up with my favorite blogs and the comments. For now, I'm just not commenting as much as I used to. As for my own blog. I wrote my past couple posts (as well as the next several upcoming posts), months ago and had already scheduled them "in advance" to post on a future date each month. I have decided just to let them post automatically as scheduled. I have been reading the comments as they come in, and I am just now feeling like I can get back to responding to them. Thanks again for the words of support!
@TM, I was in a similar situation years ago when I discovered the Disney blog community in 2008. I found that looking at pictures of a place that I had loved so much and reading the memories of my contemporaries was cheering in a way that I hadn't anticipated. Major, Daveland, your blog and others were really a great therapy for me. I hope you feel better and get back to your old self soon.
ReplyDeleteBest to you.
JG