A Vintage Disneyland Trip Report - July 1994

Just six months after my January 1994 trip to Disneyland, I returned to the park for another visit.

They were finally handing out 1994 guidebooks at the entrance!  If you read the trip report about my January 1994 visit, you might remember that 30 days into the new year, they were still giving out 1993 guidebooks!

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin attraction had opened just 6 months earlier.  This is the attraction's final scene, where Roger helps you escape through his "portable hole."

I'm glad that I took this pic of the Dumbo band organ (located behind the Dumbo The Flying Elephant attraction), because I believe it now just sits there and no longer operates.  According to Wikipedia, the circa 1915 band organ can be heard over a mile away, "so it is rarely played."  However, when the band organ debuted at the park in 1983, it played regularly, and that continued at least through the 1990s.  In addition to it playing music, it's front doors would open every so many minutes and a miniature "Dumbo" would pop out, almost like a cuckoo clock.  The last time I checked, the doors were not opening, Dumbo was not "popping out," and the music was pre-recorded instead of being played live.

Skyway bucket alert! (Between the two "Dumbos" on the right.)  Sadly, the Skyway would be ripped out, in just about 3 months.  My friend (seen below), had also gone to the park with me on that January 1994 trip, which I posted about earlier this year.

A shot of the first scene, in "Pinocchio's Daring Journey":

The previous summer, Aladdin's Oasis had replaced the Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland.  Dinner at the new restaurant included a live Aladdin-themed show, but that came to an end just one month after these photos were taken, and only about fourteen months after it debuted.

The structure remained standing for almost 25 years, despite being grossly underused as mostly just a character "meet 'n greet" and "storytelling" location.  In 2018, the Aladdin-themed structures were torn down, and the space was converted into the "Tropical Hideaway," a quick-service food location.

This tower was located around the corner from the main entrance to Aladdin's Oasis, and faced the Jungle Cruise's unloading dock and exit.  This elevated view was actually taken from the upper level of the Jungle Cruise queue.  Notice the finial on top of the tower, in the shape of the magic lamp.

Even though the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction would not be opening for another 8 months, the construction wall had recently been taken down, and guests were now allowed to walk around in the queue area.

These next two photos were taken from the ramp leading up to the temple's entrance.  You can see that the entrance was boarded up, and included signage stating, "DANGER!", "Excavation in Progress", and "DO NOT ENTER."

 

Next, we have over a dozen photos of "The Lion King Celebration" parade.  The parade had debuted the previous month, and ended up running for three full years.  That was a pretty long run for a daytime parade.

Leading the parade were two rhinoceroses, being portrayed by two performers, inside each costume.

This figure of Zazu on the first float, was the first time Audio-Animatronics were ever used in a Disneyland parade.  There was also a Rafiki "costumed character" (not visible here), who stood just on the other side of Zazu.

These giraffes would lower and raise their heads throughout the parade.  They were the first usage of what Disney was calling, "Puppetronics," in a parade.

All of the performers in the parade were supposed to be representing animals.

This float featured a working waterfall, just below the elephant.  And the elephant itself (another "Puppetronic"), sprayed water from it's trunk.  I'm not sure when this "spraying the guests with water" trend began, but it had been used in the park's previous parade, "Aladdin's Royal Caravan."  That parade featured two large camels that would "spit" on the guests.  I included photos of those camels in my "vintage trip report," from January of this year.

The back end of this "swinging monkeys" float included a Pumba puppet, but I didn't get a shot of him during this visit.  I took more pictures of this parade, over the course of it's three-year run.  I will post those photos as I continue to do more of these "vintage trip report" posts, from the 1990s.

This particular performer was a "stilt walker."

This was just one of several musicians featured in the parade.

The last float represented "Pride Rock," from the animated film.

 

 Simba was featured on top of Pride Rock......

 

 

.....and Nala was positioned just below him.

Simba and Nala were two more examples of the use of "Puppetronics" in the parade.  Both figures would move their heads and blink.  Simba would also open his mouth to roar, and Nala was able to tap her right paw up and down to the beat of the music.

By the way, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "The Lion King," in theaters!

At the end of the day, I upgraded my one-day park ticket to an annual pass.  (For the "upgrade," they would deduct the cost of your one-day ticket, from the price of the annual pass.)  I had previously had an annual pass beginning in 1983, the very first year that they were available (to Magic Kingdom Club Members only, at first), up until the late 1980s.  After experiencing a little bit of burnout from going to the park so regularly, I took a little break for a few years, and pretty much reduced my park visits to about once a year.  That would change now, with the purchase of this new annual pass.

The 1994 Guidebook was very similar to the 1993 version, which I posted in January of this year.  I am only including here, the pages that were different from the 1993 version.  Please go back to that older post, if you want to see the other pages.

Is there still a "Magic Years Club," and does Disney still offer a discount to Seniors over the age of 60?

The Toontown pages were almost identical to the 1993 guide, with the exception of the photo on the lower left, and the addition of "Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin" to the list of attractions.  Also, there was a "Toontown Camera Window," where you could purchase film, cameras, and accessories, listed in the 1993 guide.  It's missing in this 1994 version.

"The Fox and the Hound" was released on video that year, for the very first time.

At the very bottom of the list of trivia (under "Landscaping"), it states that one of the original trees from the orange groves that existed, prior to construction of the park, was still standing.  It could be found in the Oriental Gardens of the Disneyland Hotel.  What happened to that tree, when the gardens were bulldozed for the construction of Downtown Disney?  I have never heard any other mention of it.

The "Kodak Picture Tips" information remained the same from 1993 to 1994, but three of the four photo examples changed.

The back cover of the guide:

After purchasing an annual passport, I began making more frequent trips to the park.  I will continue to post the photos that I took during those visits.  And since I purchased quite a few souvenirs during this time period, I will also continue to include some of those items in each post.

This three-dimensional magnet is one of the items I bought within this mid-1990s period.  I had it stored away in a box for years, but then one day, I decided that I should have it out where I can enjoy it.  I probably put it on my refrigerator about 10 years ago.  It remained safe there until only recently, when I accidentally knocked it off.  It's 2 inches thick, so it sticks WAY out from the refrigerator!  If you look closely, you can see where the tops of some of the Castle's turrets were chipped.  I would have rather had dents!  Oh, well!  I guess it's better to have it out where I can see it, instead of just stored away and out of sight.

And this is another magnet that I purchased in the mid-nineties.  It came from the Le Gourmet Shop in New Orleans Square.....I don't remember seeing it for sale anywhere else in the park.

The magnet is made of plaster, and it still has the price tag attached to the back.

I hope everyone enjoyed this 30-year old trip report, from July of 1994!

****BONUS****

For anyone who is interested, here's a video I shot in 1995, of the Dumbo band organ.

And here is footage of the entire "Lion King Celebration" parade, which I shot in 1996.

 

Vintage Disneyland Ads & "Loose Ends" From Previous Posts - Part 1

While looking through my old newspaper advertisements last month, searching for ads for Thumper's Easter Egg Hunt at Disneyland, I came across some other ads that I had forgotten all about.  Many of them related to other subjects, which I have already posted about in the past.  I've decided to scan those ads and include them all here, but I have also added them to those earlier posts.  I will include the links to those posts, just in case anyone wants to go back and revisit them, or perhaps read them for the very first time.

First up, is this colorful Toontown advertisement from a 1993 edition of The Los Angeles Times.  It has now been added to my "Disneyland's Toontown - 30th Anniversary" post, from last year.  Notice all of the costumed Disney characters, standing around in this publicity shot.  I count nine!

In September of 1981, Disneyland was hosting a "Country Weekend."  The previous September, they were calling it, "Cowboy Weekend."  I remember Jerry Reed.  He was in all three of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies, although I never saw even one of them.  He also sang and co-wrote the theme song for the first of those films, "Eastbound and Down," which was a number two song on the Billboard Country Chart.  I had to look up Don King, since I was pretty sure that Don King "the boxing promoter" wasn't appearing at Disneyland.  It turns out there is another Don King, and he received the 1981 Academy of Country Music award for "Top New Male Vocalist."

Just five months later, in February of 1982, Disneyland was hosting another "Country Weekend."  I never knew that Mel Tillis and Reba McEntire ever performed at Disneyland!  It wasn't the Christmas season, but I wonder if Elmo 'N Patsy sang their signature song, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"?

This advertisement for the original "Tron" film is from the July 4, 1982 issue of The Los Angeles Times.  It has now been added to Part 2 of my "ElecTRONica Is Here!" posts, from 2010.  I have a full-sized color poster very similar to this ad, which I purchased in Tomorrowland's Character Shop at Disneyland, back in 1982.

Next we have an advertisement from the December 16, 1984 issue of The Los Angeles Times, for the 1984 re-release of "Walt Disney's Pinocchio."  This has now been added to my "Walt Disney's Pinocchio - Mega Post!" post.  Note the special logo at the bottom of the ad, for Disneyland's 30th anniversary.  The following month, the park's year-long 30th anniversary festivities would be kicking off.

I found this ad after writing my recent Japanese Village & Deer Park post.  Enchanted Village replaced Japanese Village in 1976, but it was only open for about a year and a half, before shutting down forever.

This advertisement has now been added to my "Raging Waters Waterpark" post, from 2018.  The ad was from a seasonal supplement to The Los Angeles Times, and dated June 8, 1984:

An article about the park and it's new attractions for the summer, appeared in the same newspaper supplement:

One year later (June 14, 1985), this advertisement was included in the summer entertainment supplement of The Los Angeles Times:

And there was another article, about the park's new attractions for 1985:

Getting back to the Disney-related ads, this one was from September of 1983, and claimed that Disneyland's summer season was "still going strong."  However, if you look at the hours listed at the very bottom of the ad, the park was going to start closing at 6 p.m. on weekdays, beginning September 12th.  The following weekend, Disneyland was hosting, "Viva Mexico" days.  The "Flights of Fantasy" parade (which had debuted that summer), was still being presented on weekends, but it would soon be ending it's performances in time for the holiday season, and would never return.  I've added this article to both my "Viva Mexico/Cinco de Mayo" post, and my "Flights of Fantasy" post.

This Los Angeles Times ad from July 1, 1984, ran just four days prior to the debut of "American Journeys" in Tomorrowland's Circle-Vision Theater.  However, the name of the attraction had now been changed to "World Premiere Circle-Vision 360."  And shortly after the grand reopening of the attraction, the EPCOT Center film, "The Wonders of China," was included in the theater's line up.  This advertisement has now been added to my "American Journeys & Wonders of China" post, from 2016.

I hope everyone enjoyed these "loose ends."  I may be posting more vintage ads, in the not too distant future.

Post Update!  I have done a "Part 2" to this post, with more vintage Disney advertisements, as well as other theme park ads, newsletters, and miscellaneous items.  You can see that post by clicking here!

 

A Vintage Disneyland Trip Report - January 1994

Thirty years ago this month, I visited Disneyland with some very good friends.  This was a time when I was "in between" having annual passes.  In the early nineties, I was only going to the park about once a year, and at this particular time, it had been even a little longer than that between visits.

For this vintage trip report, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start......

As we pulled up to the toll booth of the old Disneyland parking lot, we were handed this ticket.  Of course, it was after paying the $12 fee.  And that was for "up close" preferred parking.  I believe the regular parking was $6 at that time, so "preferred" parking was twice the price.  I'm not sure why we paid the extra money at the time.  It must have been at the insistence of one of my friends.

This bright yellow card was placed under the windshield wiper of our car.  It acted as sort of a "flag" for the parking lot employees, indicating that we needed to be directed to the "preferred parking" section.  I wonder why an "X" was drawn over the image of Mickey in his car?   Was that some type of parking lot "code," or did someone just not care for Mickey?

We were also handed this flyer, which listed admission prices, entertainment showtimes, and some parking information:

Wow, only $30 for a day at Disneyland (Adult).  And only $24 for seniors.  Does Disney still offer a senior discount?  Does Disney offer any kind of discounts anymore?

When purchasing our admission tickets (I was not able to locate my ticket for this post, for some reason), we were given this guidebook.  Now, I do realize that this one has "1993" on the cover, but it is the one that we were given for our January 1994 visit.  It even shows up in some of the photos we took that day.  The only reason that I can come up with for this is, since this was the "Eisner & Pressler Super Cheap Cost-Cutting Era®" for Disneyland, maybe they wanted all of the old guidebooks to be used up before handing out the new ones for 1994?  It still seems odd though, because Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin isn't listed in this guide, and it had just opened to the public.

At this point, we had just entered the park.  Hooray for Main Street, U.S.A.!   Hey, is that E.J.Peaker and the Osmonds on the upper level of the Omnibus?  I know, I know.....that line gets old!  But I can't help it.  I absolutely LOVE that particular episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.

Toontown had opened just twelve months earlier, but I had not seen it yet.  And Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin had opened just four days earlier (on January 26, 1994), so we headed over there first.....making just a quick stop to snap some pictures of the new (to me) "Easter" paint job on the It's A Small World facade.  Note the fairly new commemorative plaque in the flowerbed, explaining the history of the attraction, and how it had originally debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair.  The leaping dolphin-shaped topiaries had not yet been placed on either side of the plaque.

A few of the pictures in this post were taken by one of my friends, and this is one example.  I remember he really liked the whimsical columns on the Small World Toy Shop.  Personally, I've never liked the structure, mainly because it interferes with the full view of the attraction's facade.  Now, if it had been built completely off to the side of the attraction, I think I would have liked it a little bit better.

We are now entering Toontown, and a sign just inside the entrance is telling us that the wait for the new Roger Rabbit ride is 45 minutes.  That's not too bad, considering the ride just opened four days ago.  We will wait the 45 minutes!

We're in line, and we've moved a little further into the land.  Note the dalmatian puppy in the second story window of the Toontown Fire Department.  He pops up and barks, whenever someone pushes the doorbell to the firehouse.  And that yellow "Five and Dime" building is now gone and has been replaced with the "El Capitoon Theater," which serves as the entrance to the park's newest attraction, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway.  Also note in both the picture above and the one below, how bare and open the whole area is.  The new trees were so small at the time.

We're getting a little closer!  Now the dalmatian puppy is hiding!  We can only see his two front paws on the windowsill.

A few inches closer......to the firehouse, anyway.

Now the Roger Rabbit "ride" is in view.  Those tracks in the foreground were for the Jolly Trolley, a ride that opened with Toontown one year earlier, and closed only ten years later (in 2003).  The tracks remained in place for almost another 20 years.  However, the PeopleMover tracks hold the record for that, since they are still standing (or rather, their support beams are), after that attraction's closure, almost 30 years ago (1995).

We can see one of the Jolly Trolley vehicles, below.  It's partially obstructed by the people in the foreground.  And on the left, is a water fountain with Roger Rabbit in the center.  This fountain and all of the seating around it was removed in 2022, and replaced with........artificial grass.  Hey, guests had to have someplace to park their "SUV strollers"!

Okay, we are finally inside the building!  The ride vehicles are a new character called, "Lenny the Cab," and are modeled after "Benny the Cab" from the film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Now we are on board, and just leaving the loading area.

Entering the "Bullina China Shoppe":

Passing through the "Toontown Powerhouse":

"Falling down the stairs":

We are nearing the end of the ride now, when Jessica Rabbit has freed herself from her captors, the Weasels.  In December of 2021, a trench coat was put over Jessica Rabbit's body, to cover her shapely figure and exposed skin, which was totally corrupting the minds of America's youth.

Let's go ahead and take a look at the rest of Toontown, since this is our first time seeing it.

City Hall:

Goofy's Gas Station:

And, Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse.  There was also a "Chip 'n' Dales Acorn Pit" attraction, located in that structure on the far right.  It was basically your standard "ball crawl" attraction, but it closed in 1998, only five years after it opened.  Reportedly, children were doing repulsive things underneath the plastic "acorns."  Hint.....it's the same thing that children do in the caves on Tom Sawyer Island.  I really don't get it.  Why not just tell your parents that you "have to go," and let them take you to the proper place to do it?!?!

Well, we are done with Toontown for the day.  This next pic was also taken by my friend.   He always loved the golden elephant-themed finials, on top of the lampposts surrounding the "Dumbo Flying Elephants" attraction.

It's lunchtime at the Bengal Barbecue, in Adventureland.  That "Mickey" motif on the paper cups, napkins, and cardboard food carriers, was used in the park for many years.

Here's a closer look:

 The napkins:

This paper bag has the same pattern.  But now I can't remember which food locations put their food into paper bags.  Maybe they were only used as "doggie bags."

Now it's time for the "Aladdin's Royal Caravan" parade!  The legs of the men on this float moved forward and back, making it appear as if they were walking.

The two camels would turn their heads from side to side, and "spit" water from their mouths, into the crowds of people.

This parade also ran concurrently, at the Disney/MGM Studios park in Orlando.  The spitting camels from their parade eventually (in 2001) ended up as a permanent addition to the Magic Kingdom.  Today, they can be found alongside "The Magic Carpets of Aladdin" attraction, in Adventureland.

An onion-domed structure on one of the parade floats:

This float included a large inflatable version of Genie.

The base of the inflatable Genie float:

There were multiple versions of "Genie" featured throughout the parade.  This one was dressed as a drum major, and was leading a band of musicians.

Here is a pic of the last float in the parade, taken from a brochure.

It's time to make our way over to Tomorrowland.  Star Tours was only seven years old at this point.  Poor Rex has since been replaced by C-3PO, as the pilot for all of the Starspeeder vehicles.  Today, Rex can be found hanging out in the queue for the attraction, as well as in the Cantina, over in Wookie World.  Fun fact....Rex was voiced by Pee Wee Herman (actor, Paul Reubens).

Goofing around in the Magic Eye Theater, while waiting for Captain EO to begin:

On our way out of the park, we paused to do some shopping on Main Street.  This next picture was taken in the "Crystal Arcade" section of the Main Street Emporium.  I wish I had taken a picture of that mural, just to the right and out of frame.  The artwork was only there for a short time, and was sort of like a vintage advertisement for the Emporium.  There was a portrait of "Walter E. Disney" as the store's "proprietor," and other information like, "Nearly One City Block," and "Established 1855."  I've always wondered why it didn't remain on that back wall for very long.

Disneyland Paris has a much smaller version of the mural, in their Emporium.  Does anyone remember this existing in Anaheim's Main Street Emporium, for a brief period of time?

This picture was taken in the Candy Palace.  At one time, that room in the background was the "right rear wing" of the Penny Arcade.  I can't remember what year the Candy Palace expanded into that space, but this was still prior to the store taking over all of the Penny Arcade.  Note the heart-shaped boxes of candy on the shelves.  Valentine's Day was just two weeks away.

Speaking of the Penny Arcade, let's have Esmeralda tell our fortune.

None of her predictions came true!  I wonder if Esmeralda ever worked for the Psychic Friends Network?

Who remembers the "glass" elephant in the Penny Arcade?  This was something else that seemed to be there for only a short period of time.

The elephant reappeared years later in the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour, as seen in this pic from 2011:

And today, it sits on the roof of the Tropical Imports building (now, stroller parking), in Adventureland:

We'll stop at the Main Street Cinema, before leaving the park.  Steamboat Willie is playing inside, on a continuous loop!  And as of the first of this month, he is public domain and belongs to the world!  Do I smell a followup to last year's independent "Pooh" movie?  "Steamboat Willie: Blood and Money", anyone?

"Tilly" won't take our "A" Coupons.  She's completely unresponsive.  Maybe she's just tired.  I'm sure it was a long day, and now she's ready to clock out and go home for the night.

We'll stop at City Hall and get an extra Guidebook to take home.  One can always use an extra Disneyland Guidebook, right?  We'll also take one of these flyers, which has information about Annual Passes.  My next Disneyland visit was six months later (in July of 1994), and I did upgrade that day's admission ticket to an Annual Pass, and continued to renew that pass for several years.  I will also be doing a trip report about that July '94 visit, so stay tuned.

Oh, look....there's the Skyway.  Sadly, the Skyway would be removed before the end of the year (in November).

I can't remember the specific souvenirs I purchased on this trip.  However, I do remember many of the items I bought around this time.  So here is a Toontown pinback button, which I very likely could have purchased on this trip, or at least within this same time period of the mid-1990s.

I saved a few of the merchandise bags from my park visits, around this same time period.

The reverse side:

And just for fun, here is a photo taken earlier in the month, on New Year's Day.  This was the Walt Disney Company's entry into the 1994 Tournament of Roses Parade.  The float featured Lenny (or Benny) the Cab.  After the parade, the floats are always driven to a park in Pasadena, and are left out on display for a few days.  However, this particular float broke down early on in the parade that year, and had to be towed the rest of the way down the parade route, as well as to the park.

For years now, I have made a point to acquire one of the Hallmark company's complimentary "Date Books."  I have always used them to document various events in my life.  It doesn't have to be a major event.  It can be something as simple as going to dinner with a friend, seeing a movie, or a Disneyland visit.  This 1994 Hallmark Date Book shows the entry for this visit to Disneyland on January 30th, as well as my trip to see the Rose Parade floats in Pasadena.  I just thought I would share this additional "record" of my Disneyland visit.  Of course, I had to "erase" some of the other things I did that month, before sharing it here!

****Bonus****

Here is the 1993 Souvenir Guidebook we were given that day (even though we were already 30 days into 1994), in it's entirety.  Enjoy!

 

"No tickets are required on any attraction......."  It's interesting that they still thought it was necessary to state this, even though the individual ticket system was phased out 12 years earlier.

That lady aboard the Jungle Cruise looks just a little TOO excited!

Awww, the Mike Fink Keelboats were still operating!  (They closed 3 years later.)

The Casey Jr. Circus Train was "Open selected weekends and seasonal periods only"?  How odd!

Once again, "Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin" isn't listed here, because they were handing out these older guidebooks at the park entrance!

Wow, this Tomorrowland seems far more exciting than the current one.  I miss Circle-Vision!  And the PeopleMover!  And the Skyway!  And the Rocket Jets spinning high above Tomorrowland.

It looks like the Dancing Waters/Fantasy Waters show was still going strong (twice nightly!) over at the Disneyland Hotel.  And Disney was jumping onto the current "Country Western" music bandwagon, with their "Neon Cactus" venue, also over at the hotel.

Aladdin was released on video, just eleven months after it's initial release in theaters.

Bonkers was apparently an animated series that was shown on broadcast TV, as a part of The Disney Afternoon lineup.  According to Wikipedia, new episodes were produced from February of 1993, through November of 1993.

"Print film"?  What is that?  ;-)

I hope everyone enjoyed this vintage trip report, from 30 years ago!

****Post Update (03-26-24)****

I found one more item with that same "Mickey" motif.  This is a paper bag/sleeve which was used to hold large fresh baked cookies, sold at select quick-service food locations throughout the park.

The only variety of cookie that I ever purchased at the park was "chocolate chip," so I am kind of surprised that this doesn't have any chocolate or grease stains.  I suppose I wouldn't have saved it if it did.

****Post Update (07-20-24)****

Low and behold, I just now came across my park ticket for this visit!

I am not sure why the ticket has "Employee Sales" printed on the back.  I really can't remember knowing anyone who worked at the park at this time, who would have gotten us a discounted ticket.  And I am almost positive that we bought our tickets at the main gate ticket booths.  Very strange!  But maybe it's not any stranger than being given a 1993 Guidebook, one whole month into 1994!

By the way, I have just finished another "vintage trip report," for a July 1994 visit!