Fowl Stuff At Disneyland - The Swiss Family Treehouse

It's time for Part Two of my "Fowl Stuff At Disneyland" series (to see Part One on the Enchanted Tiki Room's Barker Bird, click here)

Today we're going all the way back to the Spring of 1997, when for a brief time, The Swiss Family Treehouse had live birds perched at it's base. Here, are a couple shots I took 14 years ago.

Here's a short video that I shot around the same time. At the very beginning, you can hear a friend of mine say something like "The audio-animatronics are wonderful!" You will also hear a very annoying child making very loud animal noises....those are not coming from the birds! Around the thirty second mark however, the red macaw does attempt to say something.

I'm not sure how long the birds were around. I only remember seeing them during a few visits. Unfortunately, less than two years later, the Swiss Family Treehouse was converted into Tarzan's Treehouse and ugly static figures from "Tarzan" were added. Personally, I think the new attraction overlay would have been more effective without the statues......after all, we didn't need to see the Robinson Family members when we walked through their home.

I am going to title this last photo, "FOUL Stuff at Disneyland!" Sorry, bad pun obviously intended!

More Jungle Cruise

I forgot to mention in my last post that the two "lost" Jungle Cruise scenes were both added in 1976 and were created by Disney artist/genius, Marc Davis. Here are a couple more scenes of his that were also added in 1976.
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In fact, the Jungle Cruise had quite a large makeover in 1976. Here again, is that Winter 1982/83 Disney News Magazine from my last post, but this time I've circled the scenes that were added in 1976. (By the way, this cover art is the work of Disney artist, Charles Boyer.)
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The lions that are feasting on a zebra in the African Veldt scene were also changed in 1976, but I'm not sure to what degree since there were lions there previously (but without the surrounding rockwork), so I did not circle that scene. I believe the gorilla below was also removed at this time and there may have been changes made to Trader Sam too.

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The Jungle Cruise has undergone some more changes in recent years including the addition of the piranhas, which I think was a good idea, but it just wasn't executed very well (helllooooo, I can see the water pipes/jets as the piranhas are jumping!) At the same time, the gorilla that was swiping at the crocodile was changed so that he is now reaching for a bunch of bananas sitting on top of a floating crate. The baboons that used to be sitting on the rocks near the African Veldt were also removed and the water that was trickling down the rockwork around them was turned off (why?). Some of these baboons were moved to a rock located just before the "deserted camp" scene....the one where the gorillas have taken over and are "having no trouble turning that jeep over."
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I'm all ears if anyone would like to add any information on the most recent changes to the Jungle Cruise or any from 1976 that I may have left out!

"Lost" Jungle Cruise

Today, let's visit Disneyland's Jungle Cruise and take a look at two scenes that no longer exist.
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Prior to 1995, the boats used to enter the jungle at the start of the cruise, and then veer to the right just a bit in order to view three Toucans sitting in a tree. As the boats would pass, these three birds would turn their heads back and forth.
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Next, heading just a little further west, the boats would encounter three small crocodiles jumping at a Hornbill bird sitting on a branch just out of their reach.
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After this scene, the boats would pass the familiar Cambodian ruins and then continue on to follow the same route as they do today. In 1994/1995 however, these first two scenes were removed and replaced with an entrance way and queue for the new Indiana Jones Adventure. At that time, the Hornbill bird from the second scene was relocated to a beam above the queue in the new boathouse (just above the stairs that lead to the second level). Fourteen years have now passed, and this little audio-animatronic bird continues to flap it's wings, turn it's head and squawk at the guests below.
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Both of these "lost" scenes actually still exist at Tokyo Disneyland. The next three photos were taken earlier this year while riding on their Jungle Cruise attraction.
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Sorry for the blurry photos.....sometimes it's difficult taking a picture from a moving boat! This next one is really bad, but I wanted to post it because it shows the third crocodile.
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Here's a close-up shot of their Toucans.

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I hope everyone enjoyed this little flashback post. The next time you're in line for the Jungle Cruise (even if the upstairs queue isn't open), look straight up as you pass by the stairway and say "hi" to a surviving member of the "lost" Jungle Cruise.

Got Popcorn?

Popcorn is just as popular in Japan as it is here in the United States. The Tokyo Disney Resort however, has only a few popcorn stands that sell just plain popcorn. Most of the popcorn sold in their parks is flavored popcorn. Here is a partial list (from memory) of just some of the flavors: Cappuccino, Chocolate, Curry, Honey, Black Pepper, Strawberry, Sea Salt, and Soda (don't ask...I don't know what the Soda flavored one tastes like!) The next time I am there, I will have to make a complete list of the flavors, but this post isn't about the flavors, it's actually about the locations that sell the popcorn.

First up, is the Popping Pod, which kind of looks like it just "landed" in Tomorrowland.

Also in Tomorrowland is this moon rover-looking cart. I do wish the Disney Parks worldwide would stop sticking brown, beige, and copper colors in their Tomorrowlands. Am I the only one that feels that way? I actually don't hate these colors, I just don't like them in Tomorrowland!


This next cart is from Adventureland and has a Tiki bird (complete with chef's hat and scarf), turning the little crank mechanism.

These last two pics are both from Westernland. First we have Big Al turning the crank at one cart.....

....while at another cart, we have the politically incorrect version of Pecos Bill turning the crank with his foot, while smoking a cigarette! (Incidentally, upon it's video release, Disney digitally removed Pecos Bill's cigarette from all scenes in the film Melody Time.)

For Halloween, Tokyo Disneyland puts miniature costumes on Big Al, Pecos Bill and even his horse! I will include those pics in a future post.

*Post Update: I visited Tokyo just about a month after this post and the popcorn flavors that I had listed from memory was a complete list!

*Second Post Update: For the newer post showing the miniature figures wearing their Halloween costumes, click here: Halloween, Popcorn And Westernland.

Got Water? - Tokyo Disneyland

Okay, I know to be grammatically correct, the question should be, "Do you have water?" Someone needs to tell that to the California Milk Processor Board! Well anyway, today we are back in Tokyo Disneyland and taking a look at drinking fountains that are themed to either the lands they are in, or the attractions that they are near. The ones pictured above can be found in Toontown, next to Chip 'N Dale's Treehouse.

Next, we have one that is located at the exit to the Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland.

The drinking fountain below is located within the queue of the Pooh's Hunny Hunt attraction in Fantasyland.

This one is from Westernland and can be found just across from the Mark Twain landing.

Last up today, we have a drinking fountain from inside the Pan Galactic Pizza Port in Tomorrowland.

Not all of the drinking fountains in Tokyo Disneyland have this much themeing, but seeing these made me stop and wonder.....does Disneyland in Anaheim have ANY themed drinking fountains? I can't think of any. I would like to hear from the experts out there!

In my next post, we will take a look at themed drinking fountains from Tokyo DisneySea.

Vintage Disneyland Matchbooks

Continuing today with a "giveaway" or "free" theme.....these matchbooks were free to Disneyland guests in the late 70's and early 80's. They were available at the various shops and restaurants, but were kept behind the counters and only given out upon request.



Each of today's photos show the front and back of a single matchbook. You can see in the two pics above, that Fantasyland and Tomorrowland had their own matchbooks, but notice below how Frontierland had to share a matchbook with Bear Country.

Adventureland and New Orleans Square were also combined into one......

.....but The Blue Bayou Restaurant had it's own.

I will have one more post after this one that covers matchbooks (no pun intended). I do plan to get back to posting about Tokyo Disneyland......I'm just taking a little break from it for a while.

More Pirates!

"Blackbeard's Portrait Deck" used to be located next to the exit of Tokyo Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. Guests used to be able to dress in costume and pose with a pirate for a photo that they could purchase afterwards. This portrait studio closed last year and the "Pirates" merchandise shop that was next door expanded into it's space. I hope this isn't a sign that Tokyo DL will eventually become like the Disney parks here in the United States. Unfortunately, Disneyland and Walt Disney World have already turned areas like this into just more retail space (the Penny Arcade in DL and the Main St. Cinema in WDW are just two examples).

Blackbeard's Portrait Deck was located just beyond the Blue Bayou restaurant, in the pink colored building.

A "live" Captain Jack Sparrow character has been available for photo-ops and autographs ever since his character was added to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in 2007.

Pirates!

Tokyo Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean is located in Adventureland in a "New Orleans Square" type of setting. The exterior is almost an exact copy of the original Disneyland version. Notice the original signage in the photo above. The photo below shows what the sign looks like today. The sign was changed when the attraction was updated in 2007 and characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were added.

Below is a shot of the "New Orleans" section of Adventureland at Christmastime when the balconies were decorated for the holidays.

These are the cast member costumes for Pirates of the Caribbean in Tokyo. Do Anaheim's employees wear anything similar to this anymore? I know they never had these jackets, but they used to wear lace up shirts and striped socks. I don't think I've seen those costumes for a long time. Now they probably just wear the same costumes as they do at the front gate or in parking control. Oooh, there's that negativity about Anaheim again! Oh let's face it, the park in Anaheim is just a very faint shadow of what it once was. The Japanese now "do Disney" better than we do. There, I said it and I will probably say it again, but I will no longer aplogize for saying it.

Tokyo Disneyland ROCKS!

***Post Update: 9-7-08*** I paid a visit to Disneyland this evening and I made a point to go on Pirates of the Caribbean and check out the cast member costumes. I am happy to say that they were still wearing lace up shirts and striped socks. They did not however, have the headscarves or fancy coats. My negative comment above came from the fact that over the years, they have been slowly making the park costumes more and more generic. I will do a post sometime in the future to show just how elaborate and detailed all the employee costumes are at Tokyo Disneyland.

Miscellaneous Photos

Captain Hook's Pirate Ship and Skull Rock at Disneyland Paris:

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 Article from August 2018:

Article from August 2019 (about the 1999 Canoe Races):

From January 2020:

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 Disneyland's Candle Shop - 1972 Disney News Article:

More Tokyo Adventureland

Today we will stay in Adventureland and climb the stairs of the treehouse. Don't worry, there aren't any scary static fiberglass figures of Tarzan and Jane in this one. This treehouse still belongs to the Robinsons!

Let's take a look at the view from the top of the treehouse. The shot below is looking east towards Cinderella's Castle. Below the castle is the Plaza Pavilion restaurant.

In the next pic, we are looking north towards Westernland. In the foreground is Adventureland and the Enchanted Tiki Room.

Tokyo Adventureland

This is Tokyo Disneyland's Adventureland. If you look closely underneath the entrance sign, you will see the Western River Railroad station off in the distance. This is because guests board that attraction....not in Westernland, but in Adventureland. It only has one station and from what I understand, that has something to do with the Japanese government regulating any form of transportation if it has more than one stop. The train and the Jungle Cruise share one building with two individual entrances. For the train, guests go upstairs to board, while for the Jungle Cruise, guests queue around underneath on the ground level.

Below is a shot of the train just about to enter the station. Tokyo's train does not circle the entire park. After boarding in Adventureland, guests are taken around the perimeter of The Jungle Cruise, then along the edge of the Westernland River (equivalent of Rivers of America), and then into Primeval World (no Grand Canyon diorama). At the end of the route, it passes by the Polynesian Terrace, a nicely themed sit down restaurant that includes a show with your meal (reservations required).

Just to the right of Polynesian Terrace is The Enchanted Tiki Room. For years Tokyo had the original version of this classic attraction. Then a few years back they updated it with a new show called "The Enchanted Tiki Room - Get The Fever". The new show was done in the tradition of the original. The orginal Sherman Brothers song was still performed, along with some newer songs like "In The Summertime", "Hot, Hot, Hot", and a solo by a female bird singing "Fever". For you purists....it truly was NOT as bad as it might sound. And while I wouldn't EVER want Disney to change the original attraction in Anaheim, it certainly was one hundred percent better than the monstrosity that currently resides in Walt Disney World's Tiki Room ("Under New Mangement"). The "Get The Fever" version however, was just replaced by a newer version that opened last month. Tokyo has now added Stitch to their show and since I have not seen it yet, I cannot comment. I will be posting more Tiki Room pics in the future.