King Arthur Carrousel: Part 2 - Relocation & New Fantasyland Construction

This is Part 2 of my Disneyland's King Arthur Carrousel posts. For Part 1, Click Here.

Today, we will be looking at the relocation of King Arthur Carrousel as well as some "New Fantasyland" construction. These first three photos show the "holes" in the ground that were left after the removal of The Mad Tea Party and Dumbo's Flying Elephants attractions from their original locations in 1982. Note the Big Thunder Trail from Frontierland to Fantasyland in the distance. It was closed to guests at this time.



These photos were taken from the Skyway, which at the time, due to construction, was a "round trip" ride only. During this time, guests could only board the Skyway in Tomorrowland and were not allowed to disembark when they got to Fantasyland. Instead, as the vehicles arrived at the Fantasyland Skyway station, they were greeted by cast members that pushed them through the station and back onto the cable to be sent back over to Tomorrowland.



Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was temporarily closed during this preliminary construction period, but would later reopen for a short time before being shut down once again for it's New Fantasyland rehab. Peter Pan's Flight continued to operate at this time, but Snow White's Adventures had already closed for it's rehab and The Fantasyland Theater had closed permanently to be replaced by Pinocchio's Daring Journey.



From this angle we get a better view of Dumbo's former location which was eventually replaced in part by the Village Inn (later Village Haus) restaurant. King Arthur Carrousel can be seen beyond the construction wall in the distance. It was still operating in it's original location.



Now in this next shot, the Carrousel has been moved and the spot where it had originally sat has been paved over.



The Snow White attraction was gutted leaving only it's roof and two walls. The Fantasyland Theater was completely bulldozed. What we cannot see in this photo is that the Carrousel has been moved to the former location of the Mad Tea Party and is just out of frame on the right.  Note the camera mounted on the roof to record the construction progress in these next two photos.



The sign on the construction wall reads, "Wish Upon A Brighter Star - A New Fantasyland Coming True in 1983.  This version of the sign did not remain for very long.  It was replaced by a much more colorful and detailed sign which can be seen here over at Gorillas Don't Blog.



And here we see just a corner of the relocated Carrousel on the far left.  We can also see what looks like a basement for what will become Pinocchio's Daring Journey.



This view was taken from the upper deck of Captain Hook's Pirate Ship.



And this was taken through a peep hole in the construction wall surrounding the Carrousel.  The view is looking west towards what's left of the original Snow White attraction.



The Los Angeles Times ran this photo in early 1982.  There was no accompanying article, just the caption beneath it, which mentions a reopening date of April 1st.



Here, we see three Disneyland icons that would not coexist in this close proximity for very long....Captain Hook's Pirate Ship, Skull Rock, and the Carrousel.



I wish this next photo had turned out better. It's a view of the Carrousel as seen from the cove behind Captain Hook's Pirate Ship. At the bottom of the photo is one of the many barrel-shaped stools that could be found in the cove's dining area.



Here's one of the versions of the guidebook that was available during the time that Fantasyland was under consctruction.



The Fantasyland pages of the guidebooks would change throughout the year as the various attractions would shut down for remodeling. This version shows that the Carrousel had already been relocated and reopened.



By the time this photo had been taken, the Carrousel had been shut down again. The planter around it had already been added, and workers were just beginning to paint a new design and color scheme on the roof. Note also, that the new facade on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is nearing completion.



This last photo shows the Carrousel on the official opening day of the New Fantasyland. The "Sword In The Stone" ceremony is taking place in the foreground with Merlin being assisted by one of the "Make Believe Brass" band members. The band was also making their park debut that summer along with the New Fantasyland.



I hope everyone enjoyed this trip back in time, to the transitioning Fantasyland of 1982 and 1983!

Disneyland Train and Monorail SOLD! (& Mickey Too!)

Today, we have another vintage newspaper clipping. This is among one of the oldest in my collection. I don't have an exact date, but I think I cut this out of the newspaper sometime in the late seventies or early eighties. I remember being confused at the time about why the family owned only the train and monorail and not the rest of the park and also why they were willing to sell them and Mickey Mouse. Perhaps after reading this, someone out there will be able to pinpoint the exact year this all took place.

Just in case anyone is curious, here is the back of the clipping. I did a little research using just the names "Dood and Elrod" that appear in the middle of the artwork, and it appears that this is a piece of the "Mark Trail" comic strip. A bit of trivia: Mark Trail began in 1946 and is still in syndication today.


Since my last post included a personal Disneyland souvenir, I thought I would include another one from my collection. This book of Disneyland "Hi-Lites" measures approximately 4" by 3" and was purchased for me during an early childhood visit to the park.....probably around 1969 or 1970.

I always loved the way the pages in this book were glossy and trimmed with a white border as if they were actual snapshots that you had taken yourself.

Father's Day In The Parks

In honor of Father's Day (and my Dad!), I'm posting some slides from my personal collection. My dad took all of these photos himself over 40 years ago.

First up, we have two Disneyland slides from the Summer of 1969. This first shot was taken from a PeopleMover car as it exited the Carousel of Progress building and crossed over the Skyway. Look at that line for the Subs!


The picture below was of course, taken from the Skyway. I MISS SKULL ROCK....and Captain Hook's Pirate Ship.....and the Skyway!

Next we have a shot of the Calico Mine Train at Knott's Berry Farm. This would have been taken when the train briefly comes out of the mountain on the upper level, looking down at a train parked in the unloading area.

The photo below is of the long gone (but not forgotten) Little Chapel by the Lake at Knott's Berry Farm. Blogger Outsidetheberm wrote a great post recently about this little structure and it's unfortunate demise. But he rescued the interior show elements and promises it will be seen again someday! Both of these Knott's photos were taken in the Summer of 1966.

Now we'll head over to the Southern California Coast.....the Palos Verdes Penninsula, to be exact. This is Marineland, a seaside park that opened in 1954....a year before Disneyland and ten years before Sea World. That pole in the background was for an observation car/sky tower type of attraction. I will have to post more of my dad's slides from an earlier trip showing the two-level observation car. These pics are from the Summer of 1967.

Are these dolphins or porpoises? If you ask me this is animal cruelty....and you can't convince me that they "enjoy" performing. I wonder how long these animals live? Is it possible that some of them could still be around today?

Now we'll mosey on up to the Valley. Here we find ourselves riding in a fabulous Glamor Tram at Universal Studios in 1967. This view is of the New York backlot sets. I'm sure that these sets are no longer standing considering this section of the backlot has burned to the ground twice since this photo was taken....once in 1990 and more recently in 2008. By the way, I also miss King Kong! He's supposed to be making a return this summer, but I've heard very little about it. It sounds like it might just be a 3-D projection of him now, instead of Bob Gurr's huge audio-animatronic figure. I don't want to see a 3-D projection of him, I want to see him up close and in person! That's right, I like to be within pie-throwing distance!

This miniature steamboat was in the old Prop Plaza area at Universal. I'm not sure what this prop was used for. There was once a larger showboat that could be seen during the tram tour. They would explain to guests that it was used in the movie "Showboat." Perhaps this miniature was used for the same film?

To see a couple more photos of the Universal Backlot taken during this same trip, including a shot of the Psycho House in it's original location, click here: Psycho House.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! And Happy Father's Day to all dads out there!

Disneyland Trip Report....From Christmas 1979!

Let's travel back in time once again, for a vintage tour of Disneyland. We'll just set the Way Back Machine for December 27, 1979 and VOILA, we're there!

While we're at the main gate, don't forget to pick up a copy of today's entertainment schedule!

Big Thunder is only 3 months old right now, so let's go over there first before the line gets too long. I'm armed with my Kodak Instamatic camera and a roll of 110 slide film and I'm ready to take pictures. Well, maybe not too ready. The first pic of the day is an "oops" taken accidentally while waiting for our train to pull into the station.

Now I'm ready!

Here's a shot of the dynamite-chomping goat, taken from the front seat of the train.

Now we'll take the brand new Big Thunder Trail over to Fantasyland where we find Skull Rock and Spawn of Skull Rock. Okay, here's the deal....in past vintage trip reports, you've seen the reflection of my friend Alvin and you've heard about my friend Tonya. Well, today's visit includes two more friends, we'll call them Marie and Kenny just to protect the innocent. Since I have not yet asked their permission to post photos of them, this is what we have for now. I could have left these photos out, but I thought they were worth posting.

A ride on vintage Dumbo.....Wheeee!

Let's now board the Skyway and take it over to Tomorrowland. Fantasyland sure does look empty, but it's not going to stay that way. It is two days after Christmas and it will soon be PACKED! Notice how Space Mountain (far right side of pic) is visible from the top of the stairs leading to the Skyway chalet. Also visible are the Rocket Jets and beyond that is the Grand Hotel of Anaheim. These stairs still exist, but are now blocked off, so don't attempt to recreate this photo today kids....you might get kicked out of the park!

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There's the Abominable Snowman. He used to be visible from the Skyway. See him? He's there! He's just too far away to get a good shot with this camera. By the way, this was my period of experimenting with 110 slide film. Yep, these are slides with itty bitty sized negatives....or I guess they would actually be positives.

Now we're in Tomorrowland. We may as well head on over to Space Mountain since the line for it won't be getting shorter anytime soon. See how the park is already getting busier? Hey, I wish they would bring back the Speedramp that used to take you to the second level. Tokyo Disneyland still has theirs.

Let's go on Autopia next, but we'll each drive our own car, thank you very much. I see a Rolly Crump ticket booth and the Rolly Crump Stage over at Tomorrowland Terrace. Hmmm, and the PeopleMover appears to be open. Gee, I LOVE the 1967 Tomorrowland!

How about taking a cruise on the Monorail? Only two of us can fit up in the bubble dome on top with the monorail driver. I don't have to have MY arm twisted....I'll do it! There's the Disneyland sign, although between the distortion from the glass bubble and the crappy camera, it's not a great photo, sorry!

Uh-oh, we better get back and find a place along the parade route for The Very Merry Christmas Parade. Well, it looks like it's too late to get a good spot, so now we are going to have to stand behind several rows of people. I'll have to aim high for the taller floats because I won't have a clear view of any of the performers on the the ground. It's a shame too, because a guy that I sat next to in Geometry class was in this parade. He actually convinced me to try out for the Christmas parade since you only had to be 16 years of age to be hired for parades.....however, I would still have to wait a couple more years until I turned 16.

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The Dumbo and Santa Claus floats above were both used again two years later in Fantasy On Parade '81. That year, I would be cast as one of the Christmas Trees in the parade (there was a team of eight) which are visible here in this close-up of today's entertainment guide.


Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this visit to the park from 30 years ago. I will leave you today with two views showing the Christmas decorations on Main St....and a VERY crowded park!