Westcot 2000

Koins of the Kingdom

2009-10-20T14:41:00.001-07:00

A while back, VintageDisneylandTickets had a post featuring a Koupon from 'Koins of the Kingdom'.

Here is everything you ever wanted to know about Koins of the Kingdom. For only $4,000 you could have lunch in Walt's apartment!

Don't Look!

2009-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Now you've done it! You looked.

It seems that most theme parks (if you still want to call Six Flags and Knott's theme parks) barely get the concrete dry before opening. For Indiana Jones Adventure the ride was soft-opened months ahead of the official opening (March 3, 1995).

The above images were probably the original decoder cards for the attraction, handed out to riders at the annual Disney Family Christmas Party in 1994.

In fact, some of the first riders were stock analysts that Disney brought in to pump up excitement on Wall Street.

Did you know that Countdown to Extinction and IJA have the same track layout? Different floorplans, but the track follows an almost identical route!

Tourists, why did it have to be tourists?

Go here for more Indy related goodness.

By the way is anybody there? Hello?

Fantasmic! Part 2

2009-09-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Outside the Berm had a great post recently with Pre-Fantasmic shots of the drained Rivers of America. Here are some pictures circa February 1992. Fantasmic contruction was in full-swing.

In the picture above (enlarged) the pieces of metal tubing are gas lines for the fire effect. Sometimes the black lifts didn't raise. Either one of the side projectors or lifts could go out but the show would be cancelled if the center lift didn't work.

On the left side, near Fowler's Harbor, a black bag tube blocks the river. This bladder functioned as a dam to allow the backside of the river to be filled

After the river was filled the water screen lifts wouldn't always go down all the way so they were marked off with floating barrels or boxes. Keel boats, rafts, and canoes could then safely avoid getting beached. Anybody have pictures of those markers?

Westcot Wins Over Long Beach

2009-09-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

The water labyrinth sounds intriguing. Many ideas for the Long Beach park made it to Tokyo but not that one.

The area marked for future expansion was later acquired by Disney, but it caused a controversy at the time.

The logo shows the sphere planned for Westcot. This was later changed to a spire due to neighbor complaints.

Magic Kingdom Gazette! Part 2!

2009-09-24T14:46:00.001-07:00

Continued from yesterday...

I can't wait for Tomorrowland 2055. Only 46 more years!

Is Beverage Bay 56 still in service?

Magic Kingdom Gazette!

2009-09-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Magic Kingdom Gazette was one of many departmental newsletters. This was a monthly newsletter for Theme Park Operations.

I'm afraid this issue has some bad news for vintagedisneylandtickets!

Come back tomorrow for part 2!

Splash Mountain! Part 1

2009-09-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

10/28/1988 Disneyland Line:

Click picture to enlarge

This article from the Disneyland Line employee newsletter was a bit optimistic. Splash Mountain ended up starting employee testing in May 1989 after the original logs were chopped to bits and replaced. The replacement logs seated 7 and were slightly shorter.

The grand opening was 7/17/1989--about six months late.

Note the Drop 5 runout rails; originally the runout was designed to be adjustable to adjust the splash seasonally. That feature never came to be.

I wonder what the final Audio-Animatronic count was?

Tomorrowland Terrace, Part 1

2009-02-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Tomorrowland Terrace as it exists now opened in 1967 with the rest of New Tomorrowland: A World on the Move. The architectural styling clearly shows the personal influence of Disney Legend Roland 'Rolly' Crump. The style of the futuristic planter sculpture motif was evident throughout the facility on both of the 'Coke' banners and other planters. Sadly, many of these elements have been removed over the years. The bandstand roof planter was removed in 1990 and replaced with a double-sided '35 Years of Magic' logo sign and later a space themed sculpture. In the last few years a sculpture similar to the original was put brought back.

'Systems' as described in the article also made use of a verbal short-hand that could allowed quick communication of orders to other team members. The elegant efficiency of 'Systems' gave way to technology around 1992, when electronic cash registers gave way to computer registers. I'm not a luddite, but it's a mistaken assumption that upgrading technology will necessarily improve processes. I would like to know what Coke Terrace sales are for a peak hour today versus 1991.

Other features of Tomorrowland Terrace included a garbage chute that allowed quick elimination of waste into a garbage compactor in the Tomorrowland tunnel.

The bandstand sits on a hydraulic lift similar to the ones used for the nearby Rocket Jets. For safety purposes the lift requires two buttons to operate: one in a nearby planter and one on the bandstand itself.

The menu items at the Tomorrowland Terrace have changed throughout the years but for many years the staples were Spaceburgers (hamburgers), Moonburgers (cheeseburgers), and Magic Kingdom Burgers (Canadian bacon cheeseburger).

The pillbox hats were intended to evoke an image of a bottle cap. When Coke Terrace opened bost soda was still sold in glass bottles! The bottlecaps were replaced with hairnets in 1987 when the costumes were redesigned.

One of the last remaining Club 55 members, Marion Schawacha worked in the Central Foods Kitchen at the time of her retirement in 1990.

Super Duper Hooper!

2009-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another day, another world record...

If you zoom in on the photo there are some interesting details:

Is Snow White really using three Hula Hoops? I think she's cheating with some sort of device on her back.

Miss Poodleskirt is definitely using three.

To the right of Miss Poodleskirt I see someone is having technical difficulties. Make that 1,526 Hula Hoopers!

Are those balloons stuck in the tree?

No Br'ers today (Splash Mountain was still over a year from opening).

Besides Snow White and Dopey there's Foulfellow. If you squint, you might be able to see Mickey and Minnie on that jukebox.

Wait a second, is that a jukebox in front of the castle? Yes, like it or not, it is. In 1988, besides the jukebox, the hub would also feature a Globe of Death and a ferris wheel.

Tomorrow: Upjohn

What is the Real Meaning of Performance Excellence?

2009-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

This flier was distributed by union shop stewards when Disneyland started to roll out Performance Excellence, which was a new management philosophy that was rolled out around January of 1994. I apoligize in advance for the poor quality of the scan. I felt it was still worth sharing!

Tomorrow: More World's Records!

It's Showtime!

2009-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Entertainment Show Schedules were made available to cast members sometime in the 1980's until they were replaced around 1995. During the summer this would be full front and back, but this specimen is from the off-season mid-week.

Some Disneylander terms can be found on this document that are decoded below:

ADO = Authorized Day Off: An ADO could be granted in advance by submitting a request to have a day off. Sometimes an ADO was granted on the actual day of the shift if you were lucky!

Mix-in = Semi-private party: The advertised park closing was 6:00, but no one was kicked out of the park. The up-side for the organization is that their members get a full day of fun instead of only four hours. A mix-in usually started at 4 PM but sometimes, like on January 28, 1994 it was a full day. The upside for the park is that day guests that stayed bought food but the operating costs for the park were pretty much fixed.

P. Excellence = Performance Excellence: A shift in management philosphy that was rolled out in 1994. P.E. had positive and negative outcomes. Come back tomorrow for more on Performance Excellence!

MM = Magic Morning: Early park hours in one or two lands before regular park opening. This was made available to tourists who booked vacations through the Walt Disney Travel Company as an incentive. My guess is that these Magic Mornings were in Mickey's Toontown/Tomorrowland. Magic Mornings began in the late 80's and were usually in Tomorrowland because of the large capacity of Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Autopia.

Show notes:

The live flag retreat ceremony was already the victim of budget cuts it seems.

The Tomorrowland Terrace was still the Tomorrowland Terrace. Discovery, Voyager, and Enterprise were still shaking up the crowds (probably not as much as Gravel, Cement, & Rock).

The Brass Brothers and Five Alarm Jazz Band were 'breakdown groups' comprised of members of the Disneyland Band.

Guest groups were part of 'Magic Music Days', where youth groups get to perform in front of thousands of adoring fans!

The Main Street Pianist was still sometimes using the Piano Bike! Do they still drag it out now? Do any of you vintage bloggers have photos?

Tomorrow: What is the real meaning of Performance Excellence? How about Performance Impotence? No, I'm not making this up. Really. I wish I were and so will you.

Free-ky Friday at Dees-neyland

2009-01-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

OK, I still owe some Fantasmic! Fridays.

And it's not Friday.

At least I'm posting again!

The current Celebrate Disneyland (and WDW) promotion for 2009 brought to mind a failed Disneyland promotion from 1994 that resulted in Disneyland making public apologies to the Park's cast members, the city of Anaheim, and the Anaheim School District.

Oh, did I mention there was a near riot at the front gate?

It started out as a promotion with KIIS-FM and disc jockey, Rick Dees, that offered free admission to Disneyland if you showed up at Disneyland prior to 8:30 A.M. wearing a costume.

Here's a flier that was given to cast members:

Tomorrow, it's showtime!

Exciting Plans for Disneyland '86

2009-01-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

The cover says 'Circus Fantasy' but this issue of the Disneyland Line contains some real nuggets regarding the strategy of the marketing department circa 1986.

On the cover Timothy Mouse is holding a whip. Over the years sometimes he has used a whip and sometimes a magic feather.

1986 really was a year packed with excitement: Giftgiver Extraordinaire, Circus Fantasy, Totally Minnie, State Fair, Captain Eo, and Star Tours soft-opening.

There were five different full parades in 1986! Circus on Parade, Totally Minnie, State Fair, Main Street Electrical, Very Merry Christmas. Three brand new parades debuted in one year!

The questions regarding shifting attendance and long-term events has been replaced with a reliance on annual passholders. The loss of these special events is a shame. The short-term events referred to on page 2 were Festival Japan and similar weekend events.

The opening of Captain Eo was delayed from Spring to Fall.

Let's Twist Again

2009-01-23T09:56:00.001-08:00

Since Progressland didn't pick up his birthday present last week it's getting posted here:

I don't know if Chris Stoddard covers dance records (the Guiness kind, not the vinyl kind) in The Disneyland Encyclopedia or just omelet records, but on March 31, 1989 the 'Largest Twist Party' record was set with the help of Chubby Checker. 2,248 people gathered at Disneyland at the crack of dawn to make the magic happen.

The event was co-sponsored by SoCal oldies radio station K-Earth and Disneyland to promote Blast to the Past at Disneyland.

In case anyone wondered, the record has been smashed repeatedly since then at various stadiums.

Yes, that is Br'er Fox hiding behind Chubby. And Br'er Rabbit is on the right behind Mr. T. But where is Br'er Bear? Splash Mountain was built by the time of this event but did not open to the public until July 17, 1989. No doubt their presence at this event was connected to Splash Mountain.

Promote Pressler

2009-01-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, two posts in one day.

This Pressler guy that is getting promoted from the Disney Stores to run the park shows real promise. Just watch, I bet he'll lay the foundations of a Disneyland renaissance.

Click the picture to make it readable.

Westcot to be Built!!!

2009-01-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Exciting news folks. Not only am I out of prison and able to post again, but the Walt Disney Company has decided to proceed with the construction of Westcot!

And here's the official memo from Jack Lindquist to prove I'm not making this whole thing up.

Click the picture to make it readable.

Fantasmic! Friday! Part 2!

2008-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

To follow up last week's Fantasmic! Friday! here are some scans of the May 22, 1992 Disneyland Line Cast Member newsletter just for You. Yes, You!

Did you know that the black cauldron used in Fantasmic! is The Black Cauldron? Now you do!

Please note that the cover is not a picture of Fantasmic!, it's actually a mock up that was created for publicity images. This model set was also used for the television commercial seen at the end of this clip.

Anyway, here are the scans:

Who's good; who's evil? You decide!

More excitement elsewhere in the park!

Fantasmic! Friday!

2008-08-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the very first Fantasmic! Friday! I don't know about you, but I think an exclamation point should be added to all Disneyland attractions. Omnibus! Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln! Mark Twain Riverboat! Davey Crockett Explorer Canoes! It might just send hourly ride counts through the roof!

Did you know that before Fantasmic! was Fantasmic!, it was Imagination? Now you do!

Here is an article from the February 12, 1992 Disneyland Line detailing the Fantasmic! marketing tour that was about to kick off. Disneyland was still big on big balloons in 1992. 1990 had given us the big balloons of Party Gras (or was it Party Gras!); 1991 followed with Surprise! Celebration over at WDW. Even Tokyo Disneyland got in on the act with a big balloon parade. Big balloons have apparantly gone the way of car giveaways and gift machines-just ask Ursula.

Yes, remember Ursula? She was Fantasmic!'s very own big balloon.

Anyway, enough with the suspense:

And as a special bonus (although not as cool as this bonus):

Poor Fantasy Waters. They didn't last long after Fantasmic debuted. Perhaps they should have changed the name to Fantasy Waters!!! Because if one exclamation point is good, three must be best!!!

Next week I'll have more Fantasmic! for you. It's already pre-posted and everything!

What would you do with...

2008-08-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

...500 Indiana Jones AT&T phone cards?

This creation was found in the Indiana Jones Guest Control office one morning!

I count 20 stories!

Will the Real "Voice of Disneyland" Please Stand?

2008-08-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

In April 2007 a tempest in a teapot was formed over an obituary in the LA Daily news. The problem was that most people were under the impression that the "Voice of Disneyland", Jack Wagner, had died back in 1995. So more than a few people were perplexed as to how Earl Raymond Jackson was also the Voice of Disneyland:

A memorial service will be Sunday for Earl Raymond Jackson, dubbed "the voice of Disneyland," who died April 30. He was 72. He moved with family to California in 1967, working in the Entertainment Division at Disneyland. After producing and announcing many live shows, including the premier of Disneyland on Parade, Jackson was dubbed "the voice of Disneyland" by Walt Disney.

Survivors include Patricia Jackson, his wife of 49 years; daughters Beverly and Catherine; son David; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Pickwick Gardens, 1001 Riverside Drive Burbank. Memorial contributions may be sent to the HealthCare Foundation at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.

Well it turns out that Jack Wagner was not the voice of Disneyland after all according to an issue of the Disneyland Line announcing Jack Wagner's retirement in 1992! Don't believe me?

So it turns out that Jack Wagner was the Voice of Disney and Earl
Jackson was the Voice of Disneyland.

Neverland

2008-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today's post comes to you from lovely Willowick Golf Course in Santa Ana. What does Willowick have to do with Disneyland? It almost was Disneyland!

Buzz Price narrowed potential locations down to four sites, including Willowick. The Santa Ana location lost out to Anaheim for several reasons, but the closeness of the freeway to Anaheim no doubt helped.

The Santa Ana line of the Pacific Electric Railway ran right next Willowick until about 1950. Willowick is at the Santa Ana Gun Club station.

The right-of-way for the railroad is still clearly visible from the air. The Santa Ana River forms another border.

The city of Garden Grove has proposed building a Hard Rock Theme Park on the site; Santa Ana has proposed a soccer stadium. My guess is the neighbors want neither!

Disneyland State Fair Part 2

2008-08-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

More stickers for you to enjoy. Some of the character line art that was used for these stickers was pretty good. I am particularly fond of Mount Disney for South Dakota (the only state that had more than one character). I wonder if Washington DC had a sticker?

State Fair Sunday Part One

2008-08-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Where's Bonnie Appetite?

State Fair at Disneyland was one of three seasonal park-wide special events that were held in the late 1980's. The other events were Blast to the Past and Circus Fantasy.

State Fair was first held in the Fall of 1987. Here are some scans of the Disneyland Line Employee Newletter from 9/24/08 (click the scan to read).

Selected merchandise locations distributed bumper stickers to guests of their home state for State Fair '88 (or was it '87?). Here are some scans of five of them:

Purists were most offended by the carnival atmosphere exuded by the midway games on the Plaza and Small World Mall, the Ferris Wheel on the Hub planter, and another Ferris Wheel at the Disneyland Railroad Main Street Station (the Railroad was closed for Splash Mountain construction). My confession is that I sort of liked State Fair. Please don't shoot me.

Next time the Phantom Blot is going to take Sleeping Beauty Castle. No really. It's going to disappear completely. Before your very eyes.

The Spirit of Controversy Among Children

2008-08-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Anybody that would be reading this blog probably recalls the Mary Blair Tomorrowland tile murals at Disneyland with fondness. The two murals were installed as a part of New Tomorrowland in 1967. The larger south mural was covered up as part of the construction for Star Tours in 1985/1986; the north mural survived until 1997.

Lesser known facts about the murals:

Their title was "The Spirit of Creative Energies Among Children".

The north mural was themed to communication.

The south mural was themed to energy.

According to Yesterland the murals were not damaged when they were covered, but I have memories of steel beams being planted in the south mural when it was being covered and several openings were cut in the lower right-hand corner for doors.

The lower left hand corner of the south mural was the controversy referred to in the title of this post! The circle on the left is signed by Mary Blair; the triangle contained the first names of other artists.

So what was the controversy? Allow Marty Sklar to explain it in his own words:

(click on the picture to read)

The scans are from the February 19, 1976 Disneyland Line Employee Newsletter.

Does anybody know the current status of Free Enterprise?

Mr. Lincoln has a Heart Attack

2008-08-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

From the October 29, 1975 Disneyland Line employee newsletter:

Mr. Lincoln is recuperating at Anaheim Memorial Hospital. He has respectfully request that no flowers be sent due to his allergies, but plants are welcome as are get well wishes.

The Original Utilidor

2008-07-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, since nobody cared about going through the looking glass or visit the Darby O'Gill ride, I guess we'll just go down the rabbit hole!

The Utilidors under the Magic Kingdom at WDW are well known, but fewer people know about the original Utilidor, the Tomorrowland Tunnel at Disneyland.

The tunnel runs from the back of Alpine Gardens to a backstage area next to Innvoventions and provides access to the central core of Innoventions, the Terrace Stage, the Terrace trash compactor, the Tomorrowland Terrace basement, storage and, of course, Alpine Gardens.

For a number of years plans to build a branch to the Lunching Pad were considered but, ironically, a tunnel wasn't built until after the Lunching Pad was closed. And the tunnel that was built (for the Rocket Rods Queue) didn't even connect to the Tomorrowland Tunnel. I wonder what the Rocket Rods tunnel is used for now?

Various conduits run the length of the tunnel to provide water, electricity and telephone service to Tomorrowland. Oh yeah, and Coke Syrup! There are two huge stainless steel tanks behind Innoventions that are used to store Coke Syrup for Coke Terrace via a tube that runs through the tunnel.

Edit: Jason requested a picture of the Tomorrowland Tunnel, so here it is:

I slay me. Stolen without permission from another website:

This view would be looking towards Fantasyland and I think this was taken near the freight elevator behind Innoventions. It was pretty common for water to pool on the floor of the tunnel at various points. Tomorrowland Terrace had a golf cart that the receiving crew would use to carry stuff. I believe rolling pallet jacks were also used. If you look closely you can see guard rails to protect the piping from bad golf cart drivers!

It's hard to identify anything because of the small size of the picture, but I think the stairs to Innoventions are on the left just in front of the puddle.

The tunnel has at least one bend and maybe two.

The tunnel was also used by Custodial to haul trash from the Tomorrowland Terrace trash compactor.

The original intention may have been to extend the tunnel at some point in the future since after the Tomorrowland Terrace the tunnel has no real purpose (I only recall some fenced off rooms containing machines of some sort).

Project THOR

2008-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today, faithful readers, we will venture outside the berm and over the Cajon pass to Las Vegas and the other MGM theme park, MGM Grand Adventures. This short-lived theme park
(1994-2000) at the MGM Grand Hotel offered just a handful of rides, but probably the most unique was Deep Earth Exploration.

Deep Earth Exploration was different in that for the first time a simulator was combined with a travelling ride vehicle. Riders experienced a projected movie similar to Star Tours, but the side windows would open several times to reveal actual show scenery that corresponded to the movie. Imagineers who rode this ride were so impressed that they immediately set out to take the idea of a travelling simulator to the next level.

Project THOR (Travelling Hydraulic Operated Ride?) was thus conceived and less than two years later was born as the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland.

For those of you that have been on Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom and Indiana Jones that had a sense of deja vu that you couldn't explain...maybe it was the fact that Indy and Countdown have an identical track layout! But it's not very obvious since the rooms that the vehicles travel through are completely different. For example, on Indy we get to vote for our destiny, but in Florida they don't get to vote.

Sorry...no pictures. I'll let you know if I find my pictures of MGM Grand Adventures. You know, now that I think about it the park wasn't very grand or adventurous, but you can still say thanks to Mr. K next time you ride Indy.

Now it's time to choose your own adventure; would you prefer to go through the looking glass or go on the Darby O'Gill ride? Cast your vote because, unlike the Indiana Jones Adventure, your vote will truly make a difference.

The Original Puppetmaster

2008-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello once again faithful readers...both of you. I have a special treat for you today.

Who was the original puppeteer in Fantasyland? It certainly wasn't Stromboli. He didn't show up until 1984. And am I the only one who wonders why Stromboli's wagon doesn't sell puppets??? Maybe it's part of the terms of his probation!

It turns out that the original puppetmaster was Bob Mills. The following is a wonderful article from 1991 that was published in the Disneyland Line employee newsletter. I wish every Disneyland Line could be this informational!

A feel that a couple of points should be clarified or updated:

Bob has since retired from his career as a makeup artist according to IMDB; hopefully he is in good health and the retirement was his choice and not the undertaker's.

The article mentions that Bob worked at Children's Fairyland in Oakland prior to coming to Disneyland. Another early Disneylander, Dorothy Manes, was hired from there also. Based on what other information I've found (thanks Progressland!) she was still working at Disneyland in 1970 and presumably retired prior to 1975 since she isn't listed as a Club 55 member in park literature from that year. I'm not sure, but I think she was the youth group coordinator. She passed away in 1984.

I wish I could tell you more, but that's all Walt wrote.

Next time: What does the Indiana Jones Adventure have to do with Las Vegas and Norse Mythology?

A Close Encounter...

2008-06-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

...of the Tomorrowland Kind.

Circles of Excellence was a program that was launched at the park in 1991-ish. One of the outcomes was a proliferation of departmental newsletters such as this one:

These may have been the orginal (but definitely in the first few years) Grad Nite Blast Offs. The intent was to allow Grad Niters that had come from far off places to come into the park early to relieve some of the crowding at the main entrance and to get food (and maybe a ride or two). The original Blast Offs were probably held at The Space Place. Mmmm...Cottage Fries...

Put on your thinking caps--this one is no piece of cake:

Instantaneous Capacity Study

2008-06-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Not a very exciting title for a first post, but this schedule reminder is the first concrete evidence I have of planning for the "Second Gate". Imagineering had been planning a second gate at least as early as 1988 (which is when I attended a presentation by Imagineer, Jeff Kurtii, where the idea was mentioned as an upcoming project).

The Second Gate was probably intended to be Westcot at the time of this study, but I think that the plans were still top secret in July of 1992. The information collected from the study was intended to be used to determine capacities of food and merchandise locations at the Second Gate.

So what is an "Instantaneous Capacity Study"? My memory is a little fuzzy but I think it was basically a report of how many people were at each particular location at various times throughout the day. For example, my assignment might have been New Orleans Square Restaurants. At set times I would be responsible for counting the number of people waiting in line at the French Market, sitting on the French Market patio, using the New Orleans restrooms, and inside Marche aux Fleurs.

I can only guess that Paul Pressler and friends didn't use these studies for planning DCA, based on the number of restaurants that were shuttered in the early days of that park.

Next time we'll visit the original Stromboli and catch a puppet show in Fantasyland.