Hey All!
Here’s another in our ongoing series, but first, where was last week’s photo taken?
And now for this week’s lamp:
Locate the Lamp!
Captain EO Holy Grail
Sure you may have the glove, or the little red leather jacket, or perhaps even a decent moonwalk, but let me ask you this, do you own an LED Captain EO Disneyland visor? I’m guessing that you probably don’t, not because you aren’t the biggest Michael Jackson fan of all time, the kind of fan who pretends to know all the thriller dance moves, but because this item has become a rarity in the Michael Jackson and Captain EO collectible market. Let me for a moment reflect on why I think that is. 
Apologies in advance for all the questions; I enjoy a certain rapport with my readers, but have you ever in all of your days at Disneyland spotted amongst the crowds of Disney park-goers someone wearing this piece of sparkling Disney imperfection? The answer is probably no, that is unless you’ve actually had the rare opportunity to catch my blinking head in the park, and the reason for this is immediately apparent for anyone who has ever witnessed or worn this piece of Disneyana.
The problem has to do with the fact that the LED lights are powered by a 9-volt battery. Yes you heard that correct, a 9-volt battery strapped to the side of your head just in front of your left ear by your temple. The battery hangs loosely inside of an elastic loop and batteries can get hot, hot enough to burn the side of your Michael Jackson loving face. Sometimes the price to pay for hip retro fashion is a nasty 9-volt battery burn, lucky me.
Note: The black electrical tape pictured is strictly to compensate for elastic wear and tear.
One Great Plate
A few days ago I was driving around and found myself behind this car. Disneyland shows up everywhere!
The Leprechauns of Disneyland
I would like to thank Tim Ray Hodges, the previous owner of Walt Disney’s Little Man of Disneyland, for providing me with the means to review this quirky and odd look at Disneyland’s initial construction.
With that said, did you know that the orange groves of Anaheim were once populated by leprechauns? Mickey, Donald, and Goofy somehow forgot to ask this dwindling population for the right to tear down their houses and homes in order to build the many wonders of the Magic Kingdom. If this were true, which I’m sure it is, they could have at least covered it up a little better, by maybe not publishing a children’s story about the leprechaun culling of 1955. This fact angers leprechaun Patrick Begorra, who eventually allows the animated trio to continue with the construction of Disneyland if he can reside in a home of his choosing within the park. Who would have thought leprechauns to be such pushovers? The book concludes with challenging readers to locate Patrick’s home on their next visit. For those of you thinking this plot synopsis is fabricated in anyway, believe me, sadly and awesomely it is not.
The weird nature of the story itself is a major selling point, especially for collectors who like children’s books that are a little too strange and messed up for their intended readers. For pure Disneyland fans the book has some great illustrations of the park’s construction, from mainstreet and the castle, to New Orleans Square and the Jungle Cruise. If you spot this Golden Book nestled in a stack at your local used bookstore, take my advice and pick it up, you wont be disappointed.
Trip Report: June 12, 2011
A late afternoon trip to Disneyland was in order on June 12th. We arrived to the Disneyland Resort around 4pm.
Our first stop was the Disney Gallery to take another look at the Mary Blair exhibit. I really took the artwork in this time and it’s wonderful. Blair has such a unique style. Any animator could make drawings and storyboards, but Blair did it with her own personal touch. She was remarkable.
Then we looked at the little museum they have set up in the lobby of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I really love the things they have set up in there including vintage park tickets and models of Splash Mountain and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Walking through Adventureland really let us know how crowded the park was that day. An unbelievable amount of strollers were parked right in the middle of Adventureland which is already on the small side. Fortunately, the lines weren’t too bad at the parks. It was just a lot of traffic to get to your favorite attraction.
And with that, our first attraction was Pirates of the Caribbean. In the scene where the Mayor is being dunked in the well, there are usually three other people tied up waiting for their turn to be dunked. This time, the man in the middle was missing and some crates were put in his place. He must have escaped the ropes! You know, this is another reason of why I love Pirates. Even when pirates are missing, you can make a story up in your mind on what happened to them. The amount of detail put into Pirates lets your mind run.
Then came the Haunted Mansion and guess what! Madame Leota was floating! It is always very exciting when she floats as more often than not, she is stationary. During the ride, our doombuggy was stopped right in front of the hitchhiking ghosts. It was great to get a good long look at them. I love those guys!
Evening was now upon us and we were hungry. We all decided we would head over to DCA and enjoy Broccoli and Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl. The line at the Pacific Warf Cafe was huge! Fortunately, it moved fast and it ended up being only 20 minutes. The bread bowl was delicious. I love the sourdough bread at the Disneyland Resort. One day, I would like to buy a huge sack of bread bowsl and eat away!
It was now 9:00pm and World of Color was just starting. We thought this would be an excellent time to get in line for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. It was great being able to watch World of Color while in line. The queue didn’t last too long as it was late. It was maybe a half hour long, which was perfect as we got to see most of World of Color. The ride was once again great and this time we spotted Mr. Limpet. I wonder why Mr. Limpet is in the attraction. It’s not a Disney movie… Maybe the imagineers are just big Don Knotts fans.
Then we headed over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was a fun ride. I noticed that the spiral effect on the elevator doors as the ride begins and ends was not working. I could see the outline of the spiral, but it was not spinning. Other than that, everything else looked and sounded perfect. We had a very good Bellhop load us in our elevator. He was very effective with keeping to the 1939 Haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel theme.
We then headed back to Disneyland to see how long the line was for Star Tours. At 10:00pm, it was still 100 minutes. So we decided to pass on that galactic adventure.
Instead, we went to Storybook Land Canal Boats. I can’t say enough about how much I love this ride. It is so nice, relaxing, and quiet. The detail of the miniatures is amazing. It is even better at night as each scene is lit perfectly. I especially love Pinocchio’s village and how the mini mountains in the background blend perfectly with the Matterhorn.
After our boat ride through Monstro the Whale, we went over to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I was surprised to see that the fireplace scene had been updated. The fire seemed to be projected much more clearly now and the floor is now painted to look like a brick fireplace. The fiber optic burning embers never looked better. That was always my favorite effect in the ride. The rest of the ride was amazing as always. Going to Hell is one of my favorite things to do at the Disneyland Resort!
We ended our night with a ride on King Arthur’s Carousel. It was a perfect way to close out a wonderful trip to the Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland.
If The Shoe Fits Play It
In 1965 Parker Brothers and the Walt Disney Company teamed up to produce a lovely board game adaptation of the classic Disney animated film Cinderella. Recommended for children 5 to 10, but still enjoyed by bloggers of a more sophisticated age, the game allows 2 and upwards of 4 players to compete for the role of Cinderella. The first player to navigate the game board, successfully fit the glass slipper, and reach the castle is declared Cinderella and the winner of the game.
Like many Disney board games of the time, the Cinderella Game uses cards to propel players throughout game play. These cards, known as Cinderella cards, feature iconic characters and locations signature to the film, like Gus, Drisella, and the Clock Tower. Each of these cards contains specific instructions for moving players either forward or backward on the game board. Once players reach the end of Cinderella’s journey they are forced to draw one of five colored slipper cards in hopes of matching that card with the corresponding color of their playing piece. If a match is made, the player with the match has won the game, and if not, the player is forced to move back several spaces to an illustrated pumpkin where they must try again.
The game requires no strategy whatsoever, but is still fun to play for kids and grownups alike because of the wonderful and retro 60’s artwork printed on the board, the box, and Cinderella cards. Overall this game is a must have for Cinderella fans, and find it while you can, because this edition with original art is becoming more and more scarce.
-David Brown
Contributing Writer
When I See an Elephant Fly!
The Disney Parks Blog just posted an incredible video on how they get a huge African Elephant out of the Jungle Cruise for refurbishment!
Enjoy!
Locate the Lamp!
Hey All!
Here’s another in our ongoing series, but first, where was last week’s photo taken?
And now for this week’s lamp:
Welcome, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventures!
We will have a more in-depth review and photo report of the ride but for now, enjoy this awesome video from the Disney Parks Blog!
Floor Fridays: #3
Hey all!
Here’s another in our ongoing series, but first, where was last week’s photo taken?
And now for this week’s floor:
