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First Season (April 22, 1964 - )
Second Season ( - 1965)
Walt Disney later divulged: “The whole thing here is the organization. Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group, a tribute to our combined efforts… Our World’s Fair shows - what we did was possible only because we already had the staff that had worked together for years, blending creative ideas with technical know-how.”
Marty Sklar (of Disneyland Public Relations) would join WED permanently by 1961, and soon began “playing an active role working with industry on shows and exhibits for the World’s Fair in New York. His main efforts concentrated on the Ford Show and the General Electric Carousel of Progress.”
After some negotiations and special agreements, the synergistic partnership was formed. Ford Motor Company would have their “Weenie” for their “Ford Pavilion” which would draw guests into their pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. In turn, Walt Disney would gain the funding to develop the necessary technology to run the show in New York, and once the two years were complete (and in some cases, by 1964), Walt would have a brand new attraction for Disneyland.
Ford spent two years and millions of dollars to set it up for your pleasure. But according to LOOK magazine (February 11, 1964), “Walt Disney may be the showman who made the ‘64-65 Fair!” Among the 646 acres of Flushing Meadows, he contributed to the success of four pavilions, including “the talk of the fair” - the expansive Ford Motor Company’s popular Pavilion! Walt Disney is said to have spent ten years and a million dollars on “Audio-Animatronics,” the system which runs the Ford show from a battery of magnetic tapes. Of course this expense was in addition to the total expenses that were allocated toward the New York World’s Fair of 1964. In one c. 1963 interview with Fletcher Markle, Walt Disney divulged : “We’re doing four shows for the World’s Fair… It’s about $50 million worth of shows we’re doing for the World’s Fair. Of course, that includes the cost of the building, the rental and the land. We’re doing one for the Ford Motor Company.”
According to Disneyland LINE Magazine [October 28, 1994 ; Vol. 26, No. 42], “The Figure Head Animation Department came into existence in the latter part of 1962 to meet the demands of Disney’s exhibits at the 1964 World’s Fair,” which included the Cast of It’s a Small World, the General Electric Carousel of Progress, the Ford Magic Skyway, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. The same article continues : “These exhibits introduced Audio-Animatronics technology on a grand scale. Two of the exhibits, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the GE Carousel of Progress, had complicated animated heads. The Head Shop team was established to assemble them.”
Dick Irvine (who was previously head of a team of artists, designers, and architects responsible for planning and developing Disneyland) lead the planning and design for Walt Disney’s four shows at the New York World’s Fair. Artists like Marc Davis and Claude Coats would contribute much to the project. Herb Ryman created a few suggestions for the Magic Skyway including designs for a “Magic Skyway Loading Area” in the Ford Wonder Rotunda. [“A Brush with Disney - An Artist’s Journey,” told through the words and works of Herbert Dickens Ryman, Edited by Bruce Gordon an David Mumford]
Stan Abrahamson of the Studio Machine Shop served as Manager MAPO Animation and was involved with Small World & Ford.
The Disneyland Staff Shop was responsible for the existence of many figures - Cave Men, Cave Women, Cave Children, Mammoths, Small Children for “It’s A Small World” and Abraham Lincoln! One of their most challenging tasks was in bringing top life the 15,000 lb “Rex” figure which was originally designed for the Ford Exhibit of the New York World’s Fair. WED Enterprises, Inc. Imagineers first sculpted “Rex” in clay. The results were a two-foot long model to be utilized by the Disneyland Staff Shop artists and craftspeople. The Disneyland Staff Shop “spent two-and-a-half months turning 20 gallons of shellac, 1,500 lbs. of steel, 6,000 lbs. of plaster, and 8,000 lbs. of clay into an 18-foot long prehistoric monster that, when cast in fiberglass, would weigh a trim 3,000 lbs. ‘We had to cast ‘Rex’ in fiberglass’, Ed says, ‘otherwise he would have weighed well over 15,000 lbs., which would have made it extremely difficult to truck him back and forth across the United States. Even at a ton and a half, he was a pretty imposing sight.”
The inside of this structure featured many pre-shows, which led all the way to Walt Disney’s biggest attraction created for the 1964 / 1965 New York World’s Fair : the “Magic Skyway - a twelve minute Walt Disney adventure through time and space”. Passengers would briefly sit behind the wheel of brand new Ford-built, Mercury, Comet, Falcon, Thunderbird, and Lincoln-Continental convertibles. Once boarded, the automatically-guided automobiles would chauffeur its passengers through ‘time tunnels’, to both prehistoric destinations inhabited by Stone-Age men, and the City of Tomorrow! Ford Motor Company’s principle attraction has been described as “an exciting trip though the Fantasyland of the past, present, and future”!
Back in 1960, Bob Gurr had previously helped design the carousel system that would be utilized in the General Electric Carousel show. Now, Bob helped design the system that moved the Ford cars through the Ford Magic Skyway show. Later, this system “became the preliminary design for Disneyland’s WEDway PeopleMover,” according to Bob Gurr’s “Capsule Biography” prepared for WED Enterprises. According to a Wed Transportation Systems, Inc. brochure: “In 1964, the first Disney-designed PeopleMover system carried guests through the Ford pavilion at the New York World's Fair.”
Don Edgren (former liaison between Wheeler & Gray and WED) had joined WED in 1961 and assisted with the structural engineering of the Swiss Family Treehouse. By 1963, Don would head the engineering team responsible for the construction and installation of the General Electric Carousel of Progress show at the New York World’s Fair.
After the ride, “step out and see a world where tomorrow is being created today” through the magic of several post-ride shows and exhibits! Visit the Philco Corporation’s penguins in “a show within a show” - the Hall of Science. The Philco penguins are excited to show you where they store their catch of fish - in their brand new 1965 Philco Freezer! See scale-model villages featuring miniature Ford vehicles. In the showroom, browse “styling X-cars” (the “x” is for experimental) Allegro, Aurora luxury lounge station wagon, Cougar II, and Mustang II - all several years in the making. These new sports cars were displayed alongside antique Ford cars like Models A, N, and T! Please step this way, as your tour of the Ford Pavilion begins HERE!
Four Walt Disney shows opened at the New York World’s Fair on April 22, 1964.
During the 1965 season, Ford gave visitors the option to see the exhibits alone without going on the ride. Still, new 1965 Fords were installed on the Skyway. Regardless, the pavilion saw an attendance gain during 1965. “During the Fair’s two six-month sessions, 91 percent of those who paid fair admission - nearly 47 million people - visited one or more of the quartet of Disney shows.” [according to “Information on America Sings,” prepared by Disneyland Publicity Department, 1974]. Among these were “six happy Southlanders” (from California) - the guests of Walt Disney at the New York World’s Fair” during July of 1964! “As official Disneyland Delegates, the four boys and two girls, with their parents, spent two full days at the fair plus another day touring New York City before returning to California. Included in the group were youngsters from Los Angeles, Torrance, Fullerton, Point Mugu, Escondido and San Diego, all members of youth organizations who took part in the special Youth Days at Disneyland” the previous Spring. “They stayed at the world’s tallest hotel, the Americana, with all expenses paid by Disneyland. Their tour included four Disney-produced attractions at the Fair - the General Electric, Ford, Pepsi-Cola and State of Illinois pavilions - plus all of the other most important features of the World’s Fair.” [Disney News, Vol.2, No. 3 ; Fall of 1964] Even Walt Disney was among the Guests of his own Show, as Bob Matheison later recalled: “I and Marc Davis were with Walt and we walked over to the Ford Magic Skyway pavilion. We walked straight up to the VIP area and they tried to take us in a back way. But Walt hesitated. He kept saying no and went out and stood in the line - which was about two hours long at the time. To Walt, the special people were all the people that were waiting in the line. He wanted to see how they were being treated. I never forgot that.”
Soon, WED Imagineering black books stored in the library would contain photographs documenting the Ford Motor Company exhibit at the 1964 New York World Fair.
According to the Tencennial Neesletter: “Ford Motor Company -- A 1965 Ford LTD is being used by the Ambassador from Disneyland as her Official Automobile. She will also have a Ford made available for her use wherever she may be appearing in the United States during the Tencennial Year.”
WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS WORLD’S FAIR GENERAL SECTION - STAFF ASSIGNED TO ALL FOUR SHOWS:
Other staff that contributed toward the World’s Fair show included Queens Office Manager Fred Tatum, Dick Falk who drove sightseeing vehicles, Tom Jones (of the Corporation of Engineers for U.S. Army that built the harbor), Joe Potter who served as Executive vice President of 1965 World's Fair, Gil Gerstein was a Supervisor of a non-Disney Vending Company, World Accordian
Champion-Featured Soloist Donald Hulme (who went on to perform at EPCOT), Ed Laphan was involved with Army-closed Circuit Systems.
A number of Walt Disney Productions staff contributed to the four shows presented at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair.
WED staff included Bill Cottrell (President of WED, Negotiated Licensing Agreement), Mickey Clark (Vice President & Treasurer of WED), Chuck Romero (Manager & Assistant Treasurer of WED), Charlotte Bureau (Secretary to Mickey Clarke & Chuck Romero), and Sue Kalleel was Bob Mathieson's Secretary.
LESSEE RELATIONS:
Pete Clark was Manager, Lessee Relations
ESTIMATES:
Harold Freeman was Estimator for all 4 Shows. Lynn Kindt was RETLAW Head Accountant, Roy McClean was RETLAW Production Control Supervisor, Ursie Loge was RETLAW Secretary Purchasing & Product Control, Mitsy Chandler was RETLAW’s Legal Secretary to Neal McClure
DESIGN:
WED Model Shop Modeller Mitsuo Natsume
Harriet Burns, Collin Campbell, John Hench, and Viggo Nielson were artists and served as designers. Neil Gallagher was involved in Show Development & Maintenance. Blaine Gibson was a Sculptor. Jack Ferges and Malcolm Cobb were dimensional designers and Model Builders. Marc Davis designed Show Animation. Wathel Rogers was a programmer of A.A. Figures.
Monte Hoult was a Mechanical Engineer who designed the A.A. Figures. Morrie Houser was was an Engineering designer. Lou Tonarelli was Electronic Engineer Johnny Allen contributed toward Audio for A.A. Figures.
Dick Hoyt and Jim Verity were Studio Cine Technicians of the Machine Shop.
Charlie Satchel was Supervisor of the Projection Department.
CONSTRUCTION:
Joe Fowler was Head of Construction and Show Installation. Orlando Ferrante was coordinator. John Porter was in wood working and assembly.
Roger Broggie was Sr. General Manager for the Studio Machine Shop, Bob Otto was Chief Engineer of the Machine Shop and Don Miller was a Studio Pattern Maker & Welder.
Installation: Mel Black contributed toward Electronic Installation. Butch Borcherding was a Hydraulic & Pneumatic Servo Systems Technician.
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Dick Nunis was Director of Operations at Disneyland & Director for the Disney Shows. The Management Team for Operations of Disney Shows included Bill Sullivan, Bob Mathieson, and Billy Hoelscher.
Carl W. Carlson was Supervisor of Sound Rooms. Len Jones was Manager of Safety and Wayne Van de Walker was a Security Supervisor. Mel Black was Head of Maintenance. Ted Crowell Was Manager of Maintenance.
Ralph Kent was an Artist for Training & Visual Aids
Marty Sklar was a “Staff Writer” for Concepts, Narration, and Shows Publications. Artist, illustrator, and painter Herb Ryman provided Preline design & renderings for the Ford show and Small World. Claude Coats was a show designer. Don Edgren was a Project Engineer.
Marc Miller was a supervisor and show programmer who designed and produced A.A. Figures. Tom Hogsett was a Mechanical Designer. Roland Peterson was a Studio Pattern Maker. Dick Van Every provided Mechanical Maintenance. Tony Virginia was a Controller. Bud Washo was the Superintendent of Staff at Disneyland. Corky Wilds was a Hydraulic & Pneumatic Servo Systems Technician. Studio Machine Shop Foreman Bob Booth, Don Iwerks, and Don Porterfield of the Machine Shop. Chuck Schrader was a mechanical designer. Milo Rainey of Attractions Operations.
Ford had a presence at prior World’s Fairs, but not so grand as their pavilion created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair!
Here, we get one of our first looks at the ultra-modern FORD Pavilion - “a glass enclosed, rotunda-like structure 235 feet in diameter and 56 feet high, surrounded by 64 glittering pylons, 100 feet tall.”
The entire adjoining exhibit building is 500 feet long and more than seven stories high!
Even before the fair opened, future visitors could get a sneak preview of attractions inside the Ford rotunda. This issue includes the main attraction - Walt Disney’s Magic Skyway!
According to “Ripley’s Legends - pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry” by Tim O’Brien, Volume One:
“When the work on the New York World's Fair began in 1961, Marty was loaned to WED Enterprises, the precursor to the Imagineers, and was assigned by Walt to work on John Hench's team to develop industry-sponsored shows and pavilions for General Electric, Ford, Pepsi-Cola/UNICEF and the State of Illinois. Marty's task while working with Hench's group was to help them come up with the basic idea of what they were going to present. ‘My assignment was to learn as much as I could about the Ford Motor Company and then work with John and the others on how to interpret that story in the pavilion. We probably spent a total of five or six weeks, traveling around to different parts of the Ford Motor Company. My duties were all about the story.’
WED, the acronym for Walter Elias Disney, was Walt's privately-owned company. To protect anyone who switched back and forth between WED and Disneyland, as did Marty, there was an arrangement that one would never lose his seniority with the Walt Disney Company.
After being ‘on loan’ to the group for three years, Marty officially became a part of WED in 1964. After the World's Fair, the corporate lawyers became concerned that the appearance might be that Walt was diverting business from the Walt Disney Company to WED, his personal company, which Marty said Walt was always very careful not to do.
Walt had an agreement with Roy Sr. (Roy O. Disney), his brother, that whenever somebody approached him about doing something on his own, like the World's Fair opportunity, he would take it to the company first, and say, ‘Do you want to do this, or can I do it?’ Disney (the company) had to turn it down before Walt would do it on his own. Because of that concern, WED Enterprises was sold to Walt Disney Productions and Dick Irvine, who was Marty's boss, stayed on as the head of the creative group, which kept the name WED for another 20-plus years before changing it to Walt Disney Imagineering.
WED, the acronym for Walter Elias Disney, was Walt's privately-owned company. To protect anyone who switched back and forth between WED and Disneyland, as did Marty, there was an arrangement that one would never lose his seniority with the Walt Disney Company.
After being ‘on loan’ to the group for three years, Marty officially became a part of WED in 1964. After the World's Fair, the corporate lawyers became concerned that the appearance might be that Walt was diverting business from the Walt Disney Company to WED, his personal company, which Marty said Walt was always very careful not to do.
Walt had an agreement with Roy Sr. (Roy O. Disney), his brother, that whenever somebody approached him about doing something on his own, like the World's Fair opportunity, he would take it to the company first, and say, ‘Do you want to do this, or can I do it?’ Disney (the company) had to turn it down before Walt would do it on his own. Because of that concern, WED Enterprises was sold to Walt Disney Productions and Dick Irvine, who was Marty's boss, stayed on as the head of the creative group, which kept the name WED for another 20-plus years before changing it to Walt Disney Imagineering.”
Claude Coats was the designer for most of the Ford Pavilion, especially the dinosaur section. Marc Davis deigned the caveman figures.
Visit the “Fabulous Future” with its breathtaking “Space City”!
“Discover why Tomorrow Begins Today, [with] the story of scientific research from the laser beam to radio telescopes.”
For shear size comparison we present this aerial view of the FORD Motors Pavilion (in the background of the photo). At 273,000 square feet, it dwarfed other Pavilions and easily was one of the largest pavilions at the New York World’s Fair of 1964 - 1965!
Welcome to the Ford Wonder Rotunda of the 1964 - 1965 New York World’s Fair! This unique building has a glass rotunda with 64 towering pylons at one end and a large exhibition hall at the other. It contains a variety of exhibits, a number of which were designed by Walt Disney.
Contemporaneously published post cards have commented that “the unique building has a glass rotunda with 64 towering pylons at one end and a large exhibition hall at the other. It contains a variety of exhibits, a number of which were created by Walt Disney”.
This pavilion has been described as “a bridge between the past and the future.”
Henry Ford’s Quadricycle was “a marvel of its time… Henry Ford built it in 1896 as an experiment which led 60-million cars later to modern products” like the ones we will see in a moment.
To quote from another popular Walt Disney New York World’s Fair attraction - “Progress is the sound of a motor!” A testament to such progress was the FORD Showroom. In the showroom, guests could view new racing sports cars alongside antique Ford cars like Henry Ford’s Quadricycle and Ford Models A, N, and T! Guests also acquired a preview of never-before-seen “Idea Cars” (like the Aurora, the Allegro, and the Cougar II).
Apparently, Walt Disney and his Imagineers had a hand in two small worlds at the 1964 New York World’s Fair - one for UNICEF, and the other (miniature International Gardens) for FORD! In this pre-show gallery, guests could view authentic miniature reproductions of scenes from 11 Ford-manufacturing countries around the world, like Africa, Italy, Canada, British Malaya, and the Scandinavian setting pictured above.
Much work went into the design of each diorama. For Instance, Ted Rich’s plans for the Quebec Province included a seigneurial manor house, a Turcot manor house, a Sulley villa, and a windmill from L’Isle-Aux-Courdres. Unseen through the magic of “Vintage Views” - each of the dioramas featured amazing miniature animations (like walking camels, and tiny pigeons pecking the ground for seed). Of course, the highlights of those scenes were the miniature Ford-built vehicles, currently in use in those lands.
After viewing the last of the miniature International Gardens and other exhibits, guests are transported upstairs for their Magic Skyway ride.
The Ford Pavilion held many displays and exhibits, the most memorable being Walt Disney’s Ford Magic Skyway. Even before reaching the main attraction, New York World’s Fair guests were treated to a musicianless orchestra. Upon looking over early designs of the mechanized orchestra, Walt had the idea, “Maybe you should make them look like car parts, being the Ford Pavilion and all.” Rolly Crump (who was working on The Tower of The Four Winds and its a small world), loved the idea and sought out the help of Disneyland vehicle engineer Bob Gurr for assistance with this project. The duo began to search Ford Automotive catalogues for car parts that could be used to create instruments, and the Auto Parts Harmonic Orchestra presented by FORD was born!
As for the soundtrack of the Auto Parts Harmonic Orchestra, the George Bruns scores were borrowed from the Disneyland television episode “Magic Highway U.S.A.” (aired years earlier, during May of 1958).
According to the 1964 New York World’s Fair Ford Pavilion Guide Book :
“All the instruments are made from actual Ford automobile parts. Brake cables stretched between a drive shaft and part of a Galaxie frame become a harp ; trumpets are fashioned from sections of an axle. A xylophone is created from rear spring leaves, and a banjo is shaped from differential housing.”
Singer Vic Damone assists guests in getting “the feel of the wheel of a Ford”, while posed with the Autoparts Harmonic Orchestra during a visit to the Ford Pavilion.
Guests get “the feel of [sitting behind] the wheel of a Ford”, as they prepare to zoom through the “time tunnel” to prehistoric times.
Among the exhibits in the Ford Motor Company’s Pavilion are new age designs like the “one-off” prototype Aurora - a representation of the station wagon of the future!
“55er” Milo Rainey recalled: “I met Roy for the first time on the Company plane, going to the World's Fair and he was very friendly.”
“55er” Billie Hoelscher recalled: “Well, I went back to the World's Fair in New York in December of 1963 with Dick Nuns. We'd been told we couldn't get the calibre of people we had at Disneyland. Not so. We recruited people on subways and in schools and many other places. We ended up with a great staff.”
“Nothing Has to Die”
You see, “During the fair’s two six-month seasons, 91 percent of those who paid fair admission - nearly 47 million people - visited one or more of the quartet of Disney shows created for General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Pepsi Cola and the State of Illinois.” [“Information on America Sings,” prepared by Disneyland marketing Division, 1974]. In reference to the popularity of the marvelous shows created for the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair, Walt Disney once told Ray Bradbury, “Nothing has to die.” True to those words (and following the 1964 season of the New York World’s Fair), all four of Walt’s presentations were redeveloped by WED Enterprises, Inc. for relocation at Disneyland.
At least a portion of Walt’s 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair show was master planned to return to Disneyland through the “Ford Magic Theater and Wonder Rotunda” at Tomorrowland. Herb Ryman created at least two concepts depicting the show building, which are preserved within “A Brush with Disney: An Artist’s Journey told through the words and works of Herbert Dickens Ryman,” edited by Bruce Gordon and David Mumford, on page 175.
At a Walt Disney Productions Stockholders meeting held on February 1, 1966, it was stated that “the success of the Disney shows at the New York World’s Fair has had a substantial effect on increasing the interest of industries to participate in Disneyland.” Soon, plans forthcoming Disneyland construction projects (including Herb Ryman’s colorful “suggestions”) would soon be unveiled by Walt Disney, at an epic press conference and tour of WED Enterprises, Inc. (in Glendale) on February 3rd, 1966 (where four new attractions and adventures were also described)! While the ‘Magic Theater’ was never built, the life-size dinosaurs from the Rotunda would soon join the Children of the World, Mr. Lincoln, and a certain progressive family in their movement to Disneyland.
Please step this way for a brief retrospective on a few of Walt Disney and Disneyland’s official Tournament of Roses Parade entries, as well as a few entries inspired by Walt Disney’s cast of characters. Please “pardon our pixie dust” as we continue to refurbish this open (but incomplete) gallery, and veritable procession of parade units and floats.
This c. 1938 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade Souvenir postcard book featured a look at the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs float and Walt Disney’s “come to life” characters atop!
The entry featured perhaps the first “come to life” incarnations of Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs - the same ones seen at the premier of Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Carthay Circle Theater.
During the 59th Tournament of Roses Parade (held on January 1, 1948), Franilla Ice Cream by Balian Ice Cream sponsored a float featuring Walt Disney’s Donald Duck. This float was sanctioned by Walt Disney, as the character of Donald Duck was licensed to Balian Ice Cream at the time.
During the 1930s, a number of licensed Disney characters made appearances in association with Ice Cream.
Ward Kimball wore this special “Firehouse Five Plus Two” Helmet, during the band’s appearance in the 1951 Tournament of Roses Parade! Many years later (in January of 1979), Ward Kimball would get the old Dixieland band back together and they would preform at the head of the Rose Bowl Parade.
On January 1, 1954 (more than a year before Disneyland opened to the public), the theme of the Tournament of Roses Parade was “Famous Books in Flowers”! Companies sponsored floats, like Sees Candy Shops’ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs float. Though not sponsored or affiliated with Walt Disney, the float appears to have been influenced by designs and character color palettes featured in Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (of 1938). You may recollect that the Tournament of Roses Parade (held January 1, 1938) did indeed feature an official Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs float (with actors fulfilling the roles of the Seven Dwarfs).
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs weren’t the only Walt Disney licensed characters to make an appearance during 1954. One Tournament of Roses Float entry honored the stars of Walt Disney’s Bambi.
This was not Walt Disney’s first foray into the Tournament of Roses Parade, and it would certainly not be his last. But this was certainly one of (if not) the most memorable Disneyland-related entries in a Tournament of Roses Parade! Celebrants of the 66th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade were treated to a special preview of Disneyland.
“There Is A Good Time Coming” was the appropriate title of a colorful float presented by sponsor Helm’s Bakeries (renown locally for their doughnuts). The three-dimensional representation of Disneyland was decorated with 7,000 pink roses, covering the forms of two iconic attractions in-the-making - Flying Dumbos and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle! The pink color of the flying elephants was based on early Disneyland concept drawings by Walt Disney Studio artist Bruce Bushman. A hot air balloon (influenced by Herbert Ryman’s “Aerial View Over Disneyland” so-called “brownline” drawings) hovered over the float. Finally, to top things off, the float was spearheaded by the future Ambassador of Disneyland - none other than Mickey Mouse! The float was so impressive that it won the “Judges Special Award” in the 1955 tournament.
Helm’s Olympic Bakeries (Southern California bakers of the Bread of Champions) present this 1955 Pasadena Tournament of Roses float, which was awarded the “Judge’s Special Award” - a design featuring the new Disneyland! This image graced promotional postcards (like the one pictured above), printed circa 1954 to 1955.
More than two decades before Disneyland existed, the Oak Rubber Company produced a variety of Mickey Mouse Balloons, manufactured by special permission of Walt Disney. For decades to come, they continued to be sold as souvenirs at Tournament of Roses Parades, Ice Capades, and other events that also featured Walt Disney characters by special permission.
As we are on the subject of roses, I would like to share the following “sidelight”. An East-coast flower distributor (Jackson & Perkins Co.) published “The Parade of Modern Roses and Perennials”, a catalogue offering unique rose seed and stock. During the Spring of 1955, a few pages of the periodical featured the Pinocchio family of Roses, Jiminy Cricket Floribunda (the Top 1955 All America Award Winner), Papa Gepetto’s Marionette, and Figaro’s Red Pinocchio alongside graphics of Walt Disney’s copyrighted characters from his feature-length theatrical film! All of these Roses and perennials were “based (characters featured in)…Walt Disney’s technicolor movie ‘Pinocchio’”.
We wonder if any charitable organizations, corporations, or other sponsors of Walt Disney themed Tournament of Roses floats ever utilized any of these Walt Disney-themed roses or perennials over the years.
This wasn’t the first time that Walt Disney allowed the names of his licensed characters to be associated with special varieties of flowers. As far back as 1938, Allsweet Oleomargarine (in a special arrangement between Walt Disney, Allsweet Oleomargarine, and Swift & Company) offered seed assortments of “dwarf varieties of Calhopsis, Godetia, Marigold, Nasturtium, Dianthus, Aster, [and] Phlox” - each of them “christened by Walt Disney for one of the characters in his fascinating movie of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’”!
A year prior (on January 1st, 1965), Disneyland had some involvement in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. The Disneyland National Marching Band Contest had judged a high school marching band of Durand, Michigan “best in the land.” They appeared, performing a selection of songs from Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins in addition to other Disney music.
A few moths later (in July of 1965), Hildy Crawford (reporter for Palm Springs Life magazine) announced at the end of her article “King of Fantasy” : “Next New Years Day, he will join a select group who have been similarly honored, serving as Grand Marshall of the 77th Tournament of Roses Parade, a parade which will be themed to his own It’s A Small World.” Walt Disney had previously served as the Grand Marshall of his own “Christmas of Many Lands” parades held at Disneyland from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. However, this was Walt’s first time as Grand Marshall of the 77th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 1966. Now (with Mickey at his side), in the role of Grand Marshall, he would lead “63 floats, 22 bands and 12,000,000 blossoms” of the Tournament of Roses Parade.
The theme of the entire parade was “its a small world” (in advance of the attraction opening that summer), and the pinnacle of the procession was the City of Burbank’s themed float entitled “Our Small World of Make Believe” heralding the new Disneyland attraction its a small world!
Bill Justice had been instrumental in many Disneyland Character designs a few years prior. The float Our Small World of Make Believe (designed with the help of Bill Justice) featured “an open book, a musical clef, and an artist’s palette, representing the three important elements of Disney legend : the story, the music, and the creative artwork”. Yes, Walt Disney Studios designed a float (featured near the lead of the parade), which advanced down the route with a cavalcade of Walt Disney’s “come-to-life” character creations cavorting alongside it.
Bill recalled how a search commenced to find girls to “represent Snow white, Cinderella, Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland. A beauty contest was held to select the girls. The winners were flown from Burbank to the Orange County Airport in our company plane and driven by limo to Disneyland to be fitted for their costumes. Burbank's float is always constructed by city employees from the water and power plants. Flowers are added in the days before the parade by volunteers.”
From the banner of the opening unit, other floats carried the same theme and message of “its a small world”, whatever locale they represented!
Walt Disney serves as Grand Marshall, alongside Mickey Mouse and a cast of characters representing “Our Small World of Make Believe”! Paul Castle (after more than 23 years of appearances as Mickey Mouse), reminisced upon his retirement (in 1986) : “It’s always a thrill to see children’s faces brighten up when they see Mickey. But my biggest thrill was the 1961 Tournament of Roses Parade. Walt was the Grand Marshall and for four hours, it was just Walt and I in the back of that car. All along the route, kids would shout out, ‘Hi Walt! Hi Mickey!’ It was really a great day.”
Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse and an entourage of Disneyland characters ride ahead of the first float.
For four hours, Walt, Mickey Mouse, (and close friend Paul Castle) rode along the parade route, waving at the kids!
“Walt began the year as Grand Marshal of the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The theme of the Parade was UNICEF, and It's a Small World, the attraction he had developed for the UNICEF pavilion in the New York World's Fair two years earlier, was being installed in Disneyland.” [Walt Disney Family Museum]
We are actively searching for any information on the following (c. 1967 - 1971) Tournament of Roses parade floats. Here’s what we can gather from the photographs :
These images were processed during approximately during December of 1967. Businesses in the photograph prove that this was in fact the Tournament of Roses Parade of Pasadena, California.
Walt Disney’s Jungle Book characters in their Disneyland incarnations (which first debuted during November of 1967) appear on the float, along with Disneyland incarnations of Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs that appeared a few years prior at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair (and were retired during 1971).
We also have reason to believe that the Float was sponsored by Helm’s Bakeries, who sponsored Disneyland’s first Tournament of Roses appearance, perhaps more than a decade prior.
Lastly, we believe that the float may have been associated with one of the Park’s anniversaries (perhaps the 15th, celebrated in 1970), given the cake portion of the float.
If you have any information or observations about this Tournament of Roses Parade Float, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact our Online Museum Curators at disneyhistory101@gmail.com.
It is unclear if this float was even created for the Tournament of Roses Parade, but any help in identifying this float is greatly appreciated!
The theme of the 82nd Tournament of Roses Parade was “Through the Eyes of a Child”. The City of Anaheim’s entry in the 82nd Annual Tournament of Roses Parade celebrated the fact that Walt Disney’s (and Disneyland’s guests’ “Dreams Come True in Anaheim”, California, as Mickey, Snow White, and other Walt Disney characters come to life atop the imaginative creation!
Contemporaneous and official guides describe the City of Anaheim’s entry this way :
“Thousands of red and yellow roses and maiden hair fern make up the base of this entry. Central figure is Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, about which, 23 of Walt Disney’s most noted characters congregate. Electronic animation brings them to action. Scatman Crothers and the Scatcats furnish the crowd with lively music. Figures are covered with gladiolas, seeds, chrysanthemums and bark. More than 100 varieties of flowers were used. In over-sized bed Angela Dutton and Jimmy Sundali read ‘Walt Disney Presents’. . .”
“Dreams Come True in Anaheim” wasn't the only Disney-related entry among the 82nd Tournament of Roses Parade’s units. Disneyland sponsor (of one decade) Sunkist sponsored their own tribute entitled “Song of the South”. Within a little over a year (during 1972), the film would be re-released for a second time, for Walt Disney Productions 50 year celebration!
Disneyland’s entry into the 84th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade was a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney Productions! The Disneyland Entertainment Schedule read:
“TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE - JANUARY Parade Theme: “Movie Memories.” A special non-competitive Disney entry entitled ‘50 HAPPY YEARS OF FANTASY’ to be special feature of 1973 Parade.”
According to contemporaneous and official 1973 Tournament of Roses Parade souvenir guides :
“This unique and special entry in the 1973 Rose Parade honors the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney Productions. A block-long cavalcade of more than 100 famous Disney characters promenade in a fanciful atmosphere of make-believe to recreate the most celebrated memories from Walt Disney’s film classics.
Movies represented are Cinderella, Snow White, Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, Song of the South, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Love Bug, and other famous Disney characters.”
Clearly (by this particular description alone) this large procession of units included one of the largest casts of Walt Disney’s characters to ever be featured in a Tournament of Roses Parade! As you peruse the following Vintage Views, note the cast of Disneyland’s “Fantasy on Parade” - Casey Junior, the Pearly Band, the King of Hearts, Herbie the Love Bug, the newest incarnations of Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs (who debuted during 1971), and even Monster the Whale, among the characters that formed Disneyland’s entry into the 84th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
Due to the Park's Rose Bowl Parade participation there was not a “Fantasy On Parade” at Disneyland on Monday, January 1, 1973. The last “Fantasy On Parade” performance of the year occurred at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 1972.
A portion of the parade debuted as the opening unit of the 91st Annual Tournament of Roses Parade, on January 1st, 1980 (months in advance of the Park’s official celebration)! The Disneyland 25th Parade Float also made appearances at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, in order to celebrate Disneyland’s “silver anniversary.”
Then-Disneyland sponsor of the Casa de Mexicana (in Frontierland) sponsored this entry into the 100th Tournament of Roses Parade during January of 1986! The float - a magical horse carriage - was entitled “Happily Ever After”!
The official description on the back of the postcard describes their entry into the 100th Tournament of Roses Parade this way :
“Lawry’s 1986 Rose Parade float celebrates laughter with Mickey & Minnie Mouse as Prince Charming and Cinderella. Their magnificent coach is drawn by dramatic snow-white horse prancing over a carpet of more than 18,000 Town Crier and Magic Moment roses. The fantasy forest includes over 28,000 brilliant blue Dutch irises, thousands of cattleya orchids, delicate white camellias and fragrant Enchantment Lilies.”
In 1992, Mickey Mouse (dressed as the sorcerer’s apprentice) appeared atop the City of Glendale’s float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Above, the 1992 Rose Queen Tannis Turrentine and her court enjoyed the combined sounds of the University of Michigan and University of Washington Marching Bands in a first-ever concert on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. Just days before their respective football teams clash in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl game, the two bands joined together in the Magic Kingdom for a dazzling performance of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” performed by some 500 musicians.
