Source: PhotoBucket July 1955 – January 1983 LOCATION Fantasyland – Merlin’s Magic Shop faced the center courtyard in Fantasyland, overlooking the castle. Today, this small building houses the Castle Holiday Shoppe. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise – Magic kits, cards, and other gags Unique Features – Classic magic items in the window, including a Ouija board, rabbit […] Read more…
Walt Disney designed Disneyland as a magical home for all of his stories, and of course, the characters from those stories. Peter Pan, Alice, Snow White, Mickey, and many others roamed the various lands from day one, and the list of residents in the park grows with every new Disney film. Walt wasn’t often photographed […] Read more…
Source: Daveland Web February 1967 – spring 1980 LOCATION New Orleans Square – the Pirates Arcade Museum hid behind a little façade on Royal Street. Visitors wandering the square found the attraction on the left side of the street, next to the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean. Today, this space houses Pieces of Eight. […] Read more…
In the 2000s and early 2010s, Downtown Disney had a RIDEMAKERZ shop, where kids could build their own custom model cars. Inside the shop’s entryway was a special hidden gem: a real stock car, hanging upside down! The stock car towered from the second story ceiling in the shop, so visitors often walked right beneath […] Read more…
Source: Matterhorn 1959 June 1957 – September 1961 LOCATION Frontierland – Don DeFore’s barbecue restaurant faced Frontierland’s main pathway, across from the Rivers of America. To find the restaurant, visitors would walk through Frontierland’s main entrance off the Main Street hub. The restaurant stood to the left, next to Aunt Jemima’s. EXPERIENCE Details: Service Type […] Read more…
In the 1950s, space travel was still an adventure for the future. Visitors to Tomorrowland had the chance to take a rocket to the moon before NASA’s astronauts, and excitement about the “final frontier” was at an all-time high. Disney humanized the excitement around space travel with Space Man and Space Girl, a couple visiting […] Read more…
April 2017 – October 2021 LOCATION Fantasyland – The Castle Holiday Shoppe faced Sleeping Beauty Castle in the center courtyard of Fantasyland. If you were coming into the land from Main Street, you’d see it on your right, just after you walked through the archway. If you were arriving in Fantasyland from Frontierland or Tomorrowland’s […] Read more…
Source: Pinterest July 1955 – Summer 1959 LOCATION Main Street USA – Gibson Greeting Cards lucked into one of the best locations on Main Street. The shop faced the inner courtyard created by the center street crossing, halfway down the eastern side. Today, Disney Clothiers Ltd. occupies this space. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise – Greeting cards, […] Read more…
Source: Yesterland February 2001 – March 2008 LOCATION Golden State – Seasons of the Vine’s theater was tucked into a stone building in the land’s “Golden Vine Winery” section. Visitors walking through Golden State found the entrance by the vineyards on the hill, facing Bountiful Valley Farm. Today, this building is largely empty, used mostly […] Read more…
Source: Disney 52 December 1961 – September 1963 LOCATION Main Street USA – The Babes in Toyland Exhibit opened in the Main Street Opera House at the end of 1961. Visitors arriving on Main Street from the park gates saw the Opera House on the right, across from the Town Square gardens. BACKGROUND Walt loved […] Read more…
Source: Disney Wiki February 2001 – June 2012 BACKGROUND California Adventure celebrates the spirit and beauty of California. So what land could possibly be more fitting than “Golden State”? This expansive land resembled several vastly different parts of California: Redwood forests and mountains San Francisco and Monterey cannery rows and wharfs Central California farming Mojave […] Read more…
Source: Disney Mamas March 1956 – September 1959 LOCATION Main Street USA – Jimmy Starr’s Show Business Souvenirs faced the Town Square on Main Street’s flagpole. The shop was just north of the Opera House, as the street narrows. Today, this space houses the Mad Hatter of Main Street. EXPERIENCE Details: Merchandise – Set photos, […] Read more…
Before Luke Skywalker and Captain Jack Sparrow, Disney fans had another major action hero to obsess over: Zorro. From 1957-1959, ABC ran a Zorro television series, which became overwhelmingly popular and a massive opportunity for Disney, who owned the rights. Walt saw another opportunity to entertain Zorro fans – right in his own park. Source: […] Read more…
Source: Laughing Place March 1991 – June 1993 LOCATION Tomorrowland – The Motorboat Cruise to Gummi Glen technically sat in Tomorrowland, though its location is now considered part of Fantasyland. To find the loading dock, visitors followed the Fantasyland walkway toward It’s A Small World. They’d see the dock on the right, just after Autopia’s […] Read more…