Sunday, May 04, 2008

THE TIME IS 2:34. THE YEAR IS 1986.  
Disneyland Tomorrowland Illustrations 1955More wonderful original pencil sketches for a 1955 newspaper section presenting some of the "many delights and wonders that are yours to enjoy at Disneyland."
The text for this page:

"1955 becomes 1986 as you enter the new era - Tomorrowland where our hopes and dreams for the future become today's realities. Symbolizing the time transition is Tomorrowland's futuristic clock. At a glance, this elaborate chronometer tells you the exact minute and hour anywhere on the face of the planet Earth.
Dramatizing future outer space travel is TWA's moon rocket --poised for blast-off. In Tomorrowland you'll marvel at the astounding exhibits of advanced science, developments presented by many of America's leading industrial firms, all housed in buildings keynoted to futuristic architectural design. "

"Welcome aboard Trans World Airlines' Rocket to the Moon! In Tomorrowland's world of 1986 you'll zoom through space at speeds of over 172 thousand miles an hour! Actually experience the "feel" of space travel!--see Earth below and Heavens above as you pass space station Terra, coast around the Moon and return! An eight-hour flight in ten thrilling minutes -- all without ever leaving the ground."

"In Tomorrowland, aluminum spheres on 20 foot tripods accurately forecast future techniques in outdoor illumination."

"Towering high above all else in Tomorrowland, the 172-foot TWA Moon Rocket symbolizes Trans World Airlines' interest in future air travel and planned scientific progress. Today, TWA serves 60 U.S. cities, and 21 world centers abroad."

Disneyland's Clock of the World, 1955 to 1966

11 comments:

The Viewliner Limited said...

Kevin, this tops them all. The most fantastic Tomorrowland pics I have ever seen. The world clock is the ultimate Disneyland Icon for me. I used to sit and watch the time change and wonder about what other people in other parts of the world were doing. Looking at this brings back a lot of great memories from a kid who was 10 years old in 1957. Thank you very much, Richard.

Ed Mahony said...

Moon-rocket. What a quirky little piece. Interesting and fun post.

thepicklebarrel said...

my lord! the Clock of Manana close up is amazing!

thanks for posting!

Joey said...

(The top of your blog has one of the coolest banners I've ever seen on a blog).

Kevin Kidney said...

The clock is a major icon for me, too. The sun/moon topper is brilliant, and I love the tile mosaic base, as well. We had hoped to make a working desktop model for Disneyland's 50th merchandise assortment - and maybe we will finally get to do it in the future.

Thanks Joey7777! What a nice compliment. My blog header is a detail from a paper sculpture I created for the Hukilau event in Florida....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/1406413925/in/set-72157600004461957/

Joey said...

Okay, I saw the whole paper sculpture. Totally fan-fucking-tastic. Really. And your whole blog has great visuals. I might not be as retro/atomic/boomerang as guys like you, but I DO have a tiki shelf. I'll send you a pic of mine someday (unless you're tired of tikis....lol...yeah, right..)

David said...

Another great post Kevin...just super!

David said...

Another great post Kevin...just super!

Major Pepperidge said...

That artwork is supa cool! Do you happen to know if a finished newspaper advertisement was ever produced that was based on this amazing rough? If you have a copy of it, it would be great to see it.

thepicklebarrel said...

major....

these seem to be from the opening weekend Disneyland Preview Supplement from the LA Times.

If you personally own these, Kevin, its good I don't know your address...

Unknown said...

Wow, Kevin!

Phenomenal! Absolutely phenomenal!

Keep bringing more and more.