PASTORAL IN PURPLE


"FANTASY, FANTASY EVERYWHERE—AND WONDERFUL WELCH’S TO DRINK!
Welcome to Welch’s Grape Juice Bar at the Mickey Mouse Theatre in Fantasyland! You’ll know it by those big bunches of luscious Concord Grapes you see in the picture. Head for those—you’ll be heading for the greatest refreshment treat in Disneyland."


(Centaurs and centaurettes, a unicorn, a faun, and several winged cherubs traipse through a Sleeping-Beauty-esque landscape hauling a bounty of Concord grapes. The mural was designed by Eyvind Earle, can't you tell? Make sure to click it to make it bigger!)


"We whistle while we work. We have a reason, too.
We know that we’ll be drinking Welch’s Grape Juice when we’re through."



“Don’t miss the ‘Mr. Toad' ride,” advises the beloved Dopey. You’ll thrill to a series of misadventures in a 1903 automobile, knock over a cow, crash through a barn, and glide through the Pearly Gates. You’ll meet lots of old and good friends in Fantasyland. One of the best, especially when you’re thirsty –is cool, delicious Welch’s Grape Juice."



"Look for the gay and colorful Welch’s Grape Juice Bar right at the Mickey Mouse Theatre. Make it your headquarters for healthful refreshment."

(In 1965 the theater was renamed the Fantasyland Theater and you could catch a humdinger of a show there that summer called "Humdinger!" The Theater and the Juice Bar were torn down in 1982 to make way for Pinocchio's Daring Journey and the Village Haus Restaurant. Nevertheless, this particular area of Fantasyland has left a purple stain on my heart that nobody's ever been able to wash off.)


1970s.

in amazing realistic presence...

Fantasyland Centerfold in Color, 1955
Originally uploaded by Miehana

Okay, Disneyland, old boy...It's your birthday today, so blow out the candles on your cake and make a wish. Atta park! Now, what did you wish for? Oh, I know it spoils the wish to blow and tell, but tell us anyway.

What does a 53 year old cultural institution wish for? A pretty new Skyway, maybe? How about losing a little weight - you could start with "Honey I Shrunk the Audience"!

I bet you're wishing you could be 10 years old all over again, just like all of us do; a bright-eyed young thing with your Main Street still in its original and best color scheme, a swanky Tahitian Terrace packing 'em in every night, and big bands with big headliners...or at least a little Dixieland jazz. You know, I really miss your Dixieland jazz. How about merchandise that is specific to each of your themed lands - golly, that would be a total diller, wouldn't it? Man!

Say, I'm just thinking, if you were 10 again, Walt would still be around, wouldn't he? I bet you still miss him. We do too - terribly. At least your castle is about to re-open with a beautifully restored "Sleeping Beauty Walk-Thru" attraction - Walt would certainly be thrilled with that, I imagine! Do you think he'd let you drop that awkward "Resort" moniker and let you just be plain ol' Disneyland again? Why not - that's your real name, for goodness sake??

Oh, sorry if I'm getting too personal. How rude. After all, it's YOUR day, and whatever you wish for is your own business. You know, you still look great - a total knockout actually - and I predict a wonderful future for you. I won't say "don't ever change" but just don't stop being yourself, okay? Have a happy, fabulous, amazing birthday, Disneyland - and many, many more. Fifty-three is something to be really proud of...Heck, I'm right behind you myself....a ways!
.....


Today I'm sharing three pieces of 1955 artwork created for a full-color newspaper section advertising the opening of Disneyland. Some of the color illustrations seen here were also printed as the Park's very first souvenir postcards. Pretty cool, huh?

Here is a portion of the text that accompanied this 2-page spread:

"Enter this fascinating realm over the drawbridge of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, whose parapets and towers rise dizzily above you. Here in Fantasyland, Walt Disney recreates the fairytale folk he has immortalized in film, book and television --Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Mr. Toad from Wind in the Willows, Dumbo, the Flying Elephant, and a host of others. Here they are, close enough to touch, in amazing realistic presence. You may ride them, or stroll with them, in the pirate galleon to Never Never Land, to a mad tea party, whirling with Dumbo in aerial gyration, to the diamond mines with the Seven Dwarfs, to King Arthur's courtyard -- to many happy ports of Fantasy."

The original pencil layout...


...and the same piece with its original vellum overlay containing the text...


And in case you think I'm a day late in my birthday tribute...here's proof that the rest of the world started celebrating a day early! ;-)


And THANK YOU, TONY BAXTER for restoring the Castle Walk-Thru! We can't wait for December to get here, so we can all see it!

HOLLYWOOD LUAU!

Did you get your invitation in the mail for this?? No? Well, thank goodness I'm here to tell you about it so you won't miss out!

Every year (since 2005) the American Cinematheque puts on this big luau dinner (Southern California-style, as they call it) in the courtyard of the Egyptian. They show tropical-themed films in the big theater and there is live music and all sorts of fun.

The movies this year are:
Friday July 25 - "Fair Wind to Java" and "Aloma of the South Seas"

Saturday July 26 - "Her Jungle Love"
Saturday Luau Dinner with Musical Entertainment by King Kukulele and the Friki Tikis with the Polynesian Paradise Dancers!

Also Saturday, I'll be hosting a pre-movie-screening of "Tiki-TV" .
(This is a condensed 20-minute version of the presentation I gave at Hukilau in Florida in June, in case you missed it.)

Also there will be tropical vendors and more surprises!
Can you even stand it?

More Information...

Advance Tickets: www.fandango.com

The historic Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, LA, CA 90028

Disneyland Gibson Greeting Cards Illustration, 1955

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR WIFE

Our little stroll along Main Street finally brings us to the Gibson Greeting Card Shop, in this original layout sketch created for a 1955 newspaper insert.

"When you come down Main Street, you'll find one of the busiest spots in Disneyland - the Gibson Greeting Card Shop. The official Disneyland card center will play host each month to thousands of "visiting firemen," young and old, as they stop to send a Gibson Greeting Card to the folks back home.  In the near future, special Gibson Disneyland Cards will appear on the racks of this store as well as those of Gibson dealers throughout the country.

"Clanging past the Gibson Greeting Card Store on its dash down Main Street, the horse-drawn hose and chemical wagon, pride of Disneyland's Fire Department, answers an "alarm" as the "volunteers" cling tight for the thrill of a lifetime.

"Inside the Gibson Greeting Card Shop you'll find sentiments older than Frontierland on cards as fresh and new as Tomorrowland. For this is the cream of the "new look" crop of Gibson Greeting Cards --"the most unforgettable way to remember."
And the quaint old charm of the shop itself forms a sharp contrast to the newly-planned modern $3,500,000 home of The Gibson Art Company, 2000 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio...where hundreds of millions of cards are created each year.

LISTEN!

"Gibson, one of the nation's largest and best-known greeting publishers, is one of the three sponsors of the hour-and-a-half television program of Disneyland's invitational preview on Sunday afternoon, July 17th, over ABC-TV. They will introduce the new Gibson "Musicards" on the program - beautiful cards containing a record by Rosemary Clooney singing the New Happy Birthday Song.
You have a standing invitation to visit the Gibson Greeting Card Shop of Disneyland...anytime!"

BANK OF AMERICA

“MEET YOU ON MAIN STREET! We’ll be there. Just as you enter the magic realm of Disneyland you’ll see Bank of America in an authentic, turn-of-the-century setting. Bank of America is proud to be a part of this unusual new California community –just as it’s proud to be a part of 330 other communities throughout the state. While you’re at Disneyland please plan to stop in and say hello – we’ll guarantee you a real, old-fashioned welcome!”


“SPECIAL SOUVENIR MONEY ORDERS! As a memento of your Disneyland visit, Bank of America has provided special, souvenir money orders which may be purchased at the Disneyland Branch in $1, $5, and $10 denominations. Convertible into cash at banks and stores everywhere, they make a picturesque, yet practical, gift to send to the family at home.”

Does anybody have one of THOSE in their box of keepsakes?

THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER


"THE 90'S REVISITED; Twilight on Main Street is marked by the old lamplighter who makes his evening rounds to set the gas lamps glowing. Living memories for a few, a new adventure for most. Here along the gaslit stretches of Main Street will be found the ice cream parlor of grandmother's day, re-created in authentic detail from the almost forgotten past. Bridging the years for both young and old who visit this Disneyland creation is the name Carnation. Founded before the turn of the century, the Carnation Company continues to this day to provide ice cream comparable to the legendary quality of those wonderful confections of the home freezer."

The final painting was also used as one of Disneyland's first souvenir postcards.

"Here in the unhurried atmosphere of this 19th century setting, visitors to Disneyland can enjoy giant sundaes and satin-smooth sodas made with famous Carnation Ice Cream and Fresh Milk...just as did "Victorians" of another era enjoy ice cream in similar parlors. Those of this generation will find the past recaptured and blended with a modern-day tradition --the enjoyment of fresh dairy products of a quality that has identified Carnation for more than half a century. Such wonderful flavors as Rainbow, Fresh Peach, and Pineapple are but a few of the countless tempting treats that will be served up in the gracious manner of the 90's to all who pause for refreshment during a day at Disneyland."


And speaking of Main Street...Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room marked its 45th Anniversary with a special merchandise event on Main Street this week. Apparently this wasn't the first time a Tiki could be purchased outside of Adventureland...as shown by this little news item from Vacationland Magazine, 1960.

GUIDED BY THE SUN...

Ahoy Crew!
We've just docked in our home port after an adventure in paradise (ie, the Hukilau event in Florida!) As always, it takes several days -or even weeks- to recover from the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale. If you have not had the sheer pleasure of experiencing this authentic vintage Tiki-temple, start booking a voyage now!


As soon as you enter through the heavy wooden doors (with portholes in them!), you know you are in for a treat. The Mai Kai's interior is sumptuous. Spots of colored light from fixtures of every shape and construction are reflected in the flagstone floor polished to a shine from decades of foot traffic. Chinese lattice tiles are used to create partitions between dining room spaces, and museum-quality artifacts behind glass give the curious guest much to appreciate.


The details are staggering here.
Nautical artifacts abound, from a suspended ship model to lanterns, ropes , chains, and tackle. The mossy green volcanic rocks and ferns glimpsed through the window are actually an indoor diorama complete with swirling waterfalls. The effect is dazzling, even if you aren't enjoying one of the Mai Kai's potent cocktails.



Nothing goes better with your cocktail (Cobra's Kiss? Deep Sea Diver?) than a hot dish of deep-fried deliciousness. Isn't this gorgeous?
Here's what we have here: Vegetable Egg Rolls, bacon-wrapped Szechwan Chicken, Crab Rangoon, and Cheese Tangs. Dipped in hot Chinese mustard and cocktail sauce, you've got something to write home about.


An incredible interior - anywhere you look. Here we are at a crossroads: You may turn left and enter the Gift Shop, turn right and enter the restrooms (also themed beautifully), or head straight to the Mai Kai's private offices. The tiki pole railings in the foreground were made by Oceanic Arts in Whittier California.


One of the pleasures of a visit to the Mai Kai, is an after-dinner stroll through the restaurant's indoor and outdoor gardens. Along the way you will cross bridges, encounter blue-lit pools and waterfalls, duck though caves and grottoes, and enjoy an incredible display of Tiki artifacts. Watch your step! You don't want to anger the gods by stepping off the path into the water.

To get this view, you must get down low on your hands and knees and look under the footbridge in the indoor garden. The inner-explorer in me wants to wade waaaay back in there!

Main Dining Hall
Originally uploaded by chipandandy

My friends Chip and Andy have posted some incredible vintage photos of the Mai Kai on Flickr. Check them out! It's really surprising how little has changed over the years.

The HAWAIIAN EYE MUG!

As a hopelessly lost fan of the TV show, I've been dreaming of making this ceramic mug for years and years and years....

Coming in late 2009...

TIKI TV at The HUKILAU, Saturday June 14, 2008


A plug for my upcoming show at HUKILAU in Fort Lauderdale, Florida THIS SATURDAY. 12:30 to 1:30 (a last-minute schedule change!)
Hope to see you there!!

TELEVISION AND TIKI – two phenomena that appeared in American pop-culture at exactly the same time. As the A-frame and gas torch were sprouting on the urban landscape in the 1950s, the TV set was fast becoming a new member of the family at home. Armchair voyagers and would-be beachcombers could enjoy a round-trip ticket for the imagination via the glowing tubes of the magic box.

Behind the scenes, the designers and movie magicians of Hollywood were busy turning studio backlots and the surrounding hillsides into the tropics. Artificial blue lagoons and lush gardens were fabricated on indoor soundstages, and Los Angeles’ burgeoning Chinese and Filipino communities were called upon to portray the exotic inhabitants of faraway lands – both real and imagined.

Join artist Kevin Kidney for a highly entertaining hour of vintage televised Tiki Style through the seldom-seen classics ADVENTURES IN PARADISE and HAWAIIAN EYE. Often glamorous, always stylish, (and sometimes really hokey) clip highlights from the shows themselves guarantee this to be the most fun you’ll have watching TV in a long time!

OH WE'RE GOIN' TO THE HUKILAU...
June has finally busted out all over, and there are some great tropical happenings coming up on both ends of the mainland.



Next week we'll be in FLORIDA for HUKILAU (June 12-15) - the world's biggest and best annual Tiki event - and this year will be the last one!  We wouldn't think of missing it! Lots of great entertainment this year with Charles Phoenix, Beachbum Berry, live bands, and an historical tour of America's most incredible Polynesian restaurant, the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale. I will be hosting a special "Tiki TV" presentation on Saturday the 14th.
 www.thehukilau.com/2008/

One week later (Sunday June 22), Jody and I will be at DISNEYLAND for the ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM 45TH ANNIVERSARY GALLERY EVENT, with our new collectibles.   The event will take place at the Disneyana Shop and in the Main St. Cinema, 8AM to 11AM. 
www.register123.com/event/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x112329ffe5

Then, on Saturday July 26, it's the 4th Annual LUAU NIGHT AT THE EGYPTIAN THEATER in HOLLYWOOD, presented by the American Cinematheque. The program, which will be announced practically any minute now, will include a movie, catered California-style luau dinner, Tiki-themed short subjects, live music, and a tropical vendor market.  More on that soon!
www.americancinematheque.com

A SYMPOSIUM ON PAPER PERSONALITIES

Recently, as gifts for a few of our friends who are also cool enough to appreciate such stuff, Jody Daily and I went to work with x-actos in hand and recreated several of the paper animation puppets from the 1962 Disney featurette "A Symposium On Popular Songs." Though not widely known today, it was included on last year's silver box DVD release "Disney Rarities."


A fun parody of one of the Andrews Sisters
(Patty, no doubt, with that blonde hair.)
This was a gift to our dearest blonde friend in the whole wide world Stacia Martin.



Ever since I had two eyes, I've admired the rare stop-motion animation done by the Disney Studio in the 1960s, especially the fanciful opening title sequences to "The Parent Trap" and "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" (starring Tommy Kirk and Annette!)
I think these brief animated moments are every bit as fun as -if not even more fun than -the live-action stories that follow.


"I'm Blue For You....Boo, Boo, Boo, Boo, Boo..."
Why, it's a little paper Bing, with a body of string!



The Fortune Cookie Bakery Man!


The genius animation duo of Bill Justice and X. Atencio, the guys who originally came up with all these terrific character designs. Here they are in 1962 working on the "Red Hot Rutabaga Rag" sequence performed by vegetables. It's no wonder these fellas are my heroes.

Of course in the film, Professor Ludwig Von Drake modestly accepts all the credit for the paper animation sequences. Though he is a genius (make no mistake), we know the truth...


I suspect by now, you're curious to see some of the original paper animation in "A Symposium On Popular Songs."

Well, Here you go...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G6mH_4Kzyzc&feature=related

PAPER EXOTICA

"Sound of Tiki" CD Art by Kevin Kidney 2008
Originally uploaded by Miehana

Here is my original paper sculpture for an upcoming CD of rare music recordings compiled by Taschen's "Book of Tiki" author Sven Kirsten. The album is being produced in Germany by Bear Family Records.

I'd like to mention that not one bit of this image was accomplished with digital trickery. This is 100% hand-embossed, hand-cut and assembled paper, photographed just as you see it here.

Everyday, people walk right up to me on the street and say, "Dude, why are you so HAPPY all the time??"

To them, I just smile and shrug.
But to YOU, I'll let you know my secret to eternal youth and happiness:

I'm a vegetarian
(mostly),
I don't smoke,
my close friends are all top quality people,
and I listen to LUXURIAMUSIC.COM

Go to their website and click on "listen" in the menu.
(I prefer to enjoy listening through the modern miracle of iTunes.)

MAN OF LA MUNCHA

Last year I must’ve devoured more Fritos, um, than usual, thanks in great part to the corn chips’ special 75th Anniversary packaging with vintage character art of the Frito Kid. I mean, just look at him. How in the world could I resist?!

Looking a lot like the blonde cousin to Bob’s Big Boy and sporting a gigantic wave of hair that resembles (perhaps unintentionally) a great big Frito, to me the Frito Kid is all that and a bag of you know what.



To clarify, the Kid himself was not celebrating his 75th last year, having merely reached the salty age of 54 by 2007. After tirelessly promoting "the best corn chips made" for 14 years, the Kid was sacked in 1967 and his spokesman duties were simultaneously taken up by the controversial – though equally ADORED by me - Frito Bandito (voiced hysterically on TV spots by Mel Blanc.)



But the name “Frito Kid” would hardly pass our hydrogenated oil-slicked lips today had he not managed to corral himself into a little patch of Walt Disney’s theme park heaven.

The first Casa de Fritos location opened on August 19th, 1955 next door to Aunt Jemima's Pancake House. The Frito Kid chip-dispensing machine stood just inside the door as you walked to the counter, and was not visible from outside, which explains why photos are scarce.



Here's how it worked. Put a nickel in the cash box on the fence, and the Frito Kid came to life. While rolling his eyes, licking his lips, and turning his head, he'd holler back to his unseen partner Klondike inside the mountain to send down some more of those "golden chips of corn," and before you knew it, a wax-paper bag of dee-licious Fritos came sliding out right down the chute.
Wha-hoo!



Always heard but never seen, Klondike remains a mystery. What did he look like anyway? I picture him the Yukon Cornelius-type, while Jody likes to imagine Klondike was a friendly chip-mining bear!

In the 1967 publicity photo below, the Frito Kid is shown whooping it up with the Golden Horsehoe cast. Klondike is nowhere to be seen, naturally, as a bear has no place inside a saloon.



"You always expect to find FRITOS, “America’s Favorite Corn Chips,” where there’s GOOD EATING, FUN and EXCITEMENT! Sure enough, you’ll find them in Disneyland, too, along with other delicious food products."



VISIT “FRITO HOUSE” IN FRONTIERLAND
"Enjoy “Fritos” with savory Mexican foods…chili, tamales, and a brand new taste treat “Ta-Cups.” See the “Frito Kid” in action amid a gala atmosphere of authentic “Old Mexico.”

I know you'll forgive the redness with a real rarity such as the next photo. When Casa de Fritos moved to a bigger location on July 1, 1957 (to the one-story adobe structure which became Casa Mexicana - and currently Rancho del Zocalo) the chip dispensing machine was relocated to a fenced-in area just outside the entrance.



You can see the Golden Chips Mine and mountain were completely redesigned, and the Kid has been moved to the left of the chute.



And now, here's a bit of Frito Kid trivia I'll bet you didn't know, and probably won't forget:
According to a 1955 premium Frito Comic Book, the Frito Kid has a horse.
And his horse's name is Maize!

(You call it corn.)

BOING!

Hayley Mills!
Originally uploaded by Miehana

A friend just wrote in to let us know we were recently featured on Boingboing. How cool!

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/01/disneylands-tiki-roo.html

THE TIME IS 2:34. THE YEAR IS 1986.  

More 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."