"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.
14 comments:
Super Purple Post! I've got a graving for grape juice now! Didn't they sell those grape popsicles too?? Yummy.
Ha! I had to run out and buy grape juice right after posting this! I haven't had it in quite a while and you know what?....it's GOOD! Wow, it's good.
Yes, they had Welch's Frozen Juice Bars, too. I also remember them having a "Frozen Grape Juice"-kind of a slushy thing - that was also superb.
I have had so many requests for the Fantasia mural, so it is awesome to see it...and in glowing color no less! Thanks for yet another classic post.
Thanks for sharing Kevin. The Welch's Mural was one of my favorite lost pieces of the park.
Amazing documentation of something I had never seen before (other than a few blurry exterior views).
I can just imagine how good an ice cold glass of grape juice would be on a hot day...!
wow!
So what happened to the mural - was it hauled off to the local landfill or...? Did EE paint the mural as well, or did he just create the original art, which was then painted by someone else? Love it!
Oh that was an excellent post. I remember that ice cold cup of juice so well! It was one of my favorites stops in Fantasyland, right after Snow White's Scary Adventures. Thank you so much Kevin!
This is so great! And the timing is perfect - we just started reviewing an old home movie we had here that includes some nice close ups on the Welch's mural! Thanks.
WOW! Just WOW!!!!
I'm parched!
Oh, be still my heart! As might be guessed, gazing at that gorgeous mural is one of my most treasured Disneyland memories (actually, standing on my toes and gazing at whatever of it I could see over the counter...I was still pretty short!). Only the promise of a Welch's grape juice bar could convince me to move on from here.
Art-wise, I would guess that, though certainly an Eyvind Earle-styled piece ("Fantasia" meets the forest from "Sleeping Beauty!"), the mural might have been actually
executed by Earle and Frank Armitage together, just as they had done the forestscape wall mural for the old Castle Arts and Crafts Shop (and possibly the tree panel for Stouffer's in the Plaza Pavilion...does anyone have a good photo of that?).
(While I am asking for images of Food Locations Past, does anyone have photos of the Mary Blair "Las Posadas" and dancing cacti cut-out wall decorations from the early Casa Mexicana days, after the departure of the Frito Kid?)
Thank you, Kevin, for this post of "Olympian" beauty!
Thanks for the information Centaurette! Of course you are right about Earle and Frank Armitage. YOU should have your own weblog!
As for the Stouffer's tree mural at the Plaza Pavilion, it's one of my most favorite examples of Disneyland mural artwork ever. I'd even go out on a "limb" here and say that I love it even more than I adore Mary Blair's Tomorrowland tile murals (is that blasphemous to admit?)
Anyway, OF COURSE I have fantastic photos of it, in all its leafy splendor! Keep your eyes rooted to this weblog!
Thank you for posting this. I have a vague memory of drinking grape juice and looking at centaurs at Disneyland (pre new Fantasyland) and I couldn't place it. Thank you!
Post a Comment