In Alice in Wonderland, a doorknob tells Alice she’s too large to go through the small door. It’s simply impassible. She asks, “You mean impossible?” “No,” he replies, “Impassible. Nothing’s impossible.” Walt Disney believed that, and on this day in 1956 on the Disneyland TV series, he set out to prove that. As Disney Legend …
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Although Humphrey, the bumbling bruin, made his screen debut in 1950’s Hold That Pose, it wasn’t until 1954 that Humphrey first met the fussy ranger in Grin and Bear It. Altogether, Humphrey appeared in seven cartoon shorts, one of his most memorable appearances debuted on this day in 1954’s In the Bag, in which he …
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It was on this day in 1956 that the Junior Autopia attraction raced into Disneyland, and to tell you more about it, we felt it was appropriate to turn to Bob Gurr, the man who designed Autopia, Junior Autopia, and nearly every vehicle in Disneyland for the park’s first decades. “Since Autopia was so popular, and the …
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Bearded duck J.J. (as in Jonah Jinks) Fate narrates this Donald Duck short that proves when it comes to our favorite feathery fowl, home is where the hurt is. This home-wrecking short instructs viewers that climbing a cluttered stairway, standing on a rocking chair, even lighting a pipe in a gas-filled room are actually rather—surprise, …
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(Pictured Left to Right, Joe Fowler, Dick Irvine, Bill Cottrell, Vic Greene, George Whitney, Walt Disney, Bill Evans, Ray Miller, Jack Reilly) The Indian Village at Disneyland provided guests with an authentic look at the Native-American culture. Guests could explore the village, see and peek inside realistic dwellings, purchase authentic crafts at the Trading Post, …
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If’n ya’ll are wonderin’ ’bout what ‘curred on this day at Disneyland in 1956… why folks, ’twas the opening of the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train. While Guests would scurry around fer a C ticket in their ticketbooks, the ol’ prospector begged some of the dangest questions in a prerecorded spiel, “Did you ever see the …
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Beginning on this day in 1956, guests were able to get a bird’s eye view of Disneyland, for a quarter mile stretch between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland in the Skyway attraction. The new attraction debuted less than one year after the park first opened as part of a massive park enhancement. More than just a ride, …
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Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, which opened on this day in 1956, ferries guests to the reimagined Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. It is, along with Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, one of two Disneyland attractions that don’t move on tracks, with the exception of the vehicles on Main Street, U.S.A., which include the Fire …
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When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, the Canal Boats of the World began sailing daily in Fantasyland. Just a couple months later, the attraction was closed for revitalization, offering more for guests to enjoy. As the first anniversary of the park approached, Walt Disney personally supervised $1.5 million dollars worth of improvements to the …
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On this day in 1961, The Great Locomotive Chase chugged into theaters. It told the story of Civil War Union leader James J. Andrews (Fess Parker) and Confederate train conductor William A. Fuller (Jeffrey Hunter) and the actual historical events that occurred on April 22, 1862 when a party of 22 Union spies stole a …
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