The Parade of Toys at Disneyland made its debut on this day in 1960 with grand marshal Walt Disney along for the opening parade. It ran three times daily through January 1 and became a holiday tradition. Complete with the “wooden toy soldiers” band, which remains a tradition to this day, the parade also featured toy floats of knights on horseback, trains, carolers, and horse-riding cavalry troops. It was Disney’s newest innovation, however, a parade of giant animated wooden toys and performers costumed as toys, that was the “show-stopper.” Proving “it’s a small world” four years before that attraction debuted, more than 3,500 colorfully costumed participants marched, sang, and danced in procession to portray age-old Christmas customs of nations throughout the world. As with every Disneyland Christmas parade, there was a jolly appearance by Santa Claus and some dashing, dancing, and prancing reindeer.