Welcome to Disneyland; want a balloon? Makes me think of the old "Laugh-In" joke, "Want a Walnetto?" But I digress. Looks like it's getting late in the day, and there's a swarm of guests at the souvenir stand, looking for just the perfect gift to take home to those poor saps that couldn't make the trek to Disneyland. The balloon seller appears to be anxiously checking his watch; is his shift over yet?



Nothing says Christmas like a big gaudy star on top of the Matterhorn. The way the photo was shot, it almost looks like a big mound of meringue on the Monsanto House of the Future.



How about a parade? If that doesn't make you start counting the days til Christmas, I don't know what will.



A group of lovely young lasses in kilts:



Followed by some cherubic military figures (note the faces of the poor cast members inside, sweating their asses off!). I do believe these figures were the inspiration for "Chucky"!



I can't believe the Spaceman and Spacegirl didn't adorn their outfits with tinsel or at least a few strands of garland. Bah humbug.



I normally get bored with Castle shots, but I love how the ornamentation of the Main Street vehicle provides an interesting frame to this photo.



Thanks to the Skyway, the last two shots are some fine ones, beginning with an overhead of the Tomorrowland Monorail Station:



And wrapping up this set with a view of the Autopia:



Follow my Daveland updates on Twitter. See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street U.S.A. photos at my regular website.

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It’s the finale for the Tomorrowland portion of this series, and we are focused mainly on The Autopia today. Back in 1955, freeways seemed exciting! A big open canvas to drive a car on, free of crowding and making it possible to drive to one’s destination at higher speeds. Wow—sounds like fun to me! Today? Not so much. The majority of people who live out here in California dread driving...the freeway is not so free anymore...toll roads have sprung up, traffic jams cause road rage, and...well, you get the picture. My how times have changed.

Here it states that the top speed is 11 mph; anyone know what it is currently?



Susie is loving this! Poor Bobby is too short to ride the regular Autopia! Susie sure is a ballbuster!





Don’t worry Bobby - there are still options!



How cool to have your own Autopia Car!



I wonder what Susie & Bobby will purchase today? Don’t take it out of the package, kids—it’ll be worth much more that way!



Just what exactly were the important things that we learned?



I expect these reports by Monday, on lined paper, double spaced please!



On another note...I don’t normally plug non-Disney movies on here, but this one I’ll make an exception for. I went to see “It’s Complicated” on New Year’s Eve and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re under 40, it may not hit the mark for you, but anyone who has been through a divorce or been the product of divorce, this comedy/drama will definitely hit home. Loved the characters, too...very real and written with intelligence and wit. Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin all have excellent chemistry together. Check it out!





See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

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Get ready to board your Skyway bucket as the Encyclopaedia Britannica takes us on a cruise high above Tomorrowland.



In the background of this shot, we can see the circus tent left over from the short-lived Mickey Mouse Club Circus:





The Flight Circle is shown here; too early for Cox Pilot!





See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

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There was a time when Disneyland was Autopia CRAZY! Tomorrowland Autopia, Midget Autopia, Junior Autopia...here is a view of some of the tracks. Shot #2 features the Tomorrowland Skyway Station AND the Autopia, as well as the Astrojets. I have included a closeup of the booth for the nosey Disneyland geeks.





More Richfield Autopia: you can practically smell the gas!



Sadly, this Tomorrowland Viewliner shot is a little blurry. It really does look like a toy; I can see why Walt wanted to upgrade it with the larger and sleeker Monorail.



See more vintage & current Tomorrowland. photos at my regular website.



“Sleeping Beauty,” the Platinum Edition, is about to hit the streets, and boy is it a beauty (pun intended)! The section of extras on the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama is not to miss. Pick it up on Blu-ray at Amazon.com as well as regular DVD at Amazon.com.

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For the 2nd year in a row, I ran in the Disneyland Half Marathon. Last year was a horrible experience with the blazing temperatures that caused me to wonder whether I’d finish or not. This year was a much happier run. I shaved 9 minutes off my time from last year and ran the entire time. I also have to give kudos to Disney for one of the most organized and well-thought out races. The volunteers were wonderful and so was the entertainment along the way.



Back to regular biz, we have this color shot of two Matterhorn climbers, affording us a nice aerial shot of the Submarine Voyage, Autopia, and Motor Boat Cruise.



Square Dancing at Disneyland? Well, I guess anything is possible...looks like a showdown between the Country & Western dancers and the Tyrolean ones.



See more vintage & current Matterhorn photos at my regular website. “Nightmare Before Christmas” fans—this Tim Burton classic is now available on Blu-ray, and also features a way cool tour of the Haunted Mansion (NBC version). Available at Amazon.com.

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This one day series takes us back to September 1961, before the 60’s got mod and the guests at the park still looked like they belonged in the 50’s. The first three shots are all from the Autopia area; after looking at shot #3, I know why this Dwarf became Grumpy!





It’s blurry, but I do love seeing shots of the not-so-often photographed Yellow Monorail, especially with the cool bubble viewing area featured!



Back when it had holes in it for the Skyway, the Matterhorn served as the transitional bridge between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.



This little girl is ready for her Teacup ride!



This little boy is determined to get every little kernel of popcorn out of that box...or else he’s looking for a hidden toy surprise (wrong snack, kid!)



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website. “Nightmare Before Christmas” fans—this Tim Burton classic is now available on Blu-ray, and also features a way cool tour of the Haunted Mansion (NBC version). Available at Amazon.com.

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Daveland is cleaning house today with a few random undated 1950’s shots. You’ve heard of the backside of water, right? How about the backside of the Adventureland gate? No guests in site...the perfect time to do a little housekeeping. Just a few steps away is the end of Main Street U.S.A. and Central Plaza. I just can’t help feeling sorry for that poor horse, wearing the silly hat.



These shots are undated, however, it appears that the House of the Future is in the background...that is, if I have my DLand geography correct. Here’s a detail shot:



Over in the land of Tomorrow, we have a suh-weet shot of the Autopia.



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website. Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling fans: Amazon.com is offering an exclusive collector's edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Click here to reserve your copy now!

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