Today, July 17 2010, is Disneyland’s 55th birthday. It’s been an amazing 55 years!

Jeanine and I will be attending the 55th birthday celebration, and will have more on that later, but in the meantime I have asked my AllEars teammates to share some of their thoughts and favorite memories about Disneyland.

Gloria Konsler:

There’s something very special about Disneyland and I think it’s “charm.” Yes, there’s the Disney Magic, but Disneyland also has the Disney Charm. There are attractions at Disneyland that are totally charming that haven’t been duplicated at Walt Disney World, Casey Jr. Circus Train and the Storybook Land Canal Boats to name two.

I love the shops on Main Street USA with their smaller doors and windows. They just seem more like something the child in all of us can relate to. Although Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World is certainly more impressive, I have to use that word again, “charming” is the only way to describe Sleeping Beauty Castle. In addition, the castle walk-through is something not to be missed. And I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention that Disneyland retains the original Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, housed in the beautiful Toad Hall. How wonderful that this attraction has not met the same fate as its Florida counterpart.

There are definitely similarities between the California and the Florida parks, but at Disneyland, you can actually feel Walt Disney’s spirit and imagination, his love of children and his gentle genius at work as you walk through the various lands.

Mike Bachand:

Like most folks my age, I grew up watching Walt on television. Seeing Walt and being inspired by him was the start of my Disney passion and obsession. As a child I dreamed of visiting Disneyland. However, being from the East Coast trips to Walt Disney World came first. However as time passed, my interest in Walt and Disney grew. I started collecting and reading every book about Walt, the Disney company and Disney animated films I could get my hands on. It wasn’t until 2003 that I got to opportunity to visit Disneyland. It was amazing! What was so special for me was the fact that I was walking the streets, visiting the shops and riding the attractions just as Walt himself had done. To me, that’s the magic of Disneyland. It was a childhood dream fulfilled. When you’re in Disneyland, you can feel Walt’s presence. What a very special man and what a special place!

Jack Spence:

When I used to work at Disneyland, the park didn’t open until 10am during the slower seasons. However, my shift began at 9am as I had to arrive early to start getting the Blue Bayou Restaurant ready for business that day. Costuming and the locker rooms are located behind Tomorrowland. Since Disneyland does not have a tunnel system, this meant I had to walk through several lands to get to New Orleans Square.

My fondest memory was entering Frontierland and seeing the Rivers of America before me. I was all alone in the park except for the occasional duck enjoying the solitude of the river. There was a tremendous sense of peacefulness and beauty as morning mist often hung just above the water. Then I would turn the corner and see New Orleans Square majestically sitting on the hill in the distance with not a soul in sight. All of this beauty was mine to enjoy all by myself for a few minutes each morning. Even today, this memory brings a smile to my face.

Deb Koma:

My very first Disney experience ever was in fact at Disneyland. I was nearly 4 years old, and my parents and grandparents took me. I remember — or at least I’ve been told about it so often I *think* I remember — a very few things from that trip, supported by a few grainy black and white photos. (Yes, I am THAT old.) There’s a cute picture of me standing in front of Monstro the whale from Pinocchio — can you see how fierce he was then? With his pointy teeth, and no railing to separate us from his toothy menace! I distinctly recall being terrified that we were being swallowed as our Storybook Land Canal Boat glided into his awaiting open jaws.

Over 35 years later I returned to Disneyland…and while a lot of things had changed, Monstro was still there!

Lisa Berton:

While most folks meet up with friends at the movie theater, the mall, or a restaurant, I hung out with mine at Disneyland. The call would go out or come in, “What are you doing tonight?” Then we’d decide if we wanted to have dinner somewhere specific or just see what we felt like later on. Perhaps one of us was in the mood for a ride with Indiana Jones or to escape the Abominable Snowman via the Matterhorn, whatever we wanted to do was right there waiting for us (and still is).

Plans with my co-workers were also made for running to Disneyland after work. Heck, we wrote and changed the schedule to comply with our need to spend time at The Happiest Place on Earth.

I talked about Disneyland and all of the fun I had so often that I literally convinced 9 people to buy Annual Passes.

Photos of all those fun, worry-free, laughable moments are in abundance. We captured everything from birthday meals to Rock, Paper, Scissor games with Goofy to Mickey’s Toontown antics to blue poncho protected Grizzly River Rapids rides and every crazy moment in between. Those truly are the good ol’ days.

Deb Wills:

My earliest memories of Disneyland go back to the 1950s Disneyland television show. I can recall being glued to our small black and white TV with my mom, watching Walt describe this amazing theme park. I loved how he would describe each land and dreamed of one day visiting this world of fantasy. My first visit to Disneyland actually came in the mid-1980s. A one day trip in the middle of the hot summer when it was REALLY crowded. I recall waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise for over 90 minutes (is that possible?), enjoying “it’s a small world” and reminiscing about the NY Worlds Fair of the 60s, and seeing this amazing nighttime parade with lights, music and Disney characters called – The Main Street Electrical Parade. It took almost 20 years for my next visit when I spent a few days at Disneyland prior to boarding the Disney Magic on its first Mexican Riviera cruise in May 2005. Since then I have returned several times and love Disneyland more and more with each visit. It has a special charm especially since I know Walt walked there. My fondest memory to date happened this past October when, as part of the Adventures By Disney, I got to visit Walt’s apartment atop the Firehouse and gaze out onto Main Street USA.

Michelle Scribner-MacLean:

I’ve only had the pleasure of being at Disneyland once, but I remember walking down Main Street, USA and feeling such a sense of history: This was the place the Walt envisioned, this is what he put his heart and soul into building for so many years, this was his plan for bringing people of all ages together to use their imaginations and spend time enjoying each other. I remember looking up at the top floor of the firehouse, where Walt’s apartment is situated, imagining the light that Cast Members keep on for him, and just smiling a secret thank you to him for creating a place….places…that have become so special to me.

Steve Barrett:

The term “Hidden Mickey” wasn’t used until the late 1980’s, but the practice of purposefully hiding Mickey Mouse probably started when Epcot was being built in the late 1970’s. Disney Management initially planned Epcot as an adult park, without Disney characters, so cunning Imagineers began hiding Mickey images inside Epcot as the park was being built.

Nevertheless, subtle images of Mickey existed in Disneyland, California, probably for many years before the 1990’s. I believe this to be true, because “Hidden Mickeys” can be spotted in some of Walt Disney’s earliest cartoons and movies, such as “The Karnival Kid” from 1929:

And “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” from 1937. (Thanks to Murray Bishop for these images.)

I don’t know how long Mickey has been hiding inside Disneyland, California, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some images dated to the very earliest years of the park. A couple of my favorite classic (three-circle) Hidden Mickeys are on The Jungle Cruise, on the bottom of a pan hanging on the left side of the Suwannee Lady boat:

And on a ship sitting on a shelf near the ceiling inside The Village Haus Restaurant in Fantasyland:

Disneyland, California, has many wonderful Hidden Mickeys (and other Hidden Characters) for us to find. Some have been preserved for many years, and any new or renovated attraction or area will likely contain new Hidden Images waiting for us. I enjoy finding these Hidden gems, and I hope the Hidden Mickey game continues for a long time. Thank you Disney for adding such fun to our lives, and Happy Birthday, Disneyland!

Erin Blackwell:

55 years ago… I can’t even fathom what was going through Walt’s mind 55 years ago from when I write this (Thursday afternoon). Disneyland was in chaos: Walt’s people still were building the park as ABC tried to figure out how to broadcast the opening. Everything was on the line. I don’t think we really understand that statement; how many of us can say we’ve risked everything because of the courage of our convictions? Not “I’ll lose my job if I’m wrong” or “We might keep the house” or “The kids will be okay”… you have bet every single thing, and not just for you: for your spouse, for your children, for your best friend/partner/brother, his wife, his son…Three weeks ago, I finished watching the film in “One Man’s Dream” and a woman remarked to her husband, “Can you imagine? To bet everything in your 20s is a huge thing, but to do it all again at 50? Could you do it?” How many of us could go home to our spouse tonight and say we’ll be out on the street if I’m wrong, but I’m not. How many of us would say yes to their spouse if they asked us to make that risk?

55 years ago tomorrow night, Roy called Walt and broke the worst news: they’d failed. Disneyland was a flop. Walt walked through the castle, quiet, all the usual Walt Disney spark and drive banked as he looked around, feeling the pit of failure inside, wondering “Will anybody come?” A photographer snapped what became a very famous photo while Walt & Roy went home to break the news. I don’t have the reference to really feel how they did that night. And then the next morning, to get up and go there for the opening with smiles plastered over tragedy.

Then…

Triumph. Ultimate triumph. It’s no wonder Walt beams as he does when you watched the DVD of that opening day. No wonder that Sharon of the Mouseketeers caught a tear slipping down Walt’s cheek as he looked onto Main Street from his firehouse apartment. No wonder that Art Linkletter said the biggest kid having fun that day in Disneyland was Walt himself. The little boy inside the man built a playground; the man risked everything to share that playground, to share a dream. And the guests still flood the gates.

That’s what this 55th Anniversary celebrates: Vision. Imagination. Courage. Legacy. The four bold words the Disney company used to describe the man who walked through that castle in an empty park and then sought a quiet moment the next day to see that park filling with happy dreamers.

I wanted more than anything to be there for this anniversary. I wanted to stand in that spot in front of the castle where Walt stood. I wanted to imagine he and Roy on each end of that phone call and through each day in creating Disneyland… I wanted to see if I could glean in that moment one ounce of their courage, their thoughts and feelings. So I could say, with total understanding, “Thank you.”

To Walt and Roy’s memories, and to the dream that is Disneyland, where Walt walked: Happy 55 Years!

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