Disneyworld 1978

My family just got back from a weeklong trip to Florida which included a visit to Disneyworld and The Magic Kingdom specifically.  It has changed since I visited in 1978 with my parents and sister. My dad worked for an asphalt manufacturer so he could only take vacations during the "off-season", so we went in February.  On the one hand, it was pretty empty, on the other, it was cold and rainy. Back then, "Disneyworld" and "Magic Kindgdom" were synonymous as that's all that was there. I remember being fairly disappointed. Cinderella's castle wasn't a castle at all, but simply a walk-through tunnel. You had to have tickets to ride the rides and each ticket booklet (a vague recollection places the price at $7) had a limited number of "E" tickets which were for the better rides along with the "A" through "D" tickets which didn't offer much of any interest to me. Plus, the one ride (besides "Haunted Mansion") I wanted to ride with my "E" ticket, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", broke down while I was in line. I was forced to use the ticket instead on "Space Mountain" which I was deathly afraid of.  Riding it on this visit, I realized how tame it is and how much of it is really an illusion of lights and sound.

I found this Guide to Walt Disney World from 1978 at a recent sale.  It shows what was offered to my 11-year-old self back then.

What was on TV June 13th through 19th, 1981

This week's TV Guide from 1981 features a painted cover of the cast of Trapper John, M.D. , a show which thoroughly confused me when it premiered:  It's the character from M*A*S*H, but it's set in the present and the actor is a different guy?  I don't get it.

Oklahoma's Turner and Will Rogers Turnpikes

The Turner and Will Rogers turnpikes in Oklahoma are the states oldest, opening in 1953 and 1959 respectively.  This map from 1959 highlights some of the benefits, the main being getting through Oklahoma as fast as possible.

Chew On This

When I was little, we didn't have a lot of money for frivolities, and that included the bank of bubble gum and toy capsule machines in the breezeway of our local grocery store and the front entrance of the K-Mart we visited on occasion.  But my sister and I would always stop and look at them and debate which machine we would choose if we did have some coins.   With gumballs, you might not have known what color you were going to get, but you knew it was a gumball and its flavor would last about 15 seconds.  More exciting to me were the toy capsule vending machines whose header cards displayed the possibilities held within its plastic bubbles. When we got older and had an allowance ($1 a week), we learned to stretch it far enough to get some comics, candy and even a trinket or gum from those magical vending wonders.

Yesterday I was at the estate sale of a person who had been a major bubble gum machine collector and had dozens of models from all eras.  They were priced way out of my range, but I discovered bags of old header cards that were priced just right.

Leaf Rain-blo Bubble Gum

My Old Kentucky Map

Nothing profound here, just some nice imagery.  From 1964, it's a map of Kentucky (minus the actual map).

McDonald's Thermo-Serv Mug

McDonald's began their McDonaldland marketing campaign in 1971 with commercials featuring a magical land inhabited by Ronald McDonald and a cast of characters inspired by their menu.  Captain Crook and the Hamburglar would attempt to steal their respective menu items while the local sheriff "Big Mac", "Mayor McCheese" and Ronald McDonald would ultimately thwart their crimes.  However, Sid & Marty Krofft of H. R. Pufnstuf (and many other Saturday morning staples) fame thought the real crooks were in the McDonald's marketing department.  They felt McDonaldland and Mayor McCheese specifically were a direct ripoff of their Pufnstuf set and characters.

I recently found this McDonald's Thermo-Serv cup from 1978 featuring some of those characters.

What was on TV June 6th through 12th, 1981

This week we tune to the year 1981 with this TV Guide featuring a "Taxi" cover.  Let's peel back the cover and the years.

A Girl and Her Figure

Printed in 1956, this booklet will do it's best to make you self-conscious about your appearance.  Too fat?  Too thin?  Think you're just right? Oh, I don't think so...  Guess again, Tubby.