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Step Inside the Park Walt Built There’s something magical about flipping through a vintage Disneyland guidebook—especially one personally overseen by Walt Disney himself. This 1959 edition of Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland isn’t just a souvenir. It’s a time machine. In these pages, you’ll discover early concept art, joyful families, and heartfelt prose that reads more like a letter from Walt than a marketing brochure. Let’s explore this book, one land at a time.   Table of Contents The guide is organized by themed lands and sprinkled with illustrations, photos, and “dreaming ahead” previews of what was yet to come. Each section carries Walt’s storytelling tone—optimistic, immersive, and deeply rooted in American ideals and childhood wonder. The Lands of Disneyland (1959) Main Street, U.S.A. “Here is America at the turn of the century, at the crossroads of an era.” Main Street was Walt’s nostalgic tribute to small-town life—complete with a horse-drawn fire engine, a working cinema, and friendly omnibus rides. The back cover lists charming details like: Horseless carriages Shooting galleries “Grandpa’s surrey with the fringe on top” Fantasyland “The words of that melody, from our picture Pinocchio, inspired me to create a land where dreams could actually come true.” –Walt Disney Guests rode through Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole, floated past Pinocchio’s village, and soared over London with Peter Pan. Dumbo flew, King Arthur’s Carousel spun with 72 white horses, and Sleeping Beauty Castle stood proudly in the center. Tomorrowland The Atomic Age was alive and well in Tomorrowland! New in 1959: The Disneyland-Alweg Monorail The Submarine Voyage The Matterhorn Bobsleds You could “blast off” on the Astro-Jets or tour the all-plastic House of the Future. Walt envisioned Tomorrowland as “a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements.” Frontierland Stagecoaches. Rafts. Steamers. Covered wagons. Guests weren’t just watching American history—they were stepping into it. Highlights included: Rainbow Caverns Mine Train Tom Sawyer Island The Mark Twain Riverboat Pack Mules and Stagecoaches The back cover even lists “Indian War Canoes” and “The Columbia,” a replica of a tall ship. Adventureland Only one attraction was listed, but what an attraction it was: Jungle Cruise: Travel through tangled tropics, passing waterfalls, hippos, and “savage natives” (reflective of 1950s-era writing, which modern guests may view differently today). Dreaming: Walt’s Plans for the Future This page is a treasure trove of unbuilt ideas: Liberty Street Edison Square Adventure in Science The Haunted House (not yet open!) Walt wrote: "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” This booklet proves it. The Disneyland Hotel & Dining Across the street stood the original Disneyland Hotel, managed by Jack Wrather. The guide boasts private patios, gourmet restaurants, orange groves, fashion shows, and a gleaming new swimming pool. Back Cover – A Colorful Roll Call of Adventures This beautifully illustrated back page reads like a checklist of dreams: Astro-Jet Motor Boat Cruise Storybook Land Canal Boats Skyway to Tomorrowland Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride The Columbia Shooting Galleries …and more! It’s the perfect visual sendoff to a magical booklet. Final Thoughts: A Thank You to Walt This guide doesn’t just describe Disneyland—it captures a moment in time when Walt’s imagination still touched every corner of the park. The language is warm, hopeful, and filled with dreams not yet realized. Dear Walt… Thank you for building this world. For putting families first. For believing that joy, wonder, and imagination could be stitched together into a place that felt like home. You were right—it is the happiest place on Earth.  Due to copyright, I am unable to upload additional images from this booklet. However I've recreated several of the colorful images from inside and they are avaialble to both view and download on Patreon
Join the Memory Keeper tier here!   Walt Disney’s Edible Tomorrow: The Forgotten Gardens of Tomorrowland When Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland in 1955, it wasn’t just a showcase of rocket ships and robots—it was a place where Walt Disney imagined a better, more sustainable future. One of the most overlooked parts of that dream was edible landscaping. That's right—food that grew right along the walkways. Walt believed in progress through imagination, and part of that progress was rethinking how people lived, ate, and even how they grew their food. This vision was quietly planted—literally—in the form of raised garden beds at the entrance to Tomorrowland.  🌍 “Growing Day”: What Was It? According to early Disney concept planning documents and internal communications, Walt imagined a future where urban environments included functional gardens, not just decorative landscaping. He called this “Growing Day”—a utopian idea where food could grow everywhere, even in theme parks. In this vision, Tomorrowland guests wouldn’t just marvel at flying cars and moon rockets—they’d be walking through a world where lettuce, strawberries, and herbs grew along the path, ready for harvest.  🪴 The Elevated Gardens: A Hidden Gem If you entered Tomorrowland from the central hub during the 1960s or 70s, you may have walked right past Walt’s living experiment. Just near the Adventure Thru Inner Space attraction (now Star Tours), raised planters lined the walkway under the PeopleMover track, often filled with vegetables and fruiting plants. These elevated gardens weren’t just for show—they were test beds. Walt wanted to explore how edible gardens could be incorporated into urban settings. It was Tomorrowland’s quietest—and most meaningful—message.   🚀 Why It Mattered
While many Tomorrowland attractions showed technology for travel and entertainment, the edible gardens quietly pointed to another kind of future—one where nature and technology coexisted. Walt was deeply inspired by the postwar American optimism about solving real-world problems. He believed future cities would be clean, efficient, and nourished by their own surroundings. His Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) would eventually build on this idea—merging industry, sustainability, and human well-being. 🌾 Legacy Today The edible garden concept didn’t last, and most visitors never knew it existed. But the seed of the idea lived on. Projects like The Land Pavilion at Epcot and even modern “urban farming” echo Walt’s vision. Today, Disney parks are once again exploring on-site farming, composting, and sustainable gardening as part of their broader environmental initiatives. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll walk into Tomorrowland and pick a fresh tomato along the way—just like Walt imagined.  The First Licensed Mickey Mouse Product In the heart of the Great Depression, when Americans were struggling to get by, something surprising happened: a cartoon mouse started showing up on people's wrists. In 1933, Walt Disney granted a license to the Ingersoll-Waterbury Clock Company to produce the first officially licensed Mickey Mouse watch. It debuted at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and sold for $2.50—a steep price for the time, but the public loved it. The smiling, gloved hands of Mickey Mouse ticked away the hours, and within two years, over 2.5 million watches had been sold. The Genius of Kay Kamen Much of this success can be attributed to Kay Kamen, whom Walt hired that same year to handle all Disney licensing. Kamen had a gift for turning characters into products, and products into profit. His deal helped ensure that Disney retained creative control while still generating much-needed revenue. A Mouse with a Mission: Surviving the Depression Kamen and Disney didn’t stop with watches. During the 1930s, children could find Mickey Mouse on:
A Legacy of Licensing Thanks to the early success of licensed merchandise, Walt was able to fund new animation projects, maintain his staff, and keep dreaming during an era when most studios were cutting back. The Mickey Mouse watch didn’t just tell time—it bought time. It gave Walt Disney the margin he needed to build the empire we know today. 📸 Want to See the Watch? Vintage Mickey Mouse watches can still be found in private collections and museums. If you ever see one in person, take a moment to appreciate what it represents: imagination, resilience, and the faith to keep going—even in hard times.     Reflecting on a childhood built around Disneyland. I was just a little girl when I first set foot on Disneyland’s Main Street. My dad held my hand, and together we stepped into a world that felt bigger than anything I had ever known—yet somehow still felt like home. Though the park had already been open for 15 years by the time we arrived, it felt as though we were there at the very beginning of the magic. Walt’s presence was still fresh in the air. You could feel him—as if he had just walked around the corner or tipped his hat to a guest walking past the Emporium. The music, the architecture, the charm of each land—it all felt like Walt himself had placed it there just for us. Disneyland in the 1970s was something special. The attractions were exciting and new, many still carrying that original spark of innovation. The park wasn’t crowded. People dressed nicely. Families treated each other—and strangers—with kindness and respect. There weren’t influencers or selfie sticks or people filming content in every corner. It was a place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Like walking into a living movie set, where you were free to explore whatever story you liked, at your own pace. We would ride the Skyway, float on the Jungle Cruise, and end the night watching Tinker Bell fly from the Matterhorn—always with a sense of awe that never really left. California had the best weather, and Disneyland felt beautiful no matter what time of year we visited. For our family, it wasn’t just a theme park. It was a tradition. A refuge. A foundation. Now, as I look back, I realize how much those early memories with my dad shaped me. Disneyland wasn’t just a part of my childhood—it built my childhood. And somehow, those memories have grown with me. They live on in the way I tell stories, in the way I create, in the way I hold fast to goodness, imagination, and family. So today, on Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, I simply want to say: Dear Walt, thank you for 70 years of wonder. Thank you for the joy. For the memories. For the place where families could dream together. Your vision continues to echo down Main Street—and I will always carry it with me. — Rhonda   The Disney Bedtime Hotline was a limited-time phone service offered by Disney that allowed parents to call and have their children receive a pre-recorded bedtime message from a Disney character. Key details about the hotline:
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Welcome to a place where Disney nostalgia meets storytelling magic. I create uplifting, history-rich content celebrating Walt Disney’s original vision and the golden age of Disneyland. From forgotten dining spots to untold stories of Walt’s creative team, this blog is a tribute to imagination, innocence, and timeless joy.
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