The Disneyland News was sold as ‘Disneyland’s Hometown Newspaper’ and was available as a promotional souvenir during the Park’s early years. You could buy it off the rack or from newsboys all along Main Street U.S.A. for just 10 cents, or $1.20 for a one-year mail subscription.
This commemorative Special Edition was a reproduction of the original copy of The Disneyland News with some updated ‘reporting’ of course! It was put together as a part of the larger promotion called “Designing the Dream” – A Disney Retrospective. “Disneyland’s 30th Anniversary Celebration” was a companion television special that aired on NBC on February 18, 1985.
Not surprisingly, Marty Sklar is listed as Honorary Editor-in-Chief of this reproduction paper as he was the man responsible for writing the original editions as his first job at Disney.
So as the first page says: “Let’s put up our feet, relax, and take a wonderful tour of the Happiest Place on Earth…” Here on out I will give a brief synopsis of what you will find on each page above the picture of that page, and you can decide if you’d like to enlarge it so you can read the full articles.
Page One: ‘Dateline: Disneyland’ reviews opening day. ‘National Press…’ lists Press reactions to the Park. ‘Gala Parades’ is a nice piece explaining how important Parades have been at Disneyland. And we are also treated to a picture of Walt himself alongside the 30th Anniversary logo.
Page Two: ‘With High Hopes’ is a heartfelt expansion of the dedication speech by Walt Disney himself. A Picture of the original businesses along Main Street. And some vintage advertising.
Page Three: ‘Under the Gaslight’ contains memories from Marty Sklar including opening day shenanigans, a wayward ostrich, and a stuck Tinkerbell. ‘Tour of Main Street…’ gives an interesting history of what the buildings on Main Street have been used for over the years.
Page Four: ‘Tomorrowland Exhibits…’ lists some of the show spiel for the amazing Hall of Aluminum. ‘A Visit to Progress City’ gives us a seat on the Carousel of Progress to hear all about… well, progress!
Page Five: Thrill to an aerial picture of Tomorrowland, an advertisement for the ‘Bathroom of Tomorrow’, and learn how to buy a piece of the moon for just one dollar!
Pages Six & Seven: Pictures of Disneyland under construction from 1954-55 and some shots from the 1959 Tomorrowland expansion.
Page Eight: The ‘Circus Show’ article gives a good overview of the Mickey Mouse Club Circus and ‘Cartoon Adventures…’ details how the dark rides of Fantasyland were created.
Page Nine: ‘Souvenirs Galore’ lists all of the fun and crazy things you could take home from Hobbyland. And ladies, don’t miss the complete collection of the Knights of the Round Table separates! Exclusive creations from Fantasy of Disneyland.
Page Ten: In ‘Orange Grove Becomes Jungle’ we learn how the famous Jungle Cruise came to be. ‘New Orleans Square…’ fills us in on all the mystery behind The Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a Foot-saver Alpergatas. I don’t know what it is either, but you could buy one in 1955 from The Tropic Traders in Adventureland.
Page Eleven: ‘Frontierland Restaurants’ gives us a tasty tour of eatin’ in the old West along with a chance to meet the Frito Kid! ‘Frontier Days Recalled’ lists all of the fun attractions to be found in Nature’s Wonderland. And don’t miss the rootin’ tootin’ ads on this page!
Back Page / Page Twelve: The articles on this last page are just the ends of articles from previous pages. Hungry? The Chicken of the Sea and the Market House are advertising for your patronage! And check out that wonderful map showing the main routes to Disneyland.
And how much was a day at Disneyland going to cost you in the 1950’s? It was advised to plan on spending between 4 and 4.5 hours in the Park. Adults could gain admission and eight rides of their choice for just $2.50 with children getting the same deal for just $1.50. And apparently changes had to be made because patrons were complaining about the high price of going to Disneyland. I’ll just let that sink in.
To put this in perspective, the Red Wagon Inn on the plaza was advertising sizzling steaks and juicy chops in complete dinners for only $1.65 or $1.50 for lunch! Children could eat for just $1.00! AND you could get a coupon for a free Disneyland Souvenir Guide, no purchase necessary. Yup. What a ripoff!
I purchased this years ago from eBay and just love it! The fact that it has yellowed (because of the cheap paper) makes it feel genuinely vintage.
