I’m amazed by how many gems from Disney history I’ve uncovered thanks to my parents. My dad visited Disneyland in the summer of 1959 when he was 15 and provided incredible photos of that trip. I had hazy memories of reading an old souvenir guide at my grandparents’ house from that era. However, it never turned up anywhere…until now. My dad finally discovered this book while preparing to move.
Released in 1958 and updated in 1959, Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland provides a remarkable look at early Disneyland. It’s a guide book that goes beyond today’s park maps. Instead, this 28-page souvenir highlights what made Walt’s original park shine. Chapters spotlight the five lands and cover the shows, exhibits, and future projects.
I hope that you enjoy this glimpse into Disneyland’s past through this souvenir guide! I’ve put together seven key takeaways to spotlight my favorite aspects. Let’s take a trip back to 1959 (well, mostly 1958) in Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland!
1. I Want to Visit this Version of Disneyland
An underrated aspect of souvenir books from the parks is the way they convey so much with a simple image. A good example is the shot above from the Grand Canyon Diorama. Without any context for the Railroad or where this appears, I’m on board! Sometimes it’s best not give too much text about an attraction. All we need to know is that this cool scene exists at Disneyland.
This is one of my favorite pictures in this souvenir guide. In the foreground, it looks like a dad and his daughter are enjoying a casual Fantasyland dark ride. However, you can just glimpse the flames of hell in the background. Personally, I wasn’t smiling after the end of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride as a young kid. The text describes it as a “hilarious adventure“, and that’s mostly right. The contrast between the smiling faces and the flames in the background reveals the dark tinges in the fun at Disneyland.
2. Disney Focused on the Adventurous Side of the Park
We tend to think of Fantasyland as the park’s center today, and it played a key role. Even so, Disney also sold the excitement of venturing into the wild. This was especially true with Frontierland, which drew crowds at a time when Westerns remained popular. The page above shows the way that Disney pushed all the exciting things you could do in that area.
A highlight was the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland and its Rainbow Caverns, but that was just part of the story. You could also ride a stagecoach, board a sailing ship, or climb a tree house! The description explains how these adventures “are designed to give you the feeling of having ‘lived’,” even for a short while, during our country’s days of pioneer development.” They definitely sold that idea!
3. Disney Brilliantly Sold “A Brand New Disneyland” for 1959
My dad picked up this souvenir guide in the summer of 1959, but most of the pages are the same as the previous year. Disney just added a “Special Insert” to spotlight the new attractions for Disneyland. The gorgeous artwork conveys the excitement of bringing the Matterhorn, the Monorail, and the Submarine Voyage to the park. It’s still amazing that all of them were added in the same summer.
Walt’s introduction explains that they now have 48 attractions versus 22 at the park’s opening. That’s a stunning increase during only four years. Along with the three headliners, Disney also doubled the number of Autopia Freeways and brought in two Motorboat cruises on a new lake in Fantasyland. I love this push to expand quickly and wish we saw a similar drive for some of the parks today.
4. Tomorrowland Definitely Needed the 1959 Expansion
Disney had to make some compromises in Tomorrowland given the time and budget constraints in 1955. This land had improved during the next three years, but it still fell short of the others. Those limitations are evident in the shots in this souvenir guide. While I like model airplane races as much as the next guy, I’m not sure that matches what we expect in Disneyland.
We also see exhibits like “Fun with Water” that remind me of ones from our local Science Center. On the other hand, Tomorrowland did include the Rocket to the Moon, Astro-Jet, and Skyway, so all was not lost. After Disney added the major expansion, this area found new life and became a very popular destination.
5. Disney Found Cool Ways to Spotlight Their Attractions
How do you sell an inventive dark ride like Alice in Wonderland? Sure, you can take a few pictures from inside and show the sets. A better choice is presenting the trip down the Rabbit Hole from above with multiple fun moments spotlighted. I remember staring at this image as a kid and trying to envision what the ride would be like. It sparked my imagination and got me even more excited to visit.
In the pre-Internet days, any glimpses of Disney attractions were like striking gold. Even pictures from decades earlier could still inspire us! This brochure does a great job showing how we’ll experience the parks. These aren’t static photos of typical buildings you might see in the parks. This Alice in Wonderland image is a perfect example of how to sell a Fantasyland attraction.
6. The Elegant Simplicity of the Park Map Sold the Fun
There’s nothing worse than arriving at a park and immediately getting confused by the park map. Some have too many numbers identifying every small spot. Others don’t clearly show the paths and send you heading in the wrong direction. This Disneyland park map sidesteps those issues, however. It lists the attractions and amusements but keeps everything simple.
Instead of just listing numbers, this map includes a clear image of the attraction to help guide us. For example, Fantasyland includes art representing Monstro, the Casey Jr. train, a tea cup, and the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar. Numbers also don’t just indicate a single attraction. In Fantasyland, #3 represents four different attractions including Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It’s brilliant!
7. Glimpses of Future Attractions Still Look Incredible Today
It’s always fun to look back at how Disney presented its expansions before they happened. Sam McKim’s stunning color painting of a Ken Anderson sketch sells the aura of foreboding from early concepts of the Haunted Mansion. The ambitious image of Adventures in Science ultimately evolved into Adventure Thru Inner Space on a smaller scale. I would still love to visit an attraction in this vein today.
I also enjoy seeing the concept for Liberty Street, which would have been located on the east side of Main Street, U.S.A. The early ideas for the “One Nation Under God” show ultimately evolved into the Hall of Presidents at Liberty Square. I would love to have seen this area come to fruition in California. The Undersea Voyage ultimately became The Submarine Voyage spotlighted in the 1959 insert. All four of these images promised a bright future for Disneyland as the park entered the ’60s.
Show Notes: Disneyland 1959 Souvenir Guide
A Visit to Disneyland in 1959 (Photo Essay)
Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair
Operation Disneyland: The Challenges of an Ambitious Live TV Special
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