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Disneyland Diamonds Part 2: Beyond Main Street

17758247200_254dfd2a15_bIn our first entry into the world of Disneyland Diamonds we focused on Main St. U.S.A. but for this one we are going to be visiting the other lands. For those of you that forgot, a Disneyland Diamond to me is something that every guest may look at and never think twice about, but has a greater story behind it all.550103991_b1d768e993_bFirst we start in Adventureland, inspired by the early True-Life Adventure films. But this Disneyland Diamond is actually part of an attraction inspired by the 1951 Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hupburn classic film The African Queen. Yes that's right, The World Famous Jungle Cruise!10388665903_624e633a97_bIn the early 90's, as a new attraction was being built in Adventureland (we will get to that in a second), part of the river had to be adjusted and a couple of audio-animatronics were removed.2291675745_0cac399471_oBut as we know, Disney never throws anything away. So the horn billed toucan that was once teasing a hungry crocodile was moved to tease the guests waiting to take a cruise. Next time you're in the queue, take a look above the stairs and you will see a bird that only flew a few yards to his new home.Before we head off to our next Disneyland Diamond, we should of course stop at Adventureland's very own Jungle Witch Doctor Col. Nedley Lostmore, better known to those who are lucky enough to patronize him often as Shrunken Ned!

While we are still in Adventureland, we would be remiss to not talk about one of the (in my opinion) greatest attractions ever built, Indiana Jones Adventure Temple of the Forbidden Eye!This Disneyland Diamond shows how much dedication and faith was put into this new attraction very early on. This Mercedes-Benz diesel truck was actually used in the iconic desert chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you look on either side of the bumper, there are poles mounted which were used to aid to stuntmen during filming.

Raiders of the Lost Ark ©Lucasfilm

Now over the bridge we go...

Leaving Adventureland, we move on to the home of two of the most well known and beloved Disney attractions the world over,  that little area right at the bend of the Rivers of America, New Orleans Square.Walt Disney's last project for Disneyland before his passing, and most definitely his Magnum Opus, was Pirates of the Caribbean. A true Disney classic that has gone on to inspire clones across the globe and of course a few small independent films some of you may have seen. But the Disneyland Diamond for this attraction is by far one of the most macabre. It focuses on a story I heard well over two decades ago. When Pirates was first being built in the mid 60's, the Imagineers wanted authentic looking skeletons, but back then you couldn't just call your local Halloween store and order, so they did the next best thing and went to the UCLA Medical Center for help. Oh and help they did...for the first few years of Pirates being open, all of the skeletons were real. That's right, people who had donated their bodies to science also gave to the enjoyment of millions of guests of the park!Now almost 50 years later, those old bones (yes I had to do it) have all been replaced with "Disney skeletons," but there is always one exception to every change. The skull on the headboard of the bed in the Captains Quarters is still a human skull. So next time you wish you had that beautiful bed you may want to think twice about what or whom is looking down at you!As for the other iconic attraction that has been recreated in all but one park in some form or another...The Haunted Mansion!This old house that sat empty for nearly a decade before the doors opened to the living has had more books, websites, and soundtracks than any other attraction in Disney history. While these two Diamonds may not be the most groundbreaking ,I do believe they will be new to almost everyone!  By now everyone has heard of the "hidden pet cemetery" behind the Haunted Mansion. Well, this has to do with the non-hidden one in front of it. As you are walking into the main queue area to your right, you see many of the different animals that have been residents of the Mansion. But an often overlooked member of the pet cemetery is our little friend Lilac the skunk.

This little stinker is down just as you are turning into the main queue area. Now I point out Lilac for no other reason then to show what a true Disneyland Diamond is. This little statue of a skunk, that most people will walk right past, has onions planted around it to add a bit of smell to the area.

Now that we have found how the Imagineers and the great folks at horticulture work together to add those Diamonds, next we see something that was just pure luck!As you enter the Mansion foyer, before the room with the stretching portraits, you may notice a beautiful chandelier. This piece was one of many bought in the 60's to be set pieces for The Haunted Mansion, but if you take the time to look up and count you may notice a sign, as some call it. This chandelier has 6 arms jetting off the middle, on each arm there are 6 candles to help illuminate the room, and on each candle to add a bit of a shine to the room are 6 crystals.

Now on to the wildest land in the west!Frontierland, a land originally inspired by the stories of Tom Sawyer, Zorro, and Davy Crocket, has become more about the wildest ride in the wilderness!This land has always been about the feeling of getting somewhere, be it the raft to Tom Swayer Island, hitting the wake of the Mark Twain, or dealing with a ornery mule while riding around Rainbow Ridge. When Disneyland opened in 1955 the most high tech attraction was Autopia in Tomorrowland, but on the exact opposite side was the Mule Pack. This most basic of attractions would put guests on live mules and take them around barren Frountierland.

©Disney

In 1956 after a major expansion, the Mule Pack became the Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules with the addition of the Mine Train Through Rainbow Ridge. These two attraction would wind throughout Frontierland and cross over in a key spot in what was the original Bear Country.

©Disney

By now I'm sure you are asking "Jeremiah, what does an attraction that was closed before I was born have to do with Disneyland Diamonds?" I am glad you asked. In 1973 the Pack Mules took their last walk through Nature's Wonderland followed by the last trip of the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland in 1977 to make way for the a new train ride. But as always, some things are left behind.This small tunnel is the same as the one from the picture above. It even still had track up until a few years ago when a tree feel and caused damage to the track and cave. The most interesting part is that this is the last remaining portion of the old Pack Mule trail as it went right over that tunnel.This picture is the point of view of guests if the Pack Mules were still active today looking toward Big Thunder. Also it seems those bears may not have caught all the jumping fish in that river down there. Next time you walk by, see if you can spot any of them still jumping after all these years.Speaking of those pesky mules, over the two decades that they tracked their way through Frontierland, you have to figure they may have gone through a few shoes. Well next time you head back to Big Thunder Ranch, take a look near that old cabin.It seems that all those shoes and the ones from the horses used for the Conestoga Wagons and Stagecoaches, which also used to roll through these parts, had to all be collected and are now "on display" for all to see (hidden Mickey included.)Now for the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness, yes that's right, the attraction that more kids have gone on for their first "roller coaster ride" than any other (at least in my family), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!The mid 1970's were a time of change for Disneyland, with its sister park in Florida getting a lot of attention there was not much growth. Thankfully, Tony Baxter had just joined WED Enterprises and started to help shake things up. His first major project to actually get made was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This was a ground breaking attraction as it was one of the first to use computer-aided design (or C.A.D.). The C.A.D. system is actually where our Diamond comes from. of course this one you can't really see so much as feel. As the story goes, while working with the C.A.D. system, the computer wouldn't let them crate a full 360˚ circle on the track and kept putting a small adjustment in the layout. Being the early days of computers, there was not much space for workarounds so finally they had to just keep it in. So next time you take the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness as you are doing a long turn notice about half way through the odd jolt, it also happens at Big Thunder in Magic Kingdom.

Now we continue to the ever expanding west.
In 1956 a small Indian Village opened as one of the last outposts of civilization down past Frounterland on the Rivers of America, but left in 1971 when some bears started moving in and putting on a show for guests in 1972. Those Bears would be joined by a whole mess of other critters in 1989 riding some logs down Chickapin Hill and everyone had a great time singing and rollickin' until 2001 when a little bit of Pooh moved in and evicted those singing bears. Of course we are now in Critter Country!Now that you know a little bit of the history of Indian Village/Bear County/Critter Country, you should know that one piece of history has stayed from that 1956 move west those indians made, the Briar Patch.This little shop, known as the Indian Trading Post until 1989, is one of the truly untouched pieces of history in the park. Next time you head down to that dead end with one of the most Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah attractions or see that little bear chasing after some honey, take a moment to stop in and see one of the few buildings that has been around since the early days. Now we move on to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This dark ride moved into the former home of the Country Bear Playhouse in 2003. While I am not the biggest Pooh fan, I do have to say it's a cute attraction for families. But of course, we are looking at a few of the Diamonds and here we have three! The first of which just so happens to be your entrance into the queue for the attraction. The quaint little covered bridge you cross is the same that has been there since the days of the Country Bears.Once inside the ride, we have two more Country Bear Diamonds. The first is the very well known addition of Max, Buff, and Melvin, the singing mounted heads from The Country Bear Jamboree, near the end of the attraction. These are not actually the ones from the attraction but the static ones that used to be on display in the Mile Long Bar outside attraction's exit.But the lesser known, mostly because it is by far one of the most random Diamonds on this list, is the Winnie the Pooh figure in the Heffalumps and Woozles scene is actually using the same mechanics that used to bring Teddi Berra down from the ceiling in one of the theaters for The Country Bear JamboreeNow from the most random Diamond to my most favorite, we move to Splash Mountain!Splash Mountain, as most of you may know, has a long history of stories associated with its creation ranging from Michael Eisner wanting it to be called Splash after the 1984 Touchstone hit film to the reusing of most of the audio-animatronics from the America Sings attraction.

Splash Mountain Construction 1988

While there has never been a full list of what and where the different AA's from America Sings ended up, one of the most famous stories that I have heard from a few different sources has to do with the Blossom-nose Murphy, aka the drunk goose from the Gay 90's scene.It seems the Imagineers had no problem with the concept of drunk boating in 1988 because who should they happen to put behind the wheel of the Zip-a-Dee Lady but old Blossom-nose himself!Since we are on the topic of toons, next stop is Mickey's Toontown!As the story goes, Toontown was always in this location and Walt felt bad for making Mickey and the gang always come down to Burbank, so he built Disneyland in front of it to make it easier for the gang to get to work. But in 1993, Mickey decided to open the gates to the guests of Disneyland so they could come and visit everyone in their homes and the downtown district.

Our first two ToonTown Disneyland Diamonds come from the same attraction, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.Our first one can be seen as you enter the building to your right. Don't worry if you walk past it the first time, you can also see it when you are waiting to load. The Toontown Cab Co. has a great collection of other toons license plates hanging on the wall. See if you can figure who they might have belonged to?Some are pretty easy but for those of you who might not get them all here is a break down for you.

2N TOWN - Toontown
BB WOLF - Big Bad Wolf
MR TOAD - Mr. Toad
1DRLND - Wonderland
1D N PTR - Wendy & Peter Pan
IM L8 - I'm late!
CAP 10 HK - Captain Hook
L MERM8 - Little Mermaid
101 DLMN - 101 Dalmatians
FAN T C - Fantasy
RS2CAT - The Aristocats
ZPD2DA - "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah"
3 LIL PIGS - The 3 little pigs

©Disney

For the other Car Toon Spin Diamond we head outside. As Toontown was being designed, Roger's attraction already had the unique concept of merging the tea cups with a dark ride so the Imagineers had to create a full 360˚ environment along the track, but originally there was going to be a lot more track! In this early concept art for Toontown, if you look closely you can see some of the Lenny cabs on the second floor of the attraction out along an overhang. This concept had only been done for the Alice in Wonderland attraction, but that was due to lack of space. Car Toon Spin was going to do it to add more excitement and a chance to see Toontown from a very different perspective. The reason why the second story was cut has never made it to the public, but it had to have made it pretty far into the planning stages because next time you are in Toontown, take a look up and you will notice some extra space.Our last Mickey's Toontown Diamond is actually a two-fer, in our first look at Disneyland Diamonds we talked about the Windows of Main Street and how they are tributes to Walt Disney Imagineers and others who helped make Disneyland what it is today. When Mickey's Toontown was being built the folks at WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) felt there were two tributes missing and decided to rectify that in Toontown.
The first is a window for the man that started it all, Walt Disney. This small window in the corner of Toontown Bank is a call back to Walt's original venture into animation at the Laugh-O-gram Films in Kansas City, Missouri that lasted from 1921-1923.The other tribute is not just to one person, but to a whole company. Walt Disney Imagineering, or WDI, has a full tribute, but don't look for any windows for this one! In 1952, Walt Disney wanted to build a theme park where parents and kids could play together and in order to do that, he needed people to help create that park. That's when WED Enterprises (acronym for Walter Elias Disney) was founded. This company was Walt's and Walt's alone. He would hand-pick animators, artists and craftsman to help design Disneyland. In 1986, WED Enterprises became Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI for short) to help people outside of Disney understand who these amazing people were that create such magical things and give a direct tie to Walt Disney himself.
So now that I have gone through the history of WDI, lets take a look at the tribute the company created for itself in Mickey's Toontown.This tribute is on the hills backdrop behind the gate between the restrooms and Minnie Mouse's house. It may take a few times to look at it, but once you see it you will never forget it.

From Toontown we move to Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland has always been the most ever-changing land in all of Disneyland and our first Diamond really reflects how the park always tries to pay tribute to the past while always looking to the future.Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters moved into Tomorrowland in 2005 in a space that had been used as a queue for the short-lived Rocket Rods and before that, the Circle-Vision attractions. You can still see the curve of the room if you look up about halfway through the attraction, yet this Disneyland Diamond has nothing to do with any of those attractions other than being used in a shop for Buzz and Rocket Rods. No, this has to do with the old Rocket Jets attraction that sat high above Tomorrowland from 1967 to 1997. The Rocket Jets were removed to make way for the Obsevatron for the New Tomorrowland in 1998.But as we have learned, Disney never throws away anything and a few of those stylish Rocket Jets were actually reused for merchandise displays inside Little Green Men Store Command. For our most tasty Diamond, we look no further than the nearest Tomorrowland planter!In 1998 when the New Tomorrowland opened, one of the claims to fame was AgriFuture. Instead of flowers or other plants, Tomorrowland has different vegetables and fruits planted throughout the land. Next time you have a burger from Tomorrowland Terrace and need some lettuce, just take a look around.

Another "tribute to the past" Diamond comes from one of the oldest attractions in Tomorrowland, the highway of the future Autopia!

Autopia opened in Tomorrowland on July 17, 1955, and over the years has spawned the Junior Autopia (1956), Midget Autopia (1957), and Fantasyland Autopia (1959). Junior Autopia closed in 1958 and was expanded to become Fantasyland Autopia before it was connected to the Tomorrowland Autopia in 2000 to form the Autopia we know today. "But Jeremiah, what about Midget Autopia?" Well, Midget Autopia was located where the small merchandise shop behind Storybook Land Canal Boats is, which is why it was closed in 1965 to create the walkway to it's a small world. But not to worry because Walt Disney donated the Midget Autopia to Marceline, Missouri, where he spent some of his formative childhood years. Unfortunately the attraction was unable to be maintained and fell into disrepair and closed. One of the remaining Midget Autopia cars was returned to Disneyland in 2000 as a salute to the past to be put on display along the track of the current Autopia, along with one of the original Mr. Toad's Wild Ride cars.

Now that we have connected Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, lets continue to the happiest of all lands.

"Here is a land of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true." —Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

Fantasyland is the most magical of all the lands because it is the place where Peter Pan, Snow White, and Mr. Toad all come to life and where you can go sledding down the icy peaks of the Matterhorn!As the story goes, while Walt was in the Swiss Alps filming Third Man on the Mountain, he sent a postcard of the Matterhorn saying "build this" and the folks at WED Enterprises went to work. The Matterhorn Bobsleds is 1/100 scale of the actual Matterhorn, the first steel tubular rollercoaster in the world, and features two different ride experiences on separate, intertwining tracks that help with capacity. But all of those cool facts aside, almost any Disney fan can only think of one thing when they talk about the Matterhorn Bobsleds: the "basketball court!" To set the record straight, there is not a basketball court inside the Matterhorn and there was no paperwork filed for a "gymnasium" because the city of Anaheim wouldn't let them build a mountain, but yes there is a basketball hoop up there. This basketball hoop was put in a empty area, that is roughly the size of a half court, by some of the original mountain climbers so they would have something to do during their breaks.

©Disney

Now from one of the oldest attractions to one of the newest in Fantasyland, Fantasy Faire. This beautiful area added in 2013 is the home of Disney Princesses, fun shows, and a few Disneyland Diamonds. The most common Hidden Mickey is a formation of three circles that may be perceived as the silhouette of the head and ears of Mickey Mouse, often referred to by Disney aficionados as a "Classic Mickey" (thank you wikipedia!). But Fantasy Faire does have a "Hidden Mickey"There are also a few other "hidden" tributes to a few other classic animated films.

Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Sword in the Stone
Snow White and Robin Hood

But by far my favorite Diamond in this area is a "Hidden Pascal" that is right the little guy from Tangled made his way into this area, although it looks like he is trying to hide. He is VERY hard to find and is easier to see if you're a small child, but next time you are crossing the bridge from the castle area to Fantasy Faire, look across the water toward part of the queue for the Princess meet and great and you just might find him.To jump from one of the newest Disney Princesses pets to the original Princess on the other side of the castle moat, we have Snow White's Grotto.This beautiful and often missed area offers a perfect place to escape and enjoy the beauty of Sleeping Beauty Castle.Yet this area holds the second most controversial Diamond on this whole list, the marble figures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.The story I heard most of my life was the figures were "a gift from an Italian sculptor that had never seen the film, but owned a set of soaps in the form of the princess and the dwarfs. Unfortunately, Snow White was the same size as the dwarfs in the soap set, so the sculptor made her that way." This was even perpetuated by John Hench in his book Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show (Disney Editions 2003)

"We encountered a special challenge when Walt unexpectedly received a gift of statues of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs carved from pure-white Carrara marble, which arrived in wooden crates from Italy with no return address or any other indication of who might have made and sent them. Walt called me down to the studio warehouse to look at them, and told me he wanted them somewhere in Disneyland. I had to tell him that we would have a perspective problem with the figures. The sculptor had carved Snow White the same size as the dwarfs. 'Just figure it out,' said Walt."

This story stuck with me until in 2005, while speaking with a Disneyland Tour Guide who proceeded to tell me this was a pure fairy tale. At that time I started looking into the story and heard tale of the receipt for the statutes were in the Disney Archives in Burbank, but how would someone go about finding that information Fast forward to the 2011 D23 Expo and the Walt Disney Imagineering display and low and behold, all became clear! And there you go, it turns out Disney knows when, where, and who made these beautiful sculptures!

And now for the most controversial Disneyland Diamond...The "Center of Disneyland" golden spike! Now for those of you who have not heard of this, it's a small "golden spike" just under Sleeping Beauty Castle as you are walking through the castle.For as long as I can remember I've heard this point represents "the center of Disneyland." I never studied much geography, but looking at any arial view of Disneyland from 1955....

Courtesy of the Orange County Archives.

...Or Disneyland Resort 2015....

©Google Earth

...The "center of Disneyland" is no where near Sleeping Beauty Castle! After asking different Disneyland Cast Members and even going to some folks at WDI, I decided to turn to the one man who would know...Tony Baxter. In 1983, he was responsible for the complete renovation of Fantasyland so if he and his team left it there, it must be for some good reason!At the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, I had a chance to talk to him briefly and, of course, the first question I had to ask is "when is the Peoplemover coming back?" Oh wait, no, I asked about the spike and what it represents, to which he gave the most basic and simple answer: "It's a viewline marker to make sure no hotels or buildings could be built in sight of the park." And there it is, a spot to make sure there is no visual intrusion into the most magical place on earth.

Well folks if you stuck with me through all 8 pages I hope you learned a thing or two about my favorite place on earth, Disneyland!

Before I wrap this up, I would like to take a moment to point out that no one person is ever born with the knowledge they bestow on others. This small list has been gathered over the years from books, blogs, and the fine villagers of Geeknerdia. Thank you all for sharing your time and words with me so these stories can be passed along to others.

Categories: Article
Tags: AdventurelandAutopiaBasketball courtBear CountryBig Thunder Mountain RailroadBuzz LightyearBuzz Lightyear Arsto BlastersCircle VisionCountry Bear JamboreeCritter CountryDisney PrincessesDisneylandDisneyland 60thFantasylandFrontierlandHaunted MansionIndian VillageIndiana Jones AdventureJungle CruiseJunior AutopiaMagic KingdomMatterhorn BobsledsMidget AutopiaMine Train Through Nature's WonderlandNew Orleans SquarePack MulesPirates of the CaribbeanRocket RodsSleeping Beauty CastleSnow White and the Seven DwarfsSplash MountainTangledTomorrowlandTony BaxterWalt DisneyWinnie the Pooh
Jeremiah Good: Our main correspondent for Walt Disney World and the Orlando area and a heck of a paleontologist if he does say so himself.