Christmas Parades at Disneyland!

Christmas at Disneyland
1974-75

This Article is from the
Disneyland Line
12-1-1977
All on the Brand New
"Very Merry Christmas Parade"
[which was My first parade]

This from the
Disneyland Line
12-29-77

Now these were the Cookies that year!
I love their look!!!

The only problem was they were made out of "Scott Foam"
The look great! but don't hold up so well...
and when it rained on the parade one day that year...
They became walking sponges!!!!
soaking up water like there was no tomorrow!!
making them very heavy!
they all came sloshing in the gate at
town square just drenched!!!

They weren't the only one that failed to be weather proof...

The Ostriches came in the gate drenched!!!

Their ostrich feathers plastered to their costumes!!!
it was real funny to see the wardrobe people between parades,
blow drying the Ostriches for the next parade!

Now back to Holiday photos from the past!This time the year is 1991
the same year yesterday's Mickey skating...

Here is the Alice unit...
Love the flowers!

Next up...
The Bakers unit!
A finale Dancer...

and last the Star of the Parade
SANTA!
[My sleigh was Gold that year
and I still had my "Glock Girls"!!!]

1977 The Very Merry Christmas Parade

The Brand New Parade!
and my first job at the park.

Here's an article from the DL line 12/1/77

Here's a cast photo of everyone that was in the parade
[This was taken backstage facing toward
where the "New" parking structure now is...
I miss that Arco station]

This is Marilyn Magness presenting a cake to the cast
Marilyn staged and choreographed the whole parade

The Cake

And Believe it or not,
This is my "First" paycheck stub!

Wow! I cleared $8.57
and to think I was flying down from San Francisco to LAX
then taking a Greyhound to the DL Hotel for rehearsals!
[The flight was $12 , one way, the bus was $5 one way...
you do the math!]
I was working at DISNEYLAND!!!

HERBIE!

THE LOVE BUG!

Very Merry Christmas Parade 1986

Disneyland used to have Herbie in the parade every Christmas,
He was a Filler/ Spacer unit.
[ A unit that fills in the gaps due to guest cross overs .
one that can start and stop easily and fill in a lot of space
until the other unit catches up]It was Herbie and a Comic Cop/Stunt Man.
The cop was on a mini bike that looked like
a Highway patrol Motorcycle.

The Cop would "Pull Herbie Over"
and Herbie would start in on him.
He'd would squirt Water at the cop
and the cop would spit it back!
Then Herbie would be chase the cop down the street...

Till Herbie would catch up with him and swallow him up...
and spit him out!

Then the Cop would get his foot caught
on Herbie's bumper
and be dragged down the street.
As the Cop laid in the street,
Herbie would back up and
let loose with CO2 in the cops face and
then A Happy Herbie drives away!!!!

This was my Christmas card that year.
This Picture was taken backstage in the bone yard,
where old floats and a tired ol' Herbie lay...


So what happened to Herbie?
He sat in the Backstage ,taking a couple of years off.
and then Disneyland made a Press Event out of it
and presented him to Dean Jones
[Yes, for keeps!]
I wish he would make a come back in the Parade!

Have a Safe And Happy New Year!
"Don't Drink and Drive"

THE
VERY MERRY
CHRISTMAS PARADE
1977
This was the Opening Float.

Mickey and Minnie rode in the Electric car...
so ahead of the times!

Baloo and Louie in Christmas Garb.

Little John and Frier Tuck

Backstage:
Elliot awaits the Parade...
This was a great float, Made of foam!
when it would rain he was like one Giant Sponge!

The First Very Merry Christmas Parade

31 Years ago...
I got my job at Disneyland
Cast as a Dancing Penguin with Mary Poppins.
I was living in northern CA. at the time
and would fly down on weekends for rehearsals
[This was when a flight would cost $18 round trip!]

The Parade route

This was the audition/casting card.
I can't believe I kept this stuff!

Backstage Before the parade

My First DL I.D.

Our float was the last of the music box floats...
I love how it looks like Mary is being hung by the weather vane!
and he Balloon train behind us...