My Year With The Mouse

Let’s get a little music going, shall we? *tap tap tap*

The 20th Century Music Company is one of the charming shops along Main Street.

The peaked roof kind of makes it look like it's squeezed in there

You might be asking, “Why did Shelby take a picture of half of a cigar store Indian?” and that is indeed a good question.

A better question, though, would be “Why is there a cigar store Indian in front of the music shop?”

And if you know your former Disneyland, the best question would be,  “Didn’t there used to be a tobacco store on Main Street?”

Yep, mouse fans, Disneyland replaced their original Tobacco Shop with the 20th Century Music Company. Which explains the cigar store Indian. Interesting, no? The 20th Century Music Shop arrived just in time for the 21st century–it opened in 1999.

Although what actually fascinates me the most is the fact that up until 1999, you could buy cigarettes at Disneyland.

The 20th Century Music Company has a very charming sign above the door.

It's a little Victrola. I think.

This sign is a big improvement over the Tobacco store sign.

Like many Main Street stores, the Music Company is adjacent to a false store front, which also claims to be part of the music store.

Given its opening in 1999, the "new music for a new century" works on both the level of the fact that Main Street is supposed to be in the 1800's and that this store indeed was new music for a new century on the latter end

Geez, that was a long caption.

Anyway, I’m going to ask this question seriously in the hope that someone has an answer. So Main Street, U.S.A. is supposed to be just like a main street of a town in the 19th century, right? With lots of little store fronts? Well, the 20th Century Music Company store building almost looks like a church with its peaked roof, and the one next to it is a completely different architectural design. So back in the 19th century, would there really have been such a thing as a single store with two completely different fronts? I mean, I think in reality they might have tried to do one store per building design and maybe Walt just crammed them in there because they’re miniature and cute and back in 1955 nobody was blogging and asking these kinds of questions, but I really would like to know.

Back to the store.

The false front side actually has some cool details.

Very neat door painting

I think this was supposed to be like a couple of brothers who repaired musical instruments or tuned pianos or something–I can’t read it now and I took the picture a while ago.

Also, don’t forget to look up!

More friends of Walt, or maybe employees, I dunno

Back at Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, the music store sold a compilation of different music from the park–parade songs, attraction songs, etc.–on a set that was like 56 CDs big. So when I walked into the music store for the first time since we purchased said compilation in 2005, I expected to find lots of nice music.

Here is the first thing you see walking into the door.

It's music! And by music, I mean cell phone cases!

Humph.

In fact, there is rather depressingly little music to be found in the music store. They do have one revolving stand of Disney sheet music, in case you want to reenact Disney Broadway shows in your living room.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to my production of Tarzan Lion King Mary Poppins! Prepare for a delightful evening of old favorites and---wait, they made a musical out of Tarzan? Seriously?

The sum total of your pre-recorded music options is this wall.

Because nothing says "Disneyland" like Hannah Frickin' Montana

Looking up also applies to inside the stores.

Extras, in case the marching band loses theirs

Yes, that is a learn to draw Pixar characters book in the lower right-hand corner. The music store is the very first place I’d look for an item like that.

However, the music store does redeem itself with a genuine antique.

Gen-you-wine antique!

You can’t actually play said music box, or you couldn’t when I was visiting there, but it’s still extremely cool.

New music for a new century!

And incidentally, I’m not going to run a contest on it, but there is one other cigar store Indian in the park. Anyone know where it is? Hint: I already blogged about it :).