Category Archives: Main Street

Dapper Dans

4 Comments Posted by on July 20, 2011

Walt loved music, so he planned a lot of it inside the park. Much like the Pearly Band, Bootstrappers, Hook and Ladder Company, and the Straw Hatters, the Dapper Dans is a barbershop quartet who appear to perform for a short while and then disappear. They sing a capella  on Main Street, usually near the fruit cart. You can spot them by their natty outfits.

The Dapper Dans are brought to you by stripes

They usually tap dance a little, but I didn’t quite catch that.

I can’t emphasize enough that these roving entertainers really are a lot of fun and I recommend slowing down and seeing them when you’re at the park.

The Dapper Dans have been around since 1959 and even have their own website. Apparently they’re supposed to have a custom 4-seater Schwinn bike, but I’ve never seen it.

Sans bike

Even though they don’t have the Disney characters or flash like the Straw Hatters and the Hook and Ladder Company, they still excel in entertainment.

Everyone look at the ground

That person on the left is clapping.

The Dapper Dans are really one of the most recognized of the roving entertainment. I didn’t know anything about the others, but I had definitely heard of the Dapper Dans. And when I asked the internet what the name of the Straw Hatters was, most people said it was the Dapper Dans.

It’s an easy mistake to make.

Straw Hatters

Dapper Dans

Except that a barbershop quartet only has four people.

The Dapper Dans also has that little bit of flair so emblematic of Disneyland.

Farewell!

Definitely try to catch some of the roving entertainment at Disneyland. It’s a lot of fun.

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Crystal Arts

5 Comments Posted by on July 14, 2011

Among the shops on Main Street you’ll find the Crystal Arts shop. Now I’ll be honest with you–sometimes there are things that just make me say “why would you buy this?” and I’ve gotta say, the entire Crystal Arts shop is like that for me.

A rather plain outside, given how dazzling it is inside

I think perhaps part of the problem is that when I’m faced with that much glass that’s all displayed on glass, I can’t really figure out what I’m looking at.

A bunch of glass things

Of course there are things to drink out of

I think

Another thing I think puzzles me is that a large portion of what they have isn’t Disney-related at all. I mean, I can understand maybe wanting to take home a Mickey Mouse wine glass or something, but a cut glass vase? Why come all the way to Disneyland and pay Disneyland prices for that?

I guess part of it is that I’m cheap, so if I’m going to buy anything at Disneyland, it better be something clearly indicating that it came from Disneyland, know what I mean?

You can buy the castle in glass.

This would make an awesome weapon for intruders

I forgot to check how much that cost.

They also claim to have glass cutters, though I think that’s just window dressing.

Looking at the glass through the glass

I suppose maybe I’m spoiled, because when I think of quality cut glass I think of Waterford, and I have actually taken a tour of the Waterford factory in Ireland not once, but twice. It was very cool.

I guess people do buy these things–Crystal Arts isn’t the only place you can get them. I just can’t help but think gee, I’d hate to be there in an earthquake!

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The Plaza Pavilion, Or The Single Most Wasted Space In The Entire Park

14 Comments Posted by on July 12, 2011

Today I’m going to talk to you about the Plaza Pavilion, which is the single most wasted space in the entire park. Now let’s face it–Disneyland does a pretty good job with its space. Sure, there are some major bottleneck areas (I’m looking at you, Adventureland throughway) and some not-so-well-planned viewing arrangements (like they showed Fantasmic for like 15 years before they realized it would be a good idea to come up with some kind of seating plan instead of a free-for-all wherever you were standing), but for the most part the space is well-used. Particularly given the amount of magic they cram into a property that is literally in the middle of a city.

However, there is one sad building whose beautiful potential is completely wasted on its current purpose, and that is the Plaza Pavilion.

What a lovely building!

And what is its current purpose?

Annual Passport Processing? Really?

Yep, they’ve got this beautiful building in a fabulous location, right at the end of Main Street overlooking the hub, and all they do there is process annual passes.

To get a better idea of the complete waste of space, look to your right.

It's a great big bunch of...nothing

Or look to your left.

More nothing

Doesn’t it look like the Plaza Pavilion would be a great restaurant? It was. Well, I don’t know if it was great, but it was a restaurant. A buffeteria, to be exact. Doesn’t the word buffeteria just SCREAM 1950s to you? They were so fond of mashups back then. The word buffeteria also reminds me of the word “cafetorium,” which was something we had in my middle school and high school and translates to “we’re too cheap to build a cafeteria and an auditorium so we’re just going to make it one building and create a cute word for it.”

I was always jealous of schools that had separate auditoriums.

Anyway, outside of the Plaza Pavilion you have the one and only inside-the-park booth for the Disney Vacation Club.

Uh-oh, a couple of people got roped in there

Now this is one major advantage Disneyland has over the Mouse-in-law: Disneyland only has one DVC booth in the entire park.(UPDATE: Reader correction–there are two! The other one is in Tomorrowland and apparently completely ignorable since I forgot about it )At the Mouse-in-law, there’s a DVC booth just about every 3 feet. I mean, in the entire resort there’s like one DVC booth for every 8 guests or something. And its little catchphrase is “Disney’s Best Kept Secret.” Which honestly, it’s not a secret if you can’t even walk a straight line without hitting a DVC booth.

Stay tuned to this blog and I will tell you about Disneyland’s REAL best-kept secret. Later.

Anyway, the DVC is a time share that you buy into where you can then go and stay at Disney properties. It’s a lot more popular in Florida than it is here. So if you want the DVC sales pitch, there is where you can get it inside of Disneyland.

They wouldn’t let me go inside the annual pass processing center, since I wasn’t buying or renewing an annual pass, but here’s a picture of the doorway.

Exciting

And over on the side there’s some seating for The Restaurant That Can’t Decide What It Wants To Be Called.

It's a nice place to sit

There have been a lot of rumors over the years as to what exactly Disneyland intends to do with the Plaza Pavilion. A rumor that sounds credible to me is that they are going to put annual pass processing over in CA Adventure (which I think is wise) and turn the Plaza Pavilion back into some kind of food-oriented venue. I heard speculation that it would be like a Mary Poppins-themed bakery, which I think would be really fun. But who knows.

Main Street ,

Disneyana

8 Comments Posted by on July 4, 2011

 

Don’t forget to enter the Gibson Girl caption contest!

Okay, when I hear or see the word Disneyana, I immediately think of a large red barn on the side of some major highway but in a totally deserted stretch of said highway. For example, I know I’ve seen some in the Midwest, and up north there’s one right outside of Gilroy (Garlic Capital of the World! Home of the Garlic Festival! Eat some garlic ice cream! I wish I were kidding!). And to be honest, these barns kind of make me shudder a little. I mean, they’re basically antique shops (or those co-op antique shops where you rent your little section and sell on consignment or whatever, I don’t know) and some people have Disneyana (Disney memorabilia) to sell.

I know a lot of people like antique stores and collect pretty much anything, but I am not one of those. Plus I think a lot of the stuff is total crap, like Camp Snoopy glasses you got at Burger King when Camp Snoopy opened up at Knott’s. I mean really? People pay top dollar for giveaway glasses from Burger King?

Anyway, so when I saw that one of the stores on Main Street was called Disneyana, I was a little confused.

Oh god, please don't let there be headless Kewpie dolls wearing miniature Mickey shirts or something

I did not expect to find some Mickey statue that had broken in 3 places and was glued together with a couple of chips missing,or pretty much anything I can find at my grandmother’s very cluttered house.

Fortunately, I did not!

Turns out that Disneyana at Disneyland is basically art and figurines. You’ve got your typical, straightforward Disney porcelain stuff, including little kids playing with Disney toys.

That's the best you can do?

A smattering of jewelry, with various themes, like the Nightmare Before Christmas.

This isn't the jewelry store--that's across the street. Literally. Like 15 feet away.

My favorite are pieces by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, who happen to be my neighbors.

Seriously, they live in our extended neighborhood!

Items range from the classy and kind of cool

I'd buy this if the price was right

To the unforgivable travesties known as Mickey and Friends in Star Wars.

Donald Duck as Darth Maul??? W. T. F. ???

I mean look, I’m a big Star Wars fan and a big Disney fan, but some things just shouldn’t be mixed.

You can also buy prints of various scenes, ride posters, and general Disney art.

The fancy ones

Again, these range from the tasteful

Is it easy to find a frame for these things?

To the tacky and atrocious

Just say no

Again with the Mickey and Star Wars? Seriously, this is not a good idea. Other things that should never be combined:

  • Pickles and ice cream
  • Charlie Sheen and more drugs
  • Winnie the Pooh and pole dancing
  • Chocolate and rat poison
  • Ice skating and flamethrowers

(that was by no means a comprehensive list)

To clear your mind, here’s some more nice art including Walt.

I don't know much about art presentation, but that glare cannot be good for that picture.

They have these cool kind of light box things that are really hard to photograph

I should say really hard to photograph if you're me

There’s the romantic princesses too.

I'd be willing to bet real money that someone used that Belle and Beast figurine as a wedding cake topper

And one thing that I really love, which is the print on demand station. There’s ride posters and all kinds of other art. You just click on the ones you want and a couple hours later, it’s yours! We have a ride poster (full-size) for the Monorail, and a small version of the Dumbo one in Theo’s room.

It's fun to just look through these, but then people get annoyed with you if you've been hogging it for an hour and don't even buy something

There’s a whole Disneyland-themed Precious Moments section.

Snow White on a rocking horse? I totally remember that part of the movie.

I’ll be honest here–I find Precious Moments to be utterly nauseating. I’m having a hard time trying to decide which offends my sensibilities more, the Precious Moments stuff or Mickey and Star Wars. It’s really a toss-up. I suppose there’s room on the bottom for everyone.

And then you get to the ultimate terror: the Marie Osmond dolls.

Mommy, I don't like these

I really do find porcelain dolls to be disturbing on a guttural level. The eyes just creep me out and I’m convinced they are going to come to life, rise up, and eat me. Two, who wants a doll with a head that shatters? It’s even worse when people have a whole collection of them. It’s like a Lilliputian graveyard just waiting for the Gulliver equivalent of the rapture so they can achieve world domination with their soulless, unblinking eyes.

Plus looking at this picture, wtf is the doll in red supposed to be? She looks like Violet Beauregard meets Scarlett O’Hara meets Chuckie. I pity the cast member who has to open that glass case. I’m pretty sure he or she is going to lose an arm in the process.

Moving on, the Disneyana store also has a collection of Vinylmation

There's not nearly as many here as there are in Downtown Disney

Vinylmation are these little vinyl Mickey Mouses who are painted to represent various…I don’t know, various things. There are sometimes themed collections too. It seems that the primary purpose of Vinylmation is to trade them with other people for their Vinylmation. Oh, also, many of the packages are grab-bag-style, which is to say that you don’t know what design is inside. But yeah, Vinylmation trading is definitely on its way up. I think Disney wanted to exploit the pin trading model and start yet another thing to buy and trade. Talk about a money maker.

Anyway, there you have it. Figurines, scary dolls, good art and bad art–that’s Disneyana.

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