Happy 47th birthday, Haunted Mansion!

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion has been my absolute favorite Disney attraction since I was a kid. It's tough to explain just why -- it just is, and always will be.

Today, the 47th anniversary of its opening day, I'd like to share some film photographs of the Mansion that I've taken over the years as well as a few links to historical resources regarding the imagineering and history of the attraction.

Please visit + enjoy the following:
The Backside of Water Podcast - Haunted Mansion episode
Theme Park Tourist - The Dark, Troubled History of Disney's Haunted Mansion
The History of Haunted Mansion Holiday
The history and return of the infamous Hatbox Ghost
Haunted Mansion complete soundtrack
Marvel Comics debuts 5 issue Haunted Mansion series in 2016

recent finds from the Orange Show swap meet

I absolutely love going to the swap meet.

Growing up in San Diego, my dad was at Kobey's Swap Meet at the San Diego Sports Arena nearly every weekend, sometimes buying, sometimes selling. I'm pretty sure this is where the "thrill of the hunt" seed was planted in me, I absolutely love searching for treasures, diamonds in the rough.

While Kobey's had segregated "old" and "new" sections of the grounds, unfortunately many contemporary swap meets are mostly "new" items and of zero interest to me. I've permanently crossed many local swap meets off of my list because of this, but there is one nearby that never disappoints -- the San Bernardino Swap Meet at the National Orange Show Fairgrounds. From the treasures waiting to be found to the characters you're destined to meet, it's very reminiscent of the countless weekends wandering the aisles with my dad.

This swap meet is massive. We usually go about twice a year, and always find something special. Last Sunday was our first outing of the new year, and we came away with a ton of great stuff, including a set of Jarts lawn darts, a clay wheeled skateboard, and, of course, some wonderful postcards to add to my collection. I'll likely share all of them here at some point, but I'll begin today with this set of Disneyland postcards from the 1970s.

The mysterious depths of the legendary Seven Seas have been brought to reality for passengers aboard one of Disneyland's air-conditioned submarines. Guests enjoy looking through portholes to view an underwater panorama of sunken treasures, mermaids, a sea serpent, and beautiful floral and fauna of the underseas world.

Brillant "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks burst over the Disneyland Castle every summer evening as a part of the show in "Disneyland After Dark."

A ghostly ball reaches its height as frolicking spirits perch, precariously, on a huge chandelier. They are just a few of the 999 fun-loving ghosts in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland.

Gazelles, gnus, zebra, lions, and giraffes tell the story and point up the law of the jungle... survival of the fittest... in this expansive grassland region along the banks of the Rivers of the World in Disneyland's Adventureland.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland. 

Dusk comes to Frontierland as the Mark Twain steamboat makes its way past Cascade Mountain on a peaceful trip along the banks of the Rivers of America.

A bobsled finds a watery surprise in a glacial lake after twisting and careening down the icy Matterhorn Mountain.

The Rainbow Ridge Mine Train takes guests deep into underground caverns where breathtaking waterfalls, multi-colored stalactites and stalagmites are seen inside beautiful Rainbow Caverns in Frontierland.

Along the winding Seven Seaways, guests embark on the "Happiest Cruise that ever sailed" -- Disneyland's exciting musical fantasy, "It's a Small World."

strike up the band(s)

Whether it's subtle or pronounced, music is an integral part of the Disneyland experience. I like to stop and enjoy the bands as often as I can, and I can honestly say that it's the times that I stumble upon them when they're marching out (or riding in, as you will see below) that are my most favorite opportunities to watch, listen, and, of course, photograph.

Please enjoy this series of film photographs of the musicians of Disneyland.

Mickey's Toontown, 2015.

Five and a Dime, Disney California Adventure, 2013.

The following five photographs are the results of being in the right place at the right time. I saw the Disneyland Band march around the grotto toward the front of the Castle (closed at the time to prepare for the Diamond Anniversary) and stopped off to the side to see them play. To my right I saw Mickey and the rest of the characters waiting to march out and join the band, and had just enough time to adjust my settings for their entrance. 

All five of these color photographs were taken in February 2015.

The four following photographs were taken in February 2015. On this day the Band played contemporary (in my opinion, at least) songs from Disney animated features, so when the band leader turned to me to ask if I knew the words and I said I didn't, it wasn't because I was shy!

The Dapper Dans.
See them. Love them. Repeat.

Here's what I mean by "riding in". The Mark Twain Riverboat is a thing of beauty itself, but hearing the Band playing in the distance, turning to look, and seeing this? Magical.

Spring 2014.

The Straw Hat Band came out to play on Main Street despite heavy rain. Every once in a while the tuba player would lift the instrument up against the awning, filled with rain water, and make it cascade over the side. I took this photograph with my Diana, a favorite camera to take along to the Park.

Straw Hat Band, January 2015.

Another toy camera photograph, this time taken with a Holga. Click here to see more Disneyland photographs taken with this now retired camera. And also here!

Dapper Dans, May 2013.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the show.

A very fisheye Disneyland

Our Lomography fisheye camera (the #1, which they no longer make in the color + model we have) is special not only for it's 170 degree range but also because it was the first toy camera in our camera collection. Though it may not be heavy in the rotation, it's still fun to take out and shoot with, as it was on this October day we spent at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Here they are, in chronological order throughout the day. Enjoy °o°

All photographs © Monika Seitz Vega, 2014.