699 BELLEVUE AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94610
Walt Disney's Disneyland certainly did "raise the bar" for the entire amusement park industry! In this regard, you might recall a 1956 National Association of Amusement Parks Pools and Beaches (NAAPPB) award given to Walt Disney. This award is currently on display in the trophy room of The Walt Disney Family Museum of San Francisco. However, Disneyland wasn't the first park of it's kind - a themed park. The 1890s to the 1950s had given rise to a string of enclosed themed entertainment areas - zoos, waterparks, and gardens. Even as a young man, Walt might have been acquainted with a few of them - like Electric Park (1899-1925) in Kansas City. Years later, Walt was known for visiting the picturesque Tivoli Gardens (1843-the present) on more than one occasion, whilst visiting Copenhagen, Denmark. These few locations and many more may have influenced varying elements of Disneyland. Some assuredly did. It’s a fact that during the research and development stages of Disneyland, it has been recorded that “Walt personally contributed more to the research effort than anyone on his team. During all the planning stages, Walt completed valuable research on his own, striving to improve and perfect the Disneyland concept. He visited county fairs, circuses, carnivals, national parks and zoos. On one trip to Europe, Lillian warned, ‘Walt, if you’re going to look at any more zoos… I’m not going with you!” [The Spirit of Disneyland”]
One such park is Children's Fairyland (in Lakeside Park, Oakland, California), which opened to the public nearly five years before Disneyland's dedication and it has long been rumored to have inspired some aspects of Disneyland. There are in fact some individuals (including several employees of Children's Fairyland), who have made strong assertions that Walt Disney once visited Children's Fairyland. This may be because on April 17th, 1954, Walt (along with Nat Winecoff and C.V. Wood) flew to San Francisco on some unspecified company business (a truth verified by Dave Smith of The Walt Disney Archives). Since the pointed nature of their business is not widely known, it has continued to be a point of conjecture, as to whether or not Walt & company did in fact visit this destination during their 1954 business trip.
A New York Times article published February 5, 2011 claims that “Walt Disney toured amusement parks including Children's Fairyland, in 1950.” Yet another article (published by CAL ALUMNI at UC BERKELEY) firmly asserts that Walt Disney was “a frequent visitor to the park before he built Disneyland.” As to an official statement by the Walt Disney Studio Archives, Dave Smith's publication "Disney Facts Revealed" (copyright 2016), weighed in on the subject : "No specific evidence turned up in the Walt Disney Archives that Walt or his designers ever visited Children's Fairyland, but...it is possible that they headed over to Oakland." So despite a lack of studio archival evidence, can we simply assume that Walt Disney did not visit Children's Fairyland?
"TO ALL WHO COME TO THIS HAPPY PLACE, WELCOME!"
During 1953 and 1954, many of Walt Disney’s Disneyland designers traveled around the country, in order to gain inspiration from and analyze current theme parks and roadside attractions. On a few occasions, Walt accompanied them. According to Dave Smith (Chief Archivist Emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives) as late as 2016, “No specific evidence turned up in the Walt Disney Archives that Walt or his designers ever visited Children’s Fairyland.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016] Still, the rumors persisted, and after two years of personal research and investigation, I would now like to share a rarely seen (and forgotten) excerpt verifying Walt Disney's presence in Oakland as well as conclusively testifying to the nature of his business! Twenty days after Walt & company's unspecified Bay Area business, the following article (likely written by an observer), appears in The Oakland Tribune's "Daily Knave : Accolade" section on May 7th, 1954.
COMMENTARY ON WALT'S BRIEF TOUR OF CHILDRENS FAIRYLAND - Oakland Tribune, May 7, 1954, courtesy of The Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library.
An "enterprising" Walt Disney's nature of "business", was touring at least two newly constructed children's amusement parks in Oakland - George Whitney’s Peralta Playland (1950-1968), and Children's Fairyland (1950-present). Note that Walt was welcomed and at ease. This was no secret excursion, as a person of the press was well aware. Also of relevance is the short list of cities who "studied" Children's Fairyland in order to achieve a little inspiration for their own endeavors. Walt was clearly not the first or the last creative individual to tour Lake Merritt's storybook surroundings.
According to the writer of the 1954 article, "Disney liked everything shown him by Director Dorothy Manes" - "the use of color" and also a certain "Wallie the Whale" which caught his eye. More than that - Walt must have been positively stirred by the people (like Children's Fairyland Guide Dorothy Manes), who personally led him around the amusement park. His admiration and respect for what he saw is evident by what happened next.
"DOROTHY AND BOB - DISNEYLAND STOLE THEIR HEARTS"
DISNEYLAND PUBLIC RELATIONS (c. 1956-1957):
(front row, left to right) : Phil Bauer (Illustrations Department), Dorothy Manes (Sales and Children's Activities), Marty Skylar, Eleanor Heldt (Group Sales Manager), Milt Albright (Finance Department),
(second row, left to right) : Charlie Nichols (photography), Jack Lindquist (Senior Marketing Executive), Eddie Meck (Disneyland Publicity), Ed Ettinger (Public Relations Director), Carl Frith (photography), Lee Cake (publicist), Frank Forsyth (Vacationland magazine Distributor).
Further question has been raised as to whether or not Walt & company did indeed "steal" ideas (or anything else) from the established Bay Area children's park. Can we assume that nothing was "taken" from Children's Fairyland to benefit Walt Disney's Disneyland?
Dorothy Manes loved her position as “director under civil service” of Children’s Fairyland, a title which she held since the park’s opening in 1950. A testament to this fact may be gleaned from numerous 1952 news articles reporting on a bit of controversy which Dorothy was unwittingly caught in the middle of. It seems that her position was randomly abolished by one of three park board members in an attempt to “make cutbacks”. Dorothy Mane’s case went to court, and the outcome was that she was reinstated with Children’s Fairyland as a guide.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO SCROLL THROUGH A FEW OF THE 1952 OAKLAND TRIBUNE AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ARTICLES WHICH COVERED THIS STORY. (We must take a moment to thank Thomas Carey [Archivist/Librarian, San Francisco History Center], as well as historians Dorothy Lazaed [Oakland History Room] and Ron Heckart [Oakland History Room]. These individuals were instrumental in uncovering these sources which enlighten us to the circumstances and nature of Dorothy Manes’ employment.
Roughly two years later, Walt Disney visited Children’s Fairyland - shown the grounds by the current Director, as well as Guide Dorothy Manes. At some point, she had the opportunity to meet Walt. In his biography, Van Arsdale France recalled: “In planning Disneyland, one of the places that Walt had studied was Children's Fairyland in Oakland, California, where he met Dorothy Manes, the Manager of that charming spot.” It appears that Walt did extend an invitation to Fairyland's Executive Director Dorothy Manes - an offer which she graciously accepted. As Van Arsdale France (who was hired during July of 1954) remembered one of “Walt’s personal hires,” Dorothy Manes: “Dorothy arrived at the Studio about three days after I did, by which time I was an ‘old hand.’ She, too, had been passed along to Fred Schumacher, who immediately introduced her to me. It was a bit like the blind leading the blind, but we became friends.”
It is important to note that “when Disneyland first opened, it was [their]… policy not to hire anyone who worked in an old-time amusement park,” according to one Disneyland Cast Member orientation book (published in 1981). Dorothy was one of few exceptions to this rule, and she began working at Disneyland during the mid-1950s, when she was hired to fill a position (similar to one held at Children's Fairyland). Again, Van Arsdale France remembered the reason why: “He hired her to set up youth activities at the Park...working with the Boy Scouts and such organizations… She helped immensely in setting up my first training program. A charming person with a beautiful sense of humor, she had delightfully good taste in earthy jokes. She was outspoken, would fight for her rights and her programs...and contributed much to the organization.” Van even said that Dorothy was a “helpful instructor… with a good insight into what Walt had in mind for Disneyland.” A few months later, the Disneyland News (Vol. 1, No. 8 ; page 3, published February 10th, 1956) even made an honorable mention of Dorothy in one article: “youth groups, including Scout organizations, school classes, and church groups are under the direction of Dorothy Manes, director of Youth Activities. For information about planning Youth Tours, Mrs. Manes may be contacted directly at Disneyland.”
Note the valuable Dorothy Manes (Disneyland Youth Activities Administrator) of Disneyland Marketing division’s Group Sales Department.
Now, Dorothy must have simply loved Disneyland, because she continued to handle business of this nature for Walt's magic kingdom in Anaheim, until 1972. See the “Disneylander” excerpt above. Another artifact confirms and elucidates her roll at Disneyland, in charge of youth activities and sales. (See photograph below.)
PROOF OF EMPLOYMENT : Consider a piece of evidence that turned up at auction recently - this letter by a Dorothy Manes, dated July 30, 1955. Examination of the document shows that Disneyland occasionally held promotional offers affecting ticket prices over the years. As far back as 1955, the subject of promotions was a common inquiry raised by travelers as they planned their holiday to Walt Disney's magic kingdom! Dorothy continued to handle Disneyland business of this nature until 1972.
While it is true that Walt Disney decided against hiring anyone with experience in old-line amusement parks or carnivals, Dorothy wasn't the last Children's Fairyland employee to apply for employment with Disneyland. Many talented individuals applied just for an opportunity to work inside Walt Disney's Disneyland during it's first decade! One such person was notable Oakland puppeteer Bob Mills. Bob was previously a Bay Area Puppet Guild member, performing within Children's Fairyland Storybook Puppet Theatre.
This Oakland Tribune article about Bob Mills was published roughly a year before his employment with Disneyland in 1958.
Though Bob enjoyed his time with Children's Fairyland, he proved there were "no strings attached", when he applied and ultimately secured a position in Disneyland. Less than two years after Dorothy applied for a Disneyland position, Bob would go on performing one-man shows within a custom-built stage of Disneyland's Fantasyland Theatre. He would also pull a few shifts (and strings) inside Tinkerbell's Toy Shoppe. Bob mainly performed shows, but on occasion also demonstrated and gave tips on using marionettes from 1957 to 1961. He recounts to LINE magazine, "I look back on those days at Disneyland as a fantastic experience. I never did meet Walt Disney, but I know he watched my show a number of times and seemed to enjoy it. I was a kid - just in my early twenties - and I remember getting nervous when he came around, although it was also exciting. Walt never stayed too long because people would eventually leave through the back exit. I don't think he wanted to be the star of the show - he wanted the Park to be the star."
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW THE PAGES OF DISNEYLAND LINE'S SHORT SYNOPSIS OF BOB'S DISNEYLAND CAREER.
A 1958 photograph of Bob Mills and stars at Fantasyland Theatre - the custom stage built for puppet shows and marionette demonstrations!
Though individuals like Bob Mills and Dorothy Manes are long gone, you'll still find a bit of Disney history within the Oakland amusement center. In fact, Children's Fairyland employees still proudly recognize the park's connection to Walt Disney. Over the years numerous "easter eggs" (that is, references) to Walt Disney have been tucked away all around the humble park - including a Mickey Mouse painted on one of the attraction walls, and even figures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs near one of the Magic Key-activated cottage displays.
Hopefully the facts presented here will clear up any misconceptions or misunderstandings as to where Walt was during that spring day of 1954, as well as the nature of Disneyland's relationship to Children's Fairyland.
First, it's clear that Walt was given a tour of the premises (the same as others did before him). According to the Oakland journalist's report, Walt seemed inspired and captivated by quite a few attractions, operations, and individuals around Children's Fairyland during April of 1954. Walt even seemed to be very forward about his feelings on Fairyland. Subsequently, Disneyland did benefit from at least a couple of Children's Fairyland employees who ended up employed there. Fairyland in turn, no doubt continues to recognize (if not, praise) it's Disneyland connection - celebrating this chapter of it's rich heritage with references (from Mickey Mouse to Snow White) "sprinkled" like much pixie dust around it's grounds. We are truly elated and privileged to exist in a magical world where both William Mott's Children's Fairyland as well as Walt Disney's magic kingdom co-exist and continue to inspire and bring joy to untold generations of individuals!