Disneyland’s 30th Year was a special chapter in Disneyland history - “a 365-day celebration”! Themed celebrations were held on various weekends throughout the year to celebrate “30 Years of Magic”, and it all began with a rededication hosted by Disneyland Ambassador Melissa Tyler! A 24-hour celebration began at 12:01 for guests who purchased “Party Night” Tickets. Tinker Bell (Gina DeMarco) illuminated 30 candles over Main Street and 30,000 balloons were released into the night air, as colorful search lights illuminated a rainbow over Disneyland. After the rope drop, festivities included the premier of the colorful and musical “30 Years of Magic Parade”! Local radio station KRLA and Television stations and crews (including the British “Today Show”) were on hand to share the magic!

“Special Party Premiums” included a free gift - Disneyland 30th Birthday Poster (a limited edition 5,000 lithographic print) signed by artist Charles Boyer - at the Gift Redemption Center near the Mr. Lincoln attraction or at the Gibson Greeting Card Shop on Main Street U.S.A. In addition, guests were invited to enjoy a Birthday Brunch between the hours of 12:01 and 8:00 a.m. through many Disneyland restaurants - the Plaza Pavilion, Plaza Inn, Carnation Main Street, Blue Bayou Restaurant, French Market, River Belle Terrace, Tomorrowland Terrace, Stage Door Cafe, Carnation Gardens, Hungry Bear Restaurant, Cafe Orleans, Village Haus, and Casa Mexicana.

“The Most Magical Party Celebration Ever Telecast”

During August of 1985, “Disneyland’s 30th Anniversary Celebration,” a two-hour special aired (Monday, February 18th, at 8p.m.) on NBC-TV Network (advertised on the cover of Walt Disney Productions Quarterly Report for three months ended December 31, 1984)! The star-studded two-hour celebration was co-hosted by John Forsythe and Drew Barrymore! David Hasselhoff (of television’s Knight Rider) joined Julie Andrews, Donna Summer, Julian Lennon, Alabama, the Pointer Sisters (performing the “Neutron Dance” alongside program characters from the world of TRON, and Electrical Parade Floats), Debbie Allen, Roy Clark, Marie Osmond, Peter Allen, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse to observe Disneyland’s 30th anniversary festivities.

The Official 30th Year Birthday Party Opening Ceremony was held in Town Square, Main Street U.S.A., on July 17th, 1985, at 12:01 a.m.! The Mayor of Anaheim, Tokyo Disneyland Cast Members, and Dick Nunez addressed the crowds before a large release of colorful balloons, confetti, and “HAPPY 30th DISNEYLAND” skywriting filled the sky south of Disneyland!

At Disneyland, signs were themed to support the stories with respectful graphics, colors, fonts, terminology, the overall design of sign, materials (wood, metal, banners, etc.), and verbiage used on the signage.

Without a doubt, Disneyland’s “hottest summer ever” would be remembered for the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the debut of Videopolis, and assuredly Disneyland’s 30th Birthday Celebration! From January 1, 1985 to 1986, the Gift Giver Extraordinaire Machine assured that every Disneyland guest became a winner! The Gift Giver Extraordinaire (a computerized machine developed by Scientific Systems at Imagineering) was originally programmed to award prizes to every 30th guest, while keeping track of the date, the time of day, and the number of guests to enter the Park during the celebration!

The Gift Giver Extraordinaire Machine (also known as the “Incredible Countdown Clock”) was situated in the middle of Disneyland Plaza, awarding prizes to every 30th guest (ages 3 and up) all year long, and according to Disneyland Line will “add up to a winner every minute”. The $12 million worth of prizes, included 400 new General Motors Cars. According to the same publication, “3,000 gifts - including two cars” had been given away by only three days into 1985.

Many smaller prizes included drinks at the Orange Juice Bar, Disneyland popcorn, and Disneyland Souvenir pins (featuring Disneyland’s different lands)! How were the winners decided? The publication continues : “The incredible Gift Giver Extraordinaire Machine [was]…a sophisticated computer monitoring system which counts eligible [paid admission] guests and automatically awards prizes. The computer system dispenses a Contest Entry Card to each eligible guest who passes through a turnstile, and the numbers printed on the card by the computer determine if the guest has won, and what the prize category will be. If there is a computer breakdown, the scratch-off cards will be distributed to eligible guests as the guests pass through the turnstile[s]. The contest odds will remain the same for the scratch-off cards.” According Cast Member Information Cards (published for 1985), the approximate odds of winning prizes were as follows :

•Disneyland “Unlimited Use” Passport (1 in 30)

•Mickey/Minnie 20” Plush Toy Collection (1 in 300)

•Disneyland 30th Anniversary Commemorative Wristwatch (1 in 3000)

•1985 Chevrolet Cavalier CS 4-DR Sedan (1 in 30,000)

•1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera LS Sedan (1 in 300,000)

•Buick Century Custom Sedan (1 in 300,000)

•1985 Pontiac Sunbird LE (1 in 30,000)

•1985 Cadillac Sedan De Ville (1 in 3,000,000) - the grand prize valued at $25,000!

Some Gift-Giver Extraordinaire tickets had the chronological number of the Disneyland guest printed on the front, while others did not.

These tickets are stamped with a “30” indicating that the holder has won a Disneyland Unlimited Use Passport.

According to Dave Smith (previous Chief Archivist Emeritus of Walt Disney Archives), “photos are not usually available of individual Disneyland contest winners.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016] For the first few decades of operation, this certainly proved to have been the case. Pictured above, another guest (of Disneyland’s 30th year) displays her winning ticket and a giant key used to redeem her prize! Numerous other guests won the Grand Prize. Some of these winners were featured in publication, while a master list of winners could be acquired within a few weeks of the contest’s end.

Other winners included Michael Stone and Donna Boronda.

“It Looks Like We Started Something”

The Gift Giver Extraordinaire - “the greatest gift giveaway ever” - was so popular that it returned for a second year - 1986! According to Bob McTyre, this year’s marketing strategy is “for long-term events, ones that will allow time for interest to build and spread, thus attracting more guests during traditionally slow periods”. Now, the theme of the Gift Giver Extraordinaire contest is : “Everyone Wins Every Day”, with prizes ranging from “free popcorn and juice bars to RCA 25” TVs and Pontiac Firebirds”, according to Disney Newsreel (published February 21, 1986).

•1986 Pontiac Sunbird LE (1 in 30,000) - Through the Main Entrance, the Pontiac Firebird Showcase featured the brand new Pontiac Firebird - “the official car of Disneyland ‘86”!

•1 PSA Round Trip Airline Ticket

•1 Disney Home Video Cassette (from available stock)

•1 RCA Color TV

•1 Kodak Camera

•1 Lorus Mickey Mouse Watch

•Unlimited Use Passports

•Disneyland Collectable Pins

•Popcorn

•Super Juice Bars

Prizes were redeemable from the Prize Redemption Center near the exit of the “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln” attraction or the participating food locations!

Winners were only responsible for paying any federal, state, or local taxes that would apply. Guests visited Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and before exiting, validated winning tickets at the Prize Redemption Center! Sadly, no burros were ever actually awarded among the more-than 400,000 prizes given away.

“Looks Like We Started Something”

The prize giveaway concept was so popular that it continued the following year.

“Thirty Years of Magic and we’ve only just begun!” Ribbon dancers make their way down the parade route, heralding the beginning of the parade, and the approach of the Opening Float! Yes, “Thirty Years of Magic and the best is yet to come!”

“Thank you, Mickey! Thank you, Donald!” Thank you, Minnie too! “Let’s all give a cheer! The whole world wants to thank you for 30 happy years!”

Many Disneyland Parades had a balloon float which released numerous colorful balloons into the air! Rather than just one big balloon release, these floats were designed to release the colorful balloons periodically as the unit progressed down the parade route.

Mouseketeer Days at Disneyland was a month-long event also referred to as Mickey Mouse Club Month! Souvenir buttons featuring Bobby Burgess and Sherry (and the slogan “Disneyland ‘86, On Tour” were given to guests of Mouseketeer Days, at Disneyland!

In addition to pins, there was plenty of 30th anniversary merchandise for collectors of Disneyana. Pride Lines Ltd. had already manufactured a mechanical coin bank and many electric railway streetcars featuring Disney characters (powered either by an AC/DC wide tinplate style motor or a magnet motor and worn gear drive). Now, Pride Lines Ltd. released the motorized and metallic Disneyland 30th Year Streetcar, a limited edition “Our 30th Year” Mickey Mouse figure, and an illuminated street lamp, each compatible with “O” gauge.

A special 30th Anniversary name tag was worn by Cast Members all year long!

These commemorative coins were attached to the cards that were sent to Cast Members, inviting them to “Join Us For A Family Celebration”…and the “Disneyland 30th Anniversary Open House”. This event was a backstage look behind-the-scenes at our Disneyland Show May 6, 7, 8, and 9. A complimentary dinner was served. Cast Members needed to indicate the preferred date that they would like to attend using the enclosed Reservation Card.

According to “Walt” (published by Walt Disney Productions, 1975), Walt Disney once said, “The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together - and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families - that’s what we hope to do.” These ethics were constantly seen at work especially during the periods of anniversary celebrations. More than 18,000 Disneyland Cast Members and their family members were invited to the 30th Anniversary Family Open House and a Complimentary Dinner (by R.S.V.P.) on Tuesday, May 6th & 7th, 1985, at 7:45p.m.! Highlights included a behind-the-scenes tour of the illusions of the Haunted Mansion, Club 33, the control room for all the Park’s Audio Animatronic figures, and the offices of Walt Disney Inc. (at the time, housed in the apartment meant for Walt Disney, located above Pirates of the Carribean).

Two months later the 30th Anniversary Family Reunion Picnic was held at Heritage Park, on Sunday, July 28, 1985. The ticketed event included a barbecue chicken or tri-tip steak lunch with all the “fixins”, and light snacks (like chili dogs, lemonade, ice cream sundaes, and beer) available all day long. Entertainment for the day included an executive softball game, BINGO competitions, and character appearances for kids of all ages. Lastly, the Grand Prize of a Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center trip for two was raffled off and awarded to one lucky Cast Member.

Disneyland Cast Member Giveaway in Honor of Disneyland’s 30th Year - By the publishing of Disneyland LINE magazine (June 27, 1985), Disneyland was projecting and expecting its 250 millionth guest. In conjunction with sponsor Coca-Cola, a contest was held to guess the exact time that lucky guest would walk through the turnstiles. The contest was open to all Disneyland employees, who could visit the Center at Disneyland between July 1st and July 17th and fill out a form with spaces for the month, date, hour, minute, and second (including a.m. or p.m.). After completing the form, it was “time-punched” and submitted. A total of 30 prizes were given away in honor of Disneyland’s 30th year of operation. The Grand Prize was a vacation for two to Mexico aboard Holland American Lines, while secondary prizes included a trip to Walt Disney World, roundtrip airfare to Hawaii, roundtrip airfare on Continental Airlines to anywhere in the domestic U.S. or Mexico, and much more. Just a few of the lucky Guess Winners included Lucy Moerer, Bob Hayes, Joan day, Michael Dunlap, Michael Vogel, Janet Maher, Judy Nuzum, Linda Sullivan, Sue Freleaux, Kent Warren, Ken Klunke, Leslie White, Kathy Rogers, Janet K. Howard, Ed Clary, Claude Christopher, Carol Whitaker, Tim East, and Marian Guiver.

Finally, on December 5, 1985, “Skyfest - A Million Balloon Salute” (a record-shattering balloon release of more than one million balloons) would occur over Katella Avenue (from Harbor Boulevard to West Street), in order to commemorate what would have been Walt Disney’s 84th birthday! Much preparation went into arranging this “million balloon salute to Walt Disney and Disneyland’s 30th birthday” - alerting local law enforcement agencies, and notifying the federal Aviation Agency. Volunteers (made up of more than 800 Cast Members, their family members, and their friends) assembled in “Camp Skyfest” - a tent in the southwest corner of Disneyland’s Parking Lot. Balloons were filled with 7,500 pounds of helium (enough to carry 190 people) and then loaded into balloon tubes (each carrying about 1,000 balloons) which were arched over Main Street until the climax of the big ceremony. The ceremony was presided over by Anaheim Mayor Don Roth, who released the first balloon at precisely 2pm, as a signal to release 1,121,448 other helium balloons. This release set a Guiness World Record, beating the previous record of 300,400 balloons. Anaheim Mayor Don Roth was led by Disneyland’s Cast of characters, as well as the Disneyland Band, and joined by the business community and local area residents of Anaheim who were invited to visit the Park (through a special “buy one Passport, Get one free” offer). T-shirts and buttons helped commemorate the momentous event. In addition, Disneyland’s resident artist - Charles Boyer - commemorated the occasion with one of his signature works of art, which was released as a limited edition lithograph to Disneyland employees through the Center.

Walt once spoke of the community known as the Disneyland family: “Togetherness, for me, means teamwork. In my business, many minds and skillful hands must collaborate. The more diversified our labors and interest have become in the modern world, the more surely we need to integrate our efforts to justify our individual selves and our civilization.” [“The Spirit of Disneyland”] A big part of the success of the 30 year anniversary celebration lay in the teamwork which contributed to the overall efficient and effective showmanship of the Disneyland Entertainment Department and Disneyland show. After the festivities were through, the Disneyland Entertainment Department Cast Members could look back on the fulfillment of their individual roles and responsibilities which contributed to the overall environment consistent with defined Disney behaviors. These Cast Members posed for a final photograph commemorating their contributions toward the overall success and “Performance Excellence” of both Disneyland 30 Years and the Disneyland show!