Disney Afternoon and Gummi Glen at Disneyland!

From 1990 to 1997, The Disney Channel aired a two-hour block that featured animated programming aimed at children. Yeah, you got it... it was called the Disney Afternoon!  This defunct television event has become somewhat of a fascination for me. Although any nineties child (and their parents, I'm sure!) could pick a title from the line up and accurately sing the hook, the shows' relative obscurity to most have rendered them irrelevant to Disney as it exists today.

Of those that constituted the Disney Afternoon, of particular interest to me is The Gummi Bears. Although I can't remember specifics from the show, I DO being enamored by the extended fantastical world, now I see that it was like Lord of the Rings for children! I'm making it a personal goal to get hold of the DVDs.

All of this, however, serves as background for the REAL subject of today's post. A while back, I became aware that in 1991, the Motor Boat Cruise at Disneyland got a Gummi Bears themed overlay as part of Disney Afternoon Avenue (which eventually became Mickey's Toontown fair). Since the show is a source of interest to me, I've wanted to have a look at what photos exist of it. Unfortunately, since the overlay was short-lived and this was an age before camera phones, precious little exists. Here is what I was able to find:

The motor boats floated past cardboard cutouts of Gummi Glen, the hollow tree the Gummi bears lived in and the location where they made Gummiberry juice (I'm really trying to type this with a straight face). It's some classic Eisner-era ramshackle non-sense, but an interesting (if somewhat insignificant) piece of Disneyland history nonetheless.

Given that vinylmations have been released of some of the Gummis, there seems to be some kind of niche market for these characters. I think it'd be a hoot if some of the classic Disney characters were brought back as walk arounds. Heck, I'd make a special trip to get my photo taken with Darkwing Duck!

Vinylmations of Cubbi Gummi and Gruffi Gummi.

Authentic Mid-90's Figment Plush!

This week I have been staying a friend's house whilst working in the city.  Although this friend isn't a Disney fan in particular, she did pull out this memento from her trip as a child to show me:

That's right! That lovable fellow with two tiny wings and eyes big and yellow, Figment! Here are some more pictures of this very special Disney parks character:

Tiny Ringer Tee!

The best part is that when I took off his little shirt, I learned that his belly is pink!:

Decades after his creation, Figment continues to enchant audiences. Heck, Marvel even wrote a comic about him!  When I asked my friend what is was about Figment that captured her heart (although I don't word things like that in everyday speech!), she said that it had something to do with the fact she had never seen him before. I see this as evidence that every attraction does not have to be tied to a franchise, and in fact, it is often endearing that it not.  I really hope that at some point Disney returns to a philosophy of original attraction developement as opposed to relying so heavily on its films as the sole source of inspiration.

Japanese Movie posters from the 70's and 80's!

Those who read this blog regularly are well aware of my somewhat debilitating Japanese infatuation.  Although Disney is American as apple pie, there is something about the Disney-Japan association that fascinates me. To this day, there seems to be something about the company that resonates with the people of Japan...

With that in mind, I share these vintage film posters. Between the bold color choices and how chock-full of information they are, I think they are such a neat find. I would love to get a hold of some frameable prints for my house. 

1982 re-release poster. Love the weird clock platform they're dancing on.



1970 Sleeping beauty poster. Love the colors.

1974. Love the composition and the little blue-pink snowflake pattern!

1982 re-release, those squares are so 80s!

1975, my very favorite animated classis. I love that this poster covers
so many scenes, its almost like a trailer in paper form!

Vintage Disney Parks fabrics!

As aforementioned, I spend a decent amount of time skulking around Ebay in hopes of finding unique vintage Disney Parks merchandise.  Whilst looking for Disney-related craft supplies, I came across the following fabric prints:

I love that the Contemporary made it on.

Tomorrowland specific… WHAT!?

Love the castle illustration on this one.

I thought this one was especially charming.

Disneyland Hotel, where I will be staying in less than a month!

Besides the fact they are incredibly charming, these prints are interesting to me based on the fact that the current Disney company gravitates towards generic, mass produced merchandise, opting to keep assortments down in order to maximize profits.  I should also mention that even the small pieces were extremely expensive!  I guess the Disney die-hards want park-specific, land-specific merchandise.  With the Coop opening at Disney Springs and the Haunted Mansion store opening in the old Yankee Traders building, it will be interesting to see how the company approaches merchandise design and assortment and in the coming years.