In 1974, the heart of Fantasyland still looked much as it did when Disneyland opened in 1955.

The next eight pictures are all “zoomed in” images from the picture above.

The teacups used to spin where the white horses of King Arthur’s Carrousel now gallop, and the Carrousel used to be wedged in between Mad Tea Party and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Bell-bottoms and flare-leg jeans were the fashion in the mid-1970s. Too bad this picture doesn’t show the shiny polyester Mickey Mouse body shirts that were available at the Emporium on Main Street.

Each land had at least one Central Ticket Booth, where guests could buy additional A-through-E coupons or special ticket books without a park admission ticket—or could just ask for information.

In the days before The Disney Channel, VHS tapes, and DVDs, the Fantasyland Theatre was almost the only place to see classic Mickey Mouse cartoons such as “Mickey’s Trailer” (1938), “Through the Mirror” (1936), and “The Band Concert” (1935).

Guests probably take a thousand pictures of the front facade of the Sleeping Beauty Castle for every one picture of the equally handsome back. Notice the high-tension power lines that used to march across the parking lot.

The elephants used to fly above a plain concrete circle, not the beautiful fountain of water over which they fly today.

The ride operator’s booth is a great example of the “tournament tent” style that was pervasive in old Fantasyland. Behind the operator’s booth, the Fantasy Gift Fair sold Winnie the Pooh plush toys.

Timothy Mouse, who provided encouragement to Dumbo in the 1941 animated classic, stands atop this Dumbo ride, and on the current version as well. The souvenir stand behind Timothy was the “dead end” of Fantasyland before the opening of the Big Thunder Trail in 1979.

35 Years of Magic, 1990 Richfield Oil at Disneyland, 1955 Home

© 1999-2010 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Updated April 26, 2010.

Photograph of the Fantasyland (nine variations): 1974 by Werner Weiss.