Tastes change. What had been futuristic and cool in 1957 was considered dated and old-fashioned a decade later. Disneyland’s Monsanto House of the Future welcomed guests from 1957 to 1967. Then it was demolished.

Yes, tastes change. Now, a half century after it was built, the House of the Future seems so cool and stylish. It captures the imagination of Disney guests and Imagineers—even those who were not yet born back when there was an amazing plastic house where Pixie Hollow is today.

Homage to House of the Future keeps popping up—not just at Disneyland but even at Walt Disney World.

The Club Buzz stage was part of the “retro-future” Tomorrowland of 1998. The former Coca Cola Tomorrowland Terrace Stage was dressed up and painted wild colors. What could be more “retro-futuristic” than the Monsanto House of the Future, especially if it were painted purple?

Club Buzz is gone—it once again became Tomorrowland Terrace in 2006. It’s unlikely that there will be homage to Club Buzz at Disneyland four decades from now.

The 1998 Tomorrowland redo had another homage to the House of the Future. Although the 1998 Tomorrowland Mural was primarily about things that move (or that used to move) in Tomorrowland, the House of the Future was on it too. The mural is now gone.

For Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2005 and 2006, several huge banners appeared on Disneyland’s Innoventions building. The banners honored iconic Tomorrowland attractions of the past—the Flying Saucers, the Carousel of Progress, Adventures Thru Inner Space, and, of course, the House of the Future.

There were no banners for the Bathroom of Tomorrow, Fashions and Fabrics Through the Ages, or the Hall of Aluminum Fame.

In 2009, long after Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration, the banner celebrating the House of the Future was still there.

Depending of the rotation of the building, guests waiting to enter Innoventions may see the House of the Future on the exterior mural.

You expect to find a living room in a house. But at Disneyland’s Innoventions, you could find a house in a living room.

A stylish room deserves a stylish table—and here an homage to the House of the Future is incorporated in the table.

The Innoventions attraction is frequently updated. But good things tend to be reused. By 2008, the House of the Future table had become a stand for a display terminal.

Moving from Innoventions at Disneyland to Innoventions at Epcot, the House of the Future is prominently featured on a timeline of Disney milestones by year. This timeline covers a wall in Innoventions East, just around the corner from the House of Innoventions guided tour attraction.

Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream is a terrific exhibit and movie at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The attraction opened for Walt Disney World’s “100 Years of Magic” celebration, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the December 5, 1901, birth of Walt Disney. And what would an exhibit about Walt Disney be without a nod to the House of the Future?

The 50’s Prime Time Café at Disney’ Hollywood Studio has a retro-style TV at each table. Dining guests can watch clips of old shows like I Married Joan, Make Room for Daddy, and Father Knows Best. There are also Disney clips, including the Mickey Mouse Club and—you guessed it—a clip about the House of the Future from the old ABC TV series, Disneyland.

Would you like your very own House of the Future? You can’t live in it because it’s only 5¼" high by 11½" wide by 9½" deep.

According to DisneyShopping.com, “Own a glowing piece of Disney’s ‘future past’ with our illuminated scale-model replica of the 1957 all-plastic House of the Future. Constructed completely of plastic, it wowed visitors with its look at the future for ten memorable years. Now Disney artist Jody Daily has recreated this Tomorrowland favorite attraction with remarkable detail. Requires 2 AA batteries, included.”

If you want one of these in your living room, you’re too late. It was a limited edition of 1000, and it’s now sold out.

Disney operated Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK), a multiplayer online game, from May 23, 2005, until May 21, 2008. VMK offered its users a fanciful virtual world inspired by Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. VMK’s Autopia Off Road on Mars showed what houses will look like on Mars.

Some people look for Hidden Mickeys. I guess that I look for hidden House of the Futures—or would that be hidden Houses of the Future?

Yesterland has three other House of the Future articles. Please take a look.

Monsanto House of the Future
 

“The Future Won’t Wait” from Monsanto Magazine in 1960
 

The Dymaxion House: a “house of the future” that you can visit today

The Future Won’t Wait
General Electric Publicity Photos
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