If you're curious about Disney World's older sibling Disneyland, a new book by Chris Strodder can make you an expert on "The Happiest Place on Earth."
The Disneyland Encyclopedia ( Santa Monica Press, $19.95) is an A-to-Z guide to 500 people, places and things that have been part of the theme park during its 53-year history.
Strodder is a Web site editor and designer who also wrote the books The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool and Swingin' Chicks of the '60s.
Here's a sample of what's inside the Disney book:
- There's a section on the plans for park attractions that never got built, such as Chinatown and Big Rock Candy Mountain.
- Chinatown was to be built in 1959 just off Main Street. The Big Rock Candy Mountain was a scrapped plan for the original park.
- There is a list of the oldest attractions to be retired. That honor went to the Circle-Vision theater, which was used for 42 years, from 1955 to 1997. It beat out the Tomorrowland Jets by one year.
- Check out the 11 attractions and exhibits closed within one year of opening. The most recent was Dalmatian Celebration, which ran from November 1996 to January 1997. The exhibit was opened to promote the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians set for movie theaters that year.
- There are dozens of hidden images of Mickey Mouse scattered throughout the park. These are images that are built into the architecture of the park. The book offers tips for finding 10 of the hidden images.
If you've been to Anaheim's Disneyland, test your memory. How well do you recall Holidayland, Love Bug Day, Midget Autopia or the Puffin Bake Shop?
If you need help, the book surely will be of assistance.
