Did You Know?

Disney Cast Members have a dress code. Here are some interesting facts:

• Male park employees were not allowed to have facial until 2000 when Disneyland officials changed the rules to allow male cast members to have facial hair as long as they were neatly trimmed. Some observant Disney devotees may notice that Walt Disney had a mustache, yet it took 45 years before cast members at Disneyland were able to follow in his footsteps. The growth process of the mustaches, however, must not be seen; it is specified that mustaches must be grown while the cast member is on vacation.

• Female cast members may wear small stud earrings or smaller hoop earrings; men may wear no earrings. Long fingernails are prohibited, as are dirty ones or nails painted in a color that is not natural. All cast members' hair must be of a natural color; looking natural even if it is not actually the cast member's natural color. Makeup must be only on women, minimal, and natural-looking. Visible tattoos are expressly forbidden.

• The philosophy behind the cast members' dress code has not changed much - the "Disney Look" is to ensure that each and every guest feels comfortable around each and every Disneyland cast member. This consideration extends farther than simple appearance. All Disneyland cast members must point with two fingers or their whole hand, as pointing with one finger may be considered rude to some guests.

• The rules are obviously different for cast members who play a specific character. "Face characters" may have different makeup or hair requirements to fully implement the appearance of the character they are portraying. "Mask characters," the cast members who are completely covered in a costume and whose actual face is not seen, may not speak.

• All Disneyland cast members wear a costume that is specific to their particular "land." They are not allowed to visit the public parts of the other lands, or sections of Disneyland, in their costumes. This helps retain the feeling that guests are in a magical place, where nothing at all is out of order or unrelated to the theme. No safari costumes from Adventureland will turn up in Tomorrowland to jolt guests out of their happy illusions.

Here is some interesting information about the dress code for Disneyland guests:

• During the 1950's and early 1960's men with long hair were not allowed inside the park. Disneyland cast members would politely explain to the snubbed guests that Disneyland had an unwritten dress code, which they did not meet. Sometimes women in halter tops were turned away as well.

Here are some pictures of people we feel should be "turned away" at the gate:

We saw this woman on our last trip to the park.  She was also wearing a red necklace.  This is our picture.  All others are from the internet.

Santa Claus on vacation waiting for the Haunted Mansion

Really?

I know, Seal and Heidi Klum... No adults should have face painting done at the park... EVER!!!

"You're out, Auf wiedersehen!"

We think kids are the only ones who can get away with wearing costumes in the park.  Even then, they look very uncomfortable.

WOW!!!You are very brave!

Mickey Hats and Embroidery

From the start of the Mickey Mouse Club, ear hat have been a very strong part of Disneyland History and they are still as popular decades later.

To date, more than 80 million Mickey ear hats have been sold. In 2005, more than 1 million Golden Mickey Mouse ears were sold in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland park.

Gone are the days when the ultimate souvenir from Disneyland was a pair of black Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears with your name hand embroidered on the back.  Disney has removed all hand embroidery machines from their facility and have replaced them with computerized embroidery machines.

Embroidery was always free for each hat you purchased.  Now they charge extra for having your name stitched by their new process.

See which hat you believe was stitched using the old and new process.

The one on the left is the old process and the one on the right is the new process.  How sad.

In 2010, an array of hats from Disney Theme Park Merchandise will provide shade, disguise, holiday cheer or simply fashion-friendly looks, including the classic Mickey Mouse ear hats, Princess hats, Goofy hats, the famous Mad Hatter hat, pirate themed hats, baseball hats, holiday hats, a Grumpy hat, and even a Create-Your-Own ear hat.

Be very careful which hat you select when purchasing this souvenir.  What hat you are wearing says a whole lot about what kind of Disney fan you are.

Changes to California Adventure, Part 3

With a 1.2 Billion dollar budget, California Adventure is getting a large renovation. The park has proven less successful than its Disneyland counterpart next door. Disneyland ranks second in the world in theme-park attendance with 14.7 million visitors last year, compared with about 6 million to Disney's California Adventure, according to an Economics Research Associates report. So here are some of the major changes happening now, or scheduled to happen in the future.

Say goodbye to the CALIFORNIA letters outside the park entrance.  The whole entrance will be changed as they near the completion of the project.

The Golden Gate Bridge and the amazing tile murals along the entrance to Sunshine Plaza will be taken down. On our last trip to the park we took the following pictures to remember them.

Cable Cars will be added to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot (which will be re-named Hollywoodland) and they will run through the main plaza.  Work has already started on this project.

Below is what the new entrance to California Adventure will look like.  What are your thoughts?

We will show you additional changes as they happen and keep you up to date on additional changes.  It will be very sad to see a lot of these things leave. 

Walt Disney once said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."

To track the progress of the changes at California Adventure click here to access a great California Adventure Project Tracker.  To track projects at Disneyland click here.

Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years

From 2005 to 2009 "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" was played in the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland.  It was replaced in early 2010 with the remastered "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln."  Check out this great movie that was made for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland.

Part One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFUaQs9Z7m0

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X8gY3WaX2A

This show still plays in the lobby of the Opera House.  To read more about the remastered "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, click here.

While waiting for either show to begin check out the great displays they have of Disneyland over the past 55 years.  They are amazing!

Valentine's Day

Red and pink hearts pop up everywhere for Valentine’s Day at Disneyland.  The Horticulture team at the Disneyland Resort dresses up floral displays—including pink and red azaleas—with Valentine’s Day hearts, like the display shown here at Minnie’s House in Mickey’s Toontown. You can also see the Horticulture team’s creations at Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A.

Caramel Apples

Caramel apples are a real treat inside and outside Disney Parks.  In Disneyland they can be found at the Candy Palace on Main Street along with Marceline's Confectionery in Downtown Disney and Pooh Corner in Critter Country.  The detail that they give to each apple is amazing!  Check out these beauties we came across on our last visit.

 

So you can have some Disneyland fun at home here is the recipe for some of Disney's Caramel Apples! 

DISNEYLAND GOURMET CARAMEL APPLES

INGREDIENTS
■8 large Granny Smith or Fuji apples
■wooden craft sticks
■2 (14 ounce) packages caramels, unwrapped
■2 tablespoons milk
■milk chocolate chips
■white chocolate chips
■candy for coating

DIRECTIONS

■Dip apples into boiling water briefly, to remove any wax that may be on the apple. Wipe dry, and set aside. Insert sticks into the apples through the cores. (Don’t skip this step as caramel may not stick to apple if there is wax on it.)

■Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and coat with cooking spray. Place the unwrapped caramels into a microwave-safe medium bowl along with 2 tablespoons of milk. Cook on high for 2 minutes, then stir and continue cooking and stirring at 1 minute intervals until caramel is melted and smooth. OR cook in a saucepan on the stove on a medium heat, stirring constantly until the caramels are completely melted.

■Hold apples by the stick, and dip into the caramel to coat. Set on waxed paper; refrigerate for about 15 minutes to set.

■Heat the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of shortening in a microwave-safe bowl until melted and smooth. Dip apples into the chocolate to cover the layer of caramel. (We prefer to only coat half of the apple in the chocolate.) Or you can drizzle the chocolate instead of dipping, if you prefer.

■Add whatever candy toppings you prefer to chocolate layer before it sets.

■Put apples back on waxed paper to set, then enjoy. We cut them into slices and put them on a plate so we can share the different varieties.
 

Here are some of our favorite combinations…

Apple Pie Caramel Apple - dipped in white chocolate and coated in crushed cinnamon graham crackers

Butterfinger Apple – dipped in milk chocolate and coated in crushed butterfinger candy bars

Chocolate Drizzle Apple – with white chocolate and milk chocolate drizzles

Candy Corn Apple – dipped in white chocolate and coated in chopped candy corns