Frito Kid Mysteries Continue

Last year we posted a look at the mysterious Frito Kid at Disneyland. Since then we have set out to answer a few questions about him– specifically “Where exactly was he located??” and “What still exists today?” Here's what we've found.

 
Location 1– 1955-1957

We knew his first location was next to Aunt Jemima's Pancake House (River Belle Terrace today) just inside the front door. But which door? We searched high and low for a photo showing the Frito Kid taken from a distance.

After no success I decided to adjust this old Casa de Fritos photo from Daveland. A simple curves adjustment in Photoshop and bam! There he is. Just inside the front left door.

Zoom in and compare.

UPDATED. Dave from Daveland has provided a lightened version of the original photo. Notice the detail!

Now to visit the location to see what remains.

Hmm. Door slightly ajar. Let’s open and have a peek. Sadly there is a wall right behind the door.

According to the cast member bussing tables, “there is nothing behind that door”. Also according to the cast member, “the Frito Kid was never anywhere near this building nor was Casa de Fritos”. That’s ok, they don’t teach this stuff in orientation. I was happy to hear that he had at least heard of the Frito Kid/Casa de Fritos. Kudos also to the girl at the River Belle cash register for knowing that the restaurant was once Aunt Jemima’s.

In 1957 this part of the building became home to Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue. So the odds are slim that anything from the Fritos setup still exists today. But maybe there's a utility box with a "Frito Kid" label on it? Or something? Someone let me know if this is the case.

Location 2– 1957-1967?

The Frito Kid and Casa de Fritos stayed in their first location just shy of two years. Though Casa de Fritos stayed in its second location for over 25 years (Rancho del Zocalo today), the Frito Kid was removed much sooner. I'm guessing his removal took place in the late 60s when Fritos corn chips stopped using Frito Kid as a mascot.

So where exactly was the Kid in this second location? This fantastic photo (thank you to whoever posted this online) shows where he stood. The architecture on the left still stands today. The wooden log structure around the figure no longer exists.

Now to determine more exactly where he stood. At first I believed be backed up right against the Frontierland Shooting Gallery (Frontierland Shooting Exposition today). Side note: The Shooting Gallery was not an Opening Day attraction like some official Disney history publications claim. The Miniature Horse Corral preceded it. Ok...

Looking at old photos and blueprints (blueprints that don’t happen to mention the Frito Kid) I noticed a hallway running behind the Frito Kid, between him and the Shooting Gallery. So he had to have been located a few feet away from the Gallery wall (with the mural), right about here:

So now we know. Now we know a little more about something extremely obscure and quite insignificant. But isn't that what makes it great? Now you can go to Disneyland with your friends and whip out this bit knowledge and be the nerdiest one in the group. If you read this blog, there's a good chance you are already the nerdiest. We see that as a good thing.

If you happen to have Frito Kid photos not currently on the internet, send 'em to us! I've never seen a video so send those too.

For some more Frito Kid history, visit Kevin Kidney. 

Related posts:

Frito Kid and Deeee-licious Fritos!
THEN AND NOW: Disneyland [Part 1]
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade Like You've Never Seen It
Diana Lai: An Original Enchanted Tiki Room VIP Hostess
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
Marc Davis and Disneyland's Rivers of America Rehab

Carolwood Pacific and Other Backyard Railroads

Large image 1900x2050.
Extra large image 3800x4100. 

Take a look at specific pieces of Walt Disney's backyard miniature live steam train. Enjoy amazing photos of similar railroads from decades ago and miniature railroads still in use today.

Above you see a graphic we've produced showing the basic layout of the Carolwood Pacific in Walt Disney's Holmby Hills backyard. No other graphic quite like this is known to exist. Below you see the layout of the home and railroad being compared to the current property. Note that the Disney home was no small house. But compare it to the current monster house and it looks tiny.

With these visuals you can more-easily get an idea of what the Carolwood was really like. If you look closely at the photos and the map above you'll see that the train rode the tracks in both directions. I don't know if Walt had his prefered direction or route when showing off this great toy. But you'll notice the train is going clockwise when crossing the driveway and counter-clockwise on the same track when crossing the trestle. The fact that the train went in front of the house was news to me. The tunnel was much longer than I would have expected. They say Lillian's flower beds were dug up in order to make that tunnel.  

Walt and Lillian purchased the Holmby Hills homesite in 1949. It was the last home in which either of them permanently lived. Although, at the time of Walt's death in 1966 the Disney couple was staying in the home of daughter and son-in-law Diane and Ron Miller who had recently moved to a larger home. They purchased the Miller house as a temporary place to stay as they remodeled their home on Carolwood.

Upon seeing the Carolwood location for the first time, Walt expressed that the large backyard "will do". Lillian later said that he had the idea of a miniature railroad on his mind when he chose the property. And remember, Disneyland didn't come about for another half-decade. Walt was not yet known for such "three-dimensional entertainment".

Lillian lived in the Carolwood home until her death in 1997. When the Disney family sold the house and property Diane was wise enough to relocate Walt's barn to Griffith Park where it can be visited today. New property owners tore down the Disney home and landscaping in order to build a larger, newer house (as seen in the 2nd photo). They reportedly kept the tunnel near the house and use it for storage. The new owners are supposedly "Disney fans" (which we know can mean anything). I'd love to meet them. 

The following photo is from the collection Michael Broggie, son of Disney Legend Roger Broggie pictured here with Walt. The 17"x11" printed photo was given to me years ago by Micheal Broggie through a friend. Thanks Michael Broggie!

Famous Neighbors

Holmby Hill was and is no stranger to celebrities. Some former Carolwood Drive residents include Frank Sinatra (320 Carolwood Dr.– across from Disney), Michael Jackson (100), Elvis Presley (144), Marilyn Manrow (141), Sonny & Cher (141), Burt Reynolds (141), George Harrison (265), Barbara Streisand (301– next to Disney to the east), Clark Gable (325), Gregory Peck (375– next to Disney to the west), and Rod Stewart (391).

Other "Backyard" Railroads

Here we can feast our eyes on some great pics from the Los Angeles Live Steamers.

Live Steamers of Today

Reporter for The Orange County Register and friend of the blog, Mark Eades, recently sent us one of his articles about The Steamers. Attached to the article was this fantastic video.

In another post by Mark we get an excellent look inside Walt's Carolwood Barn as it sits today. Thanks Mark Eades!

 
A Piece of Carolwood Pacific

A piece of the original track from Walt's backyard as seen in one of our previous posts called "Little Box of Treasures". 

Related posts:

Walt Disney and the Santa Maria Railroad
Little Box of Treasures
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 2 ]
The Amazing Home of John Lasseter
Walt's Wife Talks About EPCOT Center
Lake Buena Vista: The Other Prototype City with a Peoplemover

Magic Kingdom Map Found in a Main Street Wall

While doing occasional work on Main Street, U.S.A. (Magic Kingdom) we had the thrill of walking between the walls.  That is, the space between those great-looking Main Street facades and the actual buildings behind them. On the ground level there are few areas of dead space between walls, mostly due to large doorways and windows.  On the upper level, however, there are long narrow walkways behind the facades which accommodate decorations (lamps, chairs, etc.) intended to be seen from the street below. These are designed to look like turn-of-the-century shop keepers' residences.  You know, the shop owners would live in apartments above their shops back in olden times.  Anyway, the offices behind are your regular, windowless run-of-the-mill boring offices.

So one day I was behind a wall and THERE IT WAS...  An old folded-up yellowed piece of paper shoved between wooden framing and drywall.  It looked like it could have been a big ol' souvenir poster map and it was.  Poster-sized, old, and in pretty good shape.  I had always been on the lookout for these things since boyhood- long before ebay.  

So how long had it been there?  Why was it there?  Who put it there?  Did some custodial guy buy it at a gift shop, leave it behind the wall until after his shift, then never remember to come back for it?  By the looks of things it was stuck behind the framing for some time.  The exposed surface of the paper was significantly more yellow than any other part.  I imagine it could have been there for 30 years.  The best part:  No one on the project wanted it and it was to be trashed if I didn't take it home.  Tough decision.

Without a year printed on the map it was up to the process of deduction to know when it was made. Some things you see: Pirates of the Caribbean- so it was made after '73. Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain are there- so it had to be '74 or later.  You don't see any sign of Big Thunder- so it's definitely earlier than '80.  It can't be later than June '75 because you still see Flight to the moon and there is no mention of it's successor Mission to Mars.  One final clue: Look at Space Mountain.  It looks more like John Hench concept art or the rendering below than the Space Mountain built in '74.  Check out all the extra spires.  So the map artwork had to be from a time between the announcement of this new ride and the completion of the ride building.

I'm sure Disney blog geeks everywhere know exactly when this map was made but without knowing exactly I had to guess mid 1974.  Any earlier, Magic Carpet 'Round The World would be America the Beautiful.  Any later, Space Mountain would not look like that.

Are there variations of this same map? Not sure but I imagine there are.  By the late 70s the souvenir map had become much more cartoony with little kids in the Grand Prix cars and many more characters dancing around the poster and such.

So here the map sits- in my home office among other old souvenir poster maps from Disneyland, Epcot, EuroDisney, and even California Adventure.  Sadly the Disneyland poster map that once hung on my childhood bedroom wall is long gone.  But much like my grade school years, I sit and stare at these things and study them like a textbook. "NERD", you say???  Tell me I'm not the only one.  Admit it. You do the same.

Things you may or may not miss from this era...

Tropical Serenade without plastic flying carpets blocking the view.

Mike Fink Keel Boats

Plaza Swan Boats

Main Street Cinema when it was a cinema.

The Mickey Mouse Review

Fantasy Faire Stage

Related posts:

1962 Disneyland Souvenir Map - High Res
Fantasyland Expansion Model
THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]
Swiss Family Treehouse Model