From the Disneyland News March 10, 1956 issue. Like “real” newspapers the News was in need of content. Oddly, with a bevy of the world’s most talented comic strips artists available (within the confines of the Disney Comic Strip Department–see Sunday Funnies on Floyd Gottfredson), this particular issue decided to go outside the realm, to the hard and dried world of the editorial cartoonist…in particular, from a “top sports department cartoonist for The New York World Telegram and Sun.” Willard Mullin, apparently giddy from a visit to Disneyland, shared with his faithful readers–“through his own unique gift for draughtmanship–his thoughts on Walt Disney’s Happiest Place on Earth.
In a purely unscientific approach to this (Todd and I are historians, NOT scientists) I have to say that it is my profound recollection that out of the 1000s of editorials and reviews that I have read (mostly from New York newspapers) for my various Walt-related research projects, that the New York World Telegram (later the New York World Telegram and Sun) heavily favored Walt Disney creations (as compared to other New York City newspapers, such as PM, that all too-often panned Disney). It should be noted that the Telegram and Sun closely paralleled Walt’s artistic career in Hollywood, lasting from 1931 to 1966. Coincidence or not. Yeah, you are probably right.
Enjoy!
I think William Mullin might have used a ticket brochure as reference for Dumbo. This link shows a 1957 flyer… can’t find an example for 1956, but I’m pretty sure one exists with the same Dumbo drawing. (image from Vintage Disneyland Tickets )
Major, thanks for pointing this out. I agree. The Dumbo is almost an exact copy stylistically, just reversed. And yes, there is another of this flier (baby blue), 1956 (or 1958) that uses the same images in the same set up. Like many artists, he had inspiration to help in, in the form of Disneyland ephemera gathered on his trip. To me the little boy and girl in the teacup look *very* familiar, and I think I’ve seen that image somewhere on other Disneyland print media. Any thoughts? Thanks again, Paul
That particular teacup doesn’t ring any bells for me… but you have a pretty deep knowledge of Disneyland ephemera!
I recall a kiddie ride in Disneyland that was in the shape of a tea cup.
It was called mad teacup ride, per Wikipedia.