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| Disneyland on Opening Day, 1955 |
Disneyland is one of the theme parks that watched many historical events pass by. Before its opening in 1955, the planning of Disneyland was affected due to wars and the economic state. Many problems of pre-existing parks factored into Walt's plans. However, due to past mistakes and situations of these parks, Walt was able to create one of the oldest and loved theme park in the world.
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| A popular roller coaster in an amusement park located in Denver, Colorado |
The economic state of these amusement parks was terrible. The parks were often in danger of falling during the Great Depression. Anyone could enter the parks due to its free entries, and they did not make as much money. By the end of the Great Depression, the number of amusement parks in the U.S. fell from 2000 to 245. Safety of the guests was not guaranteed as gangs roamed around the parks.
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| An amusement park during WWII. |
The situation became worse after WWII.
Some war veterans would take their families on family trips across the country rather than visit local amusement parks. Furthermore, racial segregation made it impossible for minorities to visit. Many parks emphasized the "no coloreds allowed" signs. This was another major reason why so many parks closed at this time. However, as more veterans returned home to their families, family time slowly shifted back to amusement parks.
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| Children at amusement parks |
With the baby boom lasting for about 2 decades, many families sought for their children's entertainment. Gradually, families came back to amusement parks and companies used this as an advantage.
Many kiddie coasters, which were smaller and slower than roller coasters, were created. This allowed not only adults, but small children to have fun in amusement parks. Followed the second roller coaster boom which is the outcome of one of our favorite entertainments.
Disneyland is one example of an amusement park that was influenced by WWII. It's interesting that the creators took these factors: safety, entertainment, and most importantly, the audience, into consideration even at a hard time for this business. Don't forget about the hidden history of these amusement parks the next time you make a visit to one!
http://disneydose.com/disneyland-history/#axzz570eutIP6
https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/early_1900/depression.shtml
Natsumi, this was a really interesting post. I was doing more reading and Disney characters also had a significant impact on World War II. Disney characters were often featured on propaganda. In featuring such characters, Disney soon became ingrained in what many call "American culture" or even "the American Way".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-came-define-what-constitutes-american-experience-180961632/
This is such a fascinating post! I did not realize how significantly the economic state and wars impacted the planning of Disneyland in 1955. Throughout the 1960s, the amusement park continued to change, as new attractions were added and changes were made there. While many of the old Disneyland attractions have been replaced since then, there are some sights that have remained pretty much the same. For example, the iconic Disneyland Fire Department building, where Walt Disney's apartment was, can still be found in Town Square on Main Street U.S.A. The article below lists some more interesting details about changes that were made at Disneyland throughout the 1960s.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ocregister.com/2016/07/14/part-3-heres-how-disneyland-looked-and-changed-in-the-1960s/
Interesting post Natsumi. It is funny how seemingly unrelated things can impact each other. Who would have guessed that the wars would have affected the amusement park industry so much? What I also found interesting was that at one point there had been as many as 2000 amusement parks. According to the IAAPA, there are now only around 400 amusements parks in the US. Perhaps the qualifications for an amusement park were looser back then.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iaapa.org/resources/by-park-type/amusement-parks-and-attractions/industry-statistics
Natsumi — very fascinating post about the status of amusement parks throughout the second half of the 20th century. I found it especially interesting how parks adjusted their attractions to better suit young children after the end of WWII and the baby boom, and its hard to think that a park like Disneyland could have closed down due to a lack of business during its first years. I'm surprised by the fact that amusement parks weren't even known to be safe back then, due to gangs roaming around and less safety restrictions on rides. I'm glad that safety is no longer an issue today. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission was created in 1972 to protect the general public from injury or death due to electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazards.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/consumer-product-safety-commission