In the late 1980s, Disneyland developed a series of off-season promotions designed to spike attendance during the traditionally slow periods of the year. Beginning in the spring of 1986, Disney turned the Main Street and Hub areas of the park into a Circus Fantasy. Fall of 1987 and 1988 found Disneyland turned into a State Fair, complete with a ferris wheel in front of the train station and game and food booths around the Hub. But perhaps the best loved of the three promotions that Disneyland ran at this time was the spring 1988 and 1989 Blast to the Past promotion - a celebration of the "simpler" times of the 1950s and '60s, complete with rockin' soundtrack and attire.

The Disney Channel had used this era's musical stylings as part of their successful DTV video series. In 1987, the Company released a modestly successful album dedicated to the tunes of the 1950s called Rock Around the Mouse. This 10-song soundtrack featured songs like "Quackety-Quack" (an homage to the ever-popular "Yakety-Yak") and the danceable "Mickey Motion." Rock 'n' Roll pioneer Little Richard took a rip on the track "Gawrsh Golly Goofy" complete with his trademark high-pitch "woos." With retrospective movies such as Back to the Future recently released to theaters, the '50s was a definite marketable commodity.

In conjunction with promotional partner McDonald's, Disney offered Blast to the Past to the general public. Customers of the restaurant had the opportunity to win prizes such as throwback-priced admission to Disneyland and other retro prizes. The ticket pictured above has an admission price of $5.95. Regular one-day admission prices at the time were $21.50 for adults and $16.50 for children. Disneyland guests were also able to win items such as jukeboxes, hula-hoops, frisbees, yo-yo's and even classic 1950s cars. The above "Guess-o-Rama" entry form allowed a chance at winning a car if you could correctly guess the number of '50s fad items in one of the specially marked classic cars showcased throughout the Park.

Of course Disneyland's decor had to be embellished to make the transformation from the 1980s to the 1950s complete. Above the entry tunnels into the world of make-believe were these large jukebox-style signs with the Blast to the Past logo. The Hub had a two-story jukebox fixture where a D.J. would "spin platters." In front of it's a small world was a sandy beach complete with palm trees where '60s beach party scenes would play out.

About a decade before Light Magic would transform the traditional parade into a "Streetacular," the Blast to the Past Main Street Hop pioneered the effect each weekend. Oversized stages, again themed to jukeboxes, were a focal point as they made their way down Main Street. These stages stopped at various points between Town Square and the Hub and featured girls in poodle skirts and Elvis-style guys performing period-style dances, doing the hula-hoop and working the crowd into a frenzy. If you look closely at this picture, you can see cast members on the roof with confetti blowers raining down bits of paper onto the crowd, believed to be a first for the Park. A more traditional daily parade traveled the full route between Main Street and it's a small world and featured classic cars, motorcycles and Disney characters.

It wouldn't be a Blast to the Past if you didn't have actual bands from the '50s and '60s playing live for you at Videopolis. The above photo is of Paul Revere and the Raiders from April of 1989. Other performers included Herman's Hermits, the Turtles and the Spinners. For those that don't know, Videopolis was the "happening hot spot" located where the Fantasyland Theater is presently. Weekends at Videopolis during Blast to the Past were supposed to serve as the Disneyland Sock Hop, with the '50s theme perhaps discouraging the local ravers from stopping by.

As much as could be done, the Disneyland eateries were transformed into '50s-style diners. Tomorrowland Terrace gave way to the "Rainbow Diner" complete with neon lights and signs. The Rainbow Diner was supposed to send guests back to a nostalgic setting where they could enjoy their burger and fries to the musical stylings of Big Daddy or Rocko and the Rainbows. Food booths in the hub served for one of the first times Mickey Mouse-shaped pretzels with cheese and popcorn.

The "doo-wop" fun of Blast to the Past only lasted for two spring sessions and ended at roughly the same time as Circus Fantasy and State Fair. It succeeded in its mission to bring more guests into the park during the off season and helped Disneyland get favorable press exposure with the setting of world's records for the largest number of people doing the Twist (as Chubby Checker sang "Let's Twist Again") and people hula-hooping at the same time, in the same place at the Super Hooper Duper event in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Though the events were certainly gimmicky, guests enjoyed Blast to the Past. The throwback to the '50s and nostalgia of re-creating the time when Disneyland first opened played favorably. It may be some time before we get to experience events like this one again, even for such celebrations as major Disneyland anniversaries, primarily because of what they are meant to accomplish. In a time when attendance is up or level, off-season promotions such as these are simply a thing of the past.

- Story and Photos by Matthew Walker
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