Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The Disneyland Bus That Never Was

Hiya folks!
Today we're going to look at something that seems like it should have existed, but never really did. Well, not exactly, anyway. Today we are looking at the Corgi Disneyland Bus from 1976! Here are a few pictures:




As you can see, the Corgi version of the Disneyland bus is a bright yellow vehicle with lots of happy characters on the side. There are also Disneyland logos on all four sides. One can clearly imagine it chugging down Main Street U.S.A. on a bright summer morning. However, THIS bus has never been seen in any Disney park!

Perhaps a bit of explanation is needed here. You see, the double decker busses (known as Omnibusses) at Disneyland (and at Walt Disney World) are totally Disney inventions. They were designed by Bob Gurr to look like vintage busses. Mr. Gurr designed all of the Main Street vehicles, which is why they are referred to as "Gurrmobiles." Here is a look at one:


It doesn't look much like the Corgi version, does it? Actually, I prefer the Gurrmobile, but that's just me. Anyway, what gives? Why is Corgi (who is usually so accurate) so far off?

Well, the truth is that they cheated. Rather than go through the time and expense to create a totally new vehicle, they took their "London Transport" and dolled it up to be the Disneyland bus. Perhaps that's why the Corgi version never really caught on. You can get it, mint in the box, for about 35 bucks. Other Corgi toys from around that time can go for much more. 

Still, it's a fun item to have on the shelf. It reminds me of Disneyland, and that's a good thing, so all is forgiven.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

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