Fantasyland is NOW OPEN!
No running and pushing, please! Princesses and children first! Thank you for your cooperation.
Yes, since I was doing this series I decided to look on eBay to see if I could find a vintage Fantasyland game. There are a lot of reissues, but original 1956 versions are tougher to come by. I had two criteria: 1. Vintage 2. Cheap. And I found one for 10 bucks!
So let's delve into this gem that I, admittedly, have not played yet.
This is the actual box top. As you can see there is a comet shaped tear above the castle and some other scuffs. Still, you can see that the graphics are all above and beyond! What kid wouldn't want to dig right into this game?
As you can see by the above pictures, this box is unique in that each side has different graphics. No other Disneyland game had this feature. They did a great job with them too!
This is actually the graphic on the back of the game board. Just like all the rest of the games, it is reproduced on a sticker there. Let's open this thing up!
Ok, I admit that I originally felt a little let down by the graphics and layout of the actual board. Things look like they are randomly tossed around and there is a LOT of white (pink?) space. Still, the illustrations that are there are nice. I think the graphic rich box set some high expectations. Still, I think it grows on you.
Here are the rules. As you can read, this game is interesting in that there are no dice and there is no spinner. Instead, you have tickets, stars, and the board spaces themselves to motivate the pieces around the track. Also, its interesting that while the first player that reaches the finish ends the game, they may not be the winner. The winner is the player that collects the most stars, regardless of where they are on the board when the game ends. There are even "turn off tracks" that will allow you to collect more stars.
Ok, this is just cool. I have never seen this little slip of paper in any of my other Disneyland games, but it probably came in all the Parker Brothers games. I'm sure it was usually immediately lost, or even purposely thrown away.
Sometimes when you get used games, you get bits and pieces of other games. These dice, although not needed, were bagged up with the rest of the parts. Either the previous players decided that dice were easier to use to move, or the pieces just got thrown in on accident. Either way, I have a bonus set of dice!
So there you have it! I'm not sure when I'll actually sit down with my wife and give this one a go. Maybe we can team up with Sue and her hubby and have that game night! Everybody is invited!
Anyway, sometimes the treasure in something is just finishing your collection after about 20 years.
Until next time, keep searching for treasure!
Ten bucks! And in really good shape too, with that eye opening game box cover. Congratulations on that find Stu. Save a seat for me.
ReplyDeleteDrG
Thanks! And you're on the guest list!
ReplyDeleteThe box art is gorgeous. It reminds me of the Bill Justice character mural that was in the waiting area of the Walt Disney Story film that used to be located in the Gulf Hospitality House (now the Main Street Theater) in the Magic Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the wealth of characters!
DeleteI love the traffic cop ushering all of the characters in through the ravenous maw of the castle. "There's no turning back now..."
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does it look like Minnie is pulling Bugs Bunny in a wagon? I guess that's supposed to be Max Hare - one of the box ends shows a similar-looking rabbit in boxing gloves, a reference to Toby Tortoise Returns - but his coloring is all wrong (Max is brown). And his shape, proportions, and pose on the cover all scream "Bugs" (you can hear that, too, right?).
It almost looks like a deliberate attempt by Parker Brothers to associate the game with another popular cartoon character to attract more sales, with the boxing picture on the side an insurance policy against a lawsuit from Warner Brothers ("no, really - that's Max Hare"). What makes it even more suspicious is that Toby Tortoise doesn't appear anywhere in the game or the box art.
I actually heard Paul Frees say that line in my head! Of course all the other voices were telling him to be quiet, but I heard him anyway.
DeleteYep, that's Bugs in the wagon. He isn't even drawn like Max! Pretty sneaky Parker Bros! (all us hip people call them that)
I found Toby! He's on the board between the Pink Elephants on Parade and the Casey Jr! Yay! No lawsuits!
There are certain lines that can only heard in one voice, and that's one of them.
ReplyDeleteI heard "Pretty sneaky, Parker Bros" in this voice.
Can't believe I missed Toby like that. I looked like three times, too. But he moves so slowly it's no wonder.
I completely forgot about that Connect Four commercial, but you're right- it fits the comment perfectly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, few people realize Toby has stealth abilities. It really doesn't come in handy, but can be fun at parties.
I had to look up Max Hare on the Disney Wiki and found this little gem.
ReplyDeleteLikes: Winning, attention, Bunny Girls, making fun of Toby Tortoise
Dislikes: Losing
Like, who DOESN'T dislike losing?
I'm assuming his name is a pun on Max Baer, which is delightful.
I wish all names were puns!
DeleteOh wait, they already tried that in California Adventure and it was terrible. Never mind
Stu, I bet your cellphone did that!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Bugs!
And wasn’t Walt originally going to make the Dumbi pink? Or so the story goes?
I’m baking cookies, now, for game night. Can’t wait!
Yep, it did! My blog is haunted...
DeleteYeah, I heard that they were supposed to be "Pink Elephants on Parade," but people thought that sequence was too scary to make a ride, so the Dumbi were born!
I love cookies!
And yep, Warner should have stepped in there!
DeleteI was totally freaked out by that Pink Elephants number as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIt IS pretty freaky. Of course Walt always said kids like to be scared. I think he was right!
DeleteThat pink elephant number reminds me of the brooms carrying water buckets in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Both a bit strange.
ReplyDeleteHow about A Night on Bald Mountain? Yowza! Still, I think it's a masterpiece. I read that in the original (in theaters equipped with Walt's stereo sound) during Ave Maria, you could hear the singers at the back of the theater first, then they went down the center aisle and ended up under the screen. All with just sound. Wow!
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