Favorite Things: Attraction Toys

For those of you who are celebrating Christmas today, I hope Santa was good to you. Maybe you even got some new Disney toys under the tree. The collection of Disney attraction toys on display in my study at home is rather extensive (and harder each year to keep out of reach of my 5-year-olds).

Some of my favorites are toys from attractions that are no longer in the parks. In the grouping pictured above, you can see a couple of toys sold during the early years at Disney California Adventure. That's a working model of the California Screamin' roller coaster (with original Mickey ears icon) and a spinning toy of the Orange Stinger swing ride (since replaced by Silly Symphony Swings).

A closer look reveals that the toy even sports the bumblebee seats that were on the real ride at opening, but didn't survive long (they kept cracking into each other).

This grouping also includes Mickey and Grrr plush from the Golden State area of the park, a Block Party Bash ball (acquired when the parade was still in California), an Autopia car promo piece from Chevron and a Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Vinylmation figure.

There's even a boot-shaped mug I picked up at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon on my very first trip to Disneyland back in 1991. I'm not sure if they still offer these mugs or not, but every time I look at it, I can still taste the root beer I had in mine.

Orange You Sorry You Missed It?

As Disney's California Adventure undergoes its transformation, the park is leaving several extinct attractions in its wake. The Sun Wheel (above left) has already reopened as Mickey's Fun Wheel, bringing a bit of period Disney style to the boardwalk, and the Orange Stinger has recently been completely deconstructed in preparation for its renewal.

In its original incarnation, the Orange Stinger presented the classic wave swing ride as a "California Crazy" tribute to the state's citrus and honey industries. Guests entered the four-story orange structure via steps alongside a giant beekeeper's hive box. Once inside, they took a seat in swing chairs once designed to actually look like bees (the Fiberglas bee shells kept banging into each other and didn't even last a month after the attraction opened in February 2001).

As the ride began, the smell of oranges was joined by the buzzing of a single bee. Soon, as the ride lifted off the platform and really got going, that bee was joined by the sound of hundreds of others.

The Orange Stinger took its bees and passengers on their final flight July 13, 2009. When the attraction reopens, it will feature a more-traditional look and take on the name Silly Symphony Swings. Inspired by the 1935 Mickey Mouse short "The Band Concert" (his first in Technicolor), the ride will feature a figure of Bandleader Mickey at its top and reveal the tornado from the film as riders are hoisted into the air and spun around with the concert's musicians.