Here's the second half of our trip through Story Book Forest with vintage postcards. It's a pretty expansive attraction, taking about a half-hour to fully walk through. I also don't have a postcard from every display.
Once part of the castle that was at the end of the previous post, the Sword in the Stone (Excalibur) was replaced by an updated version in 2016.
I spotted the old sign while snooping around a "backstage" area.
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe display didn't use to have any fiberglass figures on it, as the postcard below shows.
Playing the role of the "old woman" seems like a pretty good retirement job to me. Read a book in the shade until some kids come up!
Little Red Riding Hood's house has remained basically unchanged over the years.
Here's the scene today, with the elves of the forest in the foreground.
Just for fun, here's what you'll see inside!
The garden of Mary, Mary Quite Contrary used real flowers for a short time, but they weren't able to survive in the shade.
Still, I think there might be a better option than evenly-spaced cutouts!
The elves of the forest, including this one painting a flower, are some of the oldest figures in Story Book Forest.
The elf's flowers were removed a few years ago, so now he's just gesturing.
Hickory Dickory Dock is one of the best scenes.
The clock hands spin, the pendulum swings back and forth, and the door in the clockface opens to reveal a mouse.
Humpty Dumpty is everyone's favorite! ;-) Note the speaker. One of my favorite things about Story Book Forest is the crackly old sound effects.
The image on this postcard was taken from the parking lot and shows the building that used to be the exit to Story Book Forest.
Here's the other side of the building. I guess it's just used for storage now. Or maybe it's a private residence.
This Jack-in-the-Box is my favorite (okay, I have a few favorites). I have a poster for the "Great Old Amusement Parks" documentary in my room that features a huge picture of its smiling face. I see it every day... sadly this display was removed in 2015.
I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the history of Story Book Forest!
11 comments:
I really like the "then and now" photo comparisons, to see how things have changed....or how they have remained the same over the years. My favorite of the characters/figures might just be that wolf in grandma's bed, with one eye open. Once again, I'm glad a place like this still exists! Thanks for sharing your visit to Story Book Forest with us, Andrew!
I can waste a lot of time analyzing the differences, TokyoMagic! Thanks for commenting again, even if this post is pretty similar to the last one.
Andrew, it's not a waste of time if it's your hobby or passion! And the posts weren't similar, other than being on the same location. I was looking forward to your "part two" on this park!
Thanks, TM! I don't think writing posts is a waste of time. What I was trying to say is that I can really get lost in old photos, but I have to limit myself sometimes. :-)
Andrew, oh...I knew you weren't talking about writing posts! I also love looking at old historic photos. And what I love even more, is when there is also a current photo of the same subject. I can analyze and compare the two photos, forever. There are some great books out there that do the "Then and Now" photo comparisons, side by side. I have one titled, "Los Angeles, Then and Now," but there are others available for many of the major U.S. cities. There's a Route 66 "Then and Now" book, too.
I have two Pittsburgh Then and Now books, and my aunt even worked on one of them. A dedicated amusement park "then and now" book would be awesome!
Andrew, that's cool that your aunt got to work on one of the Pittsburgh books. YOU should do some "then and now" amusement park books! Something to think about down the road, anyway.
I agree with TokyoMagic! Andrew you should do some ‘then and now’ books. I had thought it might be fun to do that with some of dad’s old photos of early Disneyland, but don’t know if I’ll ever get around to it...
You could put together an amazing book with your dad's photos, Sue. But I know that writing a book is a huge time investment that you can only do at a certain time in your life. Thanks for reading!
I totally agree on the "Then and Now" amusement park book! I hope to read it someday.
This set of pictures is absolutely charming. Too bad the Excalibur sign was too big to slip in a backpack; it would make a great wall hanging!
I wonder if the water pump behind the Reg Riding Hood house was functional or just for show? I've played Grandma Riding Hood twice: once in a school play and once in a regional production of Into the Woods. But you're right - playing the Old Woman in the Shoe at this park sounds like a pretty low-stress and fun job.
Thanks Melissa. Of course, I would have loved to take a lot of stuff in that boneyard, but I also don't want to steal from the park. That wooden pump is definitely just for show. Sometimes they have a Red Riding Hood character out for greeting too, so you would fit right in!
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