Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 7, 2012, 2:09 pm
Kids, Mike here. Blogging from Starbucks somewhere in Orange County (Fullerton-ish). Jungle fans are in trouble. I've got a new Ipad2 and I'm not afraid to use it. Perhaps posts will increase precipitously. You have been warned. Is it just me, or... ...could you go for a noseful of Pirates of the C...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 29, 2012, 8:06 pm
What's it like to be a Disneyland Cast Member? I've run up against this question many times over the years. An answer today might differ somewhat from a Cast Member's answer in the 1950s, 60s, 70s or 80s, I'm sure. I'll give an answer a shot in my simple, broken manner. I'm a simple, broken person, ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 26, 2012, 12:54 pm
When the "new" Fantasyland debuted in 1983, it was---and remains---a wonder. The Old School Disney crew responsible for the redesign did an expected phenomenal job. Of course, many mourned the loss of the old pirate ship and "Skull Cove," as well as the Fantasyland Theater. But overall, the area's r...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 25, 2012, 12:44 pm
In my sweeper days, I was assigned a summer to Main Street. I had several Town Square shifts, some opening and some closing. As a sweeper, you literally learn every inch of the area. With eyes trained to hunt and destroy objects as small as a kernel of popcorn or a smashed cigarette butt, one become...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Nov 2, 2011, 1:13 pm
Greetings and welcome aboard the Jungle Cruise! I am SO glad to see each and every one of you. Watch your step as you come on board. Hey, as you're boarding, I'm standing here thinking, whattayou call a guy who stands on the river's edge next to the boat? "Doc." How 'bout the guy who makes announcem...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Nov 1, 2011, 11:22 am
Snooping around the internet, I once again came across an '80's era video clip posted by Jeff Hawkins of parts of the Main Street back area, including the Cast Activities Center, the BofA Versateller (to think I was once a Bank of America customer!), Herbie Hill, Harbor House and the old Cast Member...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 30, 2011, 11:44 pm
After one too many sessions of "I Spy With My Little Eye," I begged my youngest for a moment or two so that I could try to come up with something of my own to keep us entertained during the occasional down time (a long drive, a boring line, nothing on TV, etc., etc.). Given our family's connection t...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 28, 2011, 8:06 pm
It's a Friday here in the Jungle and, digging through some pictures, I thought I'd share some with you fine folks. . .  We'll start with the one above from our recent trip.  It shows the cottage where we stayed with a sweet, little Italian family.  We had a fine time.  Close to the water, but ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 27, 2011, 12:35 pm
Perhaps one of the hardest habits I've had to break when visiting Disneyland in my present post-Cast Member state is the overwhelming urge to step in and take control when the crowd gets backed up, lost or just a bit clueless. This occurs most often before or after a parade. I look ahead at a jammed...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 26, 2011, 4:20 pm
Ah, the back area. Tucked away, a bit on the dirty side. Offstage.  Backstage. Realm of the Cast Member. The place people disappear into through gates, doors and passageways. Where else can you catch Snow White on a lunch break? Disneylanders know many of these back area locations all too well. Per...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 19, 2011, 10:54 am
Park-going regulars have their spots within Disneyland. Places to head for when the crowd closes in. The porch of the Plaza Pavilion. A table along the railing in the French Market shade. Perhaps a bench in a corner of Fantasyland. Or along the wooden bridge in the midst of Thunder Trail. Places wit...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 18, 2011, 11:00 am
"I'm wishing.." "I'm wishing..." "For the one I love.  To find me..." "To find me..." "Today." "Today.   Today.  Todayyyyyy......" Assigned to the castle forecourt area of Fantasyland, I swept my rounds. Hello to the pretty young clerk at the Tinker Bell Toy Shop. A brush across the cobblestone t...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 17, 2011, 11:16 am
Thunder, 1987. BTMRR opening shift. Track walk. In the quiet moments before the Park opens, a small crew of mine train operators walks the track on a safety inspection. The charcoal pants, rose shirts, blue bandanas, full boots, vests and wide brimmed hats make up their outfits. This team of dedicat...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 13, 2011, 3:04 pm
If you work Jungle, you will work "Unload." Sounds like a bad psychology textbook or potty euphemism. Actually, it is more about hanging out on the end of the dock between boats, waiting for the next one to chug around Trader Sam. You and a partner have either the front or rear unload position. I pr...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Oct 11, 2011, 5:29 pm
Gang, things have been a bit busy in the realm outside the Jungle is "101" administrative offices lately. I posted on September 11 and then next time I looked up, it was a month later!!! I hate it when the real interferes with the virtual world and keeps me from posting my deeply insightful prose. ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Sep 12, 2011, 12:05 am
The 1980s era had many things going for it. Big hair. High-top Reeboks. Indiana Jones. Oingo Boingo. Alex Keaton. Back to the Future. Ghostbusters. The Los Angeles Olympics. Asteroids. Pac-Man. Mall rats. Valley Girls. MTV. Ray Ban Wayfarers. Yaz. One thing it DID NOT have, which I miss terribly in ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Sep 9, 2011, 9:52 am
Jungleteers: October 16, 2011 is CHOC Walk at Disneyland. An event no true Disneyland fan will want to miss, CHOC Walk supports a great cause while allowing you novel access to the Park in the earl morning hours, including great "behind the scenes" views. Here is the website, sign up today! We now r...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Sep 8, 2011, 12:17 pm
Right about now, I could really go for: a mid-theater seat on the comfy benches of the Country Bear Jamboree, waiting for the show to start;a stroll through Harbor House to grab my time card on my way under the trestle to Wardrobe;a hot Monte Cristo sandwich at Carnation on Main Street;an elephant r...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Sep 6, 2011, 10:33 am
Greetings, Jungle lovers! Pecking out a post on this old Underwood. The keys are sticking in this moist heat, greatly diminishing my words per minute and sapping my energy. Perhaps I should take a hot tea. Our British companions swear by it. I suppose the goal is to get one's insides close in temper...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Aug 25, 2011, 2:33 pm
I finally made it to Trader Sam's tiki bar over at the Disneyland Hotel.  Several times, actually. The bar looks like the Jungle Cruise crashed into the Tiki Room --- what's not to love? Tiki drinks, Disney style. Order a Shipwreck or an Uh-oa. The bar lights up with special effects. One of them ma...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Aug 22, 2011, 11:56 am
My family and I went to stay at the Grand Californian during the last week of July.  A Grand time was had by all.  We made the most of our week, dropping by Trader Sam's over at the Disneyland Hotel, giving Steakhouse 55 a try, finally braving the crowds for a---believe it or not---FIRST time ever...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Aug 8, 2011, 12:54 pm
My best to you, Adventurers and Adventurettes! Mike here. I would have posted more in the past two months had it not been for a wrong turn in the Guatemalan rainforest. You can get pretty disoriented in jungle overgrowth, especially with a blowdart in your neck! After I came to in a dark hut, I ma...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jun 13, 2011, 2:09 pm
When the crowd finally gets to you and the magic has dissipated, take a stroll to the far northwestern border of Fantasyland or wander past the Frontier Landing and main entrance of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There you will find the oft overlooked area known as Thunder Trail. It is shaded, for ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jun 8, 2011, 12:33 pm
Back in the Park today. But first, met up with some friends over at California Adventure and took in Tower of Terror and the new Little Mermaid attractions. The Little Mermaid is well done, but I doubt anything is worth a wait of over an hour and a half.  Fortunately, we had a little "pixie dust" w...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - May 24, 2011, 11:25 am
I returned to the Park this day, after what was (for me) too long a hiatus. The fresh paint job on Main Street (and continuing elsewhere, including over at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland) literally shone from off the storefronts. A healthy crowd surged through Disneyland as the 2011 summer sea...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - May 7, 2011, 4:31 pm
As I sit in my father-in-law's hospital room in the Medical Telemetry Unit, I can gaze out the window toward Anaheim Stadium.  Beyond it, I can see the outline of the Matterhorn.  The Park is so near, yet seems far away. Funny how a loved one spending two months (and counting) in a hospital can ke...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Apr 15, 2011, 11:36 am
Walt really loved his home town of Marceline, Missouri. Main Street, U.S.A., was based upon his fond memories of that place. Why it's the first thing you come upon when you exit the tunnel. You know, they could've built Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Park entrance instead of a railway station. Our fi...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Apr 14, 2011, 11:22 am
From the Jungle is "101" archival box under the bed, we have located the following gems. The stamps on the envelopes above provide a happier memory of September 11th than we are stuck with today.  The official USPS Walt Disney stamp's first day of issue was on September 11, 1968.  Somehow, I ended...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Apr 7, 2011, 12:52 pm
Oh, for a day at Disneyland! Sunshine blinking off flower petals, with smooth green railings circling the beds. Stepping from tunnel to Town Square, the Park wraps around you. Music lilts from somewhere in the background of the blue-skied day. A day that spreads out before you like a banquet. Or a C...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Mar 24, 2011, 1:09 am
Hello, everyone.  I am so sorry, but a family emergency had taken Jungle Is "101" into a "holding pattern" for the last few weeks.  It is amazing how a father-in-law's trip into the ICU can cut into your time for posting about Disneyland. Jungle Fans, please pray for my father-in-law's recovery or...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Mar 8, 2011, 11:16 am
A small, squat building was situated near the center of the backstage area behind Main Street in the 1980s.  It is still there today, but it is now a computer training location.  It was the Cast Activities Center. As you approached its main entrance (located directly across from the old Wardrobe/A...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Mar 3, 2011, 11:20 am
If you did not catch "Part I," here's a link to it.  And now, without further fanfare, Jungle Theater presents the conclusion of Marooned In The Jungle. So.  I am stranded on an island just as the Jungle Cruise is about to open its daily operations. My brain is racing with thoughts of, "you'll be ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 23, 2011, 1:08 pm
Greetings, salutations and welcome, oh wayward fans of this humble slice of cyberspace.  You know who you are.  "Jungle is 101" followers are a fine crew, marked by undeniably distinct characteristics and personality flaws:  You are literate, but favor picture books with high monosyllabic word c...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 22, 2011, 10:55 am
This past Friday evening, we piled into the car for a trip to Disneyland in the rain. The Park was not crowded, and the wind and rain blew as if Hina and Tongaroa-Ru were Annual Pass holders. Of course, the "Bubble" (as Cast Members know) was in full effect at times, too, as the rain let up for most...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 17, 2011, 12:04 pm
Let's open the old box of Disneyland stuff and see what's in it. Hey!  Here's my old Main Street Electrical Parade souvenir album.  Still works!  If only I had a record player.  The artwork is fanciful and fun.  The music plays in my head without any effort on my part at all.  I can see each f...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 15, 2011, 1:00 pm
Dateline: Bear Country. Summer 1985.  Day Custodial Shift.  Sweeper. Always enjoyed Bear County, but on hot days it was, well...a bear. Despite pine trees, most of the area was open and exposed to the sun. Where Splash Mountain sits today was a row of buildings with a covered porch and restrooms.Â...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 14, 2011, 10:46 am
It was the next big thing. An all new venue north of Storybook and west of Small World. Videopolis. It was mid-80s on steroids.  A huge stage, videos shining from TVs all over the place, and swirling, flashing lights that blinked to the beat of whatever was playing. Videopolis opened in 1985.  I r...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 12, 2011, 6:41 pm
"Wanna see something cool?" Whenever a fellow sweeper would ask this question, my heart leaped---especially when it was a lead doing the asking. "Let's go!" I replied instantly. Olympic Summer 1984 was remarkably slow.  We were near midday and handfuls of guests straggled about Main Street.  Super...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 11, 2011, 11:17 am
The haunting figure above lurks within the tropical confines of Adventureland.  Any idea where?  Here's a pretty darn obvious hint. A skipper and his crew approach the "first sign of Danger" in the Jungle.  They've just turned past the rain forest and are chugging toward the Monkey God and the An...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 10, 2011, 1:25 pm
A dead spot in the Jungle lies just after the scene where the gorillas trash the safari camp. I mention thinking the battery was dead on my Jeep, but am happy to see that the apes tried and tried - and were finally able to get it to turn over. Downbeat, two, three. And over on our left you can see a...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 9, 2011, 12:11 pm
Around these parts, when the humidity is up, the mosquitoes are buzzing, and mid-week has arrived, our thoughts turn to deeper things. Why is it, for example, that Fantasyland is real, Tomorrowland is here today and Mickey is missing fingers? So many turkey legs...where does the rest of the turkey g...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 8, 2011, 10:58 am
The massive Walt Disney Company is a different animal from the company I first encountered in my youth. And now it's likely to be the first company anyone encounters in their youth! I saw an article today on Yahoo! about modern Disney's kinda creepy new scheme to get new customers before they can ev...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 8, 2011, 1:53 am
You might be a current or former Disneyland cast member... ...if you can instantly spot a cast member parking lot hang tag dangling from the rear view mirror of the car behind you on the freeway. ...if you find yourself giving a total stranger directions---and pointing with two fingers. ...if guests...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 4, 2011, 1:01 pm
Walt Disney's daughter Diane Disney Miller, his son-in-law, Ron Miller, and his grandson, Walter Elias Disney Miller, put together a very nice program entitled Walt - The Man Behind The Myth that I happened to catch on TV last night. It has been out for some time, but this was my first viewing.  I...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 3, 2011, 12:49 pm
Climb on in, please, there's plenty of room. That's right, take a seat. Scooch in, it's a bit of a squeeze. That's because Doug and Tim, our boat loaders, used to work in a sardine factory. Until they got canned. So they joined the circus; took a job on the flying trapeze. They held on for as long a...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 2, 2011, 1:04 pm
After depositing my time card at Custodial Control's tight quarters tucked behind Carnation Plaza Gardens, I would set out for my summer shift on Main Street. It was a closing shift on "Center," smack down the middle of Main Street. I came on at 4:00 p.m. and would be there until my shift ended jus...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Feb 1, 2011, 11:46 am
It may seem odd but perhaps one of the best cast member positions to hold in the Park is that of a sweeper. At least it was in 1984. Day Custodial back then assigned sweepers to an area within the park---say Main Street, Main Gate. You were essentially given your own little slice of Disneyland to wa...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 29, 2011, 4:23 pm
Salutations, Jungle-teers!  We are pleased to announce that we have overcome enormous odds, technical difficulties, thick bogs and an angry herd of water buffalo in order to list the official Jungle Is "101" t-shirt on E-Bay at long last. This is in response to the surprisingly large demand we had ...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 26, 2011, 12:59 pm
My 1984 summer was spent on Main Street, for the most part. When assigned trash duty on the Street, one of our responsibilities was emptying the cans outside the Main Gate. For this job we were given access to a Disney vehicle. It was a small Chevy S-10 pickup as I recall, with "Disneyland Custodial...
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Mike K. posted an article on Jungle Is "101" - Jan 24, 2011, 12:23 pm
Summer 1984. Fantasyland. Disneyland Day Custodial shift. About 4:00 p.m. The call came over my lead's radio. "Custodial 3, 10-49 Storybook. Code...um, Code-D." "Code-D?"  The lead looked quizzically at his radio. Storybook?  What sort of custodial incident could happen at the Storybook Land Canal...
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