Huck, Yogi and Magilla Gorilla at Disneyland | Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation

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Huck, Yogi and Magilla Gorilla at Disneyland

December 26, 2008 12:36 am

Reader Keith Bryant made this unusual observation while watching the Disney Treasures DVD Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic:

There’s an old episode of The Wonderful World of Color, “Disneyland Around the Seasons” (1966), where they show the Disneyland Christmas parade. If you look closely at Santa Claus’ float you’ll see dozens of generic toys and NONE of them seem to be licenced Disney character toys (although, a large teddy bear is wearing a t-shirt that says “Winnie the Pooh but the bear doesn’t look at all like him). However, if you look even closer, you can see a fairly large plush Magilla Gorilla. Imagine that, a Disneyland parade (circa 1966) and a Hanna-Barbera toy is on the float! Could you imagine that happening today?!? Howze that for Disney Christmas trivia?

Not bad! I spotted what looks like a Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear doll as well (see blow-up below). I agree, Santa would never get away with that today.

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9 comments posted in Disney

« « Christmas at the Kimballs | The Fine Art of Animator Len Glasser » »

12/26/08 7:31am	Jimchig says:
	I agree on the Magilla Gorilla spotting, but I’m not seeing Huck and Yogi. Those encircled in red look to be Chip (or Dale) and one of Donald Duck’s nephews. Just my opinion, but look again and tell me that’s not what you see now?
12/26/08 12:30pm	Christopher Cook says:
	Consider that a while back before they went teenybopper, Disney Channel screened the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series of made-for-TV movies (”Scooby Doo & The Ghoul School,” “The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones,” etc.).
12/26/08 1:05pm	Graeme Edgeler says:
	My first thought for the Gorilla was (if that’s a bonnet on the head, and not something in a different plane) was the lost ape baby from “Apes of Wrath” (or “Gorilla my Dreams”)… Agree it’s probably Magilla, though. Definitely a duck for the lower one, however.
12/26/08 1:11pm	J Hobart B says:
	Are you sure that’s Magilla and not King Louie from The Jungle Book? Seems like about the right time for them to have been promoting that movie, right?
12/26/08 1:40pm	Keith Bryant says:
	There’s another view of the float on the video with a fairly close shot and Magilla Gorilla is very clearly seen.
12/26/08 1:48pm	Jenny Lerew says:
	Jungle Book would have been a feature of the following year’s parade. That Pooh actually looks like an “official” one. Mine came from Sears and looked nothing like the Pooh of the books or the featurette…to my disappointment(he talked with a woman’s voice to boot).
12/27/08 2:44am	Sam Filstrup says:
	I’m not seeing it looks more like King Louie, Donald Duck and Owl from Winnie the Pooh. The close up is so pixelated though I just can’t tell.
12/28/08 2:13am	Keith Bryant says:
	Trust me on this one. The shot of Magilla Gorilla shown here is a profile. If you look close, you can see his suspenders and his derby. There is another shot on the video (not shown here) with a close shot of the float and even though the image is moving, you can see it’s Magilla and not King Louie. BTW, King Louie was red and didn’t wear a derby. Goodnight Gracie.
12/28/08 11:22am	Mr. P says:
	The gorilla in question is Magilla. The doll was made in 1964 by the Ideal Toy company. He has a molded soft vinyl head, the body is plush and the clothes are cloth and felt. Don’t mean to sound like an ebay listing, but it was great looking toy of that era.

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