One thing I remember quite vividly from my first trip to Disneyland is the giant “shadowbox” displaying Disney memorabilia at the entrance to Disneyland, as part of the 35th Anniversary celebration. To my knowledge, the collection debuted for this anniversary, but if you have more facts about it, please let me know in the comments!

I remember spending a good chunk of one of our Disneyland mornings staring at the huge case, like a real-life Where’s Waldo, trying to see every wonderful piece that was inside.  We spotted everything from toys and books I had at home, to toys and collectibles that my mom had played with 30-35 years prior.  While I wish I had loads more pictures of this special display, I did find the one to the right, as well as a few seconds of home video of me just standing there in front of it.

Thankfully, this wonderful piece of Disney history found a permanent home in the Disneyland Hotel.  You have to search a little to find it, and, admittedly, I haven’t been back to this area of the hotel since they started renovation on the Magic (now Fantasy) Tower, but, as far as I know, if you enter the building near the Goofy’s Kitchen entrance and turn right toward the ballrooms, you’ll find the memorabilia display on the wall in the hallway.

Since that first time seeing the collection, I’ve been able to spend much more time studying and finding all kinds of amazing things in there.  Just about every vintage collectible you can imagine lies within that glass case… original Disneyland board games, Cast Member name tags from every celebration you can imagine, coloring books, puzzles, statues, plush, and so incredibly much more.

Every time I think about the first time I saw this amazing display it makes me feel happy.  I’m so happy that Disney decided to keep it alive in the Disneyland Hotel.  Now if I could just figure out where to put my own version in my house.

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