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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2017 |
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Two months ago, I published Other Lands Around Disneyland in 1974. The premise was that Disneyland and its “lands” spawned additional “lands” in the vicinity of the park. The article relied on photos that I snapped in 1974. In the five decades since then, the Disneyland Resort only added two lands with “land” in their names: Cars Land and Hollywood Land. But entrepreneurs have added other “lands” in Anaheim and nearby suburbs. Thank you to Yesterland photographer Chris Bales and Orange County historian Chris Jepsen for spotting them and taking their pictures. , Curator of Yesterland, December 8, 2023 |
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Wonderland Plaza |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Located across Katella Ave. from the Disneyland Resort’s Simba parking lot, this is the only entry in this list that was also on the 1974 list. Back then, the small shopping center was called Wonderland Center and had a tall, messy sign from the 1950s. At least one of the current tenants, Marri’s Pizza, was in the same location in 1974. In fact, according to their website, “Marri’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant has been serving Anaheim residents and tourists since 1957.” According to Orange County historian Chris Jepsen, “Soon after the strip mall was built, ads for its businesses, including Marri’s Pizza, were painted on the eastern exterior wall where they were clearly visible to westbound traffic on Katella. This was quickly obscured when a motel was built next door. However, the determined urban archaeologist can still peer into the space between the buildings — which sometimes has people living in it — and see this very ’60s-flavored ‘mural’.” |
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Wonderland Market |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Wonderland Market is in Wonderland Plaza. The photo shows the sign that faces the street. The same store has a sign facing the parking lot that simply reads Liquor Mart. |
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US Liquorland |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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US Liquorland is in a strip mall at the busy intersection of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Ave., in the heart of the Anaheim Resort district. It’s not surprising that a liquor store whose customers are primarily hotel guests on Disneyland vacations would be named Liquorland. |
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Shishaland |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Shishaland is three miles northwest of Disneyland. Below the store name on its freestanding sign along Lincoln Ave., there’s a list of what it sells: “Tobacco, Hookahs, Coals, Accessories.” Maybe the store could license the hookah-smoking Caterpillar from Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) as its mascot. |
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Watchland |
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Photo by Chris Jepsen, 2023 |
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“I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say ‘hello, goodbye,’ I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” Maybe the White Rabbit would have been on time with a fresh watch battery from Watchland, now located inside the Tustin Jewelry Exchange. |
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Koobikland |
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Photo by Chris Jepsen, 2023 |
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Are you hungry for Beef Koobideh, Lamb Shish Kabob, Reza Loghmeh, or another Persian/Iranian specialty? This “land” gets great reviews on Yelp. This proves you don’t have to go to EPCOT to try cuisines from around the world. You just have to keep your eyes open in north Orange County. |
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Orangeland RV Park |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Back in 1974, RV owners visting Disneyland could choose from Trailerland, Camperland, and Vacationland. Those are now gone. There was another RV “land” just three miles to the east. Orangeland RV Park opened in 1972 on the site of what had been a working orange grove. Orangeland is still in business, run by the same family that built it. They didn’t remove all the orange trees. Guests are encouraged to pick fruit in season. |
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Magicland Market |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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“Magic” is a Disney term, so Magicland Market is a good name for a food and liquor market serving Disneyland tourists. Magicland Market was previously Satellite Market, part of a small shopping center called Satellite Shopland. Yes, there was another “land,” but it’s missing from the 1974 version of this Yesterland article. Look for the “space age” satellite illustration on the Anaheim Resort-style sign in front of the parked car. At the same spot, a six-foot globe with 11 colorful metal spikes rotated atop a tall signpost from 1962 to 1999. Then came the Anaheim Resort sign regulations. According to Chris Jepsen, “The market was forced to install a ‘tombstone’ sign, but defiantly emblazoned it with an image of the sign they’d been forced to remove.” The original Satellite sign is now at the American Sign Museum in Cincinatti, Ohio. |
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Yogurtland |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Yogurtland on Katella is in a small shopping center across the street from Magicland Market. It’s one of two Yogurtlands in Anaheim — and one of over 250 Yogurtlands in the United States, Guam, Dubai, and Venezuela. With its international reach and its current headquarters in Farmers Branch, Texas, you might think Yogurtland doesn’t belong on this list. But the very first Yogurtland opened in 2006 at 501 N. State College Blvd. in Fullerton, the city just north of Anaheim. |
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Launderland and LaunderLand |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Americans call them laundromats. Brits call them launderettes. Around Disneyland, there’s a Launderland and two LaunderLands. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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It’s a “COIN-OP LA DRY.” Let’s hope the washers and dryers are maintained better than the sign. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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At this LaunderLand, you can sit outside in a broken chair reading Excélsior OC from a convenient newspaper vending machine, while your laundry proceeds through the wash, rinse, and spin cycles. |
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Thriftyland 101 and Thriftyland 102 |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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Thriftyland thrift and consignment stores are known for their new and vintage Disney items. The Thriftyland logo uses the Disneyland logo font. Disney and Pixar characters adorn the exterior of the first store. There’s Disney decor inside, and the stores try hard to provide a Disney vibe. In addition to Disney IP, plenty of other IP has also made it onto their crowded racks and shelves. Thriftyland has two locations, numbered 101 and 102. Both are in Anaheim. That raises the question, what happened to Thriftyland 1 through 100? In Disney parlance, code “101” means an attraction has broken down; code “102” means it has reopened. Could that be reason for the store numbers? |
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Taco Land |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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On its sign, Taco Land calls itself “The Best Taco Spot on Earth” — just as Disneyland calls itself “The Happiest Place on Earth.” The “o” in “Taco” matches the dot on the “i” of the Walt Disney logo. Those are just the first two of many tributes to Disneyland and Disney here — so just one photo isn’t enough. |
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Taco Land, 2235 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim, California |
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The front of Taco Land is guarded by Jack Skellington and El Chapulín Colorado (The Red Grasshopper). The former can be considered a Disney character, even though Disney originally tried to distance itself from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). The latter is the title character of a comedic Mexican television series that ran from 1973 to 1979 — and is not a Disney character. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2023 |
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One mural on the side of the restaurant features Mike Wazowski and Sulley from Monsters Inc. welcoming you to Taco Land. The other features Paradise Pier (before it became Pixar Pier) at Disney California Adventure, with the Taco Land logo emblazoned in the center of the California Screamin’ loop. Inside, a wall is decorated with individually framed mouse ears surrounding “I LOVE TACOS” in light-up letters. The music playing in the restaurant is often Disney music. |
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Click here to post comments at MiceChat about this article. © 2023 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated December 8, 2023 |