D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
We were promised they were the ice cream of the future. Sometimes things do work out for the best!
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The Miscellaneous Thought Thread
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
TP2000
Well-Known Member
This article was interesting, yet seemed to be missing some "hard facts" in its critique of Disneyland's hard facts and its future.
www.ocregister.com
From the article...
"Yet other hard facts continue to challenge Disney. Over the past 70 years, America’s wealthy have become richer at the expense of the working class, making a Disneyland visit a tough sell for many families. Various discounts and pass programs have helped, but taking advantage of those requires advance planning that some families simply do not have the spare time to do."
It seems to me that the numbers don't reflect that, from a market demographic standpoint. Surely there are vastly more American families today that can afford a trip to Disneyland than there were in 1955? Just by population growth, 330 Million today compared to 165 Million in '55, the market would have exploded. Right? So I went to Google...
1955:
7.5 Million American families were Lower Income, earning less than $2,000 per year ($24,000 in 2025 dollars)
17.5 Million American families were Middle Income, earning between $2,000 and $5,000 per year ($60,000 in '25 dollars)
18 Million American families were Upper Income, earning $5,000 or more per year ($61,000 in '25 dollars)
The poverty rate for Americans was estimated to be around 28% in 1955.
Then around 1970 our standards of economic measurement got much more scientific and trackable. That was Disneyland's 15th Anniversary, which seems like such a small number compared to 70! But looking at the inflation adjusted incomes above, you can see how much wealthier we have become as a nation since '55. So it's kind of hard to quantify that in current incomes, where even lower income folks have air conditioning and color TV's and cellular phones now, and many even own a car.
2024:
41.4 Million American families were Lower Income, earning less than $50,000 per year
59.2 Million American families were Middle Income, earning between $50,000 and $150,000 per year
31.6 Million American families were Upper Income, earning more than $150,000 per year
The US poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024.
So basically, the existing market of Middle and Upper Income families who might be interested in going to Disneyland has grown from 35.5 Million families in 1955, to 90.8 Million families in 2024. Plus the huge increase in buying power a "middle class" family has now compared to 1955, when an equivalent annual salary of just $60,000 was enough to make you "Upper Class".
The number of American families who can theoretically afford a Disneyland visit has grown 255% since 1955!
I'm thinking Disneyland is going to be just fine.
Niles: ‘Hard facts’ might keep Disneyland from surviving another 70 years
The cost of a Disneyland visit and the impact of technology on children could cost Disney its cultural relevance.
www.ocregister.com
From the article...
"Yet other hard facts continue to challenge Disney. Over the past 70 years, America’s wealthy have become richer at the expense of the working class, making a Disneyland visit a tough sell for many families. Various discounts and pass programs have helped, but taking advantage of those requires advance planning that some families simply do not have the spare time to do."
It seems to me that the numbers don't reflect that, from a market demographic standpoint. Surely there are vastly more American families today that can afford a trip to Disneyland than there were in 1955? Just by population growth, 330 Million today compared to 165 Million in '55, the market would have exploded. Right? So I went to Google...
1955:
7.5 Million American families were Lower Income, earning less than $2,000 per year ($24,000 in 2025 dollars)
17.5 Million American families were Middle Income, earning between $2,000 and $5,000 per year ($60,000 in '25 dollars)
18 Million American families were Upper Income, earning $5,000 or more per year ($61,000 in '25 dollars)
The poverty rate for Americans was estimated to be around 28% in 1955.
Then around 1970 our standards of economic measurement got much more scientific and trackable. That was Disneyland's 15th Anniversary, which seems like such a small number compared to 70! But looking at the inflation adjusted incomes above, you can see how much wealthier we have become as a nation since '55. So it's kind of hard to quantify that in current incomes, where even lower income folks have air conditioning and color TV's and cellular phones now, and many even own a car.
2024:
41.4 Million American families were Lower Income, earning less than $50,000 per year
59.2 Million American families were Middle Income, earning between $50,000 and $150,000 per year
31.6 Million American families were Upper Income, earning more than $150,000 per year
The US poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024.
So basically, the existing market of Middle and Upper Income families who might be interested in going to Disneyland has grown from 35.5 Million families in 1955, to 90.8 Million families in 2024. Plus the huge increase in buying power a "middle class" family has now compared to 1955, when an equivalent annual salary of just $60,000 was enough to make you "Upper Class".
The number of American families who can theoretically afford a Disneyland visit has grown 255% since 1955!
I'm thinking Disneyland is going to be just fine.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Here's another fun way to look at how affordable life, and a Disneyland visit, have become in macro-economic terms since '55.
In 1955 as part of its sponsorship of Circarama in Tomorrowland, American Motors had an exhibit for its Kelvinator refrigerators division, with model kitchens on display underneath the 360 degree movie screens.
Here's a newspaper ad from July 20th, 1955 showing a brand new 10 cubic foot (not a typo, only 10 cubic feet!) Kelvinator with a small ice box big enough for an ice tray and a box of frozen peas, on sale for just $299!
That $299 Kelvinator would cost $3,610 in today's dollars. For a basic 10 cubic foot fridge. I just looked at Home Depot.com and they don't even make 10 cubic foot fridge/freezers any more. The smallest I could find was a 16 cubic foot GE model, and it's selling for only $548. The parents taking their kids to Disneyland in the 1950's had a lot of budgeting to do in order to make it all work!
In 1955 as part of its sponsorship of Circarama in Tomorrowland, American Motors had an exhibit for its Kelvinator refrigerators division, with model kitchens on display underneath the 360 degree movie screens.
Here's a newspaper ad from July 20th, 1955 showing a brand new 10 cubic foot (not a typo, only 10 cubic feet!) Kelvinator with a small ice box big enough for an ice tray and a box of frozen peas, on sale for just $299!
That $299 Kelvinator would cost $3,610 in today's dollars. For a basic 10 cubic foot fridge. I just looked at Home Depot.com and they don't even make 10 cubic foot fridge/freezers any more. The smallest I could find was a 16 cubic foot GE model, and it's selling for only $548. The parents taking their kids to Disneyland in the 1950's had a lot of budgeting to do in order to make it all work!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Ah, but on the flip side, getting into the park and on a few rides was much cheaper in the 50's!
In 1958, once the Disneyland concept was up and running and Walt's team had operations nailed down a bit, an adult ticket book with 10 ride tickets was $3.25. That would be $36 in today's money. But the Matterhorn hadn't opened yet, and the biggest D Ticket rides were The Jungle Cruise, the Mine Train, and the Disneyland Railroad. There were no parades, and fireworks happened only in summer.
Plus, just think of all those cubicle drones you missed out on back in TDA if you went in 1958.
When the Enchanted Tiki Room, Presented by United Airlines opened in 1963 it required a special 75 cent ticket that cost more than an E Ticket. That would be $8 in today's money.
Would you spend $32 today to take your family of four to today's version of the Tiki Room? With today's CM standards?
In 1958, once the Disneyland concept was up and running and Walt's team had operations nailed down a bit, an adult ticket book with 10 ride tickets was $3.25. That would be $36 in today's money. But the Matterhorn hadn't opened yet, and the biggest D Ticket rides were The Jungle Cruise, the Mine Train, and the Disneyland Railroad. There were no parades, and fireworks happened only in summer.
Plus, just think of all those cubicle drones you missed out on back in TDA if you went in 1958.
When the Enchanted Tiki Room, Presented by United Airlines opened in 1963 it required a special 75 cent ticket that cost more than an E Ticket. That would be $8 in today's money.
Would you spend $32 today to take your family of four to today's version of the Tiki Room? With today's CM standards?
Disney Irish
Premium Member
As with all things, a straight inflation adjusted calculation cannot be done. As there are so many things that go into the prices of goods outside of inflation.Ah, but on the flip side, getting into the park and on a few rides was much cheaper in the 50's!
In 1958, once the Disneyland concept was up and running and Walt's team had operations nailed down a bit, an adult ticket book with 10 ride tickets was $3.25. That would be $36 in today's money. But the Matterhorn hadn't opened yet, and the biggest D Ticket rides were The Jungle Cruise, the Mine Train, and the Disneyland Railroad. There were no parades, and fireworks happened only in summer.
Plus, just think of all those cubicle drones you missed out on back in TDA if you went in 1958.
When the Enchanted Tiki Room, Presented by United Airlines opened in 1963 it required a special 75 cent ticket that cost more than an E Ticket. That would be $8 in today's money.
Would you spend $32 today to take your family of four to today's version of the Tiki Room? With today's CM standards?
So the question is if ticket books were brought back as they were in the 50s, what would the total price be of admission plus the price per each attraction figuring like 33 attractions.
Just using your base numbers of $32 for gate (since we know there would still be a gate ticket) and $8 per attraction. The average cost per person for doing Disneyland would be somewhere in the $296 range based on doing all attractions once. Now obviously some attractions wouldn't be $8 as they would be less and some would be more. But you get the idea.
So even though we complain about how expensive it can be to go to Disneyland, I think you can see the single gate ticket with unlimited attractions is a better deal in the long run.
Handel's Chocoholic Chunk.
waltography
Well-Known Member
Holiday info dropped on Disney Parks Blog this morning, but of note are Mickey and Minnie's 70th celebration Christmas fits:
Love that they're using the 70th look as a base and overlaying it for the holidays, it's a cute idea to keep the anniversary consistent. More importantly, the cut of Mickey's jacket is as it should be finally.
The rest of the update is same as last year, but I'm excited for the new Mickey Christmas Carol-themed character dinner coming to Storytellers!
Love that they're using the 70th look as a base and overlaying it for the holidays, it's a cute idea to keep the anniversary consistent. More importantly, the cut of Mickey's jacket is as it should be finally.
The rest of the update is same as last year, but I'm excited for the new Mickey Christmas Carol-themed character dinner coming to Storytellers!
Attachments
Disney Irish
Premium Member
I think you're having a Mandela effect here. Maybe there was a rumor and that is what you're remembering? But I don't think Disney ever confirmed Elio was to be featured in the parade.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Coffee for me. Mint chip’s pretty great, though.
A respectable choice. Definitely in my Top 5. Perhaps Top 3.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I'm not a regular ice cream eater, but when I do indulge it goes like this...
I pull a pint of Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter out of the freezer, and put half the pint in a chilled dessert bowl. Then I smear several spoonfuls of Jif Creamy peanut butter over the top of it. The soft peanut butter acts like a topping in lieu of hot chocolate, and pairs nicely with the hard frozen peanut butter in the ice cream. I like to pretend it's giving me extra protein, or something.
TP2000 Life Hack!
Wow I’m going to have to try that! Ill just add some pieces of dark chocolate to the PB topping.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
And please report back.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
While sitting here on the patio in La Jolla, enjoying a whiskey instead of ice cream, I'm reminded that one of the first Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlors in the country opened near here in Pacific Beach around 1980. My Aunt Ingrid, riding the cusp of pop culture relevancy as she always did, clued in on that immediately. In the early Reagan years, she always served Haagen-Dazs ice cream at dinner parties and beach sociables. They would even deliver to her, as I remember! It was a very chic brand in those days, when grocery store ice cream was really just ice milk and came in clunky rectangle boxes instead of pints.
40+ years ago the Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlor would deliver pints of ice cream to La Jolla housewives for a nominal fee. Can you imagine?! And via the telephone and a voice promise to pay!
My sister and her husband arrives this weekend, with nephews and young wives to follow, so now I am going to stock up and invest moderately in Haagen-Dazs for the week! I hope you all do the same. Happy ice cream summer to all of us!
40+ years ago the Haagen-Dazs ice cream parlor would deliver pints of ice cream to La Jolla housewives for a nominal fee. Can you imagine?! And via the telephone and a voice promise to pay!
My sister and her husband arrives this weekend, with nephews and young wives to follow, so now I am going to stock up and invest moderately in Haagen-Dazs for the week! I hope you all do the same. Happy ice cream summer to all of us!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
In the 1960's and 70's, and into the 1980's, when you went into a supermarket's frozen food aisles, you found a long line of rectangular boxes that were "ice milk". It was cheaper than ice cream. It was easier to process and store. It was the 1970's, and it's just how things were back then. Things were cheap back then, and food was kind of crappy. And ice milk came in boxes.
Which is why Haagen-Dazs was such a chic and innovative product when it burst onto the scene in the Late Disco Age. It was a throwback to real, rich, ice cream from pre-war days. It was silky and flavorful and smooth. It cost more, but it was worth it. And it was in a round container again, just like old times! It was actually ice cream.