Which one is the real It's a Small World

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I saw in an old thread about the Worlds Fair that they had a scaled down version of Horizons there to is that true? Some people start the wackiest threads but I decided to do some research after this thread and realized that the Worlds fair is like a 1960s version of Epcot. Now I am tempted to check out the remains.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I saw in an old thread about the Worlds Fair that they had a scaled down version of Horizons there to is that true? Some people start the wackiest threads but I decided to do some research after this thread and realized that the Worlds fair is like a 1960s version of Epcot. Now I am tempted to check out the remains.

Yep, in both the World's Fair of 1939, and in the World's Fair of 1964, several "Horizons" like rides popped up.

Run a search, we've had quite a few threads on them, as we have quite a few dedicated WF Fans on this site. brkgnews (Jackie) is the most knowledgeable, of them, I'll point him over here. He knows ALL about Highways and Horizons, as the ride was called.


And YES, go to Flushing Meadows if you can. The Unishpere is still intact.

Beautiful.

 

[brkgnews]

Y'all rang? :lookaroun

Yes, there were some Horizons-like rides at both New York World's Fairs.

The 1964 version (General Motors' "Futurama II") is the most like EPCOT Center's Horizons attraction. Showing how people might live/work/etc in other environments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5aK0H05jk

The previous version in 1939 (General Motors' "Highways and Horizons - Futurama") focused more on the needs for a new transportation network. In a way, it gives off more of a vibe to plans for E.P.C.O.T. (the city)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74cO9X4NMb4

And yes, definitely go check over Flushing Meadows (the fairgrounds). There are still a few scattered remnants of the fair there. As Evan mentioned, 1964's Unisphere is still there. Also, the Queens Museum of Art is there. It was the NY state building at the 1939 fair and is the only building from that fair that remains. It also briefly housed the United Nations, and now includes an exhibit on the fairs, as well as the original "panorama of NYC" scale model (updated over the years).

And if you think 1964 was like EPCOT... you should look up the 1939 NY World's Fair.
Here, for instance...
http://www.2719hyperion.com/search/label/EPCOT 1939

At 1939, we saw...
- The electric utilities exhibit, which featured scenes of life before electricity, and showed how life was improved after electricity's arrival [like Carousel of Progress]
- The above-mentioned Futurama [like Walt's visions for EPCOT]
- The Perisphere, which was a huge ball with an attraction inside it [like Spaceship Earth]
- The Perisphere, which was, at the time, the first ever complete sphere of that building type [as was SSE]
- The Trylon, which was a semi-controversial big tall thing next to the big ball [like The Wand :lookaroun]
- Democracity, a model of the ideal city of the future [like Walt's EPCOT], presented inside the Perisphere [like SSE, both of which were narrated by famous newsmen]
- Projections on the outside of the Perisphere [like the lasers onto SSE after Illuminations]
- A huge lagoon show featuring fireworks, water fountains, and music [like Illuminations]
- The Heinz pavilion, which featured an animatronic Tomato dude [like Food Rocks / Kitchen Kabaret]
- Eastern States Ice Corporation, which featured a refrigerator full of food marionettes [even more-like Kitchen Kabaret/Food Rocks]
- The "Hall of Man" devoted to varied exhibits on health [like Wonders of Life]
- The entire fairgrounds were built on a reclaimed ash dump [like WDW's building on reclaimed swampland]
- The Chrysler pavilion, which featured the first-ever technicolor 3D movie [like EPCOT's groundbreaking 3D movies]
- A huge electrical grid that shot off lightning [like was also planned, but scrapped, for EPCOT's Maelstrom]
- The Nabisco Pavilion, which featured a Mickey Mouse Cartoon [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwMLUJb87TQ ]
- The General Cigar pavilion, which flashed headlines and sports scores from around the world [like Communicore once did]
- The Buck Rogers exhibit, which included a simulated trip to Venus [like several Disney attractions over the years offering simulated trips to Moon/Mars]
- 1939 was the unveiling of television to the public; 1964 was the big debut of color television to the public [1982's EPCOT opening was one of the first events to reveal via-satellite reports on television to the public]


Have I made my case? :lookaroun

 

[brkgnews]

"This is George Washington's axe, the same one he used on his farm. It's been in the family for generations. The handle has been replaced three times and the head has been replaced twice."

:ROFLOL: Yep, that

 

[HMF]

I have always heard that the Its a Small World in Disney world is the one from New York City, Disneyland was built first which would convince me that Disneyland has the original setup.

Yes and No. The set pieces and dolls are from the original Worlds fair ride and the layout is similar but there were many differences.

*There was no Polynesian scene in the Worlds Fair version. You went right from Mexico to the finale.
*The rainforest scene was in the South America Room after the penguins. When it moved to Disneyland it got its own room right before the finale on the left-hand side'. The right hand side had Tiki Drummers (This room is now the America Scene and the Rainforest and Tiki Drummers were jammed into the Polynesian scene.) In Florida the Rainforest is ironically between the South America and Polynesian scenes.
* The Sun from the Worlds Fair Finale did not come to DL until it was replicated for the 08 refurb.

 

[lilclerk]

- 1939 was the unveiling of television to the public; 1964 was the big debut of color television to the public [1982's EPCOT opening was one of the first events to reveal via-satellite reports on television to the public]

I remember a story Walter Cronkite told about going to the World's Fair and seeing the debut of television. He was brought up to do a demonstration and was on TV. He liked to rub it in to his fellow journalists that he was indeed on TV longer than any of them :lol:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Y'all rang? :lookaroun

Yes, there were some Horizons-like rides at both New York World's Fairs.

The 1964 version (General Motors' "Futurama II") is the most like EPCOT Center's Horizons attraction. Showing how people might live/work/etc in other environments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5aK0H05jk

The previous version in 1939 (General Motors' "Highways and Horizons - Futurama") focused more on the needs for a new transportation network. In a way, it gives off more of a vibe to plans for E.P.C.O.T. (the city)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74cO9X4NMb4

And yes, definitely go check over Flushing Meadows (the fairgrounds). There are still a few scattered remnants of the fair there. As Evan mentioned, 1964's Unisphere is still there. Also, the Queens Museum of Art is there. It was the NY state building at the 1939 fair and is the only building from that fair that remains. It also briefly housed the United Nations, and now includes an exhibit on the fairs, as well as the original "panorama of NYC" scale model (updated over the years).

And if you think 1964 was like EPCOT... you should look up the 1939 NY World's Fair.
Here, for instance...
http://www.2719hyperion.com/search/label/EPCOT 1939

At 1939, we saw...
- The electric utilities exhibit, which featured scenes of life before electricity, and showed how life was improved after electricity's arrival [like Carousel of Progress]
- The above-mentioned Futurama [like Walt's visions for EPCOT]
- The Perisphere, which was a huge ball with an attraction inside it [like Spaceship Earth]
- The Perisphere, which was, at the time, the first ever complete sphere of that building type [as was SSE]
- The Trylon, which was a semi-controversial big tall thing next to the big ball [like The Wand :lookaroun]
- Democracity, a model of the ideal city of the future [like Walt's EPCOT], presented inside the Perisphere [like SSE, both of which were narrated by famous newsmen]
- Projections on the outside of the Perisphere [like the lasers onto SSE after Illuminations]
- A huge lagoon show featuring fireworks, water fountains, and music [like Illuminations]
- The Heinz pavilion, which featured an animatronic Tomato dude [like Food Rocks / Kitchen Kabaret]
- Eastern States Ice Corporation, which featured a refrigerator full of food marionettes [even more-like Kitchen Kabaret/Food Rocks]
- The "Hall of Man" devoted to varied exhibits on health [like Wonders of Life]
- The entire fairgrounds were built on a reclaimed ash dump [like WDW's building on reclaimed swampland]
- The Chrysler pavilion, which featured the first-ever technicolor 3D movie [like EPCOT's groundbreaking 3D movies]
- A huge electrical grid that shot off lightning [like was also planned, but scrapped, for EPCOT's Maelstrom]
- The Nabisco Pavilion, which featured a Mickey Mouse Cartoon [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwMLUJb87TQ ]
- The General Cigar pavilion, which flashed headlines and sports scores from around the world [like Communicore once did]
- The Buck Rogers exhibit, which included a simulated trip to Venus [like several Disney attractions over the years offering simulated trips to Moon/Mars]
- 1939 was the unveiling of television to the public; 1964 was the big debut of color television to the public [1982's EPCOT opening was one of the first events to reveal via-satellite reports on television to the public]


Have I made my case? :lookaroun

Ahh. There he is. :lol:


And with new info, too! Never new about the Tomato AA.:lol:

 

[brkgnews]

Ahh. There he is. :lol:


And with new info, too! Never new about the Tomato AA.:lol:

Really? You've gotta catch-up, son.

[/wait for it]

 

[brkgnews]

I remember a story Walter Cronkite told about going to the World's Fair and seeing the debut of television. He was brought up to do a demonstration and was on TV. He liked to rub it in to his fellow journalists that he was indeed on TV longer than any of them :lol:

Ha! Very cool. Hadn't heard that before.

 

[brkgnews]

Those time-traveling thieves stole our Mesa Verde orange groves!

:lookaroun

(Popular Mechanics Magazine... July 1939)