Some pieces of ephemera can have a very, very short lifespan. The perfect example: a Disneyland Dream Machine ticket. A component of Disneyland's 35th Anniversary celebration in 1990, these non-winning contest tickets were typically discarded within just a few feet of of the main entrance turnstiles where they were distributed. As near as we can determine, a complete set consisted of twenty-four variations, each with a different character or characters. There was also a single style that featured the 35th Anniversary logo by itself.
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| The Disneyland Dream Machine, as featured in the Spring 1990 issue of Disney News |
Winning tickets for commemorative pins were redeemed at the turnstiles. Other minor prizes were rewarded at the Disneyland Redemption Center near the exit of the Walt Disney Story on Main Street USA. If "Dream Machine" appeared on the ticket, the winning guest proceeded to the actual Dream Machine in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. How did the Dream Machine work? Here's an explanation from the Spring 1990 issue of Disney News:
More than just a memory of the 35th Anniversary celebration, the Dream Machine tickets also provide a snapshot of the popular entertainment that the Disney Company was producing in 1990. The syndicated Disney Afternoon television programming had proven exceptionally popular then, as reflected by characters from Gummi Bears, DuckTales and Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. Roger Rabbit was still riding high. The Brer characters from Song of the South were prominent due to the opening of Splash Mountain in 1989. Bianca and Bernard starred in The Rescuers Down Under which premiered in November of 1990."Each day the Disneyland 'Dream Machine' awards a 1990 GEO car to one lucky visitor," says [Dawn] Cooper [Disneyland Marketing Coordinator]. "As guests come through the turnstile at the Main Entrance they receive a commemorative ticket which indicates if they are eligible for the special 'Dream Machine' gifts"
"The 'Dream Machine' is based on a game show motif so that the guest must pull the lever to win," says Conwell Worthington, Manager, Project Development, Disneyland Marketing/Entertainment.
"For instance, say a woman receives a ticket for a major prize at the turnstile when she enters the Park. She does not know what she has won until she goes to the 'Dream Machine' and pulls the lever"
"When someone wins a GEO after pulling the lever on the 'Dream Machine,"' says Dawn Cooper, "the car emerges magically from below the surface of Main Street."
"Our Art Department designed the `Dream Machine,"" she explained. The fantastical apparatus includes a subterranean hydraulic lift which enables the car to rise from below the street amid cascading confetti and a nexus of neon lights. It all makes fora splendid scene of unabashed festivity."
