Disneyland's First Tinker Bell

[dcfromva]

One of my favorite things to do at Disneyland is to watch Tinker Bell fly during the fireworks.

One of the really cool things about Tinker Bell's flight at Disneyland is that she starts from the Matterhorn and actually flies behind the Castle! (just like I used to watch on television each week as I was growing up on The Wonderful World of Disney. :) )

I saw an interesting article on the very first Tinker Bell in the Fall 2004 edition of The Disney Magazine. Disneyland's first Tinker Bell was a 4ft,10 in, 98-pound woman named Tiny Kline. At the time she started flying over Disneyland in 1961, she was 70 years old. She flew for another 3 years until her death in 1964. What an amazing story!

-DC :ears:

[OKWTink]

I read that too, DC! She was a pretty neat sounding person.

I got a particular kick out of the fact that she was 70 when she took on the first Tinkerbell position. The article went on to say that her wand is passed on to "special" Tinkerbells. :)

I wonder if we could get the photo in the article posted here? I read it in the magazine in the room at BCV so don't have it. Do you?

[PsychoAlice]

if you go to www.Miceage.com you can read about that they are changing her flight pattern

[luvthemouse]

I read that article too. She sounds like she was quite a woman! How many 70y/o can you see taking up such a position? Former circus performer or not!

[dcfromva]

I wonder if we could get the photo in the article posted here? I read it in the magazine in the room at BCV so don't have it. Do you?

Yes, I have the Disney magazine (I think I have a subscription because I am an annual passholder at DL--though I'm not really sure :) ). I tried to find a link to the article, but they only show the cover of the magazine (http://disney.go.com/disneymagazine/index.html). I might try another search to see if I can find a photo. There is a professor at the University of Texas, Dr. Janet Davis who wrote a book “The Circus Age: Culture and Society Under the American Big Top,” (http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2003/circus.html) in which she has mentions Tiny Kline--and she is also editing the papers of Tiny Kline: The Tiny Kline Papers: From Titillation to Tinker Bell, is under advance contract with the University of Illinois Press. (That should be an interesting book. :) )

-DC :ears:

[dcfromva]

if you go to www.Miceage.com you can read about that they are changing her flight pattern

PA,
That is really interesting. Of course, I WANNA see the new flight pattern! :lol: :lol: :lol: (....And looking at the Christmas decorations pictures makes me want to go back right away!)

-DC :ears:

[PsychoAlice]

shhhhh im going on sunday......guess i need to find my camera huh?

[dcfromva]

guess i need to find my camera huh?

:yes:

-DC :ears: