Throwback Thursday: Smokin' Disney

Ashtrays from Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Back in less enlightened times, when smoking was still socially acceptable and there was such a thing as a tobacco shop on Main Street, USA, you could buy cigarettes, pipes, tobacco and smoking accessories at various locations throughout Disneyland and Walt Disney World. For Throwback Thursday I offer these ashtrays from the parks which have been in my family since I was a kid.

Disneyland ashtray, 1964.

New York World's Fair ashtray, 1964.

Disneyland glass ashtray picturing Sleeping Beauty Castle, check, but what's with the New York World's Fair?  Given Disney's close association with the Fair--Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, it's a small world, the Carousel of Progress and Ford's Magic Skyway were all Disney-built attractions there--a selection of World's Fair souvenirs could be purchased at Disneyland. My parents bought both of these ashtrays in the park in 1964.

Visitors to Flushing Meadows, NY, where the Unisphere and Rocket Thrower statue still stand today, will notice the Rocket Thrower is facing the wrong way. In real life he faces the opposite direction, turned towards the Unisphere. This was a common artistic liberty seen on World's Fair art and souvenirs. Perhaps the artists thought this view was more pleasing or dramatic.

On an overcast day in New York last year, I took these photos of the Unisphere and Rocket Thrower:

Finally, there's this glass ashtray from Walt Disney World that could easily accommodate multiple cigarettes and cigars. It could also double as a candy dish. It was purchased by my mom in 1978 on our first family trip to Florida. Around a central image of Cinderella Castle are pictures of an Osceola-class steamship cruising Bay Lake, it's a small world, the Hall of Presidents, the Jungle Cruise, Main Street, USA and the Monorail at the Contemporary Resort.

Walt Disney World ashtray, 1978.

The Main Street Tobacconists have long since vanished, closing at Disneyland in 1991 and at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1985. Smoking in the parks is largely frowned upon anymore, limited strictly to select outdoor locations.

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