Disneyland's Main Street Tobacco Shop (1955)

Did you know Disneyland used to have a real tobacco shop on Main Street? Maybe, but you probably didn't know just how deep the Disney-tobacco rabbit hole actually goes. Until now, enjoy.
Special thanks to Brian Levine for so much info about Disney parks pipes. Here’s where you can find him and his extensive collection online:
DisneyTobacc...
Pastebin to all the websites, blogs and forums I referenced or got information from: pastebin.com/1GBTRd7R
Full description coming soon with the usual sources/references (the word doc I was storing all that in got corrupted so I'll be piecing that back together the next couple days, stay tuned).
Thanks for watching.

[@ThemeParksShouldntExist]

Hello everyone and welcome back. We’re kicking off the new era of this channel with a real doozy, the Disneyland tobacco shop. New videos will be posted more regularly again, old classic series’ and some entirely new stuff too. Stay turned and thanks again for all your patience. -Jack, TPSE (aka the channel formerly known as Park Ride History)

[@falcon3503]

Cool video! But why did the name change from "Park Ride History" to "Theme Parks Shouldn't Exist"?

[@TheTookinator]

I wondered about the name too. I enjoy your content, but that name isn't one that would have inspired me to subscribe.

[@ThemeParksShouldntExist]

@@falcon3503 The new name has more to do with the anomalous nature of theme parks (and the unlikelihood of them even existing in history to begin with) than it is an opinion about the parks needing to go away or anything like that. I don't know if it's possible to run a KZbin channel where you only talk about parks/attractions without still actually liking them on some level lol

[@falcon3503]

@@ThemeParksShouldntExist That wasn't what I was thinking. When I got the notification, I thought to myself, "What the... I don't know who this is. "

[@LiamP-597]

I think it's supposed to be like, this theme park stuff is so insane it shouldn't reasonably exist.

[@teamofsteve]

Back then, not having a tabacco shop would have been as crazy as having one today.

[@ralelunar]

It would be like not serving coffee, in today's terms

[@teamofsteve]

@@ralelunar exactly, people would probably have complained if a shop wasn’t available

[@paganwheels1]

Or a film shop.

[@muziktrkr]

I don’t see Disney ever opening a vape shop or selling cannabis but they’re in the business of making money, so anything’s possible.

[@lIII0IIIl]

Everything that this statement involves is so very much true…

[@johnrevell2669]

One of my favorite smoking related bits of lore is that at the local hospital, Nurses were forbidden to smoke in the operating room. Not the doctors though!

[@valkyrie1066]

My mother told me the doctor who delivered me stank of bourbon and smoked in the delivery room. YIKES.

[@thatonehumanoid7756]

That’s no good but I will tell you if I had to pick between a surgeon that smoked and a surgeon with withdrawal shakes I know which one I’m picking.

[@angusorvid8840]

That's the way things ought to be. The men in charge making the rules for the nurses to follow.

[@zsedcftglkjh]

@@valkyrie1066 What a Chad!

[@irgski]

As I recall, in some episodes of Dr. Kildare the hospital had cigarette vending machines!

[@robertjones1729]

It might be noted that Walt loved a French Cigarette called Giantes. It came in a blue pack. They were not common or popular in the US but they were Walt's favorite from when he was a young ambulance driver in WW1 France. By having a shop in his park he had easy access to these smokes, which carried them for him. The shop carried many different brands of cigarettes from around the world. I bought a pack of Peace Cigarettes from Japan when I was 15 years old...yes..15...they had no filter and I got a mean buzz off of them. Just a little note from an old guy that grew up in SoCal and worked at the park in the 70's Thanks for the video

[@chuckfinley4292]

See, now that is freakin cool! Having all the different cigarettes from around the world, I would go there today.

[@ZeranZeran]

That's awesome. Thank you for writing this man.

[@christopherdixon786]

...Gitanes? French for 'Gypsy' (I think). I used to smoke Gitanes International when I could find them. They were beautiful, had a charcoal filter and tasted like absolutely nothing else. Sadly I don't think they are made any more.

[@robertjones1729]

@@chuckfinley4292 you know alot of people would..i understand why Disney took smoking out of the park.but this was a gem..they also had a tobacco shop in Frontier land and the cigar store Indian us still there

[@robertjones1729]

One more thing..there is a green water system in DL that starts at the old Boat cruise in front of the Matterhorn that serves all the green water..from the Fairy boat ride,Castle moat,Rivers of America and the Jungle Cruise..the pump house is just behind the Jungle Cruise boat yard behind Main St..that filter had scheduled cleanings every half hour for all the cigarette butts that got thrown in .true story

[@alexanderhikel2350]

Being able to have a cigar and coffee while my nieces and nephews scream around Disney land would make it 1000% more bearable

[@bluedistortions]

Cigar and beer more like it. Coffee would jump amp up those jitters.

[@stashmerkin9576]

Regarding your question about Cuban seed cigars; when Castro took over Cuba he nationalized the cigar industry. Tobacco growers fled the country taking seeds with them, sometimes smuggling them out. These growers ended up in places like the Dominican Republic and Tampa. So yes, Cuban seed cigars were and still are entirely legal.

[@Thy_Boss]

Speaking of misapprehension, it's funny to me that a bunch of people nowadays would look at Disneyland's "old-fashioned Main Street," as Walt Disney put it, and imagine that it represented an idyllic, true-to-life United States in the 1950s, while what Walt was peddling here was, again, in his words, "old-fashioned" misty-eyed nostalgia for the cartoon version of a time already long past by the '50s.

[@Sacto1654]

An interesting aside, the cigars that came out of the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica from Cuban seeds actually started to get really good, probably because they had access to more advanced agricultural technology from the West.

[@stashmerkin9576]

@@Sacto1654 Dominican cigars are my favorite! You can't top an Arturo Fuente or a CAO. IMO the Dominican Republic makes the best cigars in the world. Not familiar with Costa Rica's output. I'll have to give them a try!

[@m.hankins2210]

I prefer Nicaraguan but every year I search for Maduro Hemingways. Amazing cigar. ​@@stashmerkin9576

[@DustyGamma]

​@@stashmerkin9576Could you give a reply if you do try them? I don't often buy cigars, so it'd be great to know someone's review of them.

[@zellfaze]

Just wanna add as a tobacco pipe smoker. Mildly aromatic doesnt mean it doesnt smell, just that it smells mildly pleasant.

[@spikespa5208]

Not a smoker. Would rather smell quality pipe tobacco rather than most cigars or cigarettes.

[@twillison8824]

The smell of a pipe takes me back to my childhood. Our backyard was where neighborhood kids played baseball. The man who ran the funeral home next door would sit out on his back porch of an evening while smoking his pipe and the smell would nearly always be blowing our way while playing.

[@MarquisDeSang]

I smoke pipe 5 minutes a day because life is good. Recently the FDA studies reported that smoking 1-2 bowl a day has no reported consequences on health. But don’t inhale the smoke.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@twillison8824 This feel like a film scene. (In a good way.)

[@jonstone9741]

"Smells mildly pleasant?" Don't kid yourself. Tobacco smokers create a stench in any room they're in. Nothing stinks up a room faster than tobacco smoke. It's like farting in people's faces.

[@spartanalex9006]

1950s: Disney sells tobacco but not alcohol in the parks. 2020s: Disney sells alcohol but not tobacco in the parks.

[@TheStreetFoolosopherMr187]

Facts 💯

[@deadheadduder]

Getting old is realizing people are dumb and easy to polarize into even dumber views

[@DSToNe19and83]

People forget that Walt’s dream wasn’t just a place built for kids. it was built for adults to bring their families.

[@hermanprez]

It was the late 50's and my dad was a two pack a day guy. I can remember we always went in the tobacco shop when visiting Disneyland. My dad once bought a couple of corn cob pipes there, one for him and one for me (I was 7 or 8). I still have that pipe.

[@nbaoldgirl]

That’s actually so cute and wholesome. I’m glad you still have the pipe 😊

[@missourimongoose8858]

That reminds me of when I was around 12 or 13 my dad started giving me cigars to light my fireworks with on the 4th of July lol

[@chazmichaelmichaels88]

That's a great memory. Thanks for sharing.

[@user-yu5hf6vc9e]

@@nbaoldgirl yes addiction is a lovely thing isnt it throw the pipe away its a death souvenir that has brainwashed you and the rest of the world

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@missourimongoose8858 Of course you never snuck a puff. - When we were kids smoking was a normal part of life; back in the day, it was as common to see someone smoking as it is today to see folks staring down at a cell phone.

[@alancranford3398]

This video brought back memories. Dad smoked Chesterfields and died in 1969 at age 40 from cancer. My first visit to Disneyland in 1972 featured the tobacconist shop. I've been in four Disney parks worldwide--the Florida parks, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. I observed the changes from "smoke anywhere" when outdoors to the smoker exile colonies to no smoking at all. Now alcoholic beverages have replaced tobacco! I admit it--the Memory Hole treatment to older Disney shorts and features bothers me. That's despite my anti-smoking creds--lying about the past bothers me more because how can we learn from history when history has been falsified?

[@TS-qd2uj]

Before you know it they'll replace alcoholic drinks with " light dosage" fentanyl shops just like the British Columbia government in Canada is trying to push for kids. It's in the news.

[@markloveless1001]

Remember smoking on airplanes?. People didn't think a thing of it, though.even as a little kid I thought burning stuff in a closed air space was not a good idea.

[@alancranford3398]

@@markloveless1001 About thirty years ago I flew on the Moroccan state airlines. It seemed as if I were the only non-smoker, that even the kids were puffing away,

[@cokesquirrel]

@alancranford3398 That doesn't surprise me at all. I can't remember if it's a certain district in India or Pakistan But they show Kids that look as young as 7 or 8 years old find single cigarettes and smoking before school I lived in rural china In 2017 and 2018 and people smoked everywhere including hospitals and in the classrooms At schools

[@FahimibnDawud]

​@cokesquirrel yea it was Indonesia..

[@momentumspace]

This will never get read by most people, but I need to tell a story. One of the partners listed at 3:34 is Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. My grandfather was a dispatcher in a Southern California AT&SF rail yard at the time of the park's opening. Mom was five, and basically got to live on trains for five years. Disneyland was her second home, along with a Pullman car. Her memories and stories were plenty, and fun, and the "cigar store Indian" was a very vivid one, as was the tobacco shop, based on smell. She grew to understand why that wasn't a good scene, all around, and I miss her. I can't believe I am watching a video that talks about one of Mom's memories. That was very unknowingly kind of you. Great work on the video.

[@URProductions]

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@michaelc4614]

Cute little story sir.

[@k.anderson5039]

I’m jealous. Living on a train sounds cool

[@spookisghostly4619]

That "no smoking" short was probably the best anti smoking ad I've ever seen and it came out in 1951 it's crazy that Disney would try to hide that

[@mikeakers3453]

i don't know if you can find it now but actor, William Tallman,who played Hamilton Burger on "Perry Mason" from 1957 until 1966 made an anti-cigarette ad as he was dying from cancer. He said it was a battle he didn't want to lose. I believe the ad played for several weeks immediately after he died. It was very memorable and probably pretty effective. He was a very recognizable personality. In this era of mindless celebrity worship I would think it would be even more so.

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@mikeakers3453 Several actors did that back in the day; If I remember correctly, Yul Brynner also did so.

[@damianstellabott3613]

The Tobacco shop at DL was briefly a hobby shop before becoming a sports store. Also, in 1955 to be a lessee on Main St your business had to have existed in 1900 (my great uncle visited the park on opening day as a rep for Wurlitzer and figured the park would survive about 6 months).

[@ThemeParksShouldntExist]

the complete and utter lack of faith people had in early Disneyland’s survival is always hilarious to me - such an underdog tale. Thanks for the story.

[@patrickmccleary1144]

One of the few stores that wasn't associated with Disneyland if not the only store was the Golden banjo. I'll just leave it at that and people can Google The rest. But he had a maid named Hazel and he was an attorney.

[@ZeranZeran]

@@patrickmccleary1144 You mean the BBQ place? The Silver banjo?

[@patrickmccleary1144]

@@ZeranZeran yeah that was it.

[@ZeranZeran]

@@patrickmccleary1144 It looked amazing

[@visualonestudio]

I worked at Disneyland and we had the stupid "Disney finger point" which used two fingers. We were told during our "Magic training" that it was because pointing with two fingers was more polite, but the reality was that's how Walt pointed. Because he always had a cigarette in his hand.

[@catherinelane5817]

While that's a funny point, it was also because pointing with one finger is offensive in some cultures and Disney took pains to be welcoming to cultures from around the world.

[@Valchrist1313]

@@catherinelane5817 especially if it was the middle finger

[@John-du2mq]

Should have asked them about it. "Can I get a cigarette to make it more authentic?"

[@billdivine9501]

If you were military you pointed with four fingers with your thumb slightly down towards your palm.

[@LWolf12]

Removing it out of the old cartoons is still revisionism.

[@ryanmarquez9404]

Strange hill to die on

[@myratsalad]

@@ryanmarquez9404 not really.

[@TeddScheckler]

@@myratsaladis so

[@WolfPred]

@@TeddSchecklerwhy shouldn’t children know how common place smoking was? Why isn’t it an attempt to change history?

[@Atylonisus]

​@@WolfPred Careful, you're asking questions requiring critical thinking. These poor downtrodden souls simply want to clutch their pearls, who will think of THEM??

[@jonc4403]

It's crazy how much the attitude toward smoking has changed. When I was a kid, almost everywhere was a smoking area. Grocery stores didn't have end caps full of the stuff they were paid most to promote, they had ash trays at the end of every aisle. Some (but not all) restaurants had no-smoking sections, airplanes had nonsmoking rows at the front, and most people didn't smoke while pumping their leaded gas.

[@JeffBilkins]

In hindsight it was crazy. At my first desk job we used to smoke in the office during work, in the last years before it got banned. There were non-smokers there who had to work eight hours a day five days a week just marinating in second-hand smoke. I also enjoyed the smoker carriages on the commute train, it was absolute pea soup dring rush hour.

[@mikeyjohnson5888]

Whoa, you unlocked a really old memory of mine shopping with my grandma when I was almost a toddler. I think it was a Winn-Dixie, possibly a Piggly Wiggly. While browsing the shelves my grandma stopped at the end, lit up, and used the ashtrays. The memory of the smell. A weird torrid pungent chemical smell filled my nostrils. I complained to my grandma who seemingly hadn't noticed. Turns out she had ashed on a pile of butts on the surface and they were just smoldering away. A stout grocery clerk quickly came over, and in a flash took a small trowel out of his apron and covered the embers with the sand in the ash tray and without saying anything left just as quickly as he appeared.

[@gtrob1]

​@@JeffBilkinsI just left a job that reinstated indoor smoking. The joys of working at a native casino

[@techpriestalex8730]

kids still smoke today things haven't changed they just aren't talked about.

[@jasonberezowski2869]

Man, even when I was a kid in the very early 90's they still allowed smoking in the shopping mall. Right near the foodcourt there was two big ashtray containers filled with sand that people would butt out in. Of course, it wouldn't be long until this all dissappeared but I still remember it vividly, such as people smoking in mcdonalds, smoking and non-smoking sections in every restaurant.

[@hagerty1952]

I must say that this was the most balanced sociological examination of smoking of that period I've seen. And Iger overseeing the "removal," Winston Smith style, of all references to smoking in past archival images should have been a warning of the mind-control mentality the company was heading for.

[@Swamphunter]

Welcome back! Yeah, smoking is nowhere near as prevalent today as it was back then, but to go through such an effort as to erase it from Walt's actual photographs is just silly.

[@wolfshanze5980]

The Woke knows no bounds.

[@spikespa5208]

In every sense, it's a crusade.

[@WR3ND]

I'm a minority of one.

[@bobdollaz3391]

@coreadude, no one believes that propaganda, "woke" is anti white, Christophobic, BIGOTRY! Go cry about minorities mistreatment in places like China, Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Etc......oh wait, you only care when the victimizer is hywte!

[@theboyisnotright6312]

​@@coreadudeyeah people like you say that, but.... erasing the cigs from Walt's hand is where it ends up🙄

[@drmoss_ca]

I confess, I loved real tobacconist shops. Lovely colourful labels, the rich smell of the humidor and the jars of various blends of pipe tobacco. The leather pouches, the neat little pipe tools and lighters, and the arcane delight of the peculiar names for all the different shapes of pipes: Dublin, billiard, apple, bent, Canadian, the fish-tailed bulldog all the way up to the Oom Paul. I knew a one man business in north London, where the proprietor would show me how to shape the bowl and polish the stem on his lathes. At some point you have to say it may shorten my life, but it is worthwhile. When my (not smoking related) cancer comes back to finish me off, I'm going to buy a large stock of Dunhill Nightcap and go out in a haze of fragrant blue smoke. Mmm, latakia!

[@1978garfield]

My plan if I get any kind of smoking other than lung is to have a caner drag race. I will start smoking again and see which one finishes me off.

[@thekraemer1757]

It was a sad day when the venerable Nat Sherman's in NYC closed. One of the finsaet shops in the world and very old school. Economics and 2020 did it in. JR in NJ is a big store and the entire place is a humidor. But it doesn't compare to the old timey places that were more like libraries.

[@furrycircuitry2378]

Why wait ? You're gonna do it regardless might as well enjoy it in relatively good health

[@geebeeracer78]

This was a neat look at the past. Was expecting more about the shop. Wish it wasn’t a psa against tobacco.

[@rolfathan]

I actually managed to be at the park on the LAST day smoking was allowed on the property on any level. I actually made a group of people aware that they were they were a part of history, the park was closing in a few minutes, so they were genuinely some of, if not the last people to smoke in Disneyland. I was surprised all but two of them seemed to care, but those two were pretty excited to be a part of it.

[@jeanallan8106]

When was that? I haven’t been to Disneyland in over 20 years. I remember my first day in the park lighting up after I got off a ride when one of the cast members informed me I couldn’t smoke there and pointed me to the designated smoking area. I was flabbergasted that they had non smoking areas outdoors. Oh how times have changed 😂

[@vonshroom2068]

Well when you got banned from any other establishment before that it kinda is what it is and you move on you know? Smoking is bad but society has gone a bit overboard on it considering we're not bothering with any other carcinogens in our daily products. Its my main gripe with the whole thing, carcinogens are everywhere from skin/beauty products to actual food but don't you dare light that deathstick! Ah, well best not to start smoking as its a habitual adiction and those are the hardests to break as its something you've come accustomed to do.

[@daveR0berts]

In Britain I remember being one of the first to break the smoking ban in work places when I was up early to milk cows 😤

[@romchompa6858]

i started smoking at Disneyland when I was 17 years old, that was the best time to be going to Disneyland every weekend,

[@nbaoldgirl]

That’s cool of you to tell them! I would’ve taken a huge puff and thanked you!

[@ByronWerner-qw5sh]

I worked on the Disney lot in Burbank in the old animation building on the movies Tron & Something Wicked This Way Comes. This lovely older building had ashtrays inset in the walls of the hallways every 40 ft. to accommodate Walt and his habit.

[@muziktrkr]

I’m surprised Walt didn’t own his own tobacco field by the time Disneyland opened, especially if the park was selling tobacco.

[@catherinelane5817]

Is it wrong that I love that feature (despite being a non-smoker)?

[@lrajic8281]

Oh, the wall mounted ashtrays were common, you reminded me! From hospitals, factories, department stores! And in every public restroom. Cigarette vending machines everywhere. Then it was changed. The vending machines were moved to close to the public restrooms. And wall mounted ashtrays quit being so available. Ashtrays were stands outside the entrances. Every restaurant or food stand had ashtrays on the tables, and we non smokers always moved those ashtrays off the tables. And match books were printed up fancy and free at all restaurants and hotels. Even personalized matchbooks of weddings were considered cool and standard wedding reception favors. To be a recipient of a matchbook was considered an honor, not even being a smoker.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Something Wicked This Way Comes is underrated. I keep expecting it to pick up in the cult film communities. TRON was, ofc, justly lauded. You got to work on some great films!

[@BasedRanger]

​@@lrajic8281 I grew up in a state that had banned indoor public smoking very early on, so I never saw that growing up. However, it was still perfectly normal to smoke inside the home and the car with kids present, and there was still an old working cigarette vending machine down at the local car wash. As a 10 year old, I could still ride my bike to buy cigarettes for my mom from the shops that knew us. When I was 18, I moved to a midwest state where indoor smoking everywhere was still legal, and _everyone_ still smoked. I was shocked the first time I went into a diner and the hostess asked, "Smoking or non-smoking?" I was then shocked yet again when I saw matchbooks and an ashtray on the table. Then, inside of a mall, those old wall-mounted ashtrays, and folks walking about while smoking. But, by far, the most shocking thing was when I went to a grocery store, and realized that there were ashtrays mounted on the shopping carts! It was a smoker's paradise.

[@ReformedPiper]

I literally only watched this video because I'm a pipe smoker and I thought that was awesome that Disneyland/World used to have a tobacco shop. I wasn't expecting to be bombarded with how bad smoking is for you (yes, cigarettes are bad). You don't see tobacco shops much anymore. Wish I could get my hands on some Disney tobacciana. That would be neat.

[@SuperFranzs]

Cigarettes are much worse for you than other types of tobacco.

[@Gecko....]

Sounds like you don't like being reminded that your hobby is slowly degrading your lifespan.

[@SuperFranzs]

@@Gecko.... Yeah yeah. 1.2 times the chance of mouth cancer compared to not smoking. Cigarette smokers still have 8 times the chance of getting mouth cancer compared to the non-smoker. The chance for lounge cancer is the same between cigar/pipe smokers and non-smokers. It's the cigarettes which will kill you. I've chosen to accept a 1.2 chance of mouth cancer, and I am paying taxes on my tobacco to compensate society for it.

[@SuperFranzs]

@@Gecko.... KZbin keeps deleting my responses. Pipe smoking only increases mouth c*ncer with 1.2 times, while cigar*ttes increase it with 8 times. The rate of lounge c*ncer is almost identical between non-smokers and pipe smokers. It's the cigar*ttes that will k*ll you.

[@imstupid880]

What did you expect? We're part of a dying, if not dead, age. The only video you're not going to be shittalked in is a video by a pipe smoker.

[@RussMcClay]

I used to love visiting the tobacco shop on Main Street. Smelled wonderful.

[@FarnhazenBrep]

In this age of a KZbin dominated by cheap AI "documentaries", that are merely a script read by an artificial voice over pointless footage, this is a thoughtful and well-researched account of the early Disneyland, including real footage and photos. Thank you!

[@GreenAppelPie]

It’s pretty obvious when the script goes 100% AI, repeating phrases, saying the same thing 3 different ways, randomly organized thoughts. I immediately unsubscribe

[@romchompa6858]

Theylle soon be able to refine those AI videos and theylle begin to be indistinguishable, not long from now

[@macswanton9622]

@@GreenAppelPieat least when the comedic veneer wears off~ the pronunciation breaks, I'd swear it's a 'bit' done for laughs

[@sethd2738]

I equally appreciate your comment fellow robot consumer🤖🤷‍♂️🙈🙉🙊

[@elchomper.1063]

That's your own fault. If you'd just sub to the channels that make decent documentaries that's not a problem. Been watching this stuff on KZbin for over a decade not once has that happened.

[@patrickmusson4571]

This is fascinating. I gave up smoking in the '90s, not because it was it was a health hazard, but because it was a WEALTH hazard.

[@RossAllaire-wx4og]

OR: why I'm finally trying to quit right now

[@k.anderson5039]

Cigarettes were $1.87 in 1995

[@thekraemer1757]

Average of 8 a pck in NJ I couldn't afford it if I did.

[@rick4115]

Agreed on the fascination. On the budget concerns.... You either smoke too much or don't earn enough.

[@megarigged]

​@@k.anderson5039 Strange how inflation works.

[@roncamp3310]

And yet today you can go to Knott’s berry farm and buy pipes,cigars,pipe tobacco and antique ashtrays. I picked up some boysenberry flavored tobacco today.

[@BasedRanger]

Fun fact: Red and white barber poles originally were to signify that the barber practiced bloodletting with leeches.

[@liketanyanot]

Just FYI: Si Meyerson’s name is pronounced like the word SIGH not like the Spanish word for Yes. It’s most likely a shortened form of the name Sigmund or Sigismund. You mentioned he was a rag picker and a reseller in the Lower East Side in Manhattan at the turn of the century. That neighborhood at the time was almost a 100% Jewish immigrant neighborhood. The name Sigmund is a popular German and German Jewish name (Sigmund Freud being the most famous Si), and while not usually shortened to SI (“Sy” is the more common shortening of the name) is probably what it stands for. Hope this helps!

[@suburbanbanshee]

Simon and Cyrus also could become Si.

[@TheTrumpReaper]

I think Cy is another spelling, but I only have seen it as a short form of Seymour.

[@skeletonfox]

He may have been Simon Myerson who wa a retail buyer and involved in various business enterprises in Los Angeles during that time. He went by “Si”. He died in Santa Monica in 1968.

[@davidallen2077]

So...that mispronunciation begs the question: is the announcer a Bot or just a person of tender years?

[@augustbutler9096]

Thanks that was annoying the hell out of me!

[@dennythomas8887]

I remember Disney had a whole army of people dressed all in white whose sole job was sweeping up trash and cigarette butts (mainly butts). Drop a butt on the ground and within seconds somebody would zip by and sweep it up. It was actually amazing how fast anything that hit the ground vanished. I was born in the 50's and remember as a youngster in the 60's that people smoked everywhere. Grocery shopping, Department stores, Airplanes, trains, Restaurants ect. Back in those days there was no such thing as a No Smoking section anyplace. Even in school we made ashtrays for our parents from clay for things like Mother''s Day and Father's Day.

[@SteffiReitsch]

As a teenager back in the mid1960s, during the summer I worked at 6 Flags Over Georgia . We did the same thing: lots of kids were on the sweeper crew wearing a cute outfit. A huge amount of cigarette butts were thrown on the pavement and they were gone fast.

[@sirclarkmarz]

My 4th grade teacher smoked in class

[@eduardomendozajr6300]

​@@sirclarkmarz I remember in elementary school walking by the teacher's lounge during lunch time and there was a cloud of smoke with all the teachers and principals smoking all the way.. and that was a normal thing great time for them in the 70's

[@dancooper6002]

It was a better age

[@babecat2000]

@@dancooper6002 For who? The past was full of racism and sexism.

[@richlambeth7050]

In the 1800's medical practitioners directly linked to emphysema and general lung damage. While cancer would be a later association, they actually historically did accept that smoking was bad for you even if they didn't promote it. It was with the rise of agencies like the FDA that sought to put the blame on companies for users' health (not disputing whether that is right or wrong, just noting) that the tobacco industry really put emphasis on denying health issues. So yes, in the Disney era, they would have been aware that this wasn't a healthy habit.

[@John-du2mq]

The FDA is so corrupt and they really don't do anything. We have probably the most poisonous food and prescription drugs in this country so what exactly do they so besides waste taxpayer dollars?

[@Mike1614b]

When Disney World opened in 1972, there was a tobacco shop. I bought a pipe there.

[@Rabbi_Rabbs]

Throughout the 1970's, Disneyland provided cigarette machines throughout the park. I remember guests walking around smoking. Just don't do that on the rides. Around 1985, I seem to recall the machines had been removed, and cigarettes were suddenly only sold in 4 shops in the entire park. But, inside those shops, the cigs were prominently displayed and in mass variety. Then, around 1995, everything changed. Only 1 store sold them. It was called the "Villain Shoppe". You wanna buy contraband, you go to the villain shop. That wasn't advertised anywhere. You had to know about it word of mouth. Inside that shoppe, nothing indicated smokes were on sale. You asked the workers, and they pulled open a drawer under the counter, and showed you the merchandise. Very little variety on sale. If I recall, they then only allowed smoking in a couple of places inside the park, and I don't remember where. In 2005, that Villain Shoppe was gone. Cigs were no longer sold in the park. If you wanted to smoke, you got your hand stamped, you exited the park, and you smoked in the parking lot.

[@garutti2001]

"Hehe, the king has returned"

[@brianstivalevoice]

Thanks for this. GREAT STUFF. As a Pipe Smoker, the history on this is FASCINATING. I have a mint-condition pack of matches from the shop.

[@markadams7597]

Great vid, thanks for positing. I rolled "Cuban" cigars at Epcot about 10 years ago. That was fun! Too bad tobacco has become such an anathema in recent years. (Alcohol kills more people every year, and always has, than tobacco. And where has Disney banned adult beverages anywhere?)

[@ossoriosteven1816]

Wow banning smoking from Disneyland? Walt must be spinning in his cryogenic tube if he knew what you guys did to his park. Smh

[@ThemeParkStop]

WELCOME BACK, JACK! You just made my day! (And this video is so well researched, I'm loving it!!!)

[@simongrey3806]

There was a tobacconist on main street at Disneyworld in Florida. It was always busy and probably one of the nicest shops id ever seen. I bought a Danish freehand there about 1975 thats still one of my favorites today. I wish I'd bought a Disney brand pipe with the Mickey Mouse logo on the stem. By the way, i was 16 years old when i bought that pipe and noone thought much of it.

[@imstupid880]

Brian's a really cool dude. He's been a big shot at multiple large names in the pipe industry, worked on Main St in Disneyland, and helps organize the Vegas International Pipe Show. Glad you ended up giving him credit! Also, a neat detail on the Parker Pen Co: for a while, they also sold a variety of branded lighters (not made by them, just existing models with the Parker name slapped on in it and distributed by them). So they had a thumb in the tobacco pie as well!

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

I just happened to be working at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World (just outside Main Street U.S.A. with Stroller Rental) in 2002 when I first started smoking cigarettes for the first time. There were still designated smoking areas inside the park for guests and backstage for cast members back then and in 2009 when I returned to work at Walt Disney World. In fact, I can remember selling cigarettes in the hotel gift shops (Disney's All-Star Resorts) I worked at that cost $11/pack, even back in 2009. By the time I returned to Disney to work for the 3rd time in 2021, they had removed the smoking designated areas, but I had already quit smoking in 2014.

[@kodyeldridge5847]

Just when I had given up all hope for 2024, the man, the myth, the legend returns when we needed him most.

[@SecondaryHomunculus]

In the early-2000s, I watched one of those "Smoker's Pole" butt collectors erupt in flames at Disney World. There were a couple kids screaming nearby and a couple staff kids scared to death. Glorious experience. Nothing damaged but the sidewalk as the thing melted. I wish I had photos.

[@Semiam1]

I remember visiting the tobacco shop in the late 1960s when Disney World opened near Orlando. In Downtown Disney, a separate restaurant spot from the theme parks had a cigar shop with a small lounge. I think that shop closed shortly after I was there in 2014.

[@thomastrout9997]

The newspaper shot @ 7:06 is a 1952 edition of the Burbank Leader. The 2nd lead indicates Disneyland will be built in Burbank CA. the current home of The Walt Disney Studios. Not everyone knows that one of the original Disneyland possibilities was, what is now, Riverside Drive and Buena Vista Ave. in Burbank CA. Disney owned all the land but the Disneyland Concept quickly outgrew the area, hence the Orange County location. The addition of CA 134, a connector route from US 101 to I 5, took much of the land Disney would have needed, in any event.

[@mfl8276]

I was the last person to smoke at Disneyland (while the park was open). I remember smoking at the section behind Thunder Mountain on the last day and it was right before closing. People started gathering around to have their last drag before they stopped it for good. We all waited for security to finally come by and kick us all out. We all gathered around and took a picture of all of us with either a cigarette or vape in hand, having our last one at Disneyland. I stayed in the back of the group to make sure I would be the last person to exhale smoke at Disneyland and it being a vape I was able to hold it to make sure. I know it's not a lot but hey, I was the last person to exhale smoke at Disneyland ("legally").

[@mattkaustickomments]

I hope you have long had your last-last smoke since then. Would be a much prouder moment.

[@dutchess406]

Wow that is a cool story yo

[@nickthelick]

Additional comment: Despite being 'just' 45yrs old, I do actually remember a few proper tobacconist shops. Shops that sold nothing but tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, rolling papers, tins, humidifiers etc. etc. They closed around the beginning of the millennium. There used to be a couple nearby to me, one in Sutton, and one in Wimbledon... But the poshest, nicest one I went to was in Brighton. Beautiful wooden floors, shelves and drawers. And the gorgeous smell of all the tobacco... Mmm! I know the shop had been there for over 100+ years when I went there. I think it's closed now though. You could have a look at the different types in big jars and buy all the main brands in their usual packets but also LOOSE! You could mix and match too, blend them together and such... They gave away free cigarettes in packets of 5 and tobacco too, in tiny packets of approx. 5 rollies worth... *_Sigh!_*

[@manatoa1]

Wonderful places. Cigarettes kind of got what was coming to them, but pipes and cigars really didn't deserve to get lumped in with them.

[@seth5143]

@@manatoa1 Neither did smokeless which is even more maligned than cigars or pipe tobacco despite being way less unhealthy than any combustible product.

[@jackhammer8364]

The Magic Shop was always my favorite as a child !😭❤Memories

[@gamberlane]

This was a fun watch. Growing up my family always took a picture with the Main St. Cigar Indian to the point where our Apple photos app keeps wanting us to label him as a member of the family because he is in so many family photos! It also sort of was like a measuring stick, watching the kids grow. We miss it because it was a tradition, but it was time for it to go.

[@termsofusepolice]

Agree it was time for the wooden Indian to go. But did it really need to be carried off by men dressed as cowboys at gunpoint? Seems pretty tacky. But Florida marches to its own drummer.

[@richardlea818]

@@termsofusepoliceDid they really do that? That’s absolutely hilarious in today’s climate 😂 I’m crying laughing right now

[@kaightashbury]

Very excited that you are back, now the only return I'm waiting for is Rob Plays 😃

[@SilencedMi5]

Love to see a well-researched and passionately presented video like this - really pulls the viewer in to any topic. Sick channel name and title cards too. I appreciate that slick integration.

[@franciscoramos8872]

One of the best Disney history videos I've seen in awhile. Thanks for making this "puff" piece. 😊

[@TylerRakstis]

It's nice that you're back with another obscure footnote in Disney history.

[@TheChrisJaynes]

Sometime in the 1970s when I was a kid, I purchased an oversized novelty cigar at Knott's Berry Farm, which my parents had to approve. I never smoked it. Never took it out of the rapper. I think I might have had it for about 15 years before it dissinigrated and had to be thrown away. Also, around 1990, I was an extra in a cigarette commercial starring Pierce Brosnan that was going to air in Japan.

[@catherinelane5817]

Knott's is still selling its own Knott's tobacco line and still has a few cigars and pipes sold in the Gun Shop.

[@manatoa1]

Pipe and cigar smoking needs to make a comeback. Tobacconists were wonderful places.

[@badenialshreebley91]

I have not been entertained by an informative KZbin video in a while. Amazingly entertaining video and I loved your conclusion. I loved this video

[@CJRahz]

Great video, love the channel redesign! I remember pretty clearly before smoking was banned indoors in the UK and seeing people puffing away in the video is oddly nostalgic

[@PatriotDH77]

People who scoff at how smoking was so normal clearly turn a blind eye to the vape industry these days

[@mdalsted]

Turn a blind eye or genuinely aren't aware that it's still going...

[@jarehelt]

Vaping saved my life. I would've never quit smoking without it. I was also able to quit vaping but only because I could control nicotine levels and ween off

[@artrogue4150]

Absolutely ! i have the same story. Vaping is not nearly as dangerous as smoking Plus i was able to quit nicotine completely ! going on my 3rd year.

[@4rumani]

And to marijuana.

[@jarehelt]

@@4rumani you mean alchohol

[@Thecohostobviouzx]

I remember going to Disneyworld in 99 and still they had the remnants of the cigarette vending machines.

[@qrefrain3695]

I'm a huge fan of "Where We Parked" podcast and I'm glad I was able to find you, despite the name change! Your wry humor and painting a scene through words that I loved in that podcast I immediately recognized in this video. (Smoking dads in the 50s...) I'm so excited to watch more of your videos!

[@cornjobb]

the name "SI" would be pronounced like "SY" rather than "SEE". the tone of incredulity running through this piece that smoking was actually a "thing" once upon a time is amazing

[@suburbanbanshee]

Especially since public marijuana use is supposed to be okay in many places, but nicotine use is now the most evil thing ever. This is the most illogical timeline.

[@mattkaustickomments]

@@suburbanbansheeit’s not so much the nicotine but all the carcinogens and pollutants that smoking foists on others. And they stink! As for marijuana, I think the redeeming factor is the THC. Pot also has a lot of tar in it and stinks too. I’ve seen no endorsement of publicly smoking it anywhere. No smoking has meant No smoking of anything.

[@RetroMuffin]

As someone who lives in Tampa, the second a tobacco shop at Magic Kingdom was mentioned, I was waiting on the edge of my seat expecting my hometown to be mentioned, and lo and behold it was. This was a really interesting look at how theme parks change to reflect the societies around them. Keep up the good work, Jack.

[@johnmchugh8049]

Honestly : how far is the drive from Tampa , moving to the Orlando area and am very interested in Tampa

[@RetroMuffin]

​@@johnmchugh8049 It's like one to two hours depending on traffic. Have done plenty of day trips to the Orlando parks from here.

[@chucklebutt4470]

sorry you live in Florida, dude.

[@abandonwareguru]

I've never seen this channel before, but you wield your sense of humor surgically and I respect it, have a sub.

[@versebuchanan512]

Watching this first thing in the morning with my first coffee and cigarette of the day, cheers.

[@jrios29]

My man really said, "It's been two years.....maybe it's time for a video!" Welcome back, fam!

[@ThemeParksShouldntExist]

I was rewatching Pirates 3 the other day and heard Master Gibbs say “aye Jack the world needs you back somethin fierce” when they were in Davey Jones locker and it activated me to make a new vid like a sleeper cell

[@nbaoldgirl]

@@ThemeParksShouldntExistThat’s hilarious. On that note I’m subbing to your channel 😂

[@jerrydeem8845]

I only smoked one cigarette while watching this. Thank you.

[@Sloozen1]

I can't imagine how much research this took to make. A+

[@3RTracing]

My dad and Walt were friends and next door neighbors and used to sit and smoke their pipes together.

[@bluedistortions]

Any interesting stories from that time?

[@love-giftofafairytale3849]

Hopefully fun tidbits from Disneyland custodial. Trash can fires were a thing! All metal trash cans have hard plastic liners, that have plastic bags in them; the smoking sections would not have bags because people would throw their still lit cigarettes in them. Custodians would rub the cigarettes on the ground or put them into a cup of water to *really* make sure they were extinguished to prevent fires in their pans and cans. Ash tray trash cans were only really a thing in the Esplanade at first (the whole Esplanade was a smoking area), the ones in-park would have a separate ash tray. Later, the new Thunder Trail would get trash cans ash trays. Some custodians were displeased because the trash can ash trays weren't removable and washable. DL smoking sections changed a lot and a few were amusing. My favorite was the original pet cemetery alongside the Mansion before they settled on the old keel boat dock. It was too far off the beaten path imo. When the train was down (I think to accommodate for Star Wars), the whole Tomorrowland train station was a smoking area. It did work well, since the station is pretty isolated.

[@Studeb]

I like how Goofy was doing some real dirty stuff in those days, the one about his road rage feels especially of that era.

[@jackkintsel7605]

Brilliant! Love the work & time that went into creating this video. History is the past, learn from it, don't hide it.

[@chrisbuckley1785]

One of the classrooms in my old highschool used to have a huge vent system. Turns out it was at one point the teachers lounge and the vents were to suck the smoke smell out of the room.

[@patrickmccleary1144]

Back in the early days? I bought a wooden box of four Disneyland cigars for my boss, I was 18 at the time and I bought them as a joke because it was a dovetailed wooden box with these nice Disneyland cigars in it. He was a cigar affectionado and when I gave them to him he laughed and said well maybe I can use the box for something and started examining the cigars he unwrapped one and had to use his little cigar cutter thingy fired it up and said it was a fine cigar. Couple days later he contacted Disneyland and Disneyland told him nope you had to be in the park to buy the cigars they were only available at Disneyland. He compared them to Cuban cigars! I think that must have been about 1978

[@seneca-rb1vl]

Most of the "out-of-place and unusual offerings" made there back then, provided cherished memories that will never be outdated nor taken away :)

[@starberrycupcake]

It's great to have you back! You always pick fascinating subjects that are very often overlooked in other theme park channels and this is definitely one of them. It was also very interesting to see in some of these photos of the shop through the years or Main Street at the time other curious things like Lon Chaney movies being shown next to it (I had no idea) or the elusive Intimate Apparel shop (the existence of The Wizard of Bras lives rent free in my head). Thanks for coming back! 🙌

[@danielbspinola]

There is a tabacco and tea store at disney springs florida today. In fact ir is one of the few good things remaining there imho. I miss wall disney's disney. Today is something else. No magic no happyness no nothing.

[@neatchipops3428]

Gotta say... there was usually a mysterious waft of pipe tobacco smoke, that would emanate in the Blue Bayou and around the New Orleans square... that was always a welcome dimension, adding to the Disneyland experience. After learning more of Disney's secrets, I'm pretty sure the source must have been... the Club 33.

[@doucetandjones]

Glad to see you back with an upload!! Interesting topic, look forward to your next one

[@jec1ny]

This was a riot and brought back a lot of memories. I went to Disney with the family as a kid in 1976 and remember the era and all the smoking. It was ubiquitous. I also agree with your point about trying to airbrush history. Honestly, Disney should bring back the old-fashioned tobacco shop for their Main Street USA. If you are trying to recreate an American town circa 1900, there would have been at least one tobacco shop. So set one up. But do it as an historical exhibit with a detailed explanation of the history of tobacco, its use and the terrible effects on people's health.

[@Eargesplitten-Loudenboomer]

lol that's a little too reasonable, we can't make stuff that easy.

[@TobiasBroad]

A small note that I think a video this in depth deserves is that Hong Kong Disneyland also had a “cigar store Indian” on Main Street which I believe has now been removed.

[@TeachinTV]

I clearly remember buying a pack of Winston cigarettes at the Disney World tobacco shop in 1975. That was my first visit out of many ending in 2007 when my daughter was five years old. I was an old dad, having outgrown the Disney thing in my early 50s. Nowadays, I'd rather be in a fine restaurant, on a boat fishing or lounging on a beach with a cold beer.

[@rondyreeves4772]

Among my fellow pipe smokers Disney-branded briar pipes are still highly prized. My buddy Brian Levine, who hosts the Pipes Magazine Radio Show podcast knows anything and everything about Disney and smoking at Disney.

[@cashargis6950]

I wish they would open up a Disney themed Head Shop at the parks!

[@mike-xn1qj]

I went to Dizzy World quite a bit growing up in Florida back in the day and found 3 places to get smoking devices or paraphernalia. The Main street tobacconist had papers and pipes. I got a cool meerschaum there. Fantasy land had a shop that sold lots of brass decorative objects from the far east and they had small hookahs with two hoses that were about 15 inches tall and small brass pipes with Bakelite bowls that were great for a chunk of hash and fit easily in your pocket. Frontierland had a "trading post" that had papers and corn-cob pipes. We would ride in the skyway cable cars to get above the crowd and puff unobserved. Tom Sawyers Island was another place to find a secluded spot. We would then ride the monorail to the contemporary resort (the one that the monorail goes through) and at the ends of each floor there were external fire stairs leading down. We would gather on the external landing to watch the midnight fireworks over the park while puffing.

[@kirkvandewalker3574]

Good video and great to see you again! With regards to smoking: (and sorry for sounding like the devil's advocate here) but I personally think designated smoking sections should come back inside theme parks. It's a habit (almost as bad as beer and soda) but given that in most states, it's legal to smoke maryjanes (like in California) and most people smoke as a form of stress relief, I frankly think designated smoking sections should come back. Sure, keep the state legal warnings where appropriate and what not like potentially causing cancer, but at least the designated sections will have benefits: 1) It's where guests can relax 2) It's away from other guests who don't smoke 3) Guests can and will be able to safely dispose their used cigarettes/vaping cartridges after their done I know during Knott's Scary Farm, Knott's places a few designated smoking areas/zones like near their mazes or in/around Scare Zones. But after Scary farm, there's nothing. Not a sign, not a specialty bin, nothing

[@4rumani]

No, fuck smokers

[@ladyjane8855]

I agree. There are plenty of places off the beaten track at Disney World, away from kids.. I see numerous people smoking/vaping where they shouldn't at the parks these days

[@kurtwagner350]

This is not only an interesting look into an obscure Disneyland shop and Disney’s history with smoking, but also a good overview of US smoking history in general. Well done, you’ve earned a sub!

[@meowmeowmeowmeow33]

My grandfather suggested to Walt to quit smoking for his health. (My grandfather was a ex-smoker.) Walts quick response was "are you a engineer or dr?". But Walt had 2 desks. One with a ashtray (lesser seen) and one without. So maybe he cared that some people didn't like that he smoked

[@monorail4252]

Disney Springs had Sosa Cigars until 2020 where people could purchase and smoke tobacco products.

[@MarkNelson-tu1rn]

The ONLY reason I would go to DS. No reason to go now!

[@CatherineLucy-]

Great to have you back, always love your content!

[@Gunbudder]

i went to disneyland right before covid hit, and i was shocked to find that they had completely removed ALL smoking areas. people were gathered up in a fairly large group out front and off to the side near the hedges, smoking like their life depended on it. i was with a life long smoker, and we had to make a few trips all the way out of the park back to where the pick up area is for a smoke break. if you are all the way in the back of the park and decide you want to smoke, its like a 20 minute walk haha

[@imacanoli897]

The "they didn't even have designated areas" bit in the intro makes me realize just how old I am. People really don't realize just how absolutely saturated everything was with tobacco smoke. It was EVERYWHERE.

[@SlushysSecret]

History will be history

[@Big-4]

I worked at Disney World while I was in college. Graduated in 1999 at that time you could smoke anywhere within the parks and they went to the designated areas January 2000 but it was loosely enforced. Overtime that became more common place but the resorts still had smoking rooms until June 2017 so it really hasn’t been very long since Disney made an effort to fully eliminate smoking on property.

[@Spksss]

Absolutely hyped this channel is back. Incredible content❤

[@BacchaeOphanim]

Dang, I unsubbed this channel awhile ago 'cause I thought it was dead and now its back under a new name? Fantastic! My favorite Disney Parks channel is back!

[@kaunas888]

Giving out cigarettes as part of standard rations during WW2 really gave a huge boost to tobacco use in the general society, because all of those soldiers came back from war addicted.

[@shinubu]

I was literally thinking the other day how great this channel was and how I was missing new videos, so this is a very welcome surprise 😊

[@ThemeParchive]

Glad to see you're back making videos again, dude. Missed your stuff. I'm looking forward to some more Keep Epcot Weird stuff.

[@MrMenefrego1]

I still remember our relatives smoking in my father's hospital room when he had his heart attack in the mid-1960s. There was a time when cigarettes, pipes, and cigars were ubiquitous. *"Smoke 'em if you got 'em!"* Was a common expression in the military or on civilian coffee breaks. I asked my father why he smoked when he was young, and Pop said, "We didn't know smoking was bad for you." In my little noggin, I was thinking, "How could you NOT KNOW inhaling smoke was bad for you?!" 🤔 When we Baby Boomers were kids smoking was a normal part of life; back in the day, it was as common to see someone smoking in a store or hospital as it is to see folks staring down at a cell phone today. (Smoking wasn't banned in American hospitals until 12/31/93)

[@gtrhoppe]

Usually I would never watch 30 minutes of a video that made its point 15 minutes in. But this is one entertaining file. Kept my interest the whole way. good job.

[@GHDEFIANT]

Welcome back, you were missed. Excellent video as always.