This gallery shows 27 pieces of rare Disneyland memorabilia, much of it saved by former cast members and listed for sale by Van Eaton Galleries in Los Angeles. The standouts are costume patches from rides that no longer run, posters printed only for employees, and souvenir guidebooks from 1955 and 1958. Van Eaton’s asking prices on these ran from $25 to $300.
Updated October 11, 2026.
I have spent years captioning old park photographs, and cast-member memorabilia tells me more than almost anything else in that pile. Name tags, patches and backstage posters show how the park actually ran day to day. A gift-shop souvenir never does.
Disneyland held its press preview on July 17, 1955, and opened to the public the next day. Wikipedia’s Disneyland entry counts 757 million visits by December 2021. Almost none of those guests ever saw the things in this gallery. Cast-member gear was never sold in the shops, and that is exactly why it is so hard to find now.
Rare Disneyland memorabilia from cast member uniforms
Goodyear PeopleMover patch. The PeopleMover ran in Tomorrowland from July 2, 1967, to August 21, 1995. Goodyear sponsored it until December 31, 1981, so a patch with the Goodyear name dates to those first 14 years. The trains had no motors. Instead, 517 motorized tires set into the track every nine feet pushed them along.
1960s castle uniform patch. This cloth patch shows the Disneyland name and Sleeping Beauty Castle. It was part of a cast member costume in the 1960s. A uniform piece like this was issued to staff, not sold in park shops.
It’s a Small World cast patch. Cast members working the attraction wore this embroidered patch. The ride was new to Disneyland in 1966, as the gate flyer further down this page shows.
Adventure Thru Inner Space patch. This is the later style, worn after Monsanto stopped sponsoring the ride. Monsanto’s sponsorship ended in 1977, and the attraction closed on September 2, 1985. That puts this patch in an eight-year window.
Club 33 sleeve patch. Staff at Disneyland’s private club wore this on their sleeves. Club 33 opened in May 1967 at 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square, and Disney says the address gave it its name. Membership has never been cheap. Reported fees were $35,000 to join plus $15,000 a year in earlier years, and $65,000 plus $20,625 a year for individuals as of 2025.
Posters and papers made only for Disneyland employees
1980 cast new hire packet. New Disneyland employees received this set of papers when they started. A complete set shows what the company handed its new hires in 1980.
Backstage magazine, Fall 1971. Backstage was a publication for cast members, not guests. An issue like this records park news as the staff heard it.
1982 Matterhorn employee poster. This lithograph marked refurbishments to the Matterhorn and was never given to the public. It measures 24 by 18 inches, with an image area of about 17.5 by 12 inches. Van Eaton listed it at $25, and it sold.
1978 Big Thunder Night poster. WED, Disney’s design arm, silk-screened this 23.5-by-17.75-inch poster for “Big Thunder Night for Employees.” It was meant to hang backstage. This copy was never posted, with no pin holes, and it sold at its $300 listing. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened in 1979, replacing the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland.
1964 Realtor Nite flyer. Van Eaton lists this as an internal flyer for “Realtor Nite at Disneyland.” It was made for distribution to the group being hosted, not for park guests.
Carnation Ice Cream Parlor menu. This copy appears to be mid-revision, with typed copy cut and pasted over the printed menu. That makes it a working document from the parlor rather than a souvenir.
Guidebooks, gate flyers and handouts
1955 Disneyland guidebook. This souvenir picture book shows the park as it looked in its opening year. It measures 6 by 8.75 inches and runs 24 pages, most of them in full color. Van Eaton graded this copy very good, with minor spine wear, and listed it at $50.
1958 Disneyland guidebook. This guidebook dates to 1958, three years after opening day. Set beside the 1955 book above, it shows the park a few seasons on.
Nature’s Wonderland guidebook insert. This insert for the 1960 guidebook promoted Nature’s Wonderland. Its Mine Train ride lasted until Big Thunder Mountain Railroad replaced it in 1979, so the insert documents a part of the park that is long gone.
1961 gate flyer. Gate flyers were handed to guests at the entrance to point them toward what was new. This one dates to 1961, six years after opening day.
1966 gate flyer. This folder announced three new additions: It’s a Small World, the Primeval World dioramas and New Orleans Square. New Orleans Square later became home to Club 33, whose staff patch appears above.
1967 Adventure Thru Inner Space booklet. This Monsanto information booklet dates to 1967. The attraction opened on August 5 that year. Riders sat in “Atommobiles” and were shrunk, in story, to smaller than an atom, passing through a snowflake and into water molecules. Star Tours replaced it in 1987.
TWA Rocket to the Moon certificate. Van Eaton’s listing says this 7-by-5-inch card was designed for the ride’s opening in 1956. It certified that the holder had “rocketed round trip to the moon from the Disneyland Spaceport via TWA Rocket Ship.” This copy was never filled in. It sold at its $100 listing. More from the airline’s glamour years is in these vintage photos of flying in the 1970s.
1987 Easter week set. These are guest papers from one 1987 visit. The set holds two partly used ticket books, with some letter tickets still in place and the admission tickets torn out. It also includes a flyer for that year’s Easter week events and one listing Magic Kingdom Club member benefits. It sold at $50.
1983 New Fantasyland press packet. Disneyland sent this kit to the media to promote the rebuilt Fantasyland. The land closed for refurbishment in 1982 and reopened in 1983 as “New Fantasyland.”
Posters, menus and souvenirs
It’s a Small World attraction poster. This poster for the ride was hand-silkscreened rather than machine-printed. It advertises an attraction that opened at Disneyland in 1966.
Rocket Jets attraction poster. Rocket Jets was a Tomorrowland ride. After Rocket Rods replaced the PeopleMover in 1998, old Rocket Jets vehicles were displayed in its queue.
Haunted Mansion attraction poster. This original hand-silkscreened poster was never used in the park. The Haunted Mansion itself opened in 1969.
Donald Duck ice cream poster. This advertising poster was printed in the 1960s or 1970s.
1960s Disneyland Hotel menu. This dining menu comes from the Disneyland Hotel in the 1960s.
1961 Chucko the clown menu and mask. This 1961 piece from the Disneyland Hotel’s restaurant doubles as a menu and a mask featuring Chucko the clown.
1965 Disneyland board game. The listing calls it “Walt Disney’s 1965 Disneyland Game.” It came out in 1965, the park’s tenth year. For the parks families visit now, see these top theme parks for families.
What is rare Disneyland memorabilia?
Where can rare Disneyland memorabilia be bought?
Every item in this gallery was listed by Van Eaton Galleries, an animation art and collectibles dealer on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles. Its site still posts Disneyland collectibles releases. Many of the pieces shown here are marked sold, so stock changes often. Listed prices on the items checked ran from $25 to $300.
How much is a 1955 Disneyland guidebook worth?
Van Eaton Galleries listed the 1955 guidebook shown here at $50. The souvenir book measures 6 by 8.75 inches and has 24 pages, most in full color. The dealer graded it very good, with minor spine wear. Condition drives the price of paper items like this one more than anything else.
When did the Disneyland PeopleMover close?
The PeopleMover closed on August 21, 1995, after opening on July 2, 1967. Goodyear sponsored it until the end of 1981. Its trains had no motors of their own. Instead, 517 motorized tires in the track pushed them along. Rocket Rods replaced it in 1998.
What is Club 33 at Disneyland?
Club 33 is a private members’ club inside Disneyland. It opened in May 1967 at 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square, and Disney says the address gave it its name. As of 2025, reported costs for individuals were a $65,000 initiation fee and $20,625 a year in dues.