THROWBACK THURSDAY: Golden Rides

For this Throwback Thursday, we're going to go all the way back and revisit the distant year of 2005...
As you may well be aware, Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955. For Disneyland's 50th anniversary, the park went all out. 50 mouse-shaped signs were scattered about the park to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Special pins, parades, merchandise, anything you can think of received a makeover. Including the rides.

Yes, each of the original "Class of 1955" rides received a special, temporary change-- one of the vehicles (or in the case of the picture above, elephants) was entirely repainted gold. The original 1955 rides that are still operating include King Arthur's Carousel, Autopia, Jungle Cruise, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan's Flight, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and Casey Jr. Circus Train.

See it in the middle?

In fact, not only were the rides changed, but some other 1955 attractions as well. One of the passenger cars on Main Street was painted gold, along with the streetcar seen below.

It made for a fun experience, and gave riders the opportunity of reliving those 50 years of Disney history. Or perhaps getting to ride in all of the golden vessels like a scavenger hunt. Unfortunately, it was only temporary, and by 2006 these golden treasures were returned to their original state, for the most part as they had actually appeared in 1955. But maybe in 2055, on Disneyland's 100th anniversary, we'll get to see something just as special.