Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
Official Souvenir Guidebook

This souvenir booklet, which was available for sale first at Disneyland in the late '60s with the cover to the top left, and later at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World throughout the '70s with the cover below left, is a wonderful tribute to Marc Davis, as it features dozens of his sketches and conceptual drawings from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, as well as an article about Disney's new technology, Audio-Animatronics.

The first part of the booklet is a history of the world's most infamous pirates, featuring many Davis drawings (possibly from conceptual work he was doing for Disney's proposed walk-through pirate museum, which was amplified into the attraction as it exists today.) There are also many examples of Davis' designs for the existing attraction. Click here to see some examples: sample 1 / sample 2 / sample 3

One fun feature of the booklet is a highly-detailed cartoon map (drawn by Disney legend Sam McKim) that stretches over the end papers and depicts each scene from the ride in a whimsical manner. The map is lots of fun to examine, and you can see it for yourself (in computer wallpaper format) by downloading the appropriate size below:

Download 800x600 / 1024x768

Vacationland / Spring 1974
Walt Disney World Tourism Magazine

This magazine was a periodical that promoted tourism to Disney properties and Florida destinations, and this issue focused on the new Pirates attraction at Walt Disney World in 1974. The article includes some nice photos, as well as a tour through the WDW version of the ride and a description of Caribbean Plaza, the spanish-themed area built at WDW to host the attraction (as opposed to Disneyland's Louisiana flavor in New Orleans Square.)

page 1 / page 2 / page 3 / page 4

Life Magazine / Sept. 15, 1967
Article on the opening of Pirates at Disneyland

This article, printed in Life Magazine in September of 1967, was a photo essay celebrating the opening of the new attraction at Disneyland. The brief article notes that POTC was "the costliest and most technologically sophisticated" attraction to exist at the time. The article is probably most notable for its interesting, uncommon photographs, which were taken specifically for the issue. View these images below:

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Jack and Jill Magazine / April 1969
Article on the Pirates attraction at Disneyland

This article, printed in Jack and Jill Magazine, a children's journal, features a photo essay, a tour through the ride (which assures the younger readers that guests eventually "escape the carnage")and a few fun facts for kids. Quoting the article: "Suddenly, [guests] are caught in the cross fire of a battle between a pirate ship and a fortress. Cannonballs whistle over their heads and spew up geysers of water alongsdie their bateau..." Read more via the links below:

page 1 / page 2 / page 3

Disneyland Coloring Book / circa 1968
Includes pages featuring the new Pirate ride

This coloring book is notable for its beautiful color cover depicting Mickey Mouse and two friends trying to escape from two battling pirates and a burning spanish town. The book itself contains images from all throughout Disneyland, and it features five wonderful vintage cartoon illustrations picturing scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Click the links below to download full-size uncolored copies of each picture to color yourself:

img 1 / img 2 / img 3 / img 4 / img 5