The "E" Ticket
The "E" Ticket was a Disneyland-history fanzine published by brothers Leon and Jack Janzen from 1986 to 2009.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The "E" Ticket was an American fan publication devoted primarily to the history of Disneyland, its attractions, its design traditions, and the people who created and operated them. Published from 1986 through 2009, it produced 46 numbered issues, supplemented by a special updated edition and three CD-ROM collections of earlier issues. The publication concentrated especially on Disneyland as it existed during Walt Disney's lifetime, while also documenting related subjects such as Knott's Berry Farm, Pacific Ocean Park, the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad, and the creative work of Disney Imagineers and artists. The magazine was created and edited by Disneyland enthusiasts Leon Janzen and Jack Janzen. Rather than functioning as a general Disney-news periodical, it treated the park as a historical and cultural subject. Its articles explored individual attractions, themed lands, transportation systems, collectibles, models, artwork, and the design decisions behind Disneyland's environments. Coverage included well-known attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Autopia, the Disneyland Monorail, and Indiana Jones Adventure, as well as less frequently documented subjects including the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow, Monsanto's Home of the Future, the Pack Mules, Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific Railroad, and the park's waterways. A defining feature of The "E" Ticket was its use of historical interviews and first-hand recollections. The publication helped preserve memories from former Disney artists, designers, operators, and other participants whose experiences might otherwise have remained undocumented. Animation and Disney historian Michael Barrier described the magazine as an exceptionally valuable historical record, particularly because many of the people interviewed were later no longer available to provide their recollections. This archival quality distinguished the fanzine from more promotional or contemporary visitor-oriented Disney publications. The publication's title referred to Disneyland's former ticket-book system. Before the adoption of a generally flat-rate admission model, attractions were assigned letter grades, with E tickets reserved for the park's newest, most elaborate, or most popular rides. The name therefore signaled the magazine's focus on the attractions and experiences that represented the highest level of Disneyland's original design ambition. The Janzens published the first 40 issues together. Leon Janzen died suddenly on September 9, 2003, shortly after the Fall 2003 issue, number 40, which focused on Adventure Thru Inner Space. Jack Janzen resumed publication alone with issue 41 in October 2004. The remaining issues covered the Disneyland Ghost House, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Frontierland's Pack Mules, Walt's Model Shop, the art of Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones Adventure. The final issue, number 46, appeared in Summer 2009. Jack explained that continuing the magazine had become difficult and less enjoyable after his brother's death, and he ended the regular publication run. In 2009, the magazine and its remaining back stock were sold to the Walt Disney Family Foundation. The collection was acquired to strengthen the historical resources of The Walt Disney Family Museum, which the foundation established in San Francisco in the same year. Back issues have been offered through the museum bookstore, allowing the publication's research and visual record to remain available to collectors, Disneyland historians, and Disney enthusiasts. Although the periodical is defunct as an ongoing publication, its back issues and digital compilations continue to function as a reference archive for the history of Disneyland and related themed-entertainment projects.
History
The "E" Ticket emerged in 1986 as a fan-created periodical centered on the history of Disneyland. Its founders, brothers Leon and Jack Janzen, approached the park not simply as a tourist destination but as a designed environment with a deep institutional, technological, artistic, and social history. The magazine's subject matter reflected that perspective. Articles examined individual attractions, themed lands, transportation systems, collectibles, scenic design, models, artwork, and the experiences of former Disney personnel and other participants. The title was drawn from Disneyland's former attraction-ticket system. Under the old ticket-book arrangement, rides were assigned letter grades, with E tickets identifying the most ambitious and desirable attractions. The name connected the publication to a specific period in Disneyland's history and expressed its emphasis on the park's landmark experiences. Much of the magazine's editorial attention focused on the Disneyland of Walt Disney's lifetime, although its coverage also extended to later attractions and to related Southern California amusement parks. Across its run, The "E" Ticket developed a reputation as a research-oriented fanzine rather than a conventional entertainment magazine. Its issues treated subjects ranging from 1955 Disneyland collectibles and the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow to Adventureland, Tomorrowland, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Disneyland Railroad, the Monorail, and Indiana Jones Adventure. It also devoted attention to attractions and projects that could be overlooked in broader accounts of Disney history, including Monsanto's Home of the Future, the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, the park's waterways, the Pack Mules, Walt's Model Shop, and the art associated with Pirates of the Caribbean. The Janzens' work was particularly important because the publication preserved oral histories and personal recollections. Interviews with designers, artists, operators, and other historical witnesses recorded information that was difficult to find in official promotional material. Disney and animation historian Michael Barrier characterized the magazine as an unusually valuable record, in part because the deaths of many interview subjects meant that comparable testimony could no longer be gathered. The fanzine consequently became useful not only to collectors but also to researchers studying themed entertainment, animation history, industrial design, and the development of Disneyland. The first 40 issues were produced by both brothers. Leon Janzen died suddenly on September 9, 2003. Issue 40, published in Fall 2003 and devoted to Adventure Thru Inner Space, was the last issue completed during their joint editorial partnership. Jack Janzen subsequently continued the title by himself, beginning with issue 41 in October 2004. The later issues covered the Disneyland Ghost House, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Frontierland's Pack Mules, Walt's Model Shop, Pirates of the Caribbean artwork, and Indiana Jones Adventure. The final numbered issue was number 46, published in Summer 2009. In that issue, Jack explained that producing the magazine had not been as satisfying after Leon's death and decided to bring the publication to an end. The completed run therefore spans 46 numbered issues over approximately 23 years, with a special updated Mr. Toad's Wild Ride edition also produced during the period. The publication's afterlife became part of its historical significance. In 2009, the magazine, including its remaining back stock, was sold to the Walt Disney Family Foundation. The foundation acquired it to augment the resources of The Walt Disney Family Museum, established that year in San Francisco. Back issues were made available through the museum bookstore, while three CD-ROM products preserved selected groups of earlier issues in digital form. The regular magazine is no longer active, but its print and digital materials remain an important record of Disneyland's attractions, creative personnel, and historical development.
- 2009
Final issue and archive sale
[1]Issue 46 ended the regular run, and the magazine plus remaining stock were sold to the Walt Disney Family Foundation.
- 2004
Publication resumes under Jack Janzen
[1]Jack Janzen continued the magazine alone with issue 41, published in October 2004.
- 2003
Leon Janzen dies
[1]Leon Janzen died suddenly on September 9, 2003; issue 40 was the final issue produced jointly by the brothers.
- 1999
Special Mr. Toad's Wild Ride edition released
[1]An updated version of the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride issue was released for the Mr. Toad's Enchanted Evening event at Disneyland on October 28, 1999.
- 1986
First issue published
[1]The Janzens published the inaugural issue, beginning a specialist fanzine devoted to Disneyland history and attractions.
Products and positioning
A specialist historical and archival publication for Disneyland enthusiasts, Disney historians, collectors, and readers interested in the park's original attractions, design, and cultural legacy.
Print magazine · 1986
The "E" Ticket print issues 1–16
The first group of issues established the publication's historical scope, covering Disneyland collectibles, the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow, Knott's Berry Farm, Pacific Ocean Park, Frontierland, Snow White's Scary Adventures, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Adventureland, Marc Davis's Disneyland design work, Tomorrowland's Flying Saucers, 1959 Disneyland, Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific Railroad, Storybook Land, Monsanto's Home of the Future, the original Snow White dark ride, Main Street U.S.A., the Mark Twain, and the Haunted Mansion.
Print magazine · 1993
The "E" Ticket print issues 17–32
The middle issues expanded the historical record through subjects including Tomorrowland 1967, Disneyland's waterways and railroad, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, Carousel of Progress, Jungle Adventures, Rocket to the Moon, Mechanized Magic, Peter Pan's Flight, Autopia, Disneyland's first year, the Mine Train, Space Mountain, Alice in Wonderland, and a second treatment of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Print magazine · 2000
The "E" Ticket print issues 33–46
The final run documented Disneyland's Keel Boats, Submarine Voyage, King Arthur Carrousel, Monorail, Tom Sawyer Island, It's a Small World, Adventureland, Adventure Thru Inner Space, the Ghost House, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Frontierland's Pack Mules, Walt's Model Shop, the art of Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones Adventure. Issue 46 was the final numbered issue.
Digital archive
The "E" Ticket CD-ROM collections
Three CD-ROM collections made selected back issues available in digital form. The first contained issues 1–8 plus the 1988 and 1991 annual issues; the second contained issues 9–16; and the third contained issues 17–24.
Brand decisions
2009
End the magazine's publication runStrategyBackground
After continuing without his brother, Jack Janzen concluded that producing the magazine was no longer enjoyable and decided to stop.
Action taken
Publication ended with issue 46, released in Summer 2009.
Aftermath
The completed archive and remaining back stock were sold to the Walt Disney Family Foundation and associated with the historical resources of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
2009
Transfer of the archive to the Walt Disney Family FoundationM&ABackground
Following the end of regular publication, the remaining physical stock and the publication's historical materials represented a significant specialist archive.
Action taken
The Walt Disney Family Foundation acquired the magazine and remaining back stock to support The Walt Disney Family Museum's historical resources.
Aftermath
Back issues continued to be sold through the museum bookstore, preserving access to the publication for researchers and collectors.
2004
Continue publication after Leon Janzen's deathStrategyBackground
Leon Janzen's death in September 2003 ended the brothers' joint editorial partnership, but the publication still had an established readership and unfinished historical scope.
Action taken
Jack Janzen resumed the magazine alone with issue 41 in October 2004.
Aftermath
The title continued for five more numbered issues before ending with issue 46 in 2009.
Recent events
- 2009
The "E" Ticket ends its regular publication run[1]
Other
Issue 46, published in Summer 2009 and focused on Indiana Jones Adventure, became the final issue. Jack Janzen ended the series after deciding that continuing without Leon was no longer enjoyable.
- 2009
Walt Disney Family Foundation acquires the magazine archive[1]
M&A
The publication and its remaining back stock were sold to the Walt Disney Family Foundation to support the historical resources of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
- 2004
Jack Janzen continues The "E" Ticket alone[1]
Leadership change
Jack Janzen resumed publication with issue 41 in October 2004, continuing the magazine after his brother's death.
- 2003
Leon Janzen dies during the magazine's publication run[1]
Leadership change
Co-founder and co-editor Leon Janzen died suddenly on September 9, 2003. The Fall 2003 issue, number 40, was the last issue produced by both brothers.
- 1986
The "E" Ticket begins publication[1]
Other
Leon and Jack Janzen launched the Disneyland-history fanzine, beginning a 23-year run devoted to attractions, design, collectibles, and first-hand historical testimony.
Sources2 sources
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