It was meant to be The Happiest Place on Earth from the beginning.

Everyone knows Disneyland is The Happiest Place on Earth.

But what a lot of people DON'T know is the amazing effort that went into making the park as magical as it is today!

Handout / Getty Images

But in these rare archival images that were used to sell prospective East Coast licensees on the park, you can see Disneyland BEFORE it was actually Disneyland.

Disney (c)

And it turns out that the plans for the park...

Disney (c)

...were pretty similar to what guests get to enjoy today!

Although the Monstro the Whale ride was never built. :(

Disney (c)

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