The Anniversary of the Anniversary

Five years ago, Disney Parks around the world joined in "The Happiest Celebration on Earth" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the one that started it all, Walt Disney's Disneyland Park in California. As Disneyland prepares to mark its 55th this weekend, let's take a look back at the granddaddy of all anniversary celebrations.

For the 50th, Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland was decked out in gold bunting and added details, including the addition of five golden crowns on the castle's turrets. Each crown had a unique design, meant to evoke a highlight from one of the park's first five decades.

The Mickey ears on the first crown represent the genesis of the park in the 1950s and pay tribute to the fact that this was "all started by a mouse."

Rocketships and orbiting planets adorn the crown signifying the new Tomorrowland of 1967. Just above that is the crown for the 1970s, with images of the Blue Fairy from the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The 1980s saw the complete re-imagining of Fantasyland with a heavy dose of pixie dust from Tinker Bell (and the Imagineers).

The crown for the 1990s features snakes, jewels and the Eye of Mara from The Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, a major addition to the park during that decade.