Children's Fairyland

In a sendup on the masks of tragedy and comedy, Aesop's Tortoise and Hare welcome you to the open-air Playhouse at Children's Fairyland. Aesop was a slave and storyteller in ancient Greece and in his fable, Tortoise triumphs over Hare and proclaims: "Don't brag about your lightening pace, for slow and steady wins the race!"

Thank you, C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration for the opportunity, once again, to sketch at Fairyland. It's always a blast and the time just flies! Children's Fairyland in Oakland is the best.  ~~Susan Ford

Return to Children's Fairyland

Children's Fairyland is a magical place for all.  A visit transports you from the everyday to other times and other stories, some familiar and some new.  I treasure my time at Fairyland. Thank you C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration for having us and for all that you do.

Children's Fairyland in Oakland

Thanks to the staff at Fairyland in Oakland for inviting us back to sketch their Land! Willie The Whale, The Old Lady In The Shoe, and The Happy Dragon have been there since 1950 and still look great. You only remember you are in the middle of downtown Oakland when you notice the city peaking up behind The Jolly Roger Pirate Ship. — Cathy McAuliffe

Children's Fairyland - Where Fairy Tales Come True

"There Once Was a Woman..."


Children's Fairyland on the shores of Lake Merritt, Oakland, has been has been enchanting children and adults since 1950. Thank you Executive Director C.J. Hirschfield and Art and Restoration Director Shannon Taylor for welcoming our sketching and keeping Fairyland so charming.

Pinocchio

Fairyland in Oakland -- After Hours

The Jolly Trolley waits patiently in the train garage for the next day's event.

Two soldiers stand guard.  -- Vivian Aldridge

Meantime, 'the old woman in the shoe' went shopping (I think.) 

No one was home when I knocked on the door

Fairyland, Too

It was another fun get-together with the urban sketchers at Children's Fairyland in Oakland. Thanks to all who made our visit possible.

Here's Peter Rabbit? -- Bugs Bunny? -- the hare who lost the race to the tortoise? -- and his water fountain. The actual waterworks is shaped like a carrot, (of course!) and the entire fountain, rabbit and carrot, are about four feet tall.

Children's Fairyland in Oakland

We had another fun time sketching in Fairyland after hours. We had squirrels and very loud crows for company. I think we were throwing off their nightly schedule of feasting on all the popcorn and snacks dropped by the kids during the day! Lookin gat my sketches later I thought that one looked just like a children's book illustration and in another one I saw a clown face. Appropriate for the subject I guess. A couple of them show the make believe world and it's neighbors in downtown Oakland.

After Hours at Fairyland

Visited Fairyland (a magical amusement park in Oakland) after closing hours. I have not been here since I was three years old! Kind of spooky hanging out here after the public had gone home. Bet they did not know that zillions of crows take over the place when the sun begins to set. My what a racket they make!

Sketching Children's Fairyland

Mrs. Tiggeywinkle in Beatrix Potter's Magical Garden in Fairyland

I'm still smiling from our visit to the award-winning Children's Fairyland. Located near the shore of Lake Merritt in Oakland, Fairyland is a magical place for children, artists and others. The brainchild of Oakland nurseryman Arthur Navlet over 60 years ago,  it features storybook characters in child-friendly sets, 10 acres of gardens, live animals, and educational activities.
Thank you so much  C.J. Hirschfield, Fairyland's Executive Director,  and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration, for welcoming us to sketch. 

The White Rabbit in front of the gate to Alice in Wonderland's tunnel. The plaque is in memory of Fairyland's 1st Executive Director, Dorothy Manes.

Going Back to Fairyland

Pinocchio

Thanks to C.J. Hirschfield (Executive Director) and Shannon Taylor (Director of Art & Restoration) for welcoming us back to Fairyland. Some of us are returning after childhood visits. (See previous posts). Some, like myself, are transported back to classic nursery stories come to life. After a few minutes, I am not working to get the picture "right"; I am playing with my sketchbook, pen and watercolors. Fairyland is a sketcher's dream. Fairyland is also a jewel among the treasures of Lake Merritt for everyone to visit (with a kid) and enjoy!

 The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

Fairly Adult in Fairyland

Me three! Another view of The Lucky Dragon and a crooked house and Oswald the Bubble Elf. Second drawing is looking back toward the entrance with a sketcher under a tree. I first came to Fairyland when I was 4 years old and remember being very impressed with the water-fountain lion, who was much taller than I. He doesn't look so big any more (but he's a lot more colorful!). I hope to go back and sketch him next time.

Children's Fairyland, too

When I saw The Lucky Dragon framed by that wacky wall and doorway, I had to sit right down and make a sketch. I always struggle with perspective accuracy and this colorful, off-kilter entrance was so much more fun to draw! Lucky Dragon's eyes rotated left and right, left and right. Only in a quiet Fairyland devoid of children are you aware of how loudly Dragon eyes squeak as they move.

Fairyland revisited!

Who wouldn't want to re-visit Children's Fairyland in Oakland years later as an adult? Our sketching group got that chance August 20 after hours. Everything was, of course, smaller but I can remember how happy a place it is. Especially for someone about three-feet tall. There was Lucky the dragon with his fearless smile, Willie the whale, the little boot that kids still walk through to enter this whimsical place. When I came upon a castle, I had to sketch it!

Children's Fairyland

Children's Fairyland on Lake Merritt in Oakland, the first children's storybook park in the U.S., is celebrating its 65th birthday in mid-September.  I remember going there with friends in 1956!  We got a chance to be in the park after hours this week, amidst the colorful storybook sets, kid-sized rides and 10 acres of gardens.  What a pleasure!  Thanks for the opportunity, C.J. HIrschfield (Executive Director).

Sketching at Fairyland in Oakland

In 1950, Children's Fairyland, a storybook theme park, featuring fairy-tale sets, farm animals, and live entertainment opened in Oakland. It is still there today, the original child-size buildings and rides lovingly maintained. A popular throwback to a simpler time. Fairyland is usually bustling with kids but our group was able to go after hours and had the place almost all to our selves. (I say almost because besides us the resident squirrels were out in force "cleaning" up all popcorn dropped by those kids!) I loved the buildings that looked like 3D sketches. Each was donated by an appropriate sponsor, The Brick House by The Associated Home Builders of Alameda County and Gepetto's Workshop by The Italian American Federation of the East Bay.

The Happy Dragon of Children's Fairyland

This happy dragon greeted me at Children's Fairyland located near the shore of Lake Merritt in Oakland. It was my first time at this this wonderful theme park for kids. Thanks to C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director, and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration, we were able to come out, explore, and sketch! Please enjoy the other sketches of Children's Fairyland previously posted on this blog.

Children's Fairyland, Oakland

The entrance to Children's Fairyland is through the old woman's shoe.  Remember her? Had so many children she didn't know what to do? 

Unlike my fellow sketchers, I didn't grow up in California and have no childhood memories of Fairyland. But there are many lovingly maintained three-dimensional figures and objects to sketch here, like the genie standing atop the front entrance. Curious that because of his location with his back to the entry, he's most noticeable as you're leaving the park and only if you look up from your cell phone!

There's a little wooden birdhouse, thick with the paint of generations of park preservationists. Atop a pole five feet off the ground and partially filled with straw, it has the curious sign, "Owl Sleeping, Go Away Squirrel Nutkin!"

In The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter, sassy-mouthed Squirrel Nutkin loses his tail and narrowly escapes flaying by an Owl called Old Brown. Powerful stuff!! A commentary on 19th century British hierarchy, class and power, the story was first published way back in 1903, after the success of Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Thanks to Shannon Taylor, Fairyland Art Director and Sonia Tamez, Urban Sketcher for this sketching opportunity.

Children's Fairyland Oakland

Two special sketching nights at Children's Fairyland back-to-back, tonight the Urban Sketchers, and tomorrow a sketching event, Drawn Together, benefitting Fairyland — read more about it here http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/09/illustrating-community-at-childrens-fairyland/

When I was a child, my mother brought my brother and I to visit Fairyland. I was about 3 years old, and Fairyland was just a few years older. The sculpture I remembered the most vividly was the Alice in Wonderland tunnel, with the card maze at the end. I wasn't tall enough to see through the "windows", so I could only see the tippy-tops of the figures in the garden.

the deck of cards who were tossed into the air

The Crooked Man and his crooked house

Oswald the Bubble Elf