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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> Miami Area Tourist and Local ATTRACTIONS Historical Photos Gallery - All Years - click on image to view > 1963 - Tigers at the wonderful Crandon Park Zoo that was loved by so many people
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1963 Courtesy of Brad King

1963 - Tigers at the wonderful Crandon Park Zoo that was loved by so many people

Crandon Park Zoo, Key Biscayne, Florida


Thank you to Brad King for contributing this old image.

"All the animals in the zoo are jumping up and down for you....Hoping that you will plan a day to the zoo as soon as you can! Story books that really talk, you turn on with a key, tell fascinating things about the animals you see... All the animals in the zoo are jumping up and down for you... hoping that you will plan a day to the zoo as soon as you can!". Thank you to J B Morrow and Doris Koenig for posting their comments below that describe the jingle regarding the Magic Keys that turned on the story books at the zoo. My wife Karen (North Miami Class of 71) also remembers the jingle and sang it to me without seeing the words once I got her started with a few words.


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Don Boyd09-Nov-2016 06:35
If you would like to scan the image and send me the scan via e-mail, along with the names of who is where in the photo, I would be glad to post it on the site so others can see it, especially by people in the photo. By any chance did you know a kid on the key by the name of Bob Paget?

Don
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Rick Brothers 09-Nov-2016 01:27
Rick Brothers My parents John and Marian Brothers moved to Key Biscayne in 1951 I worked at Crandon Park while attending Gables High School 65-68. I attended "Little Island Playhouse " kindergarten and have the group picture 1955. I can name almost all the children in the picture and would like to share.....john.r.brothers50@gmail.com
/phone 352-871-4628..
Don Boyd02-Aug-2016 21:58
Marvin, thank you for posting your comments, fellow Thoroughbred! I've given the jingle more exposure in the description above to get it to show up in more Google or Bing searches.

Don
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Marvin Biver 02-Aug-2016 18:35
I searched for information about the Magic Keys (or whatever they were called), where you get more information about the animals if you bought the key, and found this site. The keys were criticized because poor people could not afford them. I have no idea why I remember that.

Nice web site! I found it by searching the words to the song that I could remember. "All the animals in the zoo . . ."

Marvin (Hialeah High 1969)
Don Boyd08-Oct-2015 15:35
Doris and JBMorrow, thank you for remembering the story books and the message/jingle after all these years. Yes Doris, that's pretty good for a 63 year old brain. None of us can remember everything but collectively all of us can remember most of the events from our glorious days of growing up in Miami in the 50's and 60's.

Guest of 4-May-2008: thank you for mentioning Doug Barnes being involved in the creation of the Crandon Park Zoo. I've seen the park that was named in his honor and have always wondered who he was.

Don
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Doris Koenig 07-Oct-2015 00:27
All the animals in the zoo are jumping up and down for you....Hoping that you will plan a day to the zoo as soon as you can! Story books that really talk, you turn on with a key, tell fascinating things about the animals you see... All the animals in the zoo are jumping up and down for you... hoping that you will plan a day to the zoo as soon as you can.... LOL hows that for a 63 yr old brain remembering the jingle... what fun it was to grow up in MIAMI
JBMorrow 18-May-2015 21:35
"All the animals in the Zoo are Jumping up and down for you." The key was for the Talking Story Book that told you about the animals.
Carlos Betancourt 21-Mar-2011 16:49
I was there on March 19th to do some bike riding and to my horror they torn down the bear cages and were starting to tear down the lion cages how sad another piece of Miami history now gone
William Chance 23-Jun-2009 13:24
The Elephant keys were around $1 and you inserted the trunk into the boxes and got a narrative on the animal you were looking at.I remember the cabanas on the beach that you could rent for the day.Once on a visit the Lions started roaring loudly and drew quite a crowd around their cage.At which point one of turned away from the crowd and proceeded to "spray" the packed crowd. I guess even lions have a sense of humor.
Guest 04-May-2008 05:17
The old Crandon Park zoo was special to Miamians. Opened by Doug Barnes the first Parks Dept. director after a traveling circus went bust and he accepted a bear and a couple other animals. Hurricanes were the main concern and reason for relocating the zoo to where it is now. A miniature train circled the zoo and was everyone's favorite ride but there was also small carnival rides and a roller rink. Crandon was a great place for kid's B-Day parties (lots to do) and my family had many there. The zoo was moved to South Dade (pre-view center opening July 1980) where it has become a world class zoo. Hey, who remember's Princess? She's stuffed and located in the zoo's administrative building at MetroZoo.
Guest 21-Apr-2008 03:37
Jeez, I almost forgot. Didn't they have a miniature train there ? I'm pretty sure my family has pictures or slides of me and my sisters riding that train when we were little kids, during our visit to the zoo !!
Guest 21-Apr-2008 03:32
I remember there was some type of key they sold in the Crandon Zoo gift shop. And there were these boxes at some of the caged animal exhibits. The key fit into the box, and when you turned it....jeez, I forgot...the box would play a recording about the animal in the cage or something...??...does anyone remember this ??...I've been trying to remember for YEARS what that key was for...I went there as a young child (early '60's), but my Mommy wouldn't buy me one of those keys !! Please, someone remind me...!!! Anyway, after the Miami Metrozoo was built (late 1970's) off Coral Reef Drive (SW 152nd St.) west of U.S. 1, where the old Richmond Air Station (blimp base) was located during WWII, they closed Crandon Zoo and moved all the animals to the new Metrozoo. Now it's just another Miami memory. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is located next to the zoo. I was born in Miami in 1960, lived there through 2004. Attended Coral Reef Elem. / Palmetto Jr. High / graduated Miami-Palmetto HS in 1978. (PS - great site Don, thank you for putting it up. I'm living in NC now, but after seeing this site, it's apparent that my heart is still in Miami.)
Cindy Schaefer (Orwick) 27-Feb-2008 05:15
Oh my gosh. I loved Crandon park Zoo. i have such wonderful memories of trips there and picnics at the beach. I really enjoy looking at all of these pictures. I gre up by Tropical park, went to Emerson elementary, West Miami Jr high ans South Miami high school. I live in Central Florida now.
EJH 08-Feb-2008 02:11
I loved the Crandon Park Zoo as a kid and took my girls there when they were little...lots of very fond memories!! I remember there was a outdoor roller rink at Crandon and a merry-go-round. As a child, my family had lots of picnics at Crandon beach.
Carlos Betancourt 04-Sep-2007 00:43
My dad would take me there as a kid, I still go there to ride bikes tiger cage is still intact so are the monkey cages and the cage were the bear lived. it is now like a park with flowers lots of igunas, swans and birds.
It's pretty and relaxing.
Carlos Betancourt