This Official Alphabet of Mara Decoder was produced in celebration of the opening of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure in 1995 and distributed at both the Annual Passholder Party, as well as the attraction’s Cast Member Preview.
One side features a stylized illustration of the attraction’s Temple of the Forbidden Eye (the attraction’s original name), done in the hand of Imagineer Chuck Ballew. Ballew was responsible for the design of the murals, statues, and bas reliefs, as well as the “Maraglyphics” alphabet seen throughout the show building.
The reverse side contains the alphabet decoder key itself, along with the following translatable message around the perimeter of the card: “Look not into the Eye of Mara and you shall be given the gift of eternal youth, earthly riches, or future knowledge.”
Indiana Jones Adventure officially debuted to the public on March 4, 1995, following a star-studded premiere the day before. A Tony-Baxter-led team of Imagineers developed the groundbreaking attraction, which features the first-ever example of the EMV ride system (Enhanced Motion Vehicles), now used throughout Disney parks worldwide. The attraction’s storyline centers on a 1930s archaeological adventure, alongside Indy, in the Lost Delta region of India.