Dan Alexander Dizmentia

Dreamin' Of The Screamin' Delta Demon At Opryland

2012-01-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

For many years, whenever actress Delta Burke was mentioned on TV, the first thing I thought of was The Screamin' Delta Demon, the awesome fire-breathing monster that could be found at the Opryland theme park in Nashville, Tennessee.

The marketing department of the Opryland theme park had a knack for making a simple amusement park ride a highly anticipated experience. There wasn't actually a fire-breathing, flying alligator creature threatening anyone on The Screamin' Delta Demon.

Isn't this photo scary? I'm talking about the Eighties fashion and hair, not the highly themed Screamin' Delta Demon ride vehicle.

The Screamin' Delta Demon was an Intamin Bobsled roller coaster that weaved around a flume-like ride track through a forest in Opryland. Sadly, there was NOT an animatronic version of the Delta Demon roaring at riders (that would have been awesome!).

The ride was as visually intimidating as its name. I was terrified to ride this, but I'm glad I did.

My first and only visit to Opryland was in September of 1985. Back then, the park was called Opryland USA. The name would be changed around over the years.

I got to stay in the Opryland Hotel, which was pretty amazing. An expanded version of The Opryland Hotel is still open today, though the Opryland theme park closed down years ago.

Why did Opryland close? I'm not sure.

The theme park was said to be landlocked, so expansion may have been too difficult.

Opryland had some rides on my visit, but the focus was clearly on the shows.

The "Modern 1980s" Opryland musical presentation reminded me of the Saturday Morning TV show "Kidd Video" (which I DID watch at the Opryland Hotel right before going to Opryland) and I remember seeing a reference in the park's rock and roll section to "The Flipside" (which was also a setting on Kidd Video).

Opryland had a great deal at the time called the Tricket. You paid for one day and got two consecutive days free.

There were two rides in Opryland that captured my imagination when I was a kid. One was The Screamin' Delta Demon, and the other was Grizzly River Rampage.

The exciting ads for Grizzly River Rampage appearing on TV, newspapers and billboards featured a ferocious bear attacking river rafters. In reality, the bear was a static figure in a tunnel with a flickering strobe light. I think most people did not realize there was a bear there.

Many years later, Disney built a grizzly bear themed raft ride. Check it out at Disney's Country Bears At Grizzly River Run In California Adventure.

Opryland had some very famous mascots, including the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee.

Visitors to Opryland could meet all sorts of General Mills cereal characters.

Box tops from different "Big G" cereals were used for discounts on park admission.

Lucky the Leprechaun always had to worry about kids going after his Lucky Charms, whether it was the cereal or Lucky getting strategically kicked by rowdy children.

The Trix Rabbit could also be found at Opryland's Big G Cereal Play area for kids.

Opryland also had a Petting Zoo, complete with coin operated "game machines" featuring live animals (like bunnies and ducks). The animals would perform a simple trick (like playing basketball) and get food. I can't make this stuff up!

Count Chocula and the Monster Cereal gang are among my favorite advertising characters, and they were on hand to frighten visitors. Well, I don't think Boo Berry was there (he's always been tough to find).

Opryland really missed an opportunity by not making a haunted house ride with Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo Berry and Fruit Brute (the lesser known werewolf character---you can see references to him in Quentin Tarantino movies).

Sonny is Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

Like all the General Mills characters, Sonny's appearance has changed over the years.

I think General Mills introduced more cartoon cereal spokesmen than any other breakfast cereal manufacturer, for a wide variety of cereals that did not last (anyone remember Ice Cream Cones Cereal?). Cinnamon Toast Crunch originally had three baker characters, but only Wendell survived.

To see the two Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bakers that did not make the cut, and get a look at Ice Cream Jones (the mascot for Ice Cream Cones), take a look at Magic Trix Aren't Just For Kids.

Look, it's the Cheshire Canine! No, it's Chip the Cookie Hound, the mascot for Cookie Crisp Cereal (originally made by Ralston Purina, this became a General Mills cereal in 1997).

Cookie Crisp originally had a wizard mascot named Cookie Jarvis. Later, the character was replaced by the Cookie Crook and his dog Chip, who were always being pursued by the Cookie Cop. When General Mills bought Cookie Crisp, the Cookie Crook and Cop were dropped, making Chip the mascot for the cereal. Chip eventually lost his mask, and eventually his job when he was replaced by the Wolf character that is used to promote the cereal these days.

The General Mills Breakfast Babies bean bags were part of a mail-order promotion released in 1997, which is the same year Opryland closed.

Just a few months before my September 1985 visit to Opryland, Dolly Parton (a talented performer and business person) announced her plans to open the Dollywood theme park (formerly known as Silver Dollar City) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Here's a 1999 Entertainment Weekly article that mentions plans for Dollywood parks in Japan and Europe.

Dollywood (and later, Dollywood's Splash Country water park) have been huge hits for Dolly Parton. Get your minds out of the gutter---I said HITS!

For a look at an early map of the park, check out Dollywood is Open From 9 to 5.

The former site of Opryland is now home to a mall, Opry Mills. Wait a minute---Opry Mills? General Mills Cereal!? Coincidence? I think not!

For even more southern fried fun from the past, see Tennessee It No More: Magic World in Pigeon Forge.

*UPDATE For January 21, 2012:

On January 20, 2012 (the day after Dolly Parton's Birthday) it was announced that Dollywood and Gaylord Entertainment are joining forces for a "water and snow park" near the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. It should open by Summer 2014. Great news!

Also on January 20, Bobby Bickert wrote to me about those game machine performing animals at Opryland:

"I believe you about these performing animals, because I saw what may have been the same animals in Florida a little while before you did.

They were part of St. Petersburg's famous "Webb's City" department store, which I visited not too long before it closed. The year after Webb's City closed, all of the animals except the tightrope-walking chicken (which wasn't in an enclosed space) turned up at the Florida State Fair as the "IQ Zoo". After that they disappeared. Since this was in the early 1980's, I wonder if they were taken to Opryland?

Here's what I can remember:

Chicken that walked a tightrope

Chicken that played Tic Tac Toe with you

Chicken that "danced" (after turning on a "jukebox")

Chicken that gave you a "prize" out of a gumball-type machine

Duck that played a piano (It turned on a lamp first.)

Rabbit that "kissed" a fake female rabbit

Rabbit fire chief

There were probably others, but that's all I can remember."

Yes, that sounds like the same animals to me. Thanks for the information, Bobby!

Elvis Presley, The All Shook Up Roustabout At The Heartbreak Hotel In Graceland

2012-01-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Jailhouse Rock 45 RPM Elvis from Hasbro is ready to shake things up! The King is here to prove that Elvis memorabilia is not child's play. This advertisement appeared in a 1993 issue of Entertainment Weekly Magazine.

Accessing your favorite music used to be a lot more difficult. If you did not have a record store near you, there was always TIME LIFE Music, which featured Elvis Presley songs in its collection.

You can get this set on two LP records, or a Double length audio cassette, or this new thing called a Compact Disc.

Elvis Presley is famous all over the world.

Who can forget the film "Christmas in Bequia" starring Elvis and Ann-Margret? Or that big Elvis Presley concert in Maldives? Everyone remembers those!

Ads for items like Elvis stamps and collector's plates could often be found in issues of TV Guide.

If there wasn't Elvis merchandise advertised inside, sometimes Elvis appeared on the front cover.

Sometimes special Elvis CDs were included alongside the magazine, too. Note the warning here that "Loading the CD onto a non-tray-loading device is likely to damage the machine." Yikes!!

There's also five different covers to collect! If you were too lazy to drive to every supermarket in town to get them all, you could have ordered them from TV Guide.

But even if you got all those covers, there were still more you had to look for.

TV Guide taunts collectors with Elvis covers from the past. Good luck finding them on eBay.

Elvis and TV Guide made sure you wouldn't have a Blue Christmas. They included Elvis CD-ROM discs directly on their magazines in 2006.

These could have been nice, low cost (free) gifts for Elvis fans.

Elvis and some of his friends found their way on U.S. Stamps, too.

Be sure to put a stamp on your letter to Santa Claus. There's lots of Elvis stuff you'll want him to bring.

It's time for Elvis watches!

They even made multiple versions of Elvis Stamp Watches. You'll need to buy one of each.

It's "Make-Out Pillow Elvis" and an "Elvis Face Throw Rug" to sleep on.

I guess all the CD Tower companies have gone out of business now. Sad.

I've never been to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I do think Paul Simon would be the most logical choice for their spokesperson.

I would like to see an Elvis theme park with rides at Graceland. There has to be some sort of thrill ride called "The Pelvis."

Graceland was reported as a hot spot for earthquakes back in 1994, as this Entertainment Weekly article discusses.

I love this Elvis illustration by David Cowles, a talented artist that has created celebrity images for Entertainment Weekly for many years.

It's time for an Elvis trivia question, courtesy of an old issue of Entertainment Weekly.

How did you do? I had no idea what the answers were.

Is there a Heartbreak Hotel at Graceland? There should be.

I'm picturing a Disney-style hotel with an Audio Animatronic Elvis stage show.

Did you buy the Heartbreak Hotel plate? You really should have. Read why.

I bet this is worth a fortune now. Assuming you did not mess it up with peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

During the late Eighties and early Nineties, you could find Elvis movies on The Disney Channel.

Kids today may not know this, but The Disney Channel used to play all kinds of different movies and TV shows.

I think Disney and Elvis could be great partners and do something really cool with Graceland.

Stitch from Lilo and Stitch would be a great mascot for Graceland. Plus, Stitch is big in Japan, and could bring in more tourists. More on Stitch later...

This Elvis '68 Comeback Special Plate ad is from an old Disney Channel Magazine.

Was this a good deal in 1992? I wonder what these sell for today...

Hasbro also issued a '68 Comeback Special Elvis figure.

One accessory inadvertently not included is the pile of underwear that has been thrown on the stage.

The '68 Comeback Special was really big for Elvis. It was #5 on the 100 Music Moments That Rocked TV list that TV Guide made in 2003.

What was the #1 Moment That Rocked TV? I'll NEVER TELL!!! MWA-HA-HA!!

People have reported numerous Elvis sightings over the years.

By 1993, Elvis started appearing on Ted Turner's TNT.

At this time, Elvis could also be found in some advertising campaigns.

I'm not sure if this is "officially Elvis" but it looks like him to me.

TNT had some great ads for movies, including this one for Jailhouse Rock.

This movie inspired all sorts of celebrities to go to jail.

The Elvis movies eventually became available on DVD from Warner Brothers (which had merged with Turner Broadcasting) in 2007.

These days, I'm guessing that you can also watch these movies on your phone or mobile device while you are driving your car, or attending a concert, or out to dinner eating with people.

In 2002, Walt Disney Pictures released "Lilo and Stitch," a popular animated film about an alien and a Hawaiian girl that was dreamed up by artists Chris Sanders and Dean DuBois. It also featured the music of Elvis Presley.

There has been quite a bit of merchandise of Stitch dressed up as Elvis, but this set of figures is unique because it includes a photo of the King.

A new generation knows Elvis Presley songs from "All Shook Up," the popular musical stage show.

"All Shook Up" is a Jukebox Musical set in 1955 that weaves Elvis Presley songs into its story.

"All Shook Up" does not include Elvis himself, but features a hip-swiveling, lip-curling, blue suede shoes wearing character named Chad.

Chad rides into a sleepy town singing "Roustabout" and Chad resembles the motorcycle-riding, leather-jacketed character Elvis Presley played in the "Roustabout" movie from 1964.

For the 2005 Broadway version of "All Shook Up," Chad was played by actor Cheyenne Jackson.

Years later, the multi-talented Cheyenne Jackson became one of Tina Fey's co-stars on "30 Rock," which I think is one of the best shows on TV.

I have collected PEZ dispensers for years, and the Elvis set (circa 2007) is among my favorites.

The Elvis PEZ tin includes three different versions of Elvis, plus a CD.

This set also includes Cola flavored PEZ candy.

Cola PEZ is tasty, but I was expecting Peanut Butter and Banana flavored PEZ candies.

This 1993 Entertainment Weekly Elvis Article by Benjamin Svetkey is a nice, short read.

It's pretty amazing that after all these years, Elvis is such an icon.

To keep The King rocking, I'd love to see an Elvis animated cartoon series (in the style of the Hanna Barbera cartoons from the Sixties---it could even feature Ann-Margret, like The Flintstones did!).

I just thought of a title for the cartoon: Hanna Barbera presents Elvis Presley and the Peanut Butter and Banana Splits.*

*The Banana Splits was a 1968 Hanna Barbera show featuring a group of animal musicians. Warner Brothers now owns this property, and distributes the Elvis movies, so maybe this could really happen someday.

Big Bird And The Cyborg Of Sesame Street In The Seventies

2012-01-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

I had never heard of Sesame Street's Sam the Robot until I read the book "Sesame Street Unpaved" by David Borgenicht a few years ago.

SAM (Super Automated Machine) was performed by Jerry Nelson (the Count) and only appeared briefly in the early days of Sesame Street.

Sam, you just messed with the wrong bird.

I guess Sam wore out his welcome quickly.

I just discovered this "Sam Shows Big Bird Five" story in November 2011, thumbing through a copy of "The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook" at an antique store on a vacation visiting family.

For Christmas, I was given the book as a present.

The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook has stories written by Emily Perl Kingsley, Jeffrey Moss, Norman Stiles and Daniel Wilcox. Joseph Mathieu, Kelly Oechsli, Mel Crawford and Bob Taylor provided the illustrations.

The cover of The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook was illustrated by Michael Frith, who would later design the world of Fraggle Rock.

The inside cover art was created by Mel Crawford.

I am a big fan of the dynamic poses and unique style found in Mel Crawford's drawings.

Sherlock Hemlock is another early Sesame Street character that disappeared (at least in the United States).

Like Sam, Sherlock Hemlock was performed by Jerry Nelson.

This Sesame Street spoof of Sherlock Holmes used to be featured frequently on the show.

With the new Sherlock Holmes movies these days, maybe Hemlock will return.

This is a fun little story. Who are the twins in the picture? "Come and play with us, Danny!"

As Oscar the Grouch might say, "I've got a mystery for you, Hemlock. What happened to your career?"

Oscar is one of my favorites.

Originally, Oscar wasn't green. In the first episode of Sesame Street, Oscar was orange!

It's kind of hard to believe that Oscar and Big Bird were performed by the same person, Carroll Spinney.

Oscar's accent was inspired by a New York City cab driver that had asked Carroll Spinney, "Where to, Mac?"

Oscar was originally planned to live in the sewer, but it was thought to be too creepy. The original idea for the Muppet characters on the show is that they would live in a world underground. This would later be the premise for Fraggle Rock.

"...turn that page and then I won't have to look at you any more!! Good-by!!" Too funny!

Sesame Street used to have some monsters that were kind of scary.

Cookie Monster (originally performed by Frank Oz) was based on a toothy Muppet called The Beautiful Day Monster, which had been created for an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I think it's safe to say that these monsters would never show up on Sesame Street today.

Some of these guys would be at home in the world of "Where the Wild Things Are."

The monster with the tail is especially frightening.

The Sesame Street books show us that Herry Monster wore pants. Who knew?

Sesame Street, please don't ever turn Cookie Monster into the Broccoli Monster.

The illustrations by Joseph Mathieu for this story are incredible.

I thought Cookie Monster did a great job with his campaign to become a host on Saturday Night Live in 2010.

I'm pretty sure that "Norwegian wood!" is a reference to the Beatles song ("This Bird Has Flown").

I could not figure out who the artist was for this Grover story.

This drawing of the balloon salesman is hysterical to me.

Frank Oz performed many famous Muppets, including Grover, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert and Cookie Monster. He was also Yoda in the Star Wars films, and is an accomplished film director.

I believe this balloon salesman is based on the Anything Muppet called "Fat Blue."

Don't worry, Grover! Remember, as Super Grover, you can fly!

These days, Super Grover wears a secure, soft helmet. He used to wear a loose metallic helmet, which was funny, but I'm guessing it got complaints.

On my 2011 Christmas vacation, I found some more Sesame Street books at another antique store, not far from where I found "The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook."

The cover of this book and the inside cover for this series was created by Joseph Mathieu. The other illustrators for The Sesame Street Library include Mel Crawford, A. Delaney, Michael Frith, David Gantz, Jon McIntosh, Marc Nadel, Kelly Oechsli, and Michael J. Smollin.

These books share some of the same content found in The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook.

The writers for this series should be familiar to Muppet fans. They include Michael Frith, Jerry Juhl, Emily Perl Kingsley, Sharon Lerner, Nina B. Link, Albert G. Miller, Jeffrey Moss, Norman Stiles, Jon Stone and Daniel Wilcox.

The Sesame Street Library has some great recipes, courtesy of Cookie Monster.

I think Cookie Monster should have his own show on Food Network.

Ernie can take off his nose and throw it. Don't try this at home, kids!

I believe this was drawn by Mel Crawford.

It's time for more baking tips from Cookie Monster!

Cookie Monster teases more recipes for Volume 2. I don't have Volume 2. What did he make?!

Carroll Spinney did not just perform Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, he was a talented artist, too!

Oscar the Grouch was recycling before anyone else was.

Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around. Look at my pinwheel and see what I found... Wait a minute!! Wrong show!

Since Snuffleupagus is sort of like a Woolly Mammoth, he was the logical choice to show us how to make snowflakes.

Is the Amazing Mumford the Count's brother from another mother?

The Amazing Mumford was also performed by Jerry Nelson.

I can't find a notation anywhere, but I think "The Monster's Picnic" was drawn by Michael Frith.

You're invited to a picnic, a monster picnic, and humans are allowed today!*

*visitors to Six Flags Over Georgia may find this little story to be reminiscent of a section of The Monster Plantation ride (now called The Monster Mansion)---especially Herry Monster swinging from a tree branch. Check out The Monster Plantation/The Monster Mansion Part 2 for a glimpse of this ride.

Cookie Monster is back to show us how to make more cookies.

This recipe was brought to you by your local dentist.

Ernie (originally performed by Jim Henson) and Bert (originally performed by Frank Oz) are back with more fun!

I bet Mel Crawford drew this, too!

Here we get a rare glimpse of Big Bird's Granny.

Butter is yellow...that reminds me, I need a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.*

*Really Old Sesame Street Reference.

And now, the comedy duo of Oscar and Maria (played by Sonia Manzano).

I always thought Oscar and Maria had good chemistry together.

Go look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!*

*These books were a product of the Children's Television Workshop and a reference book company called Funk & Wagnalls, Inc. There was a variety show called "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" on television in the late Sixties and early Seventies, and "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls" became a catchphrase used in skits on the series (because it sounded naughty).

In case you wondered, these Sesame Street Library series books cost me just $1 each.

Sesame Street used to have some shady characters, including Lefty the Salesman (performed by Frank Oz).

More great Mel Crawford drawings, I believe.

The Count visits Mr. Hooper at his store.

The Count make a mess and is proud of it.

Since the Count is a "glass half full" kind of guy, he suggests what Mr. Hooper can do with an empty egg carton. You can make an adorably creepy camel.

Look! Now you know how to make a Twiddlebugs Twiddlywinks game out of an egg carton. You're Welcome!

Roosevelt Franklin was a popular character created by Matt Robinson (who also played Gordon for a few years).

Roosevelt Franklin is gone from Sesame Street these days, but he's not forgotten.

The Count used to be a bit darker.

I'd like to pitch an idea to Sea World, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place and Universal Studios Japan (theme parks that feature the Sesame Street characters). I want to see a Count's Castle dark ride (with Muppet ghosts).

Oscar is back for some book-making fun with Betty Lou.

Historically, Sesame Street had difficulty launching a break-out female character.

I would suggest that Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock (or a character very much like her) would be a big hit for Sesame Street.

Oscar cracks me up again. What a bitter-sweet ending!

For Christmas, I was also given the book "Street Gang" by Michael Davis, which is "The Complete History of Sesame Street." This is a fantastic book, full of behind-the-scenes drama, egos, gossip and trivia.

If you are an old-school Sesame Street fan, I also recommend you find the book, "Sesame Street: A Celebration" by Louise A. Gikow. I got a copy real cheap at a store called Half Price Books, and it included a DVD of the first episode of Sesame Street (a real trip!).

For more Seventies Sesame Street fun, check out My Sesame Street Adventure With Big Bird, Mr. Hooper and Snuffleupagus.

Disney's The Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson

2011-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's time to put the starfish on top of the coral tree. Santa Claws is swimming to town!

The publicity artwork shown on the cover of this issue of The Disney Channel Magazine featuring Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder is the first image I remember seeing of the characters. I first saw this artwork in the pages of The Disney Channel magazine prior to the film's November 1989 release.

When I saw Ariel and her friends for the first time, I thought of the 1987 mermaid episode of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears TV show (called "Water Way to Go," featuring a mermaid named Aquarianne).

The Little Mermaid made a big splash when it debuted in November of 1989, and was a hit with film critics.

Much of the success of the movie can be attributed to the fantastic songs created by lyricist Howard Ashman (of "Little Shop of Horrors" fame) and composer Alan Menken.

At this time, I can remember watching the Tracey Ullman show specifically to see the hilarious short animated clips featuring The Simpsons. This article in USA Today about the animation industry in 1989 is a very interesting read.

In the early 1990s, I do remember hearing people say that someday hand drawn animated movies would be replaced by computer animation. That is sort of what happened.

As part of the release of The Little Mermaid, McDonald's had Happy Meal toys to promote the film, and they also sold plush ornaments of Sebastian and Flounder.

With his ear muffs, scarf and snowflake gloves, the Sebastian ornament is pretty elaborate, especially for a fast food plush item. This Sebastian ornament is missing a pink tongue (a decal like the snowflakes on his gloves) that cracked and flaked off years ago.

The ornament boxes feature some great artwork.

This image of Flounder was used frequently on merchandise.

McDonald's had previously sold plush ornaments for Disney's 1988 film, Oliver and Company. The plush Oliver and Dodger ornaments played music. Oliver played Jingle Bells and Dodger played Frosty the Snowman.

The Sebastian and Flounder ornaments should have played music! Sebastian should have played "Under the Sea" and Flounder could have played "Kiss The Girl."

Sebastian is such a great character. He can live in the water or on land and he sings!

Sebastian was also the spokes-character for a new McDonald's item called McCrab Cakes.

He wasn't really. Wouldn't that be twisted? It would sort of be like Foghorn Leghorn being the mascot for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Oh, wait. That actually DID happen!

I thought it was incredibly creative and fresh to see Christmas ornaments of a crab and a fish.

Macy's offered an exclusive plush toy of Prince Eric's dog, Max.

Back then, Premier Cruise Lines was the Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World. My, how times have changed!

The Little Mermaid was a huge merchandising hit.

By 1990, there were all sorts of items featuring Ariel and her friends for sale in the Disney Catalog.

For 1994, Sebastian the crab played Santa Claws, the famous Snow Crab who delivers treasures to all the good fish folk.

Is Ariel on the Nice List or the Naughty List?

Santa Claws got many of his Little Mermaid gifts from the Disney Catalog, from 1990 to 2005.

It's time to go fathoms below into the world of Mermaid Merchandise Mania.

Santa Claws might bring you a music box, a watch, or a mermaid toothbrush.

It looks like Ariel fed Flounder some steroid-laced fish flakes.

Before you could play games on your phone, kids had Tiger Electronics hand-held games.

Don't laugh! This was high-tech. There's that image of Flounder seen on the McDonald's Christmas ornament Box.

There was even a collection of Pro Set Little Mermaid Baseball Cards. Did you get Sebastian D. Crab, short stop for the Devil Rays?

OK, they were not exactly baseball cards.

If a Loan Shark tells you he will make you sleep with the fishes, don't assume the worst.

That Loan Shark may have bought you some Little Mermaid bedding.

Here we see the official Disney Little Mermaid Plush Toys.

At the Disney Store, children would sometimes throw the smaller version of the Flounder toy like a football.

Ariel was featured on gadgets and gizmos aplenty.

She was on whosits and whatsits galore. Like this lamp!

To quote Sally's letter to Santa from "A Charlie Brown Christmas": "I have been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want. Please note the size and color of the items, and send as many as possible."

Sally continues, "If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself. Send money. How about tens and twenties?" Or a Sebastian medallion.

Were you an angelfish this year? If so, Santa Claws might bring you something shiny.

If you were shellfish or naughty, Santa Claws will bring you a lump of coral.

It's time to go Under Da Sea!

This snow globe is a bit different. Instead of snow, this has tiny plastic fish and dolphins!

The Walt Disney Classics Collection brought some of the Under the Sea characters to life as detailed sculptures.

These are prototypes of the figures.

Here's what the finished figures looked like.

These look like they jumped off the movie screen. They also give you an idea of what a 3D CGI version of The Little Mermaid might look like.

These sculptures are not cheap!

These look similar to the animated figures seen in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure attraction at California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

If you were really good this year, maybe you'll see The Little Mermaid Car in your driveway.

Look, there's Flounder in the background! He's walking on Main Street and he's the size of Herbie the Love Bug, so he must be at Disneyland in California!

Here's some great stuff with some fishes! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! Wait a minute, wrong movie...

These collector plates happen to show the four main segments of the Little Mermaid dark ride at California Adventure.

Tip the Penguin and Dash the Walrus would be the perfect hosts for a special Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson Christmas overlay for California Adventure's Mermaid attraction.

In The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Tip the Penguin is voiced by Max Casella (from TV's Doogie Howser, M.D.) and Dash the Walrus is voiced by Stephen Furst (from TV's St. Elsewhere).

Tip and Dash could be featured with Scuttle in a snow-covered setting at the start of Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson. Like Haunted Mansion Holiday and Small World Holiday at Disneyland in California, the ride itself would not be changed, but the decor would be different.

Up first is Ariel's Grotto, filled with Christmas toys and Nutcrackers.

In the "Part of Your World" section of the Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson ride, the song is replaced by "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

Ariel sings, "Later on, we'll conspire, as we dream by the---what's that word again?---fire!"

Flounder and Sebastian are dressed as elves in this scene.

Up next, it's time to go "Under the Sea."

This section of the ride is lit up by colorful jellyfish and a new seahorse carousel.

For the Under the Sea room, Sebastian the crab is dressed up as Santa Claws.

Instead of "Under the Sea," Sebastian sings the Andy Williams "The Holiday Season" song.

Up next, it's time to visit Ursula's Lair.

Instead of "Poor Unfortunate Souls," Ursula sings Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby." Imagine Ursula crooning "I've been an awful good girl!"

For the "Kiss the Girl" section, the song is now the Burl Ives classic, "A Holly Jolly Christmas."

Sebastian sings, "Oh, ho, the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me!"

The ride ends with the finale, featuring King Triton dressed as Santa Claus, being pulled in his chariot by 8 dolphins.

In the background, we hear "The Holiday Season" song playing again. Tip, Dash and Scuttle wish us a Happy Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson.

At Walt Disney World in Florida, the Little Mermaid dark ride ("Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid") will be opening in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Florida doesn't seem to do Christmas overlays, so I don't imagine they would participate with a Little Mermaid Holiday.

If they ever did, they could put Christmas twinkle lights and seashells all over Prince Eric's Castle and the grottos there.

Hopefully Santa Claws left something you can use in the summertime.

Summer is another big SEAson for Ariel.

Bring Ariel to life on the beach!

Make a Sandcastle of Triton's Castle! It's so easy, even a really lazy person can make one.

How about a game of Flounder Paddleball?

There's that image of Flounder from the Christmas Ornament Box again!

Summer Seas Ariel is probably the best three dimensional version of The Little Mermaid that I've seen.

She's got flowing hair and a crown made of utensils!

For Disney, The Little Mermaid is like a generous grama. She keeps giving them money!

I guess every SEAson is big for Ariel merchandise sales.

If you are really lucky, maybe Santa Claws will bring you the rare, original VHS tape of The Little Mermaid.

These are tough to find now. And I have one, and I think it' s probably worth something.

Santa Claws has a lot of work to do!

Treasure your Happy Little Mermaid Holiday SEAson, Mon!

Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas: Mickey Mouse For Your House

2011-12-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

I've never been to Walt Disney World in Florida in December (one of the busiest times of the year for the Magic Kingdom) but I did grow up watching the Very Merry Christmas Parade on Christmas Day.

In 1993, I got a Holiday Flyer from Walt Disney World, which featured some great items that were exclusive to the Florida parks.

The arms and legs on the very animated Nutcracker Mickey ornament move when you pull his tail.

Back in 1993, Disney's Hollywood Studios was called Disney MGM Studios, and Santa visited Epcot for an International Holiday.

What's in the box that Mickey and Minnie are opening on the Disney MGM Studios ornament? I bet it's a giant Sorcerer's Hat.

Nothing oozes sex appeal quite like Candy Cane striped Ebenezer Scrooge pajamas with Mickey Mouse Ears.

Mickey, Goofy and Minnie entertain Walt Disney World Guests every single day of the year.

I was able see Walt Disney World decorated for the holidays for the first time in November of 2009. It really is amazing. It's a great time to see some Disney characters that are only at the parks during Christmas, including the famous Disney theme park Reindeer.

Walt Disney World features the ultra-rare White Reindeer! I never saw these variants of the goofy Reindeer during the Very Merry Christmas Parade on TV. Maybe they were only featured during the Jolly Holidays Dinner Show. I can't believe Disney hasn't made plush toys of these Reindeer.

The artist that created this 1993 Walt Disney World Pluto tie did a great job capturing the look of 1930s Disney cartoons.

Most cartoon Reindeer tend to look like Bambi-type deer. Not these guys! I think these are my favorite Disney Reindeer.

Mickey and Goofy pilot some less interesting looking reindeer for these decorations.

It's too bad someone in the merchandising department did not use the 1930s-looking Reindeer for these items, or the Reindeer characters used in the Christmas Parade.

Show your neighbors you are a Disney fanatic and put this stuff all over your house.

Vermin decorations are popular at Christmas.

The Walt Disney World parks show up on ornaments, too.

It's curious that there wasn't a Magic Kingdom Disc Ceramic Ornament, considering it's the most popular park in Florida.

Mickey and the Gang would love to decorate your tree.

Not shown is a "Donald on a Sleigh" ornament. I guess we'll never know what it looks like.

In 1993, there were no Pixar characters yet to be featured on Walt Disney World ornaments. It is rare for a character like Baloo to show up on much merchandise these days.

Get your Walt Disney World mug ready for Santa. Fill it with milk, or hot cocoa. Or maybe even Rum (Santa's had a long night).

Check your watch---Christmas is almost here.

Santa is messy. Better leave him a napkin so he doesn't get crumbs all over your house and attract some mice that are not as nice as Mickey.

Hang up your stockings and put on your Santa Mouse Ears.

Give Santa Claus a big Welcome and he'll leave you something cool.

Don't forget those cookies for Santa!

Mickey is a method actor, so he gains 30 pounds to play Santa.

Kids, you better grab a stuffed animal and get to bed, or Santa might pass you by.

Winnie the Pooh asked Santa Claus to bring the ride system from Tokyo Disneyland's "Pooh's Hunny Hunt" attraction to Walt Disney World in Florida. Naughty Winnie the Pooh stole some honey from some bees, so don't count on that gift!

Not a creature was stirring, except Santa Mickey and Minnie.

The world's largest mice are in your home. Don't worry, that is a good thing.

Soldier Mickey leads his troops to a victorious holiday celebration.

You can even have a VHS tape of a Walt Disney World Christmas. Hey, it's the White Reindeer on the cover!

Soldier Mickey Mouse battles the cold weather to make a cool Mickey Mouse Snowman.

I believe some of the Snowman Mickey plush toys played music.

Over the years (1990-2005), the Disney Catalog offered some great Christmas merchandise.

Snow in Florida? At Walt Disney World, anything can happen.

Whether you live in a house, an apartment, or in a van down by the river, you can celebrate Christmas at Walt Disney World in your home.

The Walt Disney World Railroad doesn't operate during the Parades, nor does it operate here.

At Disneyland in California, the It's a Small World attraction gets a holiday makeover. These ornaments represent Disneyland's version of the ride. This is California's hippo (yes, there is a difference!).

The Christmas Parade at Walt Disney World is full of toys, reindeer, gingerbread people and more.

Before Disney Pixar's Planes movie, there was Pedro the Plane, who has been featured on toys and on items like this Snowglobe.

Over the years, there have been many versions of the Mickey Mouse Nutcracker.

I know that at Disneyland in California, there was a Mickey's Nutcracker stage show, which at one point featured Ratigan from the animated film "The Great Mouse Detective" as the Mouse King (one of the best bits of casting ever, as Ratigan was a rat who called himself a mouse).

Mickey Mouse leads a Parade of Nutcrackers. No, it's not a mob of overly aggressive women, it's a cavalcade of Christmas decorations!

I guess Daisy Duck did not make the cut. She's probably too high-maintenance to be a soldier.

Nutcracker Minnie has had some wardrobe changes over the years as well.

All those years of Minnie dancing to the Mickey Mouse Club March song have paid off!

Goofy celebrates the holidays with son, Max.

Goofy leads the K-9 Unit of the Disney Nutcracker Soldiers.

Pluto is second in command.

Pluto would probably be the leader if he could talk.

Geppetto and Pinocchio represent Fantasyland.

If Geppetto carved Pinocchio, who carved Geppetto?

Even though Pinocchio is a compulsive liar, he will probably get something for Christmas.

Don't get too excited, Pinocchio. You'll be getting a Terminix Termite Bond.

Tinkerbell and Nutcracker Captain Hook make a truce for the holidays.

How are Santa's Reindeer able to fly? With Tink's help, of course!

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger make sure the Hundred Acre Wood is decorated for the holidays.

Nutcracker Pooh enjoys Honey Roasted Almonds.

Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey is very busy at Walt Disney World.

Sorcerer Mickey hosts the Mickey's Philharmagic 3D attraction at the Magic Kingdom, and the Fantasmic! night time show at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Scrooge McDuck and Mickey star in "Mickey's Christmas Carol," based on the Charles Dickens classic haunted holiday story.

Before the film debuted in 1983, there was a "Mickey's Christmas Carol" record album. This featured songs not used in the film.

Even though they are softies, Tigger and Pooh became soldiers, too!

The Parade of Disney Nutcrackers is ending.

A small group of the soldiers have decided to take over the Christmas Tree by force.

Don't let their cuteness fool you. These characters possess an awesome power.

Now that the Parade on Main Street is over, it is time to go window shopping.

The windows on Main Street are home to some animated Christmas displays.

Tigger, Pooh and Goofy entertain us with their wacky antics.

Pooh is eating cookies in bed. Those cookies were for Santa, Pooh!

It's now time to enjoy the Christmas lights.

Why isn't there a Main Street Electrical Christmas Parade?

Mickey and Minnie have been really busy, and are ready to relax with a few bottles of wine.

They'll have to leave the Magic Kingdom and go to Epcot.

Check your watch, because it looks like it's time for the Disney Parks to close.

Get back to your hotel and get to sleep, because soon it will be Christmas Day at Walt Disney World.

On Christmas Eve, Santa has a long night ahead of him. He's also got lots of hotels and parks to visit in Orlando.

Luckily, Mickey has set up a satellite toy shop in Florida for Santa.

Don't worry, Santa, Mickey has volunteered to help deliver Christmas presents, too!

This year, if you hear a creature stirring on Christmas Eve, know that it may be a mouse. And that mouse could be Mickey. So be sure to leave out a plate of cheese. Unless you live in an apartment in New York City. I hear rats can be a problem there.

Disney's Bathing Beauty Beast For The Christmas Tree

2011-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

It just isn't the holiday season without an ornament of the Beast taking a bubble bath hanging on the Christmas tree. This may be the most comical item I've seen featuring Disney's Beauty and the Beast characters.

It's time for the Disney Enesco Christmas Ornament Spectacular! These ornaments were sold in card stores and in catalogs during 1994, 1995 and 1996.

No Christmas special would be complete without some great commercials. Luckily, Enesco also made some ornaments featuring some popular advertising mascots.

Mr. Peanut from Planter's joins Lifesaver's, Hershey's and Campbell's to sponsor this event.

Beauty and the Beast have been celebrating Christmas since 1997. That's when their "mid-quel" movie, "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" debuted.

The film featured new characters that were never seen again, including a Tree Topper Angel named Angelique (voiced by Bernadette Peters), a pipe organ named Forte (Tim Curry) and Forte's assistant, Fife (Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens).

Some of the Enesco ornaments were re-released over the years.

Beauty and the Beast will soon have their own village in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World in Florida (complete with Beast's Castle on a snow-capped mountain).

It's time for Holiday Cheer from Puppy Chow, Tootsie Roll and McDonald's.

This McDonald's ornament celebrates the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

It's time to go Under the Sea for a Little Mermaid Christmas.

The Little Mermaid has a new dark ride at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, which is also under construction at Walt Disney World in Florida. Could these rides ever get a Holiday makeover? I say YES!

It's time to cool off with refreshing Coca-Cola ornaments.

One thing I love about writing Dizmentia is that I have readers all over the world. This ornament celebrates a popular Coca-Cola campaign that I can remember seeing on TV when I was three years old.

Coca-Cola has some very creative ornaments.

Coca-Cola is the official soft drink of Santa's Workshop.

Santa's workforce also includes Polar Bears.

The Polar Bears are cute, but they sometimes drink on the job.

Santa also drops Coca-Cola from his plane. Look out below!

Santa Claus washes down the millions of cookies he eats using Diet Coke.

Enesco artists even came up with a Coca-Cola train!

The train was sold in limited quantities. I wonder how much it is worth these days.

Coca-Cola has been around for a long time!

Some of the artwork in this trunk reminds me of the opening titles to the sitcom "Cheers."

As we stroll down memory lane, we see Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in the 1928 cartoon "Plane Crazy."

I love this version of Mickey Mouse. Notice his large, goggle-like eyes, which were eventually redesigned.

Mickey and Minnie ring in 1995, and celebrate the past with 1928's Steamboat Willie.

Squeaky-clean Minnie Mouse also enjoys a Christmas bubble bath (but not with the Beast).

Mickey's Toontown opened at Disneyland in California in 1993, so it was still pretty new when these ornaments debuted.

It looks like Mickey bought Minnie something from Victoria's Secret.

If you plan on driving across the country for Christmas, why not do it in style?

Driving a 1957 Chevy Bel Air and wearing shades and a black leather jacket, Santa Claus redefines cool in the North Pole.

Santa makes sure the elves have a jukebox.

It would have been amazing if this ornament actually played music.

Kris Kringle has a stylin' 1965 Corvette Stingray.

Here, Kris Kringle looks a bit like Guy Fieri from Food Network's TV show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

Mr. Kringle loves to sample food as he travels. He really digs McDonald's! He loves it so much, he had the elves make him a helicopter out of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

The Polar Bears are in charge of preparing Santa's McDonald's lunches. The elves make him Campbell's soup for dinner.

As you travel during the holidays, be aware that the elves are busy all around you. They are making you French Fry Trees at McDonald's. They are even delivering pizzas at Pizza Hut.

Did you win a free sandwich when you played the Monopoly game at McDonald's? Bring your winning game piece with you when you travel for the holidays to save money. Take a can of Campbell's soup with you when you visit your Grama's house, and tell her "I brought you dinner!" Don't forget to leave a big bowl of Kitten Chow for Mittens while you are gone.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas (so the saying goes).

LifeSavers make a charming Christmas Tree if you don't have room for an actual tree. Mr. Peanut doesn't mind if you eat peanuts, so don't feel guilty about gobbling them up during the Holidays.

It's time for some treats, courtesy of Coca-Cola, Hershey's, and Wrigleys!

A Coca-Cola bird feeder provides an oasis of refreshment for our fine, feathered friends.

It's time for Christmas with Aladdin! The Genie is a one-man caroling band.

Jasmine and Rajah probably won't see any snow, but they may find themselves in a sandstorm.

The Genie is often imitated but never duplicated.

Except when he is duplicated.

You won't find a magic lamp buried inside a box of Cracker Jacks, but you will find a treasure of some kind. It may be a piece of plastic, though.

Someone did get a diamond ring as part of a special promotion.

Santa wants you to leave him Hershey's brand hot chocolate.

If you don't get him Hershey's, you may end up with a lump of coal in your stocking.

Hershey's has their own amusement park (with roller coasters!) in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

We have yet to see the Nestle company build their Nestle Thrillville theme park located in Nestle Crunch, Wyoming.*

*This is just a joke. There are no plans, to my knowledge, of a Nestle Thrillville theme park. There is also not a town called Nestle Crunch in Wyoming. Yet.

Kids love getting toys at Christmas, and Disney has their own living toy. It's Pinocchio, the little wooden boy carved by puppet master Geppetto.

The hot new toy for 2011 is Tell No Lies Pinocchio made by Mattel. That's a lie right there.

Gather the family together to play a game...of MURDER! It's Clue from Parker Brothers!

Disney has special Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror versions of Clue that I really would love to play. I do own the Simpsons version of Clue, which is pretty funny.

I spent countless hours playing SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog game years ago.

I was happy to see a Sonic balloon in the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

You can play Monopoly at McDonald's or the real game in your home.

Rich Uncle Pennybags dances around his Monopoly Money Tree, decorated with game pieces.

There have been many versions of Monopoly, but the classic everyone remembers includes Park Place and Boardwalk.

I'd like to see a Hasbro version of A Christmas Carol starring Rich Uncle Pennybags as Ebenezer Scrooge. Mr. Potato Head could be Bob Cratchit.

It's playtime with Tinkertoy and Monopoly!

I thought these advertising ornaments were pretty interesting years ago, but after becoming a fan of AMC's "Mad Men" ad agency-based TV show, I'm even more fascinated by them. Enesco made Juicy Fruit Gum and Wrigley's Gum ornaments and people actually paid to put them on their Christmas tree.

The Enesco artists are incredibly talented, because I would have bought these ornaments if I could have!

A chewing gum plane and tree? Brilliant!

I've just spotted Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

I especially like the dalmatian "tree."

Maybe Santa will bring a dalmatian puppy to your house for Christmas.

Maybe he'll bring 101 dalmatians. Better stock up on Purina Puppy Chow.

Mickey and his dog Pluto lead a pack of nifty Mickey and Minnie ornaments.

It's time for the Mickey Mouse finale of the Disney Enesco Christmas Ornament Spectacular.

I think I'm running out of things to say.

There's a firetruck, a car and a sleigh.

Mickey goes postal at Christmas!

Mickey takes a train (it is NOT the Polar Express).

Donald should have ducked.

Goofy goofed up and ordered too many of these Mickey Mouse ornaments, so some of these were available for several years.

The Enesco shop is closing up now. Mrs. Mouse has some stirring to do when she gets home.

Not shown here are delightful, cute ornaments with mice and elves featuring brands like Charmin, Tampax, Metamucil and Pepto-Bismol. Maybe next time.

Happy Holidays!

The Muppets And Pee-Wee Herman: The Great Big Christmas Caper Adventure

2011-11-15T17:32:00.001-08:00

I can probably recite the movie "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and I obviously like the Muppets, so I was thrilled to see Kermit and Pee-Wee on the Winter 1987 cover of Muppet Magazine.

Kermit visits and interviews Pee-Wee at his Playhouse.

It looks like Kermit told his experiences to a writer named Fred Newman.

I wonder if this is the same Fred Newman from The Disney Channel's late 1980s/early 1990s version of The Mickey Mouse Club?

My guess is yes.

Muppet Magazine often featured a fold-out parody poster. In Fall 1987, it was Ker-Mee Herman and some biker pigs in "Kermie's Pig Adventure."

This is genius.

Ask Dr. Honeydew was a hysterical column in Muppet Magazine.

Gotta love the "fun" fruit cake suggestions.

Back in the 1980s, stickers were so popular, they actually made magazines about them. This Pee-Wee's Playhouse story is from a magazine called "Stickers & Stuff." I kid you not.

This article is pretty informative.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse debuted on CBS in 1986.

The show was kind of a spin-off of the 1985 Tim Burton-directed film, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."

Pee-Wee's Playhouse featured live actors, puppets and animation.

One of my favorite segments was "Penny," a cartoon about a clay girl with pennies for eyes.

Penny animator Craig Bartlett also created Nickelodeon's animated series "Hey Arnold!"

In 1988, Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special debuted. Penny got her own Christmas mini-episode.

All the Playhouse characters were celebrating the holidays, even the food in the fridge!

These stop-motion animated sequences are incredibly charming and fun, and so full of character and imagination.

The freezer upstairs is "ice-fishing" for party refreshments from downstairs.

The characters here among the frozen fried chicken are red and green popsicles! Note that the green popsicle is one of those "break and share" popsicles with two sticks.

Pee-Wee forces Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make his Christmas Cards, and offers to give them bread and water when they are finished.

From the Christmas Special DVD commentary, we know that Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee) and Frankie and Annette became friends working on the 1987 film, "Back to the Beach."

The Christmas Special includes many guest stars, including Dinah Shore, Oprah Winfrey, Charo and Cher.

Cher tells everyone the Secret Word and leaves to work on her perfume line, presumably.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse was on the CBS Saturday Morning schedule with Jim Henson's Muppet Babies.

In 1990, you could also find Garfield and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on CBS. You could also watch Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: the cartoon. Yes, that existed.

In the Winter 1987 Muppet Magazine, the Muppet Babies starred in a hilarious version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

This clever take on the Christmas classic was illustrated by Bruce McNally and written by Louise Gikow.

The Muppet Babies animated series, created by Jim Henson and Marvel, debuted on CBS in the Fall of 1984.

A new character named Skeeter (Scooter's twin sister) was created for the show to give the series a female character to balance out the often outlandish Miss Piggy. I guess maybe they forgot about the rather mellow Janice when they were developing the TV series.

Skeeter and Animal were originally voiced by Howie Mandel.

Kermit was voiced by legendary voice-over actor Frank Welker. Gonzo was voiced by Russi Taylor (the voice of Minnie Mouse and Huey, Dewey and Louie on Disney's DuckTales).

Muppet Babies won many awards, and it is a shame that it is not aired regularly on television.

One of the big problems may be that Muppet Babies frequently used film clips from popular movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Now it's time for our very special guest star, Steve Martin. Yaaay!!

In the Spring of 1985, Steve Martin appeared in a special Muppet Babies story in Muppet Magazine.

This story was also written by Fred Newman.

Making a rare appearance here is a puppet version of Animal.

Animal did not appear in the Muppet Babies sequence in "The Muppets Take Manhattan."

Also making her puppet debut here is Skeeter.

Steve Martin gives Nanny a break and takes care of the Muppet Babies.

The Muppet Babies cartoon did not really portray the characters as "babies" in this way.

Steve Martin is one wild and crazy guy!

I like the special baby bottles for the different characters. I'm guessing the TNT is for Animal.

Animal was the only member of the Electric Mayhem to be regularly featured in the Muppet Babies cartoon.

Janice eventually made an appearance in an episode of the series (as a toddler). I would have loved to see Baby Floyd.

Younger readers may not know this, but MTV used to show videos all the time. That's why the Electric Mayhem was featured in this special MMTV Christmas poster in the 1987 Muppet Magazine.

It doesn't get much more 1980s than this.

The Muppets were never aimed just at kids, as seen in the 1984 Muppet comic strip (created by Guy and Brad Gilchrist).

What a dirty pig.

The Muppets always had an absurd sense of humor.

Bo, bless your little heart.

Wouldn't Kermit typically fit in at a beach like this?

In "The Muppets Take Manhattan" an amnesia-stricken Kermit is told by a doctor (played by Linda Lavin) that due to his lack of clothing and lack of wallet, they can't identify him, but he is most likely "Mr. Enrico Tortellini of Passaic, New Jersey."

In 1992, Walt Disney Pictures released The Muppet Christmas Carol. Hardee's restaurants had a special Muppet Funmeal Pack tied to the film.

To my knowledge, there were no commercials for this promotion.

I was able to get all of these finger puppets during one visit to a Hardee's in North Carolina.

I'm guessing that on the West Coast, you could find these at Carl's Jr. restaurants.

In 1998, the Muppets could be found at Blockbuster Video.

I don't know why they were dressed up. Was this for that Muppets Tonight TV show?

I found these at a flea market. I'm not sure how they were distributed. Did you get one with a kids movie rental?

Gonzo and Fozzie look like they are ready to do stand-up comedy in the late 1980s.

In 2004, Disney finally bought the Muppets.

Kermit and the gang had been appearing at Walt Disney World since 1990. Now they were officially part of the Disney family.

By 2005, you could find the Muppets on merchandise in the Disney Catalog.

Kermit dressed in a Santa suit really could be Disney's answer to the Grinch. I'd love to see a Kermit's Hoppy Holidays stop-motion animated Muppets special, done in the style of the old Rankin-Bass shows. I can see Macy's selling a Kermit the frog plush that ribbits and croaks Christmas songs.

Hopefully Disney's Muppets film starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams will be a new beginning for Jim Henson's famous characters.

Now it is time for something shocking.

Kermit, don't let your boss see this!

King Louie At Kentucky Kingdom

2011-11-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you cross Prince John the lion from Disney's Robin Hood with Chester Cheetah, the spokesman for Cheetos? King Louie, the former mascot of the Kentucky Kingdom theme park in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kentucky Kingdom opened in 1987, starting out small on a parcel of land near the Kentucky Exposition Center, the site of the Kentucky State Fair.

Kentucky Kingdom is very close to the Louisville International Airport (basically, it's across the street).

The layout of Kentucky Kingdom is very unusual, due to the park's location near the Kentucky Exposition Center. Note the walkways over the road that cuts through the park.

The location of the park turned out to be a factor in its demise. Yes, Kentucky Kingdom recently closed.

By the time I had family members preparing to move to Louisville in 1993, Kentucky Kingdom was growing quickly.

The park was small in scale, but did well. The Flying Dutchman wooden shoe ride seen here looks like the one from nearby Kings Island in Ohio.

Kentucky Kingdom started out as a kiddie land style park, but thanks to park owner/manager Ed Hart, it gradually changed its focus to become a popular thrill ride park.

Kentucky Kingdom had a strong marketing strategy. It was hard to miss commercials for the park on TV.

King Louie represented a rare breed in the theme park world. He was a theme park mascot that was not a famous cartoon character.

I have been to Kentucky Kingdom, but I've never been on the rides. How's that?

When the Kentucky State Fair hit the Kentucky Exposition Center, the nearby Kentucky Kingdom park was open for free. Riding the rides cost extra.

Because of the Kentucky Kingdom park, the Kentucky State Fair probably had one of the best Midways of any Fair ever.

On one of my visits to Kentucky Kingdom, I got a pressed penny of King Louie.

I'm glad I got this when I did, because King Louie was eventually dethroned.

The Kentucky State Fair was a great place to get freebies.

In addition to the exhibitions and Kentucky Kingdom, there was an additional "traditional" Midway.

I still have whatever this toy is featuring SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog on one side and Cherry Coke on the other.

I also tried an ostrich burger at the Kentucky State Fair. It was tasty! I want to open a Fast Food Restaurant Chain called "Game Change." It would feature Ostrich Burgers, Fried Alligator Tail and Frog Legs.

In 1994, the Looney Tunes characters made their debut in Louisville at the Warner Brothers Studios Store at the Oxmoor Mall. I loved this store.

Sadly, all the Warner Brothers Studio Stores were eventually shut down in 2001.

By 1995, Kentucky Kingdom was establishing itself as The Thrill Park.

Kentucky Kingdom started adding some big new rides.

The park took some bold risks with its attraction names. Heck, yeah!

During the cold winter months when the park was closed, I would enjoy seeing the quiet park when I would visit the awesome Flea Market at the Exposition Center.

Seen among the big coasters in this picture is Vekoma's Roller-Skater Junior Coaster.

Customized versions of the Roller Skater can be found at many theme parks, including Disneyland (Gadget's Go-Coaster), Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom (The Great Goofini---AKA The Barnstormer), Universal Studios Florida (Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster) and Tokyo DisneySea (Flounder's Flying Fish).

Kentucky Kingdom combined a traditional ride park with a water park (originally called Hurricane Bay).

This kind of hybrid theme park seems to be very popular these days.

King Louie hosted the rides aimed at children.

I thought the Balloon Race ride looked like fun, as did the creative Concert Carousel (themed to musical instruments).

For such a small park, Kentucky Kingdom had plenty to offer.

The people that worked there seemed to be friendly, which is always a good thing.

Hurricane Bay's buildings reminded me a bit of Disney's Typhoon Lagoon.

Take a spin on The Giant Wheel then surf the Big Kahuna at the Wave Pool.

I can remember seeing lots of commercials for the park's newest ride, Mile High Falls.

This was a bigger version of a ride I knew from Six Flags Over Georgia called Splashwater Falls.

The park had some cool shops and restaurants.

I think I got my King Louie button and pressed penny at The Gift Box.

When you take a picture of someone on a roller coaster, be sure to use Fuji Film.

Please refrain from using your camera while you are riding the roller coasters.

By 1995, the park had an impressive roster of attractions.

There's that pesky road running through the park. It's a reminder of the fact that part of Kentucky Kingdom is located on land leased from the Fair.

By 1997, it was clear that Kentucky Kingdom's location was more that just a visual problem.

In summary, the Fair Board says that Life's Not Fair.

Kentucky Kingdom reminds me of one of the Expert Challenge Park Scenarios in the Roller Coaster Tycoon computer game.

The Roller Coaster Tycoon games would challenge players to create a successful park in unusual conditions.

What Ed Hart did for Kentucky Kingdom is rather amazing. By 1997, the little park that could attracted the attention of Premier Parks, owners of the Six Flags amusement park chain. In 1998, Kentucky Kingdom became Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

Eventually, there was a Six Flags Roller Coaster Tycoon Expansion Pack. It was fitting that this game included Kentucky Kingdom's new coaster from 1997, Chang.

I thought it was incredibly exciting that Kentucky Kingdom joined the Six Flags chain.

This little park now had brand recognition and famous characters.

It felt like Louisville had a big new tourist destination.

How would the park expand? My imagination ran wild.

Bugs Bunny changed King Louie's Kingdom to Looney Tunes Movie Town in 1999.

I think The Penguin's Blizzard River is the coolest idea for a Rapids Ride ever.

The Looney Tunes also got a big new store.

The T2 roller coaster was supposed to change into a Batman ride, but that did not happen. Batman did get a new stunt show, though.

By 2000, Bugs and his friends were settled in as Kentucky Kingdom's new mascots.

Chang and T2 were still a big marketing focus.

For 2000, the park got a new coaster called Road Runner Express.

The Twisted Sisters coasters were eventually renamed to Twisted Twins.

The Warner Brothers and DC invasion was swift.

There was a rumor that Chang would be re-themed to The Riddler, but that did not happen.

For 2003, the park got a coaster called Greezed Lightnin. Riders raced past scenes featuring animatronic figures of Danny Zuko, Kenickie and Sandy from Grease.

Not really. This was a coaster imported from Six Flags Over Georgia, where it had operated as a ride called Viper.

The marketing for Kentucky Kingdom focused more and more on "two parks for one price."

I was happy that Kentucky Kingdom now had some clout, but was disappointed that the park was getting hand-me-downs as new rides.

Were the days of the park getting cutting-edge new coasters like Chang a thing of the past?

Well, sort of.

By 2004, the park was coasting in more ways than one. The Six Flags parks, like so many companies, were having financial difficulties. The smaller parks in the chain seemed to get smaller additions, while the bigger parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain in California (open year round) got bigger new attractions.

I have to say that I do like the character designs of the Looney Tunes that the park used at this time.

This appealing look for the Looney Tunes was established for merchandise tied to the 2003 Brendan Fraser movie, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

It's too bad the movie wasn't better than it was.

Ironically, at this time, many kids were probably as unfamiliar with the Looney Tunes as they would have been with King Louie the Lion.

The Looney Tunes cartoons were no longer being seen regularly on TV. That seems to be changing today.

For 2006, Mr. Six was the big mascot.

Even though the character is a little creepy, he is memorable.

At this point, the water park was getting most of the attention.

Having been in Louisville during the cold winter months, it is kind of funny that the water park is such a popular place.

Don't worry, Bugs and Tweety. You still have a job here. For now.

I think the newest ride was that orange and blue ProSlide Tornado Rattler water slide.

Daffy Duck should have been the main mascot for the park by now, with the water park expansion craziness.

For 2007, the park got the new Deluge Water Coaster. That looks like fun!

The focus at Kentucky Kingdom became Six Flags Splashwater Kingdom, the updated water park with the catchy slogan.

The last ride added to the park was the Mega Wedgie Bullet Bowl water ride.

In 2009, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom closed, due to problems with the park's lease.

So now the park is closed and nothing is there, and nothing is on the horizon. Isn't something better than nothing? Six Flags should have been given whatever they were asking. Now Louisville doesn't have a theme park at all.

Ed Hart tried to get Kentucky Kingdom up and running again (if anyone could do it, it would be him) but his attempts were thwarted by some folks who are clearly delusional. They had a big tourist attraction and threw it away.

Louisville losing a Six Flags theme park is one of the biggest fumbles in theme park history.

Playtime Is Over.

Scooby Doo, Where Were You? Kings Island In Ohio!

2011-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Even though I grew up in the south, I am familiar with the Kings Island theme park in Ohio. I had neighbors with relatives in Cincinnati. I also have family in Indiana (home to many Kings Island visitors) so I have been to the park a couple of times.

In the summer of 1988, I got to visit Kings Island on a rainy day. We had a great time! I bought a gigantic park map in one of the gift shops. Somehow it survived the storm.

The park has changed dramatically since my 1988 visit. Like so many theme parks, Kings Island used to have a Safari ride (a monorail through the Wild Animal Habitat).

You don't have to go to France to see the Eiffel Tower. You can drive to Cincinnati to see it. Well, a smaller version of it.

The famous tower has been the icon of Kings Island since the park opened in 1972.

The park also had Hanna-Barbera Land, home to Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and some characters you may not have heard of, like The Banana Splits.

I still remember that our car was parked at Astro, Row 4 (Astro is the family dog on Hanna Barbera's animated TV series, The Jetsons).

Judging from the souvenirs that were available at the time, Scooby Doo seemed to be the most popular Hanna Barbera character at Kings Island. Hanna Barbera even tried to copy themselves to top him.

Clue Club was one of many Hanna Barbera-created Scooby Doo clones in the 1970s.

In addition to the rides, Kings Island had a few shows. I'm guessing the mime could be found by the Eiffel Tower.

Were the dolphins relocated during the winter? I can't imagine them liking Ohio in December.

In addition to the awesome 80s performances, visitors could meet the Smurfs.

I regret not seeing Hanna Barbera's Hollywood, which was a marionette show of some kind.

I bought a small Scooby Doo plush at the Hanna Barbera Fun Shop.

Of all the Hanna Barbera character merchandise I could have picked up at Kings Island in 1988 (they had Grape Ape stuff!) I wound up concentrating on the one Hanna Barbera character that lasted the longest at Kings Island.

I also made sure to get a Scooby Doo plastic drink container souvenir at Kings Island. I can't remember what the beverage was.

They also had Fred Flintstone for sale.

I had bought this Scrappy Doo button before I finally found a Scooby Doo one before I left the park for the day.

For the 2002 live action Warner Brothers Scooby Doo movie, Scrappy was the unmasked villain. I thought that was pretty clever and funny.

These buttons cost 89 cents back then.

I'm pretty sure they had buttons with The Flintstones and Yogi Bear, too.

While in Hanna Barbera Land, I made sure to ride the Smurf's Enchanted Voyage Ride. In front of this boat ride, you could find a Scooby Doo statue. I decided to make myself and my two cousins cartoon ghosts for this story. I'm the green ghost in this picture.

When Kings Island first opened, this boat ride was called Enchanted Voyage, and featured all sorts of Hanna Barbera characters. The attraction was changed to a Smurf ride in 1982. For the 1992 season, the old ride was demolished and a new (dry) omnimover dark ride called Phantom Theater debuted here. In 2003, the attraction became an interactive ghost-blaster ride called Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle. For 2010, the Scooby Doo characters were dropped and the ride became Boo Blasters on Boo Hill.

For more of my Smurfs ride visit, check out It's a Smurfy World After All: Smurf's Enchanted Voyage Ride.

I also enjoyed the Ferris Wheel in the Oktoberfest section.

I think I found that Scooby Doo plastic drink container near this ride. I do remember that the beverage in the Scooby container was not beer.

I enjoyed Shake, Rattle and Roll, even in the rain.

I love roller coasters now, but I was too chicken to ride the Vortex back then.

Since it was raining already, it was a good time to ride White Water Canyon.

These orange ponchos were everywhere that day! We did not get one.

The newest ride at Kings Island was Amazon Falls, located near the Wild Animal Habitat.

This ride is a bit different from the similar Splashwater Falls attraction I grew up with at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Yes, Kings Island had penguins!

I bet these guys did not mind Ohio's winters.

Are we in the DreamWorks movie Madagascar? Nope, we are still at Kings Island.

This lemur has a tiny baby.

Don't be frightened child, they're only humans!

I'm guessing these animals had to be relocated in the cold winter months. Where did they go?

The snow leopards probably would have been alright.

A limited number of animals were on display for everyone. To see the rest of them, you could take an up-charge monorail ride through the Safari. Luckily, we got to do this! This was our last ride of the day.

Are we in Africa? No, we are in Ohio, without a doubt!

I really enjoyed this ride. I think it was air conditioned. And we got away from the rain.

This was a great shot!

The monorails got pretty close to many of the animals.

I remember being able to see a rhino from the queue line of the Racer roller coaster.

Did Hanna Barbera ever have a Rhino character? They should have.

The Wild Animal Habitat was rather large.

This land was later used to expand the park's collection of roller coasters.

Let's sing: "Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play."

"Then tear it down, and build a Top Gun roller coaster there."

In 1992, Kings Island, Great America, Carowinds, and Kings Dominion theme parks were bought by Paramount.

Paramount and Kings Island actually had a past. Kings Island was featured in a 1973 episode of Paramount's TV show, "The Brady Bunch." Jan caused an uproar when she switched Mike Brady's architectural theme park expansion plans for a Yogi Bear poster. Oh, Jan! Marcia would never have done something like that.

The Paramount switch meant some big changes for Kings Island and its sister parks. The biggest threat for Hanna Barbera was the arrival of Nickelodeon characters.

Hanna Barbera Land got some Nickelodeon subdivisions, and the entire park started seeing rides with movie themes.

I can remember hearing the slogan, "You're gonna be smilin' at Paramount's Kings Island!"

I thought the new name was a bit awkward. I'm glad we didn't see something like "Warner Brothers Presents Six Flags Over Georgia" in response.

By my visit in 1995, Hanna Barbera characters were tough to find at Paramount's Kings Island.

I did find this pin featuring A Pup Named Scooby Doo.

Mixed in with many of the existing Hanna Barbera Land components were Nickelodeon elements like a Green Slime fountain.

By 1995, it was clear that the Hanna Barbera characters were living on borrowed time at Kings Island.

A Pup Named Scooby Doo was a fun new twist on the characters.

This series parodied the Scooby Doo formula.

The Nickelodeon brand eventually took over Hanna Barbera Land, leaving only the Scooby Doo dark ride as a reminder of the past.

When Cedar Fair bought the Paramount Parks in 2006, everything changed.

In 2010, another cartoon canine emerged as the Top Dog of the theme park world. True to the expression "Dog Eat Dog," Snoopy took down Scooby Doo and the Nickelodeon characters and claimed the former Hanna Barbera Land at Kings Island as Planet Snoopy. The former King Mills Log Flume is now called Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown (based on the 1977 Peanuts film).

Snoopy first became a theme park mascot in 1983 at Knott's Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, California (where he hosts his own land, Camp Snoopy). In 1992, Knott's opened a Camp Snoopy theme park in the Mall of America in Minnesota, which was ironically replaced by Nickelodeon Universe in 2008.

In 1997, the Cedar Fair theme park chain (owners of the popular Cedar Point theme park in Sandusky, Ohio) bought Knott's Berry Farm and inherited Snoopy as a mascot for their parks.

With Cedar Fair's purchase of the Paramount Parks, all of the Nickelodeon/Hanna Barbera sections were re-themed to the Peanuts characters.

Snoopy may now be in more theme parks than any other cartoon character.

The Peanuts gang can also be found at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, where they have their own section called Snoopy's Playland.

Snoopy even has a past with Walt Disney World in Florida! The MetLife-sponsored Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot featured the Peanuts characters in its 1989 opening promotional materials.

Inspired by the Kings Island story, I bring you (in time for Halloween) my idea for Snoopy Doo And The Great Pumpkin. Schroeder is now dating The Little Red Haired Girl. The Pumpkin Patch that Linus, Snoopy and the rest of the kids visit is being terrorized by The Great Pumpkin. Luckily, Marcie is around to help solve the mystery.

Charlie Brown and Lucy put their differences aside to form an alliance and split up the romance between Schroeder and the Little Red Haired Girl. As a bonus, Lucy got to terrorize her brother, and Charlie Brown got to scare his defiant dog. Charlie Brown and Lucy would have gotten way with it, if it had not been for those meddling kids and Snoopy-Dooby Doo!

Happy Halloween!

Disney's The Lion King At Burger King, McDonald's And KFC

2011-10-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Simba became the King Of Fast Food with the release of The Lion King in June of 1994.

When The Lion King hit it big in theaters, so did the Fast Food toys at Burger King.

The Lion King toys sold out very quickly. I was not able to get them all, even though I really tried.

The first one I got was Nala, right before the movie debuted. The second one I got was Simba.

Value Book 2 was included in the polybag with Simba. It included coupons for Payless Shoe Source, Cheerios, Mattel toys and other Lion King Promotional Partners.

Simba in this set is a cool wind up toy. He moves forward and rolls over.

After I got Simba, it quickly got tougher to find more of the toys.

I did find one Burger King that had all the toys, but you could only get one per visit, and you had to buy food. At that restaurant, I chose Timon and Pumbaa.

With relatives searching, I was also able to get Scar. The last toy I found was Rafiki. After I found him, the stores started putting signs up letting people know that the toys were sold out.

In addition to the toys, Burger King sold Lion King plastic cups.

These were a bit easier to get.

In December of 1994, Burger King re-released the toys in time for The Lion King's return to theaters.

I don't think Burger King ever re-released any other Disney Fast Food Toys.

Extreme Collectors should note that the toys issued in June included a Value Book, and the ones in December did not.

This bag is from December 1994. It was very easy to get all the toys at this time. I got the complete set on one visit, and did not have to buy any food.

Burger King sold acrylic Walt Disney Classics Glasses (including The Lion King) in December of 1994, too.

The artwork on the glasses is the same as the covers of the VHS tapes sold at this time.

In Europe and in many other parts of the world, McDonald's promoted The Lion King.

The Lion King 1994 McDonald's Happy Meal toys are my favorite Lion King Fast Food set.

I especially like the Zazu toy.

For some reason, Burger King never used Zazu in their promotions.

The four different McDonald's Lion King Happy Meal Toys each had their own gimmick.

Timon spins on Pumbaa's back, Simba pounces, the wind-up Zazu hops, and the wind-up Scar walks.

In Australia, fast food chain Hungry Jack's (Australia's version of Burger King) promoted The Lion King.

These rubbery PVC figures are pull-back toys.

In the United States, The Lion King returned to Burger King for the Home Video Release of the film.

This promotion featured finger puppets in boxes.

The characters have PVC heads and fabric "bodies" and are attached to the boxes.

The lid on the box can be closed.

I wasn't impressed with this set. Did kids think these particular toys were fun?

In all fairness, I was way past the target age when these were sold.

Burger King Kids Club Meals did not have colorful boxes with games, but the Burger King Adventures Newsletter stuffed in the Meal bag did.

Burger King had some talented artists creating their games.

Disney did not have an exclusive deal with Burger King. Simba made his first U.S. appearance at McDonald's in the Disneyland Adventures Happy Meal in 1995.

The Lion King Celebration Parade debuted at Disneyland in 1994. Components of the parade later found a home at Walt Disney World in Florida when Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 (as Festival of The Lion King). The show was also added to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005.

McDonald's also featured adult Simba as part of their Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection Happy Meal.

This Home Video promotion used a VHS Clamshell-style box that contained a Disney figure.

Timon and Pumbaa got their own animated TV series in 1995.

"The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa" aired on CBS Saturday Mornings and on The Disney Afternoon.

Burger King released a set of Timon and Pumbaa toys in 1996.

The show followed Pumbaa and Timon in their adventures around the world. Other segments in the series starred the Hyenas and Rafiki. Simba and Zazu also made cameo appearances.

I love finding hidden gems like "The Great Earthworm Race!" The artist responsible for this Burger King Kids Club Adventures 1996 game is uncredited, unfortunately. I think these are the most appealing cartoon bugs I've seen.

I guess I have a thing for cartoon insects. It's probably because they are so close to being real-life "monsters."

The creepy-crawlies that Timon and Pumbaa love to eat "taste like chicken" so it was only fitting for Timon and Pumbaa to appear at a chicken restaurant chain.

The World of Bugs took Timon and Pumbaa to unchartered territory for Disney: KFC!

These fun toys are a bit smaller than the premiums found at McDonald's or Burger King.

I only knew about this set because I remember reading about it on the Internet at the time (1996).

In 1998, McDonald's had a plush toy Happy Meal promoting The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the illogical direct to video sequel to The Lion King. I will say that the toys are pretty nice.

Watching this movie made my brain hurt.

I will say that the film's animation, produced by Walt Disney Animation Australia, looked really good. I just thought the story was awkward, and seemed to operate on the thinking that "It's just a cartoon. Nobody will care if it doesn't make sense."

Zira's relationship with Scar in Simba's Pride is vague, though cut sequences of the movie (which can be found, in pieces, online) indicate that Zira was originally written to be Scar's mate for the sequel. Scar with Zira? I would not have bought that.

In this film, Zazu wasn't voiced by Rowan Atkinson. He was voiced by Edward Hibbert (Gil on TV's Frasier).

Because this was a direct to video project, the lions were de-clawed and neutered.

In the original ending (which you can find online) Zira struggles on a cliff. Rather than accept help from Kiara, Zira chooses to plunge to her death. Of course, this was cut. At least we know that the writers tried to do something daring with the sequel.

For the Disney 100 Years of Magic Celebration at Walt Disney World in 2002, McDonald's had a special Happy Meal featuring 100 different toys.

Three of those toys were Lion King characters.

In 2004, Disney released the third Lion King movie, the direct to DVD "The Lion King 1 1/2."

Though the film has an odd title, I think it is pretty funny. This takes place during the first movie, and parodies the original film. New characters include Timon's Mom (Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge Simpson) and Jerry Stiller as Timon's Uncle Max. The best part about this DVD is the Virtual Safari, which lampoons Disney dark rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matterhorn, and the Haunted Mansion.

The McDonald's Happy Meal toys for The Lion King 1 1/2 are inadvertently hysterical to me. My mind is in the gutter here. Must. Refrain. From. Making. Inappropriate. Jokes.

The diagram is especially funny. What is it that this toy does, exactly? Something that creates happiness.

In 2005, Simba was back for a Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Happiest Celebration on Earth Happy Meal. This set of toys featured different Disney theme park lenticular cards to collect.

Here Simba can be seen with Hong Kong Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005. In 2008, the park got a new version of It's A Small World. This was the first version of the ride to feature Disney characters.

Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and Mufasa can be found in the Africa section of the famous boat ride.

I would love to see Lion King rides in the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida. The characters wouldn't have to look like characters seen in the movie.

I would suggest that Disney could use the stylized character designs created by artist Addis Zaryan, originally developed for Disney Store merchandise years ago (including this totem statue).

I imagine a great musical dark ride could entertain visitors to the Africa section of the park hours after the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction closes for the night.

How about a Circle of Life Spinner ride? It could look like this mirror.

There could also be a Splash Battle Watering Hole Lion King ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom, themed to the Just Can't Wait To Be King sequence. It could be populated with characters that look like these Nesting Doll figures.

Addis Zaryan's designs are fun, and look like Disney and Africa and something totally new, too. With the continued success of The Lion King, I think it is time for a Lion King Pridelands section of Africa at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom in Florida!

Maleficent And Figment, Beyond The Gates Of Epcot

2011-10-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dragons have been at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida since the park was known as EPCOT Center. Epcot's mascot, the purple dragon named Figment, made his first appearance in the Journey Into Imagination attraction in 1983. Originally, Maleficent as a dragon (from Disney's 1959 film, Sleeping Beauty) would have made a cameo appearance on the ride.

I think it's time to finally bring Maleficent to the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride, as part of a re-imagined attraction. While we're at it, how about going back to the original Figment character design, which looks quite a bit like Maleficent.

The new Imagination ride could pit the original version of Figment against Maleficent. It could also feature some of the elements of the proposed attractions for Beastly Kingdom at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This would have focused on imaginary animals from around the world, like the Sphinx, Griffins, Dragons, Gargoyles, and a Unicorn. The Quest for the Unicorn labyrinth planned for Beastly Kingdom would have had all these creatures in a lush garden setting. Epcot is very famous for its International Flower and Garden Festival. Epcot would be a great place to celebrate imaginary creatures from around the world, with the Imagination Pavilion right on the border of World Showcase.

Journey Into Imagination originally starred Audio Animatronic characters Figment (voiced by Billy Barty) and Dreamfinder (voiced by Chuck McCann) in a fun, creative (and in some places, a bit scary) dark ride through the world of the Imagination.

For 1999, the ride was changed into Journey Into Your Imagination. The animatronic characters were dropped. The elements that made the ride innovative, like the cars splitting off and following an extended scene with a flying airship, were eliminated. The ride was even less popular than the original version. I wonder why.

For 2002, the ride was changed again, and became Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Figment animatronics returned, but Dreamfinder did not. The incredible flying airship sequence (I still don't know how they did that) failed to return.

The current Journey Into Imagination with Figment attraction never had much of a wait during my August 2011 visit to Walt Disney World. Figment used to be a very popular Disney character in Florida, but I don't know if he is anymore.

A small bit of merchandise, like this 2008 "One Little Spark" baby Figment pin from Walt Disney Imagineering, can still be found in some shops.

Maleficent is a very busy dragon. You can find her at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which is not too far from Epcot. Maleficent appears in the nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic!

I've never seen the Florida version of Fantasmic! I got this pin at Disney's Boardwalk Resort.

Dragons have lived at Epcot's World Showcase, too.

Surprise in the Skies was a daytime show at Epcot, presented at World Showcase Lagoon.

This show was promoted for Walt Disney World's 20th Birthday in 1991.

It featured dragon boats, kites, fireworks and large Disney character balloons. I never saw this show. I know this show had a balloon of Disney's Robin Hood, though I haven't seen what it looked like.

Surprise in the Skies was actually a re-worked version of a show called Skyleidoscope.

Note the Viking Goofy balloon, which was introduced for Surprise in the Skies in 1991.

Walking around World Showcase can make you tired. If you happen to be staying at one of the Epcot Resorts, you can leave the park through the International Gateway (between France and the United Kingdom) to go back to your hotel to relax.

In this picture, you can see the top of the Walt Disney World Swan (left) and in the middle, the Walt Disney World Dolphin. I took this picture as I was walking from Epcot to Disney's Yacht Club Resort. On this day (Saturday, August 27th, 2011) I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

Here we can see Disney's Boardwalk Resort, and in the background, the top of the Walt Disney World Swan.

It is fun to explore Disney's Boardwalk Resort at night. There's some great shops and restaurants here. Disney's Boardwalk Resort opened in 1996.

Disney's Yacht Club Resort is beautiful at night! This resort, and its neighbor, Disney's Beach Club, are very popular, and it is easy to see why. I discovered that there are quite a few people that spend a great deal of their vacation time at these resorts. Day or night, there were people enjoying activities here.

You can't go swimming in this water, but Disney's Yacht Club and Beach Club have a big pool/water play/water slide area called Stormalong Bay. Movies are shown on the beach every night (see the movie screen in this picture). Toy Story 3 was the movie shown on this night.

In keeping with the futuristic theme, Epcot Resorts are staffed with Robot Butlers, Robot Maids, and Robot Chefs.

When asked, Resort Staff will deny that they are Cyborgs created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

Staying on Disney property has some huge advantages. There's Location, Location, Location for one. They are also beautiful resorts with friendly people.

I think these Disney Resort logos are cool. This roster is from the early 1990s, and there have been some additions and changes since then. The Disney Inn was a Snow White themed resort. I have stayed at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (it was nice!). I've visited Disney's Polynesian Resort (for the luau show). I've visited, but not stayed at Disney's Dixie Landings Resort (it was not open when this ad was made, but it eventually just became part of Disney's Port Orleans Resort).

The Walt Disney World Resort is huge. It's two times larger than the island of Manhattan. Can you find the Epcot Resort area on this map?

The Resort is about the same size as San Francisco. There's quite a bit of Walt Disney World that I've never seen.

Disney's Yacht Club and Beach Club opened at Walt Disney World in 1990.

How does the New England theme fit Epcot's World Showcase? Well, from Epcot, it is accessed between the United Kingdom and France. It's NEW England. Yes, that's my explanation.

I had never seen the Epcot Resort area before. It is beautiful, and a destination itself.

If you plan on spending a lot of time at Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios, this is the place to stay.

Map out a day of fun at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.

Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts were designed by Robert A.M. Stern.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin, designed by Michael Graves, are located within walking distance to the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. They opened in 1990.

With their giant Swan and Dolphin Statues, these resorts are hard to miss. You can even see them in World Showcase.

The Swan and Dolphin are not owned by Disney (though it looks like they own the hotel's mascot "characters").

The Swan is operated by Westin, and The Dolphin is operated by Sheraton.

On Sunday, August 28th, 2011, I visited Epcot, Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom.

For my Epcot visit, check out Epcot: Space Elephants On Parade And Horizons, The Movie.

After I went to Epcot, I returned to Disney's Yacht Club Resort to catch the bus to Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney has seen many changes over the years. It used to be known as Walt Disney World Village. The Walt Disney World Village was my first Disney experience, way back in 1981. This trip did not include a visit to The Magic Kingdom or any other place at Walt Disney World, due to a family member getting sick. I would finally get to a Disney Park in 1983 (The Magic Kingdom and the nearly brand-new EPCOT Center).

Dragon Maleficent has made Downtown Disney a new stomping ground. You can find her outside the LEGO store.

You'll also find other Disney Characters here constructed out of LEGOs, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Toy Story's Buzz, Woody and RC.

This part of Walt Disney World has always had a big character shop. For many years, it was called Mickey's Character Shop.

This particular store is long gone. However, there are multiple Disney character shops in Downtown Disney now. You can visit the World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, and D Street to name a few.

The Dad in that picture is holding a shopping back that many people probably remember.

Yes, I still have a postcard-size version of this great bag.

Look at the cool Giftz sold at Walt Disney World in 1994.

During the early 1990s, the plural of a word looked edgier when the "s" was replaced with a "z."

Pleasure Island was the place to go at Walt Disney World for liquor and lambada dancing.

Pleasure Island opened near the Disney Village Marketplace (now called Downtown Disney) in 1989.

This was a lively place at night, and stayed open until the early morning hours.

This was something new for Walt Disney World. It was a theme park for adults.

I visited Pleasure Island in the early 1990s, when I was in high school. I loved the Comedy Warehouse, which was decorated with old Walt Disney World props.

I remember that I loved seeing Prince John the lion (from Disney's Robin Hood) on the parade drum on the wall here.

Jessica Rabbit could also be found on Pleasure Island. She's not bad, she's just drawn that way!

Jessica was a natural fit for Pleasure Island, and she had her own store called "Jessica's."

The idea of Pleasure Island was eventually discontinued, with the clubs closing down in 2008.

After having lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express and doing some shopping, it was time to head back to Disney's Yacht Club Resort, so I could catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom.

Remember when Walt Disney World turned 20? I remember when that seemed old. It doesn't anymore. At all.

This visit to the Magic Kingdom was pretty much a repeat of my first day at Walt Disney World on this vacation.

The first thing I did was visit Pirates of the Caribbean. I never had to wait very long for this attraction, as it can handle large numbers of people.

This Goofy pin is from the early 1990s.

Up next, I took a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. A big, quick rainstorm hit during my ride, which made for a very memorable trip.

I later went on the Walt Disney World Railroad, and got a picture of some of the Audio Animatronic characters in Big Thunder Mountain's flooded town of Tumbleweed. I remember thinking the donkeys were real when I was a kid.

After my ride in the rain on Big Thunder Mountain, I went to the Haunted Mansion.

This nice Haunted Mansion was being sold at the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney.

After the Haunted Mansion, it was time to use my FastPass for Splash Mountain.

Splash Mountain was brand new when Walt Disney World celebrated its 20th Birthday.

After Splash Mountain, I took the train to Main Street, and then went to Tomorrowland. I rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Space Mountain. The park was getting very, very crowded.

I had a late dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. I had never seen Sonny Eclipse, the Audio Animatronic alien, perform. That did not change this time. Sonny was on stage, but not moving or singing.

It was kind of odd. The spotlight was on him, but he was just frozen.

I then went to Fantasyland, to say my final goodbyes to Snow White's Scary Adventures. At this point, parts of Fantasyland were roped off in preparation for the fireworks show (it looks like they spray the Fantasyland roofs with water). My last attraction of the day was Mickey's Philharmagic.

Before I left the Magic Kingdom, I had to stop in Adventureland to get a Dole Orange/Vanilla Swirl ice cream. This is my new Magic Kingdom tradition, and one that I share with many people.

SpectroMagic was the new Magic Kingdom nighttime parade for Walt Disney World's 20th Birthday in 1991. On this trip, Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade was shown at the Magic Kingdom. On this day, I did not see the Parade (I did see it on the first day of this vacation).

Day Five (Monday, August 29, 2011): The Vacation Ends

Before leaving Walt Disney World, I made the most of the morning by visiting the shops at the Yacht Club, Disney's Boardwalk, and the Beach Club.

One day during my trip, Halloween merchandise magically started to appear everywhere.

For some reason, I just had to get Werewolf Mickey. I got mine at Disney's Beach Club Resort.

By 11:00am, it was time to leave the Yacht Club and go to the Orlando International Airport.

If only I had flown Delta! Wow, that's service!

While I was at the airport, I ate lunch at the McDonald's in the Food Court. I had eaten there when I arrived in Orlando on the first day of my trip.

When Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, McDonald's heavily promoted the park. There was a set of Disney's Animal Kingdom Happy Meal Toys and there was a set of cups.

I had totally forgotten that I've had this AVATAR McDonald's Arch Card in my wallet since 2009. Maybe I could have used this at the Orlando Airport!

I was given this as a Christmas gift. When AVATAR debuted in theaters, McDonald's promoted the movie with Arch Cards and with a set of interactive Happy Meal toys.

With the world of Pandora expansion planned for Disney's Animal Kingdom, I'm sure AVATAR will be seen at the Orlando International Airport in a big way in a matter of years.

While I was at the Airport, I made sure to check out the shops.

Here, I found some cartoon versions of Walt Disney World transportation vehicles. I was tempted to get them, but I decided to just take a picture of them instead.

I bought a couple last-minute souvenir items for co-workers at the airport shops. There are actually two Disney stores and two Universal stores here, and some of the merchandise selection is a bit different. There's also a Sea World store, too.

Soon, it was time to catch a plane and head back to reality.

Happy 40th Birthday, Walt Disney World! Roger Rabbit has a special Birthday wish for you. He wishes you would use him more often. He used to be everywhere!

Epcot: Space Elephants On Parade And Horizons, The Movie

2011-10-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

My August 2011 trip to Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida was a blast to the past!

On this visit, I saw plush toys of Captain EO's pachyderm pal for sale outside of the Imagination Pavilion.

Captain EO, the 1986 3D Michael Jackson film, returned to Epcot in 2010. This sci-fi fantasy movie, which also starred Anjelica Huston, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay was written by George Lucas, Rusty Lemorande and Francis Coppola. The creative creatures were brought to life by Rick Baker and Lance Anderson.

Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) was planned by Walt Disney to be an actual city. When Walt Disney, the driving force behind the project, died, so did the idea of Epcot being a real city.

The Epcot that was built opened in 1982, and has been compared to a World's Fair.

World Showcase and Future World were two different concepts that were joined together for one park.

It is difficult to predict the future, which is why Epcot's focus has changed dramatically over the years.

On my August 2011 Orlando vacation, I stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.

I was so close to Epcot, I felt like I was staying at World Showcase. It was fantastic!

Epcot's name has changed more than any other Disney park.

This map is from my 1983 visit to EPCOT Center (my first time to visit the Disney theme parks).

Epcot dropped the all caps spelling at some point, and during 1994, the place was called Epcot '94.

Epcot's attraction roster has seen some big changes, and nearly all of them have been in Future World.
Many Epcot fans will recognize the much-loved Horizons Robot Butler seen on this map.

How did people in the late 1970s envision the future? Find out in HORIZONS, a new live action feature film based on the long-closed 1983 Epcot attraction of the same name.

HORIZONS follows the comedic adventures of Robot Butler (voiced by David Hyde Pierce) and Robot Chef (voiced by Guy Fieri) and their experiences working with people in the year 2020.

Robot Butler and Robot Chef were created by an eccentric scientist and inventor named Dr. Scott Vernon (Will Forte).

Dr. Vernon shares a condo with his wife, Tammy (Ana Gasteyer) and their dog, Neutron.

Dr. Vernon is convinced that his robots will be extraordinary workers, but they turn out to be a bit too human, and prone to mistakes.

Tammy designs polyester jumpsuits, and also has a job at a citrus farm.

At the citrus farm, Tammy works with her friend, Biochemist Misty Greene (Maya Rudolph).

Hopefully this movie will be in Smell-O-Vision, and have the orange smell featured in the ride.

Dr. Vernon's niece, Cindy Dylan (Kristen Wiig) is a teacher and marine biologist in an underwater city.

Cindy works very (very) closely with a mechanic named Zack Harbor (Ryan McPartlin).

Cindy's best friend, Starla Craft (Niecy Nash) is an aerospace engineer.

Starla is working on a new space colony, with the help of explorer/astronaut Stone Rockford (Matt Iseman).

Robot Butler and Robot Chef get jobs at the citrus farm, the underwater city and the space colony. They nearly destroy all of them by accident.

Instead of ending up in a scrap heap, Robot Butler and Robot Chef find work at Eon's Oasis, an intergalactic resort and spa.

The resort is run by a science fiction enthusiast named Nimoy Kirk (Luke Perry) and his wife, an artist named Mercury (Shannen Doherty).

Despite some occasional hiccups, the Robots do well at their new jobs. Maybe too well.

In a shocking twist, the Robots take over the resort by force, and lead a Robot Revolution.

Yes, I made up the idea of this Horizons movie. This probably didn't fool anyone.

Horizons was a very cool attraction, and I really miss it! By the early 1990s, the future it portrayed seemed a bit unrealistic. It was still fun, sort of like Hanna Barbera's SeaLab 2020 animated series (and the Cartoon Network Adult Swim spoof/spin-off, SeaLab 2021). The ride was eventually replaced by Mission: Space.

Horizons was loaded with details, including The Horizons Robo-Kitty.

Horizons fans will be pleased to know that the Robot Butler is one of the characters featured in Disney's Vinylmation Park Starz Series 1 line of collectible figures. I know I want one!

In Epcot's early days, the classic Disney characters were tough to find. As the years went by, Mickey Mouse and his friends appeared in more and more places.

In Future World, Mickey and his friends typically wore space suits. In World Showcase, they wore costumes to reflect different countries.

This postcard from the 198os is a rare sight. It's the old Magic Kingdom Mickey in front of Spaceship Earth at Epcot.

This was taken before 1988, when Mickey and Minnie were given makeovers in honor of their 60th Birthday.

It's now time for my August 2011 Epcot trip report!

Because I stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, I was at Epcot for all three days of my 3 Day Park Hopper Pass.

On Day 1 (Thursday, August 25th, 2011) I just walked through Epcot on my way to the Monorail Station for a trip to the Magic Kingdom. On the way, I did go check and see what the line for Soarin' was like (it was 70 minutes---no way!).

On Day Three (Saturday, August 27th, 2011) I visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Epcot all in one day.

For those trip reports, check out Disney's Hollywood Studios (AKA Disney MGM Studios) And A Muppet Twist and Disney's Animal Kingdom Thinks Outside Pandora's Box: James Cameron's AVATAR Land.

After visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom that day, I went to Epcot. The first thing I did was ride Spaceship Earth (AKA the "Golf Ball").

This ride has been changed a bit since it debuted. I do remember that the ending of the original version did not age well. The new version takes your picture (smile!) and puts you in a futuristic cartoon adventure (sort of a different spin on what Horizons did). When you get off the ride, you can email yourself a postcard of your adventure (in theory, anyway---I could not find mine).

Up next, I went to ride Test Track. This used to be the home of World of Motion, a slow-moving ride about man and transportation with a very large Audio Animatronic cast.

Disney will bring back World of Motion characters when pigs fly. Oh, wait, they do here.

The Vinylmation Park Series 7 will feature the Sea Serpent character from World of Motion.

Some of World of Motion's cast found work in other theme park attractions.

The pig on the right worked at Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean for a while as part of an enhancement to that attraction. Other World of Motion characters were inserted into the California Pirates ride, too. I think they may have been removed when the attraction added characters from the Johnny Depp Pirates movies. Some of the chickens from World of Motion could be found at Goofy's Barnstormer in Toontown Fair at the Magic Kingdom. The Sea Serpent was last seen as a prop at Disney's California Adventure.

Test Track, a much faster ride, eventually replaced World of Motion.

Dogs just live riding in cars, so Goofy is the perfect mascot for Test Track. Yes, Goofy is a dog, but that is another story.

Test Track is one of the most popular rides at Epcot. It is fast, fun to watch, and adds some energy to Future World.

The line for Test Track tends to be long. I used the Single Rider Line and still had to wait a while.

Test Dummy Goofy was created specifically for Test Track.

This plush of Test Dummy Goofy was sold at Epcot back in 2004.

From that same time, there was a pull-back Test Track car loaded with three Test Dummies.

I've never seen a toy with more than one Goofy before. It's just like the world of the Goofy cartoon shorts.

Fans of character actor John Michael Higgins should get a kick out of seeing him as Test Track's host (via TV screens).

After Test Track, it was time for dinner at Sunshine Seasons at The Land. I seem to eat here every time I'm at Walt Disney World.

I really like the hot air balloon mobile in here. I shot this while I ate my Cashew Chicken with noodles and broccoli. It was great!

A number of Epcot's attractions open late and close early. I had planned to see Captain EO after dinner, but it was closed. Instead, I went "home" to rest at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. I stayed on the Concierge Floor, which was incredible. Every night, they had some fantastic desserts waiting, and a fridge full of drinks. I had breakfast there every morning. I really miss it!

After dessert, I explored Disney's Boardwalk Resort. I had a long day visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot. With blisters on my feet, I finally crashed.

Day 4 (Sunday, August 28th, 2011): Epcot, Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom

Part One: Around the World at Epcot

After a short walk to Epcot from Disney's Yacht Club Resort, it was time to go back to The Land to ride Soarin'.

I first experienced Soarin' at Disney's California Adventure in 2008. It is a fun, film-based hang glider. It is extremely popular at Epcot, so you want to do it, you have to go first thing in the morning or get a FastPass for it. Since I was there early, the wait wasn't bad.

The Soarin' Pre-Show is hosted by actor Patrick Warburton. You can also hear his voice as a Droid on Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

What else can you find at The Land? Let's check our trusty EPCOT Center Map from 1983 (it has a wheel!).

Wheel of Epcot, turn, turn, turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn.

Up next I rode Living With The Land. This used to be called Listen to the Land. This is an educational boat ride through a greenhouse, and past some of the few surviving Audio Animatronics characters that have been at Epcot since it opened. They are essentially atmosphere characters for the Land's revolving restaurant, The Garden Grill. Living With The Land is the only Disney boat ride to feature LIVE alligators!! They are small, farm-raised gators living in a cage, but still---LIVE ALLIGATORS!!! The ride also has some animatronic gators, too.

For a look at Living With The Land, visit Won't Someone Listen to the Land?!?

Up next, it was time to see Captain EO. I can remember seeing this when it was new. The line took forever. There was no wait this time. This is the same film from 1986, but with a twist.

This is now a ride, because the theater moves. This feature was added when the film was changed to Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (an attraction I never saw).

Captain EO is located at the Imagination Pavilion, home of Journey Into Imagination With Figment. I did not ride this. I loved the original version of this ride (1983-1998). Then they changed it to Journey into YOUR Imagination (1999-2001) and dropped the animatronic Figment. The latest version, Journey into Imagination With Figment (2002-today) brought animatronic Figment back, but none of the magic of the original.

This Figment plush is from my 1983 visit to EPCOT Center. This is not Mint In Condition---my Mom added "Figment" on his shirt (the larger, pricier version had it already).

Up next, it was my first time to visit to Club Cool, which offers free tastes of Coca-Cola products from around the world.

This is free, and the machines fill the small provided cups with a predetermined amount of the different beverages. My favorite drink was Smart Watermelon. I did not try the legendary Beverly, a drink famous for its bitter taste. I should have tried it! I will next time.

I then decided to visit World Showcase. I made sure to visit each country, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

On previous visits to Epcot, I tried collecting all the Pressed Pennies in World Showcase. I did not try that this time. It turns out that many of the ones I saw had not changed in years.

I went to Mexico to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.

This is a boat ride that floats past the indoor nighttime themed San Angel Inn Restaurante. it is really beautiful, and seems to be inspired by Disneyland's Blue Bayou restaurant.

This ride used to be called Rio Del Tiempo, and it is sort of like It's A Small World crossed with the Day of the Dead. In 2007, it was upgraded to include The Three Caballeros, with new animation created by animator Eric Goldberg (famous for animating the Genie in Aladdin).

How about a Donald Duck Pinata for a souvenir? They should have made a small, key chain size version of this. I would have bought one!

Right next to Mexico is Norway, home to another water based dark ride called Maelstrom.

Norway opened in 1988. When Maelstrom debuted, I remember hearing it being called "The Maelstrom thrill ride" in promotions. This ride features some cool audio animatronic trolls, puffins, vikings, and a polar bear. The boats do go backwards for a bit, and there is a small drop.

After Norway, I visited one of the large stores in China. I noticed lots of teeny tiny frogs hopping on the walkways here (I'm guessing there were many more in the gardens here).

I then stopped at the African themed Outpost and found pressed pennies of characters from the Lion King. There is no Africa at Epcot, though it was originally planned to be there. When Disney's Animal Kingdom opened with Africa in 1998, it sure looked like that was the end of Africa at Epcot. Yet, a tiny bit of Africa is represented here.

There IS a Lion King attraction in Epcot, but it is not in World Showcase. The Land has a short Lion King-based movie called The Circle of Life.

Up next, I visited Germany. This used to be a good place for collectors to find PVC Disney character items made by Bully (Bullyland) in Germany. You can still find German-made Disney character Christmas ornaments here.

Look! Dopey is on sale! They had other Dwarfs and other characters for sale, too.

Up next, I visited the stores in Italy, The American Adventure (the shop, not the show), Japan and Morocco.

I made sure to get a picture of the Eiffel Tower.

I enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower during the walk from Disney's Yacht Club to Epcot.

Somewhat new to Epcot is Duffy, the Disney Bear. The character had already debuted years ago at Walt Disney World, simply as a merchandising item. When the Disney Bear was introduced at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan as Duffy, the character became a big hit there.

I got a small, magnetic plush of Duffy for a co-worker and she went crazy over it.

I also visited the shops in the United Kingdom and Canada.

It was soon time to say goodbye to Epcot.

I returned back to Disney's Yacht Club Resort. I then caught the bus to Downtown Disney (I always have to include a visit there when I'm at Walt Disney World). After having lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express, I visited some of the shops, including Once Upon a Toy, The World of Disney, D Street, and the Art of Disney.

After Downtown Disney, I went to the Magic Kingdom. I rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (in a heavy rain---ouch), the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, the Walt Disney World Railroad, Space Mountain, Snow White's Scary Adventures and Mickey's Philharmagic.

On this trip, I found myself taking pictures of things that I liked, but did not buy.

This is a fun way to display photos of your trip to Epcot.

I got this unique Figment pin during my 2008 visit to Walt Disney Imagineering in California.

I think it is time to re-imagine Figment's attraction again. Maybe the Imagination ride could involve an experience with all of Disney's dragons, including Maleficent!

I had a wonderful time visiting Epcot. Hopefully we'll see some exciting new additions on the horizon.

Up Next: My August 2011 Vacation at Disney's Yacht Club comes to an end, with my visit to Downtown Disney, the Magic Kingdom, and shopping at the Orlando International Airport.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Thinks Outside Pandora's Box: James Cameron's AVATAR Land

2011-09-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

I think the shocking, exciting announcement of James Cameron's AVATAR Land expansion for Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World is a stroke of genius, and an incredibly smart strategy for the growth and life of the park. Animal Kingdom is, after all, a Disney park that usually closes down by 5 or 6pm in the summer, while the others stay open late. The world of AVATAR, which was first brought to life by Fox Filmed Entertainment and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, should begin construction at Disney's Animal Kingdom by 2013.

AVATAR is a game-changer for Disney's Animal Kingdom, and should generate interest that the park has never seen before. I can already imagine seeing the AVATAR Animal Kingdom ads at the Orlando International Airport. Many people already know about the world of AVATAR, and want to go there, so it's a "pre-sold" property. Disney partnered with Fox and James Cameron for this expansion because Disney doesn't have a property that could boost Animal Kingdom's attendance and attraction idea options like AVATAR could. Oh, and they'll have James Cameron guiding the project, too. Why put AVATAR in Disney's Animal Kingdom and not Disney's Hollywood Studios? Because Disney's Animal Kingdom needs it more, and has more land to work with.

The AVATAR Land will bring the lush world of the leonine Na'vi people and the exotic creatures of Pandora to life. Perhaps park Guests will get to pilot their own AVATAR and see their own customized character (and get a souvenir photo). Maybe we'll get to fly through the sky on a Mountain Banshee. We'll surely have an encounter with the panther-like Thanator, and the rhino-like Hammerhead Titanothere, too. Pandora is especially beautiful in the evening, so there should be a nighttime spectacle to watch. Could Sigourney Weaver be featured in two different Walt Disney World parks? Right now, you can find her in the Alien section of the Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

For years, Disney fans have been waiting for more mythical creatures at Disney's Animal Kingdom. After all, there's a Dragon in the park's logo. The original plan for Animal Kingdom included Beastly Kingdom, a land that would have been home to dragons, unicorns, and other fictional characters. In 2006, Disney's Animal Kingdom finally got a fantasy element when it opened Expedition Everest, home of the legendary Yeti.

Disney's Animal Kingdom had a small roster of attractions when it opened in 1998.

The big focus was on the Kilimanjaro Safaris Ride in Africa. This was a massive, expensive attraction, about the size of the Magic Kingdom theme park.

From Day One, Disney's Animal Kingdom has had whimsical elements.

On my November 2009 visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom, I took pictures of the beautiful artwork throughout the park. Many of the signs here are works of art.

Dinoland U.S.A. is home to the Dinosaur ride (formerly Countdown to Extinction).

Originally, this section was supposed to get a roller coaster called The Excavator.

Camp Minnie-Mickey is the place to find Disney Character Meet and Greets.

This section sits in front of a large parcel of land where Disney Imagineering planned to build Beastly Kingdom.

Asia was the first expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1999. This was originally planned to have a boat safari. Instead, the park got the Kali River Rapids ride.

Asia is the home of the park's big roller coaster, Expedition Everest.

Disney's Animal Kingdom has lots of details that may go unnoticed.

Flame Tree Barbecue has a clever predator/prey theme.

Guests enter and exit the park through a lush jungle called the Oasis.

I know they were trying something different here, but on this trip, I wished the entrance was more like Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. It could be a Village with shops, and instead of Main Street's animated Emporium windows, there could be small animal displays in the windows.

On my August 2011 Walt Disney World trip, I stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. This 1998 map shows how close I was to the parks (the Yacht Club is #9 here).

It's time for my trip report!

Day Three (Saturday, August 27th, 2011): Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

Part Two: A Rainy Day at Disney's Animal Kingdom

I spent the first part of the day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. To read about that, check out Disney's Hollywood Studios (AKA Disney MGM Studios) And A Muppet Twist.

I had spent a beautiful, sunny morning at Disney's Hollywood Studios. When I got to Disney's Animal Kingdom, it looked like a storm was brewing.

The park's logo features an elephant, triceratops and dragon. You can find these animals on the three ticket booths at the front of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The elephant represents living animals, the triceratops represents extinct animals, and the dragon represents imaginary animals.

I would suggest that Disney could license the Ice Age movies from Fox for Dinoland, but they can already be found at a theme park in Europe.

Here is Animal Kingdom's legendary dragon, at the ticket booth closest to the Rainforest Cafe.

In a few years, Animal Kingdom should see something similar to a dragon (a Mountain Banshee) in the AVATAR Land.

Before entering the park, it was time for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

Because there is usually a storm going on inside the Rainforest Cafe, I was unaware that an actual rainstorm was going on outside.

If you don't want to wait in a long line for a table, go sit at the bar and eat.

I had the Awesome Appetizer Adventure, which featured fried cheese sticks. It's tough to go wrong with fried cheese.

By the time I finished lunch, the rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy.

It was time to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom with the threat of a storm.

The Tree of Life is this park's version of Cinderella Castle.

The tree trunk and limbs feature carvings of animals.

I took a picture of this shirt at the Walt Disney World store at the Orlando International Airport.

I had planned on visiting the Dinosaur ride first, but the storm shut the ride down.

From Dinoland, I headed to Asia to ride Expedition Everest. I didn't hear any screaming. That's not a good sign. The storm closed Everest down, too.

I visited the shop near Expedition Everest and found a new Disney character.

There was no information about this character on the tag. I think it is a Snow Leopard.

Maybe this is supposed to be the Yeti's pet. I don't think there's a Snow Leopard at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
I only saw the Snow Leopard plush at Serka Zong, the Expedition Everest shop.

You can also find a friendly Yeti plush here, too.

I believe this character is on some merchandise at Disneyland in California, too (representing that park's Matterhorn ride).

Serka Zong also had Pook-A-Looz plush toys of the Yeti.

You could find these at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney, too.

Not sure what to do next, I started walking towards the front of the park. A friendly Cast Member named Adam asked me to participate in a Disney character game.

Adam's game involved matching Disney characters to their home countries. I won, of course!

I got to choose a Disney pin as a prize!

I picked this crazy Vinylmation pin.

After the game, I overheard someone say that Expedition Everest had reopened, and to get there fast before the rain and lightning returned.

I got on Everest pretty quickly using the Single Rider Line.

Expedition Everest is rather eerie when there's a storm brewing.

One of Expedition Everest's big selling points was its advanced Audio Animatronics Yeti.

I have never seen this figure working the way he was designed. As it is now, he is like some of the animals on Big Thunder Mountain at the Magic Kingdom. However, the coaster goes by him so quickly, you may not even know he's there in the first place.

The Yeti on the merchandise has white fur, but the Yeti in the attraction is tan.

This large, articulated Yeti plush was sold when Expedition Everest first opened.

The "scary" Yeti doesn't seem to be on much merchandise anymore.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a Matterhorn version of this pin from Disneyland.

The "Cute" Yeti seems to be on more souvenirs these days.

Does this character do Meet and Greets? Maybe he should.

I got this keychain plush on my 2009 trip.

It seems like all kinds of ideas for merchandise are tested, and only the strong survive. I did not see this item this time.

I also got a Yeti Bobble Head in 2009.

This was the only flocked bobble head that I have seen at Walt Disney World.

The Yeti also lives at the Matterhorn at Disneyland in California. He's not the same as the one in Florida.

Years ago, Disneyland had a great Yeti design that showed up on some "Retro" merchandise, including this fantastic Bobble Pen.

This Winter 1993 Disney Magazine artwork features the Matterhorn, the Yeti, Mickey Mouse and Pete. The Matterhorn opened at Disneyland in California in 1959 (the Yeti was not around in the those days).

The Matterhorn is very similar to Florida's Space Mountain.

This die cast car with Mickey and the Yeti on the Matterhorn was sold years ago.

I love the Yeti's expression here!

Animal Kingdom's single Yeti is seen as the more realistic, "advanced" figure (though he has been motionless for some time now). Disneyland in California has three Yetis!

Ironically, Disneyland's simpler figures have been roaring at Disneyland without many problems since their debut in 1977. And they actually move, unlike the one in Florida.

Back to Expedition Everest...

It started raining lightly when the coaster train returned to the load station.

I got back in the Single Rider line to ride Everest again, and a major storm hit Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The problem is not the rain, it is the lightning. Expedition Everest's mountain peak is nearly 200 feet tall, so you don't want to ride it in lightning.

There was a merciless downpour that immobilized the many people that had scrambled for precious shelter.
I gave up and made a break for it, and ran to the Serka Zong store. This store was filled with wall to wall people. I bought one of those ponchos and headed for the exit. It rained so heard that the walkways were flooded. My brand new Sketchers shoes, with their soft cushions, filled with water.

This is where the Main Street-style entrance to Animal Kingdom would have been nice. I probably would have lingered in the park a bit more. Instead, I Park-Hopped back to Disney's Hollywood Studios. There, I rode Star Tours, the Great Movie Ride, and Toy Story Midway Mania. I then went to Epcot, where I rode Spaceship Earth and Test Track, and had dinner at the Land's food court. After that, I walked "home" to Disney's Yacht Club to change my soaking wet shoes (glad I brought some sandals on the trip!) and rested a bit before exploring the shops of Disney's Boardwalk Resort.

On this Walt Disney World trip, I spent the least amount of time at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The only attraction I experienced was Expedition Everest. The tone of my trip report took a totally different direction once I found out that this park has such a bright future with the AVATAR addition and the world of Pandora. Fantasy is what Disney does best, and when I'm on vacation, it's nice to escape from reality.

For more Disney's Animal Kingdom fun, check out Disney's Animal Kingdom McDonald's Happy Meal.

Up Next: A Blast to the Past with Epcot!

Disney's Hollywood Studios (AKA Disney MGM Studios) And A Muppet Twist

2011-09-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

I bought Disney Vinylmation figures for the first time during my August 2011 visit to Walt Disney World in Florida. This Disney's Hollywood Studios figure is part of the Park Series 6. This particular set is sold blind-boxed, so you can't choose the design you want. For the sake of this trip report, I'm glad I got the Disney's Hollywood Studios one.

Day Three (Saturday, August 27th, 2011): Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

Part One: Disney's Hollywood Studios: Let's Do Launch!

On this vacation, I stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, which is so close to Epcot that I felt like I was staying at the park's World Showcase. The Yacht Club has a boat to Epcot, but it's faster to use the walkway to Epcot's International Gateway. Check out the map from 1991 to see how close everything is, and how things have changed.

Disney's Yacht Club also has a boat launch to Disney's Hollywood Studios, which I got to experience for the first time on this visit. It was a wonderful way to start the day. If you've got lots of energy, there's also a walkway to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The transportation boat also stops at the Walt Disney World Dolphin and the Walt Disney World Swan. The Swan is topped with two giant Swan statues, and the Dolphin has two Dolphins (as in the fish, not the mammal).

For more of the Swan and Dolphin, check out Winnie the Pooh and the Swan and Dolphin, Too!

The boat also passes by Disney's Boardwalk Resort. I visited the shops there later that night. You can see the tower from Disney's Beach Club in the background (with scaffolding, as it was getting refurbished).

Early announced plans for Disney's Boardwalk included the possibility of midway rides, and it sounded a bit more like Disney's old Pleasure Island nightclub district. The Boardwalk has shops and restaurants that serve Epcot Resort Guests and visitors. Perhaps the concept was scaled back because it would have been in competition with Epcot.

The boat finally reaches Disney's Hollywood Studios!

I've never seen the park from this angle before.

Disney's Hollywood Studios has changed quite a bit over the years. A big new change for this park, which opened in 1989 as Disney MGM Studios, is the new name.

Disney MGM Studios used to be a real working film production facility. Many visitors will remember watching animators at work at The Magic of Disney Animation, or seeing The New Mickey Mouse Club being taped at one of the park's Sound Stages. Note the gangster getting gunned down in this artwork. This place sure ain't The Magic Kingdom!

Another big change to the park is obvious right when you walk in. The "Cinderella Castle" of Disney MGM Studios used to be the Chinese Theatre, home of The Great Movie Ride.

The Chinese Theatre is still here, as is the ride inside. Considering how short the line for the ride was, maybe people just don't know about it. It could be due to the fact that there's a giant Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse hat sitting right in front of the Chinese Theatre now.

The first stop of the day was to pick up a Fast Pass for Toy Story Midway Mania. This 3D interactive ride had a 60 minute wait. Yikes! It seems like the only way to avoid a long wait for the Toy Story attraction is to get a Fast Pass, which "sells out" quickly. We'll discuss this later. Toy Story Midway Mania is located behind The Great Movie Ride at Pixar Place, which used to be home to the working Sound Stages on Mickey Avenue.

After picking up a Fast Pass for Toy Story (for 4:35 pm) I walked through the Streets of America on my way to catch a ride on the new version of Star Tours. The Streets of America used to be called New York Street, and it used to be off limits to Guests. It was part of the old Backstage Studio Tour, and the Trams used to weave past the fake city and Residential Street. New York Street would become a home for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1991.

Yes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a mobile show and meet and greet at the Disney MGM Studios.

The Turtles joined the ranks of quite a few licensed non-Disney characters appearing at Disney MGM Studios.

When you see the giant AT-AT Imperial Walker, you know you've reached Star Tours.

Here one of those Robot Camel things chases after one of those Snow Kangaroos (yes, I know it's called a Tauntaun, because I had the action figure, which had a trap door on its back so the characters could ride it). This image is from the Marvel Comics The Empire Strikes Back Comics Adaptation, which is huge!

The New Star Tours is my favorite ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

This is my favorite ride for a number of reasons. The first is that the line for this moves very quickly. The Starspeeder 1000 vehicles can handle large crowds of people. I never waited more than five minutes for Star Tours.

The new ride is quite humorous. Our pilot is now C-3PO, who sort of stumbles into his new job. R2-D2 is on board, too.
The original pilot in Star Tours was RX-24 (Rex) voiced by Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman). Rex can still be found in the queue, but the line moved so quickly that I could not get a picture of him.

The New Star Tours is in 3D, and features a mix of destinations and character encounters.

The queue for Star Tours has hidden surprises everywhere.

The Pre-Show to the ride is quite comical, though I did not really get to soak it all in. The G2 Droids from the original Star Tours are back. This one is voiced by Patrick Warburton.

There's also a new Star Tours agent in the Pre-Boarding video named Aly San San (voiced by Allison Janney).

I rode Star Tours three times, and each ride was different. On one trip, we were part of an AT-AT battle on Hoth. On the next ride, we were in a podrace on Tatooine. The last trip was my favorite, as we flew through Kashyyyk, the Wookiee planet, and one of Chewbacca's friends landed on our Starspeeder windshield.

One element that was the same on all three trips was an Incoming Transmission from Yoda. Other riders may get the transmission from Princess Leia or Admiral Akbar. This transmission involves the new "Rebel Spy" interactive element of the New Star Tours, and Yoda's dialog changed to reflect the spy's gender.

Star Tours empties into a gift shop, which sells a wide range of merchandise. In the early 1990s, when Star Tours was still new to Disney MGM Studios, you could find these PVC Star Wars figures in the Star Tours shop.

These figures are based on the 1985 animated Ewoks/Droids Saturday Morning cartoon. There was another version of C-3PO sold with the paint scheme used in the Droids cartoon.

There really should be a Star Wars Land expansion at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It would be insanely popular.
Just think of all the cool shops, rides and restaurants they could have in a Star Wars Land (or Lucasfilm Land, or Skywalker Ranch).

Up next, it was time for a visit to MuppetVision 3D, my favorite Disney theme park 3D show.
The film itself got a digital upgrade, and it looks fantastic. The attraction opened in 1991 and was one of the last projects that Jim Henson worked on.

Look up during the Pre-Show and you'll find some "Easter Eggs."

These Soldier Puppets are seen during the MuppetVision 3D film.

They are part of Sam Eagle's "A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America."

MuppetVision 3D was going to be just one component of a Muppet Studios "Land" at Disney MGM Studios. This included a Gonzo Pizza Parlor and a Muppets Movie Ride (a spoof of Disney MGM's Great Movie Ride).

In the Pre-Show, you'll also find the USS Swinetrek from the "Pigs in Space" sketch from The Muppet Show.
The sunblock I was wearing ran down my face and into my eyes just in time to watch this. Ouch!

MuppetVision 3D is not just a film. You'll also see a Live Muppet of Sweetums, plus Audio Animatronic versions of Statler, Waldorf, the Swedish Chef and an Orchestra of Penguins (they took the job for the halibut). Bringing the Muppets to life with Audio Animatronics was one of the big reasons that Jim Henson teamed up with Disney.

The Penguins are supposed to rise up from the Orchestra pit and back down. On my visit this time, they were visible during the entire show, and motionless when they weren't in performance mode.
I got this Vinylmation Muppets Series 2 Penguin on this trip. The artist for this figure gave the Penguin orange feet, but the Muppet itself has no feet! The Mystery Chaser for this set is Waldo, the 3D Muppet from the MuppetVision film (that's the one I wanted, but you don't get to choose the figure in a blind-boxed set like this one).

Disney MGM Studios was pretty small when it opened. The place had to expand.

This is what the park looked like before there was Sunset Boulevard, home to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'N' Roller Coaster and Fantasmic!

This map from 1994 shows the new section under construction.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was so popular that it was eventually added to Disney's California Adventure, Tokyo DisneySea, and The Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris Resort.

I've also been to the Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure. I know for a fact that some of the creators of the original Tower of Terror think that the California version is an improvement over the original, but I think Florida's is better.

Tower of Terror has been reprogrammed over the years. The elevator car used to only have one big drop, but now the ride has random multiple drops.

This great Tower of Terror Pin is from 2004, which was the first time I got to ride the attraction.

Goofy is blissfully unaware that he is in danger. Ignorance is bliss.

Mickey and Goofy catch a ride on a Resin version of Tower of Terror, too.

This was sold at Walt Disney World in the late 1990s.

After my ride on the Tower of Terror, I had to get a pressed quarter from the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
A Haunted Hotel was rumored at the time of Tower of Terror's construction. I'd love to see this someday, or maybe a Haunted Mansion hotel.

Up next, it was time to visit Twilight Zone Tower of Terror's neighbor, Rock 'N' Roller Coaster. Here's a picture of the Tower of Terror from the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster queue.

Rock 'N' Roller Coaster is one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World and I think it has the best queue line I've ever seen for a roller coaster. Visitors enter G-Force Records, and see (via film) Aerosmith working in a recording studio.

Aerosmith invites us to their concert across town as VIPs, and their manager (played by Illeana Douglas) orders up a stretch limo to get us there.

We then leave the recording studio and find ourselves outside, at night, at a parking garage.

We then get a look at the super stretch limo coaster cars, which are equipped with speakers.

We then watch as the limos count down to their launch into the ride's massive enclosed show building.

The launch itself is thrilling, and the ride is much more intense than any other roller coaster at Walt Disney World. This is Walt Disney World's first and only looping roller coaster. This pin, which I got in 2004, has a looping coaster car feature.

As the coaster trains hurtle through darkness and past road signs, Aerosmith music (specially recorded for this ride) blasts in our ears. The combination of the coaster and the music is invigorating. When I got home from my trip, I dug out my Aerosmith CDs and have been listening to them constantly. Rock 'N' Roller Coaster won a Golden Ticket Amusement Industry Award, and it is easy to see why.

After Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, I went to Disney's Animal Kingdom. I had lunch there, and rode Expedition Everest. My visit to Animal Kingdom was cut short, and it will have a trip report explaining why.

After Everest, I went back to Disney's Hollywood Studios. After my third trip on Star Tours, I went to the Chinese Theatre, home of the Great Movie Ride.

My last time on The Great Movie Ride was way back in 1994. This attraction features Audio Animatronic figures of many film properties, including The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan, Casablanca, Mary Poppins, Alien, and Indiana Jones.

No pictures were allowed, and since the ride has a live guide, it's tough to break that rule. So here's a picture of an Indiana Jones toy from Burger King.

This toy is from the promotion of the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film.

Tokyo DisneySea in Japan has a ride called Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull.

The ride in Japan is not based on the 2008 movie starring Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf.

Tokyo DisneySea's ride opened in 2001, and is based on Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure attraction. For more about this ride, check out Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

The Indiana Jones Adventure attraction has been rumored for Walt Disney World in Florida for years. I would love to see the ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios, as part of a Lucasland expansion, or its own Indiana Jones mini-land.

It was finally time to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. Because I had a FastPass, I missed seeing the Audio Animatronic Mr. Potato Head in the queue. This attraction had the longest wait in the park, for a number of reasons. It's new, it's fun, it's family-friendly, it's interactive, and it can't handle large crowds like most of the other attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Stand-By Line can get really long because of all the FastPass riders.

There have been rumors swirling for years about Holiday themed versions of Toy Story Midway Mania. This would be so much fun.

I wanted to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show nearby, but it wasn't operating on my visit. This features actors, puppet and animation, and opened in 1991.

After my ride on Toy Story Midway Mania, I left Disney's Hollywood Studios and went to Epcot. There, I experienced Spaceship Earth and Test Track. After eating dinner at the Land, I left the park to explore Disney's Boardwalk. I'll cover the Epcot visit in another trip report.

On my Walt Disney World vacation, I did get this Vinylmation Disney Villains Series 1 Ursula. This series is blind-boxed, and has some great characters. I wanted Prince John from Robin Hood or a Pink Elephant from Dumbo (which is the Mystery Chaser, and has multiple variants).

Before Voyage of the Little Mermaid was at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the location of the attraction housed "Here Come the Muppets."

This was a live show, and the Muppets had mouths that moved. I believe they were imported from a traveling Muppet arena show. This was the first Disney/Henson theme park attraction. This closed once MuppetVision 3D opened. Bean Bunny was really getting a push at this time, getting a starring role in MuppetVision 3D. He made his debut in a 1986 TV special called "Tale of the Bunny Picnic." Bean was also added to the Muppet Babies Saturday Morning cartoon. Bean was performed by Steve Whitmire, who took over the role of Kermit the Frog after Jim Henson's death. Steve Whitmire also performs Rizzo the Rat.

For many years, Miss Piggy and her pals appeared at Walt Disney World as licensed characters, but now they are officially part of the Disney family. The Muppets have been a part of Disney MGM Studios/Disney's Hollywood Studios since 1990.

Hollywood loves a good scandal, a twist ending, mud-slinging, and starlets with "pictures from their past."

Here's Miss Piggy at Universal Studios Hollywood!

This was from 1988. Miss Piggy was young, and needed the work. She would not team up with Disney until 1990.

Muppet Magazine sent Miss Piggy to Universal Studios Hollywood, where she met Conan the Barbarian.
Much more scandalous is Miss Piggy's friendship with Universal's biggest star ever, King Kong!

Miss Piggy dates a frog, so why not a gorilla?

Sadly, this awesome King Kong animatronic from Universal Studios Hollywood's Tram Tour was destroyed by a fire in 2008.

The Sesame Street Muppets, including Elmo and Big Bird, can be found at Universal Studios Japan (there is a 3D Sesame Street movie there).

Be sure to see My Sesame Street Adventure With Big Bird, Mr. Hooper and Snuffleupagus.

This King Kong Poster was available in the Winter 1988 Muppet Magazine.

The Muppets shared this cover with Jason Bateman, who at that time was the star of Teen Wolf Too.

This old school Walt Disney World shopping bag features a vintage image of the Disney MGM Studios (there's that gangster again!).

As usual, I had a great visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios, and I can't wait to see what they do next!

For more Muppet Mayhem, check out The Muppets Take Indianapolis.

Muppet fans may also want to see the Gonzo Land Theme Park Muppet Magazine Map and Punknocchio: A 1985 Muppet Magazine Story.

Up Next: A Rainy Day At Disney's Animal Kingdom, and an Evening at Epcot.

Universal Studios Florida: Scream For Your Mummy

2011-09-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

During my August 2011 trip to Orlando, I visited the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. This Revenge of the Mummy slider pin was a hidden treasure at one of the discount shops at the front of the parks (I can't remember if I found this at Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure). Smedley the Dog, Chilly Willy and Woody Woodpecker take a wild ride on one of my favorite attractions at Universal Studios. In 1999, Universal decided to redesign Woody, the famous cartoon bird created by the late Walter Lantz. We'll call this newer version of Woody "Green Eyed Maniac Woody."

Green Eyed Maniac Woody is the "New Coca-Cola" of the theme park mascot world.

I'm sure the redesign of Woody (which was based on the original "lunatic" version of Woody from the first animated shorts) was an attempt to make the character hip and edgy. Green Eyed Maniac Woody seems aggressive and not exactly friendly.

Even Knothead and Splinter, Woody's nephew and niece, were redesigned.

Woody's Girlfriend, Winnie (not shown here), was also given an extreme makeover. The initial redesign of her that I saw looked a bit like a cross between Marge Simpson and the Bride of Frankenstein. Winnie's extreme redesign was toned down a bit. The new character designs were used as part of the 1999 animated TV series The New Woody Woodpecker Show, which debuted on the Fox Kids Network.

The Woody Woodpecker I grew up with was a friendly looking rascal.

Green Eyed Maniac Woody does not seem like an ambassador to a theme park.

The appealing looking Woody starred in his own comic book. This one is from 1976.

Woody's rival, Wally Walrus, almost seemed human. I've met some people that look just like him.

The Good Version of Woody had his own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon for many years.
That's one of the best balloons they ever made!

Woody and Winnie appeared on some great merchandise over the years.

I got this key chain from Universal Studios Florida in 2004. This is the earlier character design because the mold for this figure (made by Bully in Germany) has been around for a LONG time.

Friendly Woody Woodpecker had a cool pompadour hair-do.

I can't believe there aren't any Andy Panda plush toys for sale at the Universal Resort.

Universal Studios Florida is loosely based on Universal Studios Hollywood, which opened for tours in 1964.

The park in Hollywood was mostly about the Backlot Tour. Later, individual attractions were added, including the E.T. Adventure (1991) and Back to the Future The Ride (1993).

Universal Studios Florida would have a Backlot tour (now closed), but some of the Hollywood tour elements (like King Kong, Jaws, and Earthquake) would be expanded into their own attractions.

Totally new to Florida was Nickelodeon Studios, Ghostbusters, and The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera.

Universal Studios Florida opened in May 1990.

Like most theme parks, it experienced some difficulties at first.

A 1993 Universal Studios Florida Map shows a very different roster of attractions.

Many of the attractions here were eventually replaced or updated. The Hard Rock Cafe was moved as part of a much bigger expansion.

The entrance to Universal Studios Florida itself has dramatically changed.

Visitors to the park now enter by crossing a bridge from Universal CityWalk, a shopping and dining district opened in 1999.

The parking lot for Universal Studios Florida used to be near the park entrance.

A mammoth parking garage located near CityWalk now serves the Universal Orlando Resort.

Before Universal's Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, Popeye and Rocky and Bullwinkle could be found at Universal Studios in 1993.

The characters strolled through the park in style with Marilyn Monroe.

Now it's time for my Universal Studios Florida trip report.

Day Two---Continued (Friday, August 26, 2011): Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.

I spent the first part of the day at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Read about that at Harry Potter At Universal's Islands of Adventure: Wonderful Wizard of Aahs!

In the afternoon, I went to Universal Studios Florida, where my first stop was the E.T. Adventure.
The E.T. Adventure dark ride can only be found at Universal Studios Florida. The ride could be found at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan, but the attraction was closed down at those parks to make way for new rides (Revenge of the Mummy in California and Space Fantasy in Japan).

E.T. Adventure was not very crowded. A visit here is a nice way to escape the Florida heat.

This 1994 Map shows a time when the Hard Rock Cafe was E.T.'s neighbor. The old location of the Hard Rock Cafe is now home to Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone.

When I was a kid, E.T. was insanely popular.

You could even get E.T. Shoes from Buster Brown. Hey, those loafers are out of this world!

Visitors to the E.T. Adventure fly on bikes to go save E.T.'s home planet.

E.T. says your name at the end of the ride, which is something that doesn't happen on any other ride in Orlando. E.T. says the name of everyone in your ride vehicle, which sounds a bit like he is saying something to you in another language.

There is a shop near the ride selling E.T. merchandise. You can also find an E.T. Pressed Penny (I found it at the Universal Studios Store at the front of the park).

I also found a Friendly Woody Woodpecker Pressed Penny near the Front Gate.

Near the E.T. Adventure, kids could meet some characters, including Woody Woodpecker, Curious George, the Man in the Yellow Hat, and Scooby Doo.

This Hertz/American Express Ad shows what Woody Woodpecker and Scooby Doo looked like in 1993 (the new versions look quite different). Also shown here are Fievel from An American Tail (you can find Fievel's Playland near the E.T. Adventure) and Rocky and Bullwinkle (I saw Bullwinkle in Toon Lagoon at Universal's Islands of Adventure).

It was time for lunch, so I went to Mel's Drive-In.

I had a tasty cheeseburger and fries here.

Mel's had singers performing outside, but not these particular people (this photo is from Universal's 1993 park guide).

After lunch, I went to see the former location of Back to the Future The Ride.

Back to the Future opened in 1991 and closed in 2007.

In its place is The Simpsons Ride, which opened in 2008.

This was my first time to ride The Simpsons Ride. On my November 2009 visit to Universal, I was short on time and chose to ride the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster instead (I did not have time to see that coaster on this trip). I'm glad I finally went on The Simpsons Ride, because I think it's the funniest theme park ride I've experienced.

The fun begins in the queue line, where some hilarious Simpsons clips are shown on TV monitors. These include Simpson visits to Duff Gardens and Itchy and Scratchy Land.

Visitors enter the ride through Krusty the Clown's mouth. We then see posters for some of the attractions in Krustyland. We are about to board the park's newest ride.

The Simpsons characters in the ride's film are computer generated. The re-themed Back to the Future vehicles move in time with the film.

I don't know if it would have been possible, but this attraction would be plussed if the film was in 3D.

Pressed pennies of The Simpsons can be found here.

Curiously, there's no mention of Universal Studios on them.

Some of the fake Krustyland attraction posters can be found on merchandise.

I found a couple of them at Universal's discount stores at the front of the parks.

Many Orlando attractions are spoofed on The Simpsons Ride.

Not even Universal is safe from getting picked on.

Up next was a spin on Men In Black Alien Attack, which is my favorite shoot-em-up dark ride. I used the Single Rider Line for this, and got on the ride quickly. On my last trip to Universal, the Single Rider Line was not in use, and there was a very long wait for this popular attraction.

The ride vehicles are similar to those on The Cat in the Hat Ride at Islands of Adventure. Passengers weave through the city shooting at animatronic aliens, and eventually at other ride vehicles. Be sure to press the red button inside your vehicle when prompted to do so---your score will improve. The ride has different endings depending on how well you round up the aliens.

Up next was a ride on Revenge of the Mummy. This is another of my favorite Universal attractions. It's a dark ride, and it's a roller coaster. I think it's fantastic! It's also easy to get on if you use the Single Rider Line like I did. I always seem to have a problem walking up the stairs in the pitch-black Single Rider queue line here.

Revenge of the Mummy replaced Kongfrontation, the tram ride that featured a gigantic animatronic King Kong. I miss King Kong, but I'm a big fan of Revenge of the Mummy. I did find these great King Kong pressed pennies at the Universal Studios Store at the front of the park.

For more King Kong, check out King Kong, Christmas Ape.

It was then time to go to the front of the park to see Shrek 4-D at Universal Studios Florida for the first time. I had actually seen the 3D Shrek film before, but not in a theme park. How's that? The Shrek 3D movie was released on DVD in 2004, which was promoted during the release of Shrek 2.

Shrek is housed in a building that used to host an Alfred Hitchcock attraction, which included a 3D film sequence from The Birds.

It is fitting that the Shrek 4D attraction uses the Shrek movie clip of Fiona's singing ending the life of a bird.
Shrek 4D debuted at Universal Studios in 2003. The fun versions of the characters shown here were created for a merchandise line released to coincide with Shrek the Third in 2007.

Across from Shrek 4-D, there's construction going on in the former location of The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera.

This Hanna Barbera attraction debuted in 1990, and was replaced by the Nickelodeon Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride in 2003. The Jimmy Neutron version of the ride recently closed, and this attraction will soon be themed to Universal's Despicable Me. You can already find plush Minions and a Unicorn from the film at Universal's shops. The Hanna Barbera ride film has been shown at numerous theme parks around the country. You can still find Scooby Doo at Universal Studios Florida, even though the Hanna Barbera attraction has been closed for years. Similarly, you can still find Nickelodeon characters too, even though Nickelodeon Studios and the Nicktoon Blast have been closed.

After Shrek 4D, I returned to Islands of Adventure to ride Dragon Challenge and take another ride on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction. After a ride on the Incredible Hulk roller coaster, it was time to end my big day at Universal Orlando.

I went to CityWalk and had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Eating here has become a Universal tradition for me (I've also been to the location at Gardenwalk in Anaheim, California). After drinking a Butterbeer, a Frozen Butterbeer and eating a cheeseburger and fries that day, I wasn't incredibly hungry. I was really thirsty, and ready to relax. I got Grilled Shrimp Tacos at Bubba Gump, which is what I ordered on my last visit. I noticed one of the waiters was wearing a LT. DAN shirt. Yes, they sell one, and I am kicking myself for not buying that shirt!
I did get these cool shrimp magnets at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Soon it was time for my 9:15 pm Mears shuttle back to Disney's Yacht Club Resort. I had a great day at the Universal Orlando Resort, and can't wait to return!

Up next: I go Park-Hopping, and see a Wookie, a Yeti, and a Neanderthal all in the same day.