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Anime Olaf, Elsa and Anna: Disney's Frozen In Japan

September 6, 2014, 2:46 pm
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Frozen has been a global smash hit for Disney, especially in Japan, where the film's title is Anna and the Snow Queen.  Japan knows how to make cool toys, and put a new twist on the movie's merchandise.

Let's be blunt, the merchandise in Japan (made by companies like Takara/Tomy) is insanely cute, especially for Olaf the Snowman.


This a snowman that is easy to hug.

Anime backpack Olaf has got your back!


Olaf will keep your drinks cold inside his boneless body.

Like Elsa, you can give life to Olaf (in puppet form).


This snowman won't give you frostbitten hands.

Anime Anna is just as friendly as her computer animated American counterpart.


Anna is eager to flee the palace and have fun with you.

When this Elsa grabs on to your keys or cell phone, she won't Let It Go.


Elsa is the warmest Ice Princess you'll ever meet.

Here is a very different Anime Elsa, on a stylish cloth bag.


This stunning artwork makes me wonder if we'll ever see a hand-drawn animated Japanese Snow Queen series from Disney (I really hope so!).  Hey, it happened for Lilo and Stitch!
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Kristoff And Sven's Reindeer Ranch At Disney's Animal Kingdom

September 16, 2014, 5:04 pm
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Frozen has been such a hit that the characters from the film are making a home for themselves at Walt Disney World in Florida.  Anna and Elsa greet guests in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.  In 2016, the Frozen gang returns to Norway in Epcot with a ride and a revival of their famous 2013 World Showcase meeting location.  Frozen Summer Fun (complete with a parade, store, skating venue, sing-along-show and fireworks) hit Disney's Hollywood Studios in the summer of 2014 and took the park by (Winter) storm.

Why should Disney's Animal Kingdom be left out of the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of success the Frozen characters can bring?


I would like to suggest Kristoff and Sven's Reindeer Ranch at Disney's Animal Kingdom, replacing Rafiki's Planet Watch.  The new Sven attraction could feature live reindeer (of course) and a chance to meet Kristoff.



There's no doubt that the line to meet Kristoff could exceed the wait time for Expedition Everest.  You'd think Kristoff was Elvis the way people reacted to him at Frozen Summer Fun.

Kristoff and Sven's Reindeer Ranch would also need an indoor snow arena, where you could build a snowman or ice skate.  And an indoor merchandise location, too, of course!


Have you ever been to Disney's Animal Kingdom on a Summer Day?  A snow attraction at Animal Kingdom would be the most popular thing the park has ever had.


And it would be funny if Kristoff and Sven's Reindeer Ranch also had a flat ride starring Marshmallow the Snow Monster (as a nod to the Yeti from Expedition Everest).

Guests of Kristoff and Sven's Reindeer Ranch may purchase a package of Olaf Noses (carrots) as a snack or to feed to the reindeer.


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Disney's Splash Mountain Goes On A Western River Expedition With Brer Roadrunner

September 23, 2014, 8:14 pm
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This vexes me.  I'm terribly vexed.  I need a mystery solved.

I recently found this very interesting concept art for Disney's Splash Mountain.  I happen to think this is the most interesting version of Splash Mountain that I've seen.  It's too bad it was never built.  It looks like the perfect match for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

At Walt Disney World in Florida, you'll find Splash Mountain in Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom, right next to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Frontierland is based on the Wild (South) West.  The source material for Splash Mountain is Song of the South, a movie based in the South East of the United States.  How do you create a mountain for Song of the South in the middle of Frontierland?  Another logical question might be, "Why would you do that in the first place?"

In this case, it was a place where a water-based attraction had always been planned for Frontierland.  Instead of southern rabbits and foxes, it would have had some kick-a$$ cowboys, designed by legendary Disney artist Marc Davis.


The look of the Western Splash Mountain seems to take inspiration from The Western River Expedition, a cowboy version of Pirates of the Caribbean that was planned for Walt Disney World's Frontierland (where Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain currently exist).


The Western River Expedition is famous among Disney enthusiasts.  This attraction was teased for years in the 1970s, and even appeared on early maps of the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.  How cool is that Pecos Bill type cowboy, by the way?

Instead of cowboys, the park got a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland.

Is this Western Splash Mountain artwork for real?

I decided to ask someone I know (a former Disney Imagineer who worked on Florida's Splash Mountain, which opened in 1992) about this mysterious version of the attraction.  The Imagineer had never seen this art before, but noted that it looked too much like the Southwest to fit a ride based on Brer Rabbit.

The most shocking thing mentioned is that Florida's Splash Mountain was considered early on to be part of Adventureland.  If that is true, it is totally F***ing Insane.

To make things even crazier, Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain features a character named Brer Roadrunner.


In case you wondered, there was not a character named Brer Roadrunner in Song of the South.  Because roadrunners do not live in the southeast.  But they can live in a cartoon southern mountain right next to a southwest mountain in a wild western town in a theme park in central Florida.  That's logical.

It's kind of amazing that Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear and all their southern friends have not yet been evicted from Splash Mountain by a much more merchandise-friendly cowboy.


Could there ever be a Splash Mountain starring Woody, Bullseye, and Jessie?

Would Stinky Pete ever invade Frontierland and threaten Woody, Jessie and their desert animal friends?  Would a TNT explosion send the Splash Mountain logs down the final drop?


Could the Splash Mountain finale change from Zip A Dee Doo Dah to You've Got a Friend in Me?

Probably not, but you have to wonder if there's ever been a meeting about something like this happening.
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Kitten Motorcycle Gang

October 6, 2014, 6:32 pm
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I get sidetracked very easily.  That is how I came up Kitten Motorcycle Gang, some ridiculous new characters that I hope to turn into an empire.  I envision plush toys, action figures, a movie, cat food, and a theme park attraction.  I'm still trying to name these bad biker kitties.  From Left to Right, there's Tiger (or Tommy), Sheba (or Kitty) and Hairball.

Part of the inspiration for Kitten Motorcycle Gang is an old picture from the early 1990s I found of our family cat, Bud, lounging on a motorcycle.  I based KMG member Hairball on Bud.

We really should have dressed up Bud in a vest and put a bandana on his head.

Besides the fact that cats are popular on the Internet, and shows like Sons of Anarchy are big right now, I also had inspiration for Kitten Motorcycle Gang from something from the past.  That would be Topps Perlorian Cats Trading Cards.

Back in 2010, I wrote a Dizmentia post called Bad Biker Kitties: Topps Perlorian Cats (click the link to see that) and I noticed from the responses that some people were obsessed with those motorcycle cats.

Watch for Kitten Motorcycle Gang to rev up their cycles and roar (and purr) sooner that nine lives from now.  I'm thinking of songs that need to appear in a KMG movie.  Definitely Rock this Town by the Stray Cats and maybe Puss n' Boots by Atom Ant, and possibly Kitty by the Presidents of the United States of America.
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Disney's Tarzan At McDonald's

November 29, 2014, 2:20 pm
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In 1999, Disney and Edgar Rice Burroughs joined forces for the animated feature Tarzan.  The film was directed by Kevin Lima (A Goofy Movie) and Chris Buck (Frozen).  The radio-ready songs were created by Phil Collins.  McDonald's provided some promotional partner muscle.  There were 8 Happy Meal Action Toys and 3 different Sound Straws.  I'm pretty sure there was a Banana Milkshake somewhere to promote the movie, too.

Glenn Close provided the voice of Tarzan's adoptive gorilla mom, Kala.


Early in the film, Kala does battle with the ferocious leopard, Sabor.

Sabor kills Tarzan's parents and Kala's baby gorilla in the first few minutes of Tarzan.


The character of Sabor is a relentless predator.  When watching James Cameron's 2009 film AVATAR, the destructive, panther-like Thanator creature reminded me of Sabor.

Instead of simply swinging on vines, Disney's extreme sports Tarzan "surfs" through the trees.


You would think that Tarzan would have a beard, but I guess the gorillas taught him how to shave.

In Tarzan, Jane is a refreshing comical character.


One of the highlights of the film is the extensive "Baboon Chase" sequence, which starts with Jane sketching a Baby Baboon.

Jane's loving father is Professor Porter.


The Porter toy rides a bike, which is pretty impressive.

Clayton guides Jane and Porter, and he has facial hair, so you know he's the villain.


Clayton has a rather gruesome death by vines.

Terk the Gorilla (voiced by Rosie O'Donnell) sings a song called "Trashin' the Camp."


"Trashin the Camp" was also covered by 'N Sync for the film's soundtrack.

Tantor the Elephant was voiced by Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld).


The Tantor McDonald's toy is appropriately LARGE.

Tarzan inspired different McDonald's Happy Meal toys around the world.

There are 10 toys in the Tarzan McDonald's Happy Meal set from Australia.


The Australian set of toys seems a bit "low cost" compared to the American set, but I think the Australian set is charming and unique.

Jane enjoys sketching detailed drawings of Jungle animals and a wild man wearing a loincloth.


Though the Australian set of toys isn't lavish, it is nice that it mixes materials.  Jane has a real paper sketchbook.

Baby Tarzan will always be in Kala's heart.


I think there was a missed opportunity with Kala's voice.  Carol Burnett could have voiced Kala, and performed her famous "Tarzan Yell", giving a new twist to the origin of the Tarzan Yell.

The Sabor action figure is easy to spot.


Sabor may very well be the most feral Disney character ever created.

Clayton seems tame compared to Sabor.


Clayton uses antlers in all of his decorating, in addition to Gorilla Fur accent pillows (we can assume).

The Australian Tarzan McDonald's Happy Meal has a tree full of Baby Baboons.


Though there was only one Baby Baboon in the film, some of the International McDonald's Happy Meals featured multiple baby baboons.  Perhaps they did this to represent the mob of baboons in the movie in a kinder, cuter way.

Professor Porter sets up an elaborate camp that is just waiting to be trashed.


The gorillas will have to teach Porter and Clayton how to shave, just like they taught Tarzan.

Terk enjoys playing songs using pots and pans.


Terk, of course, is a New Yorker, so she's seen STOMP on Broadway.

Some very interesting character choices were made for the Australian McDonald's Tarzan Happy Meal.  Tantor the Elephant is not represented, but Flynt the Gorilla has a toy.


Flynt and his friend Mungo are Terk's cronies.

Young Mungo was voiced by Jason Marsden (Max in A Goofy Movie).


The Mungo "record player" is one of the most elaborate toys in the Australian set, yet Mungo is one of the most minor characters in the Tarzan movie.  Things really are upside-down in Australia.

Would you fancy a spot of tea with your Happy Meal?  Jane, Porter and Clayton's local McDonald's in England had a different set of Tarzan toys.  The Tantor toy looks the same as the American set, but all the others are slightly different.  Kerchak is featured here, climbing a tree that is about a foot tall when assembled.

Three magnetic Baby Baboons can be attached to Jane.  Clayton has a cloth jacket.  Tarzan's pose and vine are a bit different from the USA set, as is Clayton's bike.  The Kala/Tarzan toy and the Terk toy are also significantly different from the American set.

The U.K. Tarzan McDonald's Happy Meal had some beautiful boxes.  If I remember correctly, McDonald's in the USA used simple bags.
In addition to the Happy Meal, McDonald's in the U.K. had a Jungle Chicken meal, a Jungle McDouble and a toffee and banana sundae.

Tarzan was one of the last hand-drawn Disney animated films to have a great deal of merchandise, including Jungle Bachelorette Party Tarzan and Jane dolls (includes stacks of tiny $1 bills).


I bet Barbie would ditch Ken in an instant if the Tarzan doll appeared near her toybox.

Years before the TV series Scandal, Tony Goldwyn played Tarzan.  I wonder if that information has or will inspire any sort of Tarzan/Scandal FanFiction.


Minnie Driver provided a very fun (and funny) version of Jane.

For the video release of Tarzan, McDonald's had a chain-reaction "Mouse-Trap" type set of McDonald's Happy Meal toys.  When joined together, the toys created a jungle playset.


I used this Tarzan McDonald's playset to create Disney's Animal Kingdom Pandora AVATAR McDonald's Happy Meal.  (Click the link to see that).

Quite a bit of Tarzan McDonald's Happy Meal toys were created.  I will be adding more here gradually.  Stay tuned!

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What Does Disney's Todd The Fox Say?

January 1, 2015, 2:53 pm
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In the 1981 Disney film The Fox and the Hound, Todd the Fox is voiced by Keith Coogan (Adventures in Babysitting, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead) as a child and the legendary Mickey Rooney as an adult.  As a kid, I was a big fan of The Fox and the Hound.  A long time ago, in the deserts of Arizona on a family vacation, I discovered a shocking and baffling thing at a shopping mall toy store.  A battery-operated barking Todd.

Before I get much further, the fox in Disney's movie is called "Tod", but this toy is "Todd" with two d's.  Apparently this is a pretty common mistake, and I believe the character is called "Todd" in the original book by Daniel P. Maddix.

When I saw this at the toy store, I was puzzled.  A barking Fox?  To be fair, Tod does sort of "bark" in the milking scene in The Fox and the Hound.

As much as I wanted this toy, I never got it.  I also never saw it anywhere else.


Barking Todd is made by a company called iLLCO, which sounds like a parody toy company.

It would seem like Copper the Hound would have been a better fit for this particular toy technology.


To my knowledge, there was not a toy version of Copper that barked or even featured the voice of Corey Feldman or Kurt Russell.

Getting a good look at this toy out of the package, I'm kind of OK with the fact that my parents ignored my requests to buy it.  The illustrations on the box seem to promise something better than what was made.


Sometimes I feel like I was meant to see some odd things when I was a kid so I could write about it here decades later.  Such is the case with the Barking Todd toy from iLLCO.
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Disney's Robin Hood Unmasked

February 6, 2015, 8:46 pm
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There's something about animated Disney foxes.  As a kid, I particularly enjoyed The Fox and the Hound, as well as the Splash Mountain log flume attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World (starring Brer Fox).  Sometime in the early 1980s, Robin Hood was re-released in movie theaters, and I was obsessed with the film just by seeing the commercial for it on television.

I would have asked for any Robin Hood toy that was available, but at the time, there wasn't much of anything available.  No Robin Hood action figures, no plush toys, nothing!  There were books and records, of course, but not much else.  It seems like there was a good assortment of merchandise when the movie was released in 1973.  And Robin Hood (aka Robin des Bois) has appeared on some keen loot in Europe.


Robin Hood is notorious for stealing from other Disney films.  The "Phony King of England" sequence directly lifts animation from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats.

I often wondered if I was the only person who noticed that the facial design of Robin Hood changes during the film.  Sometimes Robin Hood is drawn with a long snout and a pointy rounded nose (similar to the Fox in Mary Poppins).  Other times Robin Hood is drawn with a shorter snout and a triangular nose (similar to the Adult Tod in The Fox and the Hound).

My hunch is that Robin Hood got a redesign during production to make the character seem more handsome and less comical.  Quite a bit of early merchandise shows this long-snout Robin Hood.

Way before Julie Taymor re-imagined characters from The Lion King for Broadway, Henri Salvador made Robin Hood records wearing a very different Robin Hood costume.


I would totally see Robin des Bois if it was a musical on the stage.

Robin Hood strikes a foxy pose.

The release of Robin Hood in 1973 meant a menagerie of colorful creatures could invade Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  Note that this version of Robin Hood has a long snout and pointy nose.

Updated versions of Robin Hood and Little John appeared in the 2012 "Disneyland" episode of the TV series Modern Family.


The Modern Family episode story featuring Little John the bear recalls a plot point of a 1973 episode of The Brady Bunch called "The Cincinnati Kids" set at Kings Island amusement park in Ohio.  Peter Brady gets a job playing Hanna Barbera character Hair Bear from the TV series Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch.

At Walt Disney World and Disneyland  in the 1970s, you could find some great Robin Hood Merchandise.


Highly detailed bisque figures of Prince John and Sir Hiss look like they could star in a theme park show.

An extensive line of amazing Robin Hood figures was planned.

Apparently, only Robin Hood, Prince John and Sir Hiss were widely sold.

It took many years, but a Robin Hood action figure was finally released.  At McDonald's!


The Robin Hood McDonald's Happy Meal action figure was released in the late 1990s as part of a Walt Disney Home Video promotion.  The figurines were packaged in VHS Tape boxes (remember VHS?).

In Europe, Robin Hood characters appeared in Fast Food promotions at Burger King and McDonald's.  A "Slinky" type plush toy of Sir Hiss was part of the Ronald McDonald Happy Meal Walt Disney Classics Collection.


The Slinky Sir Hiss was joined by characters from Alice in Wonderland, Hercules, Pinocchio, and Mary Poppins.

For years, I had never seen a Robin Hood plush toy for sale at a Disney theme park (which is kind of amazing).  Then, I finally saw one.



Yes, I finally saw a Robin Hood plush toy for sale at Disneyland in California in the early 1990s, and the character chosen to represent the film was Sir Hiss!  How could this be?  Suspicious snake!

Last night, much to my shock and surprise, I saw for the first time the Android "Animal Buddies" commercial on TV that uses Roger Miller's "Oo De Lally" Robin Hood song.  Robin Hood may not get the press the other popular Disney films get, but he is clearly not forgotten!
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Disney's Roboduck Invades NBC And The Disney Afternoon

February 22, 2015, 10:07 am
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When Disney's syndicated animated series DuckTales debuted on TV in 1987, it was a huge hit.  The 65 initial episodes were so well received that an additional 30 were ordered up with some new characters.  The first new character to show up was cave duck Bubba (voiced by Frank Welker).  The next new character was Roboduck.  Wait, who?!?  Yes, the character that would be known as Gizmo-Duck (voiced by Hamilton Camp) was originally called Roboduck.

The 1988 issue of Cartoon Quarterly Magazine (created by Gladstone Publishing) gave an early peek at the new characters.  I can still remember discovering this magazine at a grocery store when I was a kid.


This first (and only?) issue of Cartoon Quarterly has an article called Bear and Duck Tales---Disney Animation Comes to TV by John Cawley.  It is interesting to see the early designs for Bubba and Roboduck.

Bubba seemed to quickly become a background character in the series.

The character of Fenton Crackshell, and his alter ego Gizmo-Duck, would have a much bigger impact.  Super DuckTales aired on NBC during Easter of 1989, introducing the new superhero to the series.  Gizmo-Duck pretty much became the focus of most of the new stories on the syndicated TV show.  Some of them are pretty wild, including my favorite episode, Metal Attraction, which includes a parody of Disneyland and a robotic maid who is madly in love with Gizmo-Duck.



Gizmo-Duck appeared in comic books and video games, and in episodes of Disney's 1991 series Darkwing Duck along with fellow transplanted DuckTales cast member Launchpad McQuack.  The Gizmo-Duck character also was included in a DuckTales Kellogg's cereal figurine promotion for The Disney Afternoon.

Curiously, Bubba and Gizmo were not in 1990's theatrical DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.  The movie added a new "kid" Genie character (voiced by Rip Taylor) who seemed to be added to the cast at the end of the film (sort of a Bubba 2.0), though he never appeared in the TV series.  The movie's thief character, Dijon (voiced by Richard Libertini) appeared in the last episodes of the DuckTales TV series.

Frank Welker (Bubba) is a voice over legend, appearing in countless TV shows and movies over the years (if there's an animal in a movie, chances are good that Frank Welker provided its voice).

The late Hamilton Camp (Fenton/Gizmo-Duck) was a prolific musician and actor, and appeared on-camera in movies and in TV shows like Three's Company and WKRP in Cincinnati.

I wanted to note here that I don't think there is a single official way to write "Gizmo-Duck".  I have seen "Gizmoduck" and "Gizmo Duck" and "Gizmo-Duck" and "GizmoDuck".
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A Whole New SeaWorld Orlando

July 11, 2015, 10:50 pm
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On Friday, July 3rd, 2015, I visited SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida for the first time since the Summer of 1987.  Needless to say, the park has changed quite a bit since my last visit.  Seeing how much SeaWorld has transformed was very exciting.

When I visited SeaWorld in 1987, the newest attraction was the Penguin Encounter (which has since been replaced and upgraded).


In 1987, SeaWorld was all about the shows.  It is rather shocking to see how much has changed.

By 2009, SeaWorld had transformed into a whole different animal.


Among the biggest changes over the years were the addition of rides.  This includes Wild Arctic, Journey to Atlantis, Kraken, the rides in Shamu's Happy Harbor, and Manta. In 2016, the Mako roller coaster will dominate the skyline in the water behind the Kraken roller coaster.

In 2008, SeaWorld Orlando opened its water park, Aquatica.


Like SeaWorld, Aquatica mixes rides and wild life.  Aquatica has an Australian/New Zealand theme.  The park's Dolphin Plunge ride features Commerson's Dolphins raised at SeaWorld San Diego.

I think SeaWorld may be my favorite theme park in Orlando.  It is worth noting that I did not even see Shamu or watch any of the animal shows.

This trip to Orlando was very literally a last-minute decision.  On Tuesday, June 30, 2015, I was informed that I would be able to take some days off work for the 4th of July.  That day, I called the vet to board my cat.  On Wednesday, July 1st, I got to leave work early.  On Thursday, July 2nd, I dropped the cat off at the vet in the morning and drove down to Orlando.

I have friends who moved to Casselberry, Florida in January of 2015.  So I got to visit with them (and stay with them!).  They are in the process of fixing up a new house, so they were not able to go with me to any theme parks.

With my trusty Tom Tom GPS, I made my way to the SeaWorld Resort.  I did not get to the park entrance until 12:30PM (I got a late start!) but SeaWorld was open until 11:00PM so I wasn't worried or in a hurry. Of course I knew the park would be busy on July 3rd (and it was).


SeaWorld's Port of Entry features a lighthouse overlooking a simulated wavy ocean with statutes of marine life (including sea lions, a walrus, an orca, and a shark).

There was a huge line just to get tickets, but SeaWorld offers automated touch-screen kiosks to purchase tickets.  There was a mob of people in front of them, but if you went around the corner (which was clearly marked) there were a bunch of kiosks that weren't being used.  Hooray!


The machine spit out my ticket, as well as two coupons for other SeaWorld experiences/upgrades.

Upon entry, you can pick up a huge (really cool) souvenir park map.


This map illustrates how much SeaWorld has changed since my visit in 1987.  The park has grown up, and now looks more like its sibling, Busch Gardens.

In 2009, SeaWorld introduced its new flying coaster, Manta.


Manta is right near SeaWorld's entrance, and gives the park some thrilling energy.

As the coaster roars near, spectators are drawn to the first viewing area of the ride.


The screaming riders are racing toward us.  What is gonna happen to them?

Manta appears to skim the water (not really, but it looks cool!)


Heads turn as the coaster zooms by.  Will you ride or just watch?

My first stop was a ride on Manta! (That is me on the far left).


Yes, I took a picture of the picture!

Manta is a coaster and an aquarium!  The line for the coaster goes through the aquarium, but there is also a separate aquarium viewing area for non-riders.


Manta's aquarium features rays, seadragons, and a big octopus.

Of all the "new to me" attractions I experienced on this visit to Orlando, Manta is my favorite.  Why?  It is all about presentation.


Basically, everyone at SeaWorld can experience Manta.  There's the aquarium aspect, of course, and the pathways around Manta pass under and around the coaster track.  Manta is fun to watch and fun to ride!

Manta's lift hill carries riders over park visitors and into the sky.


This area is near the prime spot for acrobatic coaster watching.  Of course there's also a Manta gift shop nearby (and a Manta Soft Serve ice cream location).

I took video of Manta from the prime viewing location of the coaster and luckily I know a 19 year old who showed me how to get screen shots from the video.


I loved watching Manta glide through the sky and put on a show for everyone in SeaWorld.

The Manta coaster trains are led by a large Manta and smaller Rays.


There is netting right under sections of the track that fly directly over the sidewalks.  It is not just a nice nautical decoration: people lose coins and glasses on this ride.  There is a good chance that your pockets will be emptied while riding Manta (they do have lockers near the ride entrance).

I did not buy many souvenirs on this trip, but one item I knew I would pick up was sold at the Manta Gift Shop: a cool octopus SeaWorld magnet.


I waited to get this octopus at the end of the day.

I quickly discovered that I was getting dehydrated, so I decided to refuel at Voyagers Smokehouse BBQ (I got a turkey sandwich with fruit---it was really good!).  There were no tables available inside the wonderful air conditioned building so I went outside into the shaded screened-in outdoor eating area.

As I was eating, I was facing what I believe is the most crowded and congested area at SeaWorld: the area near the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium, which includes the nearby Antarctica section.  Luckily, SeaWorld is big and during the day there I discovered there are many places you can go to avoid crowds.


I made my way to Kraken, SeaWorld's big, bad-ass floorless sea monster roller coaster.

The eel-inspired Kraken opened at SeaWorld in 2000.


Props to SeaWorld for propping Kraken with colorful props.

Storm clouds threatened the park all day and then arrived in full force later in the evening.


Kraken has seven inversions and I loved all of them.

The trains for Kraken roar right by the ride's entrance and through a tunnel.


It would be nice if Kraken had some sort of eel decoration as part of the coaster train, but being a Floorless coaster, I'm not sure that would even be possible.

One uncrowded area I discovered at SeaWorld is the corner of the park with the manatees, dolphins and stingrays.  Go there and relax!


Being a water ride in Orlando, Journey to Atlantis had one of the longest lines in the park.

Part fever-dream dark ride, part log flume, part roller coaster: It's Journey to Atlantis!


Many first-time riders think the experience is over with this visible splash-down.  In this tricky ride, the boats go back up a hill and into the darkness for a rollicking coaster ride and second splash-down hidden from sight.

Journey to Atlantis features animatronic seahorses and some psychedelic air conditioned indoor show scenes. Then it taunts you by making you think the big drop you've seen is about to happen---and then the boat turns a corner and climbs even higher!


Thankfully, you will also get drenched riding it on a hot Orlando Summer day.

Atlantis also has a cool indoor aquarium and a gift shop that thankfully sells Diet Coke.


I took a selfie outside of Atlantis in the blazing sun because I'm a Superstar.

Kraken towers behind Pacific Point Preserve, one of my favorite places to hang out at SeaWorld.


At Pacific Point Preserve, you can watch (and feed) sea lions and seals.

I heard a SeaWorld Crew Member (employee) talking about harbor seals in the exhibit, but had not seen one---until I finally did!


The spotted Harbor Seal here (who is much less animated that the Sea Lions) blends in really well with the rocks.

The barking, playful sea lions will wave at you to get your attention (and the fish you can buy to feed them).


It seems like you can get really, really close to the sea lions because they have some tall, rocky areas where they can relax.

There is quite a bit at SeaWorld that I did not see on this visit.  I did not get to ride on Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.  I also missed the Shark Encounter, and the Sky Tower.


A nice place to get away from the crowds is the Sea Garden, near the Terrace BBQ.

At one of the stores near the sharks, I saw some great shirts with some fun SeaWorld characters.


The Manta and Rockhopper Penguin are my favorites.

Near the Shark Encounter, SeaWorld is working on its next attraction, a hypercoaster called Mako.


When it opens in the Summer of 2016, the 200 foot tall Mako will be the longest, tallest, fastest roller coaster in Orlando.  I cannot wait!

Like Manta, the Mako attraction will mix a thrilling Bolliger and Mabillard roller coaster (zooming over the park's walkways) with sea life viewing areas (in this case, sharks!).  I am digging the sleek shark coaster trains and the decor seen in the concept art.


I have been on a Bolliger and Mabillard Hypercoaster before (Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia) and that was fantastic---so I am very excited that SeaWorld is bringing the thrills (and eye candy) to Orlando with Mako.

The Sea Garden has some cool, colorful sculptures made out of---trash? (I can't remember what the signs around these said).


Seahorse the size of a horse!

A Parrotfish the size of a small car.


I heard people around me say that the Terrace BBQ in the background is the old Anheuser Busch Hospitality Center.

Impressive Octopus sculpture.


Lots of fun things to discover at SeaWorld.

Man, SeaWorld is HUGE.  As I mentioned, I did not see Shamu, or any of the shows.  In 1987, when we went to SeaWorld, we had a multi-day pass.  At the time, all they had were shows, and I saw all of them many times---and we were with someone who videotaped the shows. (I actually still have that tape).


I also totally missed Wild Arctic.

It seems like this area is probably a prime location for a roller coaster in the future.  I have an idea for one called "Leopard Seal Hunt".  I know Leopard Seals are from Antarctica, not the Arctic, but they are cool and would be a good inspiration for a coaster.


I was inspired by learning about the "Cheetah Hunt" roller coaster found at Busch Gardens Tampa. (I haven't been to Busch Gardens since "Montu" opened---I gotta get back there soon!).

I only walked by Shamu's Happy Harbor.


There are 8 rides for kids in Shamu's Happy Harbor.  It looked like most of the kids were in the water play area.

Near Shamu Stadium, there is a bridge that closes at around 6PM.  I made it across just before the bridge closed.  It offers a view of Kraken, and in front of the coaster is Spice Mill Burgers, where I ate dinner.


A curiosity in this photo is the Flamingo Paddle Boats, which is an upcharge attraction.  These remind me of something from the Rollercoaster Tycoon game.

The Sky Tower and Manta coaster seen from the bridge.


After I ate dinner, a major storm hit near the park.  Lightning shut down rides and everyone was instructed to stay indoors.  My phone battery was running low and I did not have my charger.  Until I could get to my car and charge my phone, I decided to do some souvenir shopping.

The Manta store actually had some items on sale.  Yes!

I picked up a shot glass for a co-worker (and one for myself) and a keychain.

SeaWorld has Pressed Penny machines EVERYWHERE.  Years ago I probably would have tried to get all of them.  I only got three this time.

Manta and the Octopus pennies are near the park entrance/Manta.  The Mermaid penny is near Atlantis.  I was amazed to see keychains and wristbands made to hold pressed pennies for sale at SeaWorld and Universal Orlando on this trip.

This Manta statue was also on sale, so I had to buy one.


I really want a working model of the Manta coaster!

Back in 2009, I bought a Manta magnet at the SeaWorld Store at the Orlando International Airport.


At the time I do remember thinking that getting this souvenir without actually going to SeaWorld was like cheating.

A few years ago I also found this Manta water bottle at a store called Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Over the years, Unclaimed Baggage has seen all kinds of oddities, including a puppet of Hoggle from Jim Henson's movie Labyrinth.

I also found an inexpensive, easily transported souvenir to give as a co-worker gift: A cool SeaWorld magnet.



I found these SeaWorld magnets at the Emporium Gift Shop and it is worth mentioning that SeaWorld Crew Member who helped me was a super friendly guy named Ryan (from Memphis).  He noticed my Alabama Drivers License and asked exactly where I was from---and knew where it was. It's a small world---er, SeaWorld, after all!

I left the stormy SeaWorld and took the tram back to my car in the Turtle parking lot across the street from the park.  I sat in the car as my phone slowly powered up.  Then I made the drive back to my friends' house.
On July 4th, I had a non-theme park day spent with my friends, which included painting inside their new home.  Then we went to their neighbor's house for a party that had every kind of 4th of July food you could think of.  Then, I got to experience the madness that is 4th of July in suburban Casselberry, with dozens of homes creating professional-level fireworks displays over a lake.  Crazy fun!

On July 5th, I got up early and went to Universal Orlando (by myself) and got a 1 day, 2 park ticket.  It was a great day that ended in painful blisters on my toes and another major storm that shut down many of the attractions in the early evening.

On July 6th I got in the car and went home.  I went back to a world where I did not have to pay to just park my car.  It felt strange buying a sandwich and a drink and not spending $12.  I miss Orlando, and will be back soon!
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The Screamin' Delta Demon: From Opryland To Shanghai Disneyland

July 15, 2015, 6:21 pm
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When you wish upon a star, apparently your dreams come true in Shanghai Disneyland.

As a kid growing up in Alabama, I was fascinated by the marketing for the Opryland theme park in Nashville, Tennessee.  Specifically, I was obsessed with the advertising artwork created for the park's Grizzly River Rampage raft ride and The Screamin' Delta Demon toboggan ride.

The logo artwork for The Screamin' Delta Demon seemed to promise an encounter with a scary crocodile/alligator type creature in a swamp.



The reality of The Screamin' Delta Demon did not match the artwork.  It was a fun ride for sure, but there was no monster lurking in a swamp trying to get you.


The ride vehicles, at least, were shaped like the Delta Demon creature.  The attraction zoomed through the woods, mingling with Opryland's (very fun) log flume ride.

By 1997, Opryland closed down and the Screamin' Delta Demon became just a memory.

Flash forward to July, 2015, with new information revealed about the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland park in China.

Shanghai Disneyland's Roaring Rapids raft attraction features a beast that looks very familiar to me.


WOW!  Could it be?  Finally, the terrifying Screamin' Delta Demon lives!  He is only missing his wings.  Maybe King Stefan from Maleficent cut them off.

Seriously, this Shanghai Disneyland creature is fantastic, and a dream come true for me.


Now if only Disney could revive Opryland's Grizzly River Rampage.

Oh, wait, they sort of already did that (see Disney's Country Bears at Grizzly River Run in California Adventure).

For more fun, check out Dreamin' of the Screamin' Delta Demon at Opryland.

In the middle of Opryland, you could also find the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Do Wah Diddy City.


These days, you can find the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida, and at the Walt Disney Studios Park at the Disneyland Paris Resort in France.

On the flip side, Opryland also had a show called "I Hear America Singing."


At Disneyland in California, a very similar type show called "America Sings" played in Tomorrowland from 1974 to 1988 (though the Disney show featured Audio Animatronics animals characters---many of whom went on to appear in Splash Mountain).

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Hunter Dean, The New Vestavia Hills High School Rebel Without A Cause

July 27, 2015, 5:24 pm
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In 1993, I graduated from Vestavia Hills High School in Alabama.

In July of 2013, I attended my 20 Year High School Reunion and contributed artwork of our Rebel mascot for the festivities (I had a blast at my Reunion, by the way).

In the Summer of 2015, VHHS became a lightning rod for controversy surrounding the the use of the school's southern-fried mascot.  My high school was even mentioned (mocked?---I did not see) on Comedy Central.  I never dreamed that would happen in a million years.  I always equated our old mascot with the KFC Colonel Sanders spokesman.

Long story short, the mascot is being replaced, and the school is choosing a new one.  My friend Sidney, who I've known since the fifth grade, texted me an idea he had for our new VHHS mascot.  Sidney's idea got better and better as we were texting.  He wanted me to draw up our new James Dean - inspired Rebel.  I came up with the name "Hunter Dean."

Hunter Dean is the most political cartoon I've ever done.  He's not bad, he's just drawn that way.
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Groovy Beauty And The Funky Beast

August 8, 2015, 9:31 am
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Beauty and the Beast is a tale as old as time and one that has been told in many different ways over the years.  Yesterday I quickly drew up an idea I had for a more "adult" animated 1960s/1970s spin on the story called Groovy Beauty and the Funky Beast.  I was very much inspired by many of the truly bizarre, forgotten, and unknown (to today's audiences) cartoons created by Hanna Barbera, Ruby Spears and Filmation circa the 70s and early 80s (there was a Hanna Barbera TV show called The Funky Phantom, no joke!).  The Funky Beast is not a literal Beast---he is a hairy 70s "bad boy" who likes to get down on the dance floor.  Groovy Beauty is a free-spirited 60s flower child.

I am thinking about what the soundtrack to Groovy Beauty and the Funky Beast would include.  1)"Hair" should probably be one of the songs.  2)"Bend Me, Shape Me" by The American Breed---the Beauty's ability to change the Beast is part of the appeal to the story, because girls want to "change" a bad boy. 3)"I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC and the Sunshine Band---for obvious reasons.

4) I love the song "Pinball Wizard" by The Who.  It has nothing to do with the story of Beauty and the Beast, but I think it is a cool song.  Maybe the Pinball Wizard puts the curse on the Funky Beast.
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Griffith, Cornelia And Firewall: From Pinball Wizard to Majestic Griffith

August 17, 2015, 5:48 pm
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Over the past few weeks, I have been listening to lots of music from the Sixties and Seventies.  A particular favorite of mine is The Who's 1969 song "Pinball Wizard." I thought, "I'll be clever and make my own Pinball Wizard character." Then I Googled Pinball Wizard and discovered that had been done already (a lot of times---A LOT).  With that Wizard in mind, I started thinking of other mythical type characters I could make into human characters.  The other logical choices were a griffin, unicorn and a dragon.

I'm not exactly sure what it is that Griffith, Cornelia and Firewall do, but I think that it involves money, and collecting treasure, and being funny.  Details, details...

Griffith (based on a griffin) is the main character here and is kind of a grouch.  He is voiced by comedian Louis CK (in my mind).  I don't know much about mysterious Cornelia (based on a unicorn) except that she sounds like a horse neighing when she giggles.  Bold and brash Firewall (based on a dragon) needs a voice that is intimidating, cool and booming: so Keith David ("Goliath" in Disney's Gargoyles) would be perfect to play him.

I came up with a name, a logo and more characters for Griffith to interact with.  Majestic Griffith could also be called Majestic Griffith: Middle Ages.
Griffith is a divorced, middle-aged dad who is also an action hero/adventurer security guard.  Griffith's ex-wife is Harper (inspired by a harpie), and I created her with the idea of Annie Potts playing her.  Griffith and Harper have a son named "Izzy" Izzard (voiced in my head by Derek Richardson from Anger Management).  Izzy is based on the "Pinball Wizard" character idea that started all these characters.


Firewall is the focal point of the world of Majestic Griffith and he is definitely inspired by Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug from The Hobbit (as well as Disney's Scrooge McDuck).

Griffith has a lot of conflict in his life, including a cocky, pelvis-swiveling rival named Gus (a character inspired by a Pegasus and Conrad Birdie from Bye Bye Birdie).
 The "innocent" power-hungry Cornelia is his partner in crime.

Mannox is a bullish guy with a personality the size of Texas.  He is based on a Minotaur.

Dr. Ojo Rojo, O.D. is a diabolical eye doctor based on a Cyclops (additional inspiration came from a sun-burned bald spot I got a couple years ago).

Nestor McLoch is boxer (based on the Loch Ness Monster).

Blaise is a pyromaniac firefighter, based on a Phoenix.  Before settling on the name "Blaise", the character was also known as Pyro Byrd, Fireman Byrd, and Ashton Phynixx.

Uncontrollable Underbridge is based on a Troll.  In my mind, Underbridge is voiced by Ty Burrell (from Modern Family).  This character went through many, many different design ideas and was originally going to be "Comptroller Underbridge." I was worried that nobody would know what a Comptroller was (I'm not even sure what it is, really).


Lawnmower Nomad is based on a Gnome.  A Lawn Gnome (get it?!).  These hooligans are always up to no good.

Top Secret Agent Proto (Triceratops/Protoceratops), Tyrell (T-Rex) and Dax (Pterodactyl) are "plot twist villains" based on dinosaurs.  Tyrell also happens to be based on someone I know who used to work for a country club golf course.


It may seem totally random to have dinosaur-based characters in Majestic Griffith, but it is not.  Dinosaurs can be seen as the inspiration for stories of dragons and griffins.  Bones of the beaked Protoceratops, for example, fueled the tales of the mythical Griffin.

While I'm coming up with stuff for all these characters to do, I thought I'd push them into the small world of the Internet and maybe Louis CK would see this and be interested in being Griffith.  You just never know!
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Grandma Is 40: Beverly Tsunami And Dewy Zane Hurricane

October 14, 2015, 8:22 pm
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When you turn 40, you start thinking about things.  Like, when people your age start to have grandchildren.

I was thinking, this could be a fun premise for a comedy.  Maybe it could be called "Grandma Is 40" and star Drew Barrymore.  I was thinking, why couldn't I make something like this?

I starting sketching out characters, until I remembered two that I had already created for a superhero comic I am working on called Man-Atee and Woman-Taray (I have been slowly putting material from this comic on my recently created Twitter account, and will post it all online eventually).

The 40 Year old Grandma is Beverly Tsunami, heavily inspired by Gwen Stefani---there's an Asian inspiration there, and the hairstyle is vaguely reminiscent of a "grandma" hairdo.

Dewy Zane Hurricane is inspired by the larger-than-life personality of actor Terry Crews, mixed with a stranded-at-sea beach bum.

These characters were developed as "villains" for Man-Atee and Woman-Taray, but the casting director in me saw potential for them to headline Grandma Is 40.

Being 40 is really a state of mind, and these characters are meant to be fun and youthful.

Beverly Tsunami's grandchild is named Lil' Urchin.  This ruthless (yet adorable) little boy was created as a one-shot character for my Man-Atee and Woman-Taray superhero comic.


Lil' Urchin appears in the origin story of Man-Atee and Woman-Taray, as the characters are inventing their identity.

Anemone is Beverly Tsunami's daughter.  In my mind, she is voiced by Ariel Winter (from "Modern Family").  For the voice of her son, Lil' Urchin, I was thinking of Rachel Dratch (from Saturday Night Live---particularly the hilarious cockney accent she had in the "Christmas Urchins" sketch she did with Jennifer Anniston).


Anemone's husband is Tuttle.  I think comedian/talk show host James Corden could play this character.  What is crazy is that after drawing this character, I met someone (from Australia) who looks very much like him.

Beverly Tsunami and Dewy Zane Hurricane are professional wrestlers.  They encounter some wild and colorful characters.


All-Mighty Sanddollar Bill and Caped Coralreef Leif were also initially created for Man-Atee and Woman-Taray.  I'm kind of proud of turning a sand dollar and a coral reef into wrestler characters.

Beverly Tsunami's main rival is the splashy Wave Crash Aquarius.


Even though Wave Crash Aquarius is equipped with her own watery mist, she fights dirty!

I would love for Drew Barrymore and all the other actors I've chosen to voice the characters.  So maybe they will read this and join forces with me.

It would be cool if Gwen Stefani and No Doubt provided songs for my Grandma Is 40 movie, too.

Fingers crossed!
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Thanksgiving In Venice (Florida) With Walt Disney World As Dessert

December 6, 2015, 6:03 pm
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For me, going home for the holidays now means going to Florida.  My Thanksgiving 2015 trip ended with a visit to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  I went on Saturday, November 28th.  And yes, it was as busy as you would imagine it might be.  By the time I got to Disney, I was tan from spending five days on the beach in Venice, Florida.  I also grew a beach beard in that amount of time.  Going back to work and getting compliments was fun.

I grew up going to Venice, Florida on Summer Vacations.


In August 2015, my parents decided to permanently vacation in Venice by moving there.  On November 21, I made the (very) long drive down to spend Thanksgiving with the family at the beach.

Venice is on an island, and it is known for the shark's teeth you can find on the beaches.  I have decades of experience finding them.


My parents live about a mile away from Caspersen Beach, which is a great place to find shark's teeth.  These are just some of the many that I found on  this visit.

Downtown Venice is home to a number of shops, including a shell shop that I always have to see.  They always have funky stuff that reminds me of Gilligan's Island.


Venice had a Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 28th (I missed it because I went to Orlando).  People were allowed to stake their spot for the parade on Wednesday, November 25th after 6PM.  It was kinda wild.

Venice, Florida is known for its Cheetahs, apparently.


I'm wondering if the people who had this made were thinking of Busch Gardens in Tampa (which isn't far away).

My buddy, Reed Randolph, goes to Ringling College of Art & Design in nearby Sarasota.  I saw this at a store in Venice and thought of him.


It's a small world, after all:  My parents' next door neighbor has a son who attends Ringling, too!

When I was in college, I made this bronze tree based on Splash Mountain at Disneyland in California.  My Dad asked me to make the Elves (which are made out of Sculpey) in 2007.  They live outside in my parents' back yard now.


These days, the Elves share their tree with lizards.

Florida souvenir Disney merchandise has been around for as long as I can remember.  I saw this Monsters University Florida Keychain at the Venice Walmart.


My close friends, Liz and David (and their three kids) moved to Orlando in December of 2014.  My plan was to finish my Thanksgiving trip with them at Walt Disney World on Saturday, November 28th.  Late on Wednesday night, my friend Liz texted me asking if I had got my ticket yet.  I had not.  She said I better get it now so we can schedule Fastpasses.  So I got online and did that quickly.  At midnight, Liz was able to book the coveted 8:50PM Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Fastpasses for everyone for Saturday night.

On Friday, November 27th, I left Venice at 5:00 PM and headed to Orlando.  Driving on I-4 passing through Walt Disney World, I got very excited.  By the time I got to my friends' house, and we unwound and watched an episode of Portlandia, I was wired.  I think I slept two hours, maybe.

The plan was for us to be out of the house (in Lake Mary) by 10:00AM, which we accomplished.  We decided to stop by the McDonald's at the CrossRoads of Lake Buena Vista, and eat on the drive to the Magic Kingdom parking lot.

We parked in the Peter Pan lot, and then walked to the Transportation and Ticket Center.  We hopped on the Monorail (the kids loved the Star Wars monorail, which we did not ride).  Finally, we were at The Magic Kingdom!


I would not say that my friends are Disney fanatics, but because they are here all the time, I can safely say that they know more about how this place works and how to get around more than I ever will.

We were actually talking about the Barber Shop.  David wanted to get his hair cut---so we found that on Main Street.  It turns out they were really busy!  You do need an appointment to get your hair cut.


Walt Disney World knows how to put up a Christmas Tree.

So, I got pictures of the animated windows at the Emporium on Main Street.  The windows are for Mickey's Christmas Carol.


While looking at my pictures, I realized that, much to my horror, I never actually went in to the Emporium on this visit!  Aaaaugh!!!!

Getting the detail for these windows would have been much better at night, I think.  But my camera battery was dead by then.


At first I was disappointed with these pictures, but looking at them now, I like that you can see the sunny day on Main Street.

Going in to this trip, we knew that not everything could be done in one day.  I did everything that was a priority to me, and I was happy with that.  There was no way we could have done more in one day.


We did not even set foot in Adventureland (though I saw the Flying Carpets as we walked by in Frontierland).  I also did not enter Storybook Circus.  The only Beauty and the Beast thing I saw was Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Somehow I also totally missed the Hub and did not get a good picture of Cinderella Castle.


Looking at this food got me thinking.  I've only been to a few restaurants at the Magic Kingdom: Pinocchio's Village Haus, Cosmic Ray's, and Pecos Bill's Cafe.  That is crazy.

Even though there is an attraction called Pete's Silly Side Show at the Magic Kingdom, you can't meet Pete anywhere.  Here you can at least see him in a window.


This is the first time in a while that I've been to Walt Disney World with kids (ages 10, 9 and 8).  It was fun!  It helps that they really know their way around the parks.

Being in Orlando, I could not help but think about what my friends' kids are really interested with.  The two older kids love Star Wars in a big way.  All three love Mario.  And all three love the LEGO Movie.  They really are the target audience for this part of Florida.


It's time for spirited fun at Walt Disney World!

Here we see the Anheuser-Busch Clyesdale.  Wait, no, that isn't right!


This horse had to weave through a sea of people.

The first attraction we rode was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.  I had an insanely high score, which was a first for me.  I must have hit a secret target.  Then the ride stopped and the work lights came on.  And the scores were wiped clean.  Noooooo!


We split up in Tomorrowland.  The party I was with went to the PeopleMover while the others had Fastpasses for the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Those of us with Fastpasses for Space Mountain did that next.  Woo hoo!


Robot Pluto was not the craziest dog-related thing I saw at the Magic Kingdom.  I saw a family carrying a live Yorkie in their backpack.

While in the area, we also rode The Mad Tea Party and The Little Mermaid attraction.

We split up again, and some of us had Fastpasses for Splash Mountain.  We also went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.


The wait for Big Thunder was not too bad.  I accidentally got a good shot of the dinosaur bones.

The kids needed a snack break, so I went off on my own to do The Haunted Mansion.  This was also my first time seeing the new Tangled area in Fantasyland, which is really pretty.


The biggest downside to the Tangled area (the "Tangled Toilets") is that the ambient music for this area (chirping birds) seems to have eliminated the howling wolf sound at the nearby Haunted Mansion.  Boo!!!

This was my first time seeing Enchanted Tales With Belle.  I got to see it with two of the kids (one of which was playing the Beast) so that was fun.  The kids really seem to like it.


Is Lumiere an animatronic or a puppet, or a hybrid?  I'm not sure, but he is impressive.  Belle was really sweet with the kids (and adults) who were in the show.

We took in a showing of Mickey's Philharmagic (which had no wait) and then went to Pecos Bill's Cafe for dinner.  Bill's has a brand new menu (burritos and rice bowls).  One thing we liked about Pecos Bill's was the topping bar---you can really load up on corn dressing (is that what it is called?) and salsa and cheese.  They had a cool little Country Bear Jamboree plastic jug that I wanted, but did not get.  After dinner, my friends showed me one of the real alligators that lives near Splash Mountain's boardwalk!


Don't climb over the fences in Frontierland, kids!

I had a Fastpass for a night time ride on Big Thunder Mountain---which is my favorite time to go on that attraction---love the dancers in the building in the town of Tumbleweed.  We also got in multiple rides on Splash Mountain, which was pretty much a walk-on.

We left Splash Mountain and noticed The Main Street---err, Disney's Electrical Parade marching towards us.  We stopped and watched, and then realized that if we did not leave, we would potentially miss our Fastpass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then miss some of the Fireworks show.


We did basically see the Parade in its entirety as we walked to Fantasyland.  We made it to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which I really enjoyed.  I did notice that they are very serious about not letting people sneak in the Fastpass line for the attraction---there was a second Fastpass checkpoint!

We left the Mine Train just in time for the Fireworks, which we saw in Fantasyland.  We kept looking towards the castle and then behind the castle to see all the pyro.  Great show!

The last visit was the shops in Tomorrowland.  I had promised the kids that I would get them a toy for Christmas.  It made getting myself something easier, I think.


I got a Peter Pan Disney Racer to go with the Captain Hook Disney Racer I got a few years ago.  Appropriate that we started the day with Peter Pan and ended with Peter Pan.

One of the kids chose a Snowtrooper Star Wars Disney Racer.  The other two chose Disney Collector Packs.


I got a Villains Collector Pack for myself, which had some great characters.  I really wanted Pete---oh well.

I also picked up these magnets to give to co-workers back in the real world.


I regret not getting one of these for myself.

After a Ferry Boat ride, we got to the Parking Lot Tram and then to the Peter Pan lot.  I think we got back to the house in Lake Mary at 11:45PM.  I got up early and started my long drive home at 7:50AM.

I was sad to go, but I will be back to Florida very soon.  Real soon.  Like, in a few weeks.  So I can't complain.
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Today's Special: The Croakettes On A Canadian Nickelodeon Show

December 29, 2015, 9:42 pm
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Before the days of the Internet, it was a confusing time.  If you wanted to find out about something, you couldn't just Google it.  It was kind of awful.  If you hear people talking about the good old days, when times were simpler, they suffer from memory loss.

As a kid, I frequently watched a children's show called Today's Special (1981-1987) when I visited some friends in my neighborhood.  They had Nickelodeon, and my family did not.  There always seemed to be something different about Today's Special, but I could not figure out what it was.  I had no idea that it was made in Canada (as was Nickelodeon's You Can't Do That On Television).

Today's Special was set in the Children's Department of a store in a shopping mall.  Every night, a human woman, a male mannequin, and their puppet friends would get into mischief and teach us a lesson.  Think of it as a more educational version of the movie Mannequin.  In the background were all sorts of toys, including some ever-present plush frogs.

 
Who were these frogs?  I had never seen these toys in real life.


The frog in the leather jacket was prominently shown in many scenes during the show.

 Oh look!  There's a Monchichi!  This particular episode also features Rainbow Brite toys in the background.


Some years ago, I remembered these toys and for some reason I Googled them.  Amazingly, I found out more about them.  The frogs are The Croakettes.


The Croakettes was a relatively small line of plush toy frogs in the 1980s.


I believe they were probably sold in small gift shops.  I had only ever seen them on Today's Special.

This Christmas Eve, I saw a couple of them in person.

This Christmas, I visited my family in Venice, Florida, and went to the local Goodwill on Christmas Eve.  This was the nicest Goodwill I've ever visited.  And they had a collector's section!  They had a couple plush frogs who I recognized as the Croakettes.


This is Polly, one of the two Croakettes characters that I saw for sale at the Goodwill.  She reminds me a bit of Red from Fraggle Rock. I also saw the Frogman superhero.  I did not bother to see how much they were, because I don't need to buy any of them.  It's nice just to see them.

Some of the Croakettes can still be purchased online.  I'm sure they are widely available because few people know who they are.

Here is the greaser Croakette that had the most screen time on Today's Special.


This cool dude is named Bugsy Croakette.


Bugsy is like the Fonz of the Croakettes.  Considering this was made when Happy Days was popular, I'm guessing that is who he is based on.


Bugsy has some cool shades.


Those Dragon Flies are hooligans!

And of course there is a Frog Prince in the Croakette family.


Prince Frogerick, to be exact.


The copyright information is very interesting.  1914 and 1983!


I thought it was really interesting that the only time I've ever seen the Croakettes in person was in Florida.  Maybe there was a reason...


The Croakettes seem to fit in with the cute toy characters of the 1980s.


Some nice bling on the Prince.


The Croakettes have a sense of humor.


Here, Bugsy hangs out with Jane Ponda.  How 1980s.


Work those Frog Legs, Jane!

The Croakette with glasses is Wart C. Wallstreet.


If they made this today, would he be Harry Frogger?

The Bride Croakette is named Leapia.


There's nothing quite as beautiful as a frog in a wedding gown.


Do you remember Gremlins 2: The New Batch?  I think someone on the crew had this doll.

So what are you waiting for?  Buy all the Croakettes, dance around with a mannequin and live out your own fantasy version of that Canadian classic, Today's Special.


Today's Special.  Shout it loud and clear.
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Henry Kiwi and Dwayne Crane in The Bird Sanctuary

January 8, 2016, 6:01 pm
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Between 2003 and 2005, I spent a lot of free time creating characters for The Bird Sanctuary.  In my mind, it was going to be a movie, but I was never able to think of a good story to give these birdies.

The main character was going to be Henry Kiwi, which was the first character I made.  Kiwi birds are considered "honorary mammals" in their native New Zealand (because they can't fly, they have whiskers and they have hairlike feathers), so I thought he would be a unique lead.  Dwayne Crane (an African Crowned Crane) was supposed to be his antagonist rival---someone who can't stand flightless birds. (Like I said, I couldn't think of a good story...)

That being said, I did create quite a bit of exploratory artwork for The Bird Sanctuary, especially in 2004 and 2005.


In 2002, I got a PowerMac G4 with Photoshop and a Stylus.  I had great fun testing what it could do.

The birds are made out of Sculpey, a crafting clay that can be cured in a standard oven.  It smells pretty horrible when it is baking.  Dwayne Crane and Phoebe Flamingo are about 12 inches tall.  These were an engineering feat to make.  They are free standing and had to stand up in a glass baking pan in the oven.  Each bird is made up of twisted wire coat hangers, clumps of aluminum foil and many different colors of Sculpey (no painting was required).  Looking at them now, I am amazed that they are structurally sound.

With their short size, Lowell Owl and Gwen Penguin were probably the easiest to build.  Henry Kiwi was kind of tricky---making sure the character did not tip over and making his "hair" (with an extrusion Sculpey tool) took some time.

The most time-consuming character was the last one I made (in 2005), Brock Peacock.  Creating all those eye feathers (front and back) and getting the darn bird built lead to Sculpey burnout.

I made these so long ago, that I feel like a different person made them.


Henry Kiwi makes friends with a Starling.

Dwayne Crane is not so nice to the little bird, and gets a different reaction.


Much of the conflict is courtesy of Dwayne Crane.

Henry is a very friendly, popular, and different kind of bird---one that isn't flashy, and it drives Dwayne crazy.


Dwayne has to be the best at everything.


The Bird Sanctuary is a world of birds from all over the globe.




It's a great, big, beautiful (and dangerous) world for a Kiwi.


Henry Kiwi can't fly, but he can take care of himself.

The apex bird in The Bird Sanctuary is Brock Peacock.  He looks good and he knows it.


If Brock Peacock ever forgets he is handsome, he has dozens of shrieking Peahen groupies flocking around to remind him.
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Opryland's Grizzly River Rampage Souvenirs: Bear Left

January 23, 2016, 12:24 pm
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Once Upon A Time in Nashville, Tennessee, there was a legendary grizzly bear who lived in the Opryland amusement park.  According to advertisements and merchandise for Grizzly River Rampage, the bear would emerge from the rapids to terrify raft riders.


Of course, this scene never actually existed in the ride, which opened at Opryland in 1982.  Amusement Parks are notorious for this sort of marketing scheme.


Grizzly River Rampage opened with a number of standard amusement park souvenir items for sale.  Drinking and shot glasses are part of the bear essential assortment of offerings.


How about a GRR floaty pen?


Even the floaty pen promised a scene that wasn't real.

 There was also a GRR floaty keychain.


The floaty keychain was a little bit more honest.


Nope, there's no ferocious grizzly popping up out of the water.


The rafts of Grizzly River Rampage did go through a cave and see a statue of what might have been a grizzly bear.  There may have been strobe lights to simulate movement.

My first and only visit to Opryland was in 1985.  Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, I was part of the audience that saw the marketing blitz for Grizzly River Rampage.


Yes, you will get soaked on GRR.  A towel is an appropriate souvenir.


We visited Opryland in September of 1985.  It was chilly outside, but we had to ride GRR.  We stayed at the Opryland Hotel, which is huge and still exists today.


At the time of my visit, I don't remember seeing any Grizzly River Rampage souvenirs for sale (like this figural charm, which I would have wanted---but I was a fifth grader and did not have money to spend for that, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway).

I was obsessed with the marketing for this ride.  There was a wonderful comic-book style ad in the Sunday Birmingham News that I still remember to this day (it may have been in the comics section).  If anyone has that, please send it my way!

One of the nicest items is a Grizzly River Rampage stein.


Opryland and Grizzly River Rampage became a thing of the past when the park closed down December 31, 1997 and never re-opened.

A grizzly bear raft ride exists today at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.  Check out Disney's Country Bears at Grizzly River Run in California Adventure.  There are no advertised grizzlies on that attraction, either (except for a mountain shaped like a bear).
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The Spee-Lunkers Cave At Six Flags Over Texas

January 31, 2016, 6:26 pm
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Before The Minions and even before Fraggle Rock, there were The Spee-Lunkers of Six Flags Over Texas.

"What is a Spee-Lunker?" you may ask.  Well, imagine if Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter mated with a Seahorse.  Their offspring might look something like a Spee-Lunker.  "Spees" as they were nicknamed, were part of a dark boat ride at Six Flags Over Texas, housed in "The Cave."


Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961.  Located in Arlington, this was the very first Six Flags park.

The Cave full of Spee-Lunkers debuted in 1964.


Six Flags is not famous for dark rides, but the three original Six Flags parks (in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri) each had their own special dark ride.


The Spee-Lunker's Cave is a distant cousin of The Monster Plantation (now The Monster Mansion) that opened at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1981.

Having never been to Six Flags Over Texas, my first introduction to the Spee-Lunkers was this magazine from July 1967.


I found this magazine when I visited my local Library's used book store when I was a kid.  I quickly bought it.

One of the original icons for Six Flags Over Texas was Skull Island.


Spooky, but also kind of adorable.

So, this is where I first encountered the Spee-Lunkers.


Notice there is no description for what we are seeing.  What were these little creatures?  Were they sea monkeys?  They had me hooked!  At the time, there was no Internet, so the identity of these characters remained a mystery to me for many years.

Some Groovy, stylish young adults take us on a tour of Six Flags Over Texas.


Seeing the Sheriff scene here makes me think of theme parks like Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee or Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.

Wholesome young adults enjoy a wholesome day.


Early Six Flags is quite different from the EXTREME Six Flags we know today.


"Hello, Karen.  I'm the Six Flags Magician.  It's pretty amazing what I can do with doves and cards, but I think you'll agree that my hair is even more impressive and magical."

For about five years, some of my family members lived in Texas.  My visits were typically in December or November, and in all that time, I never made the trip to Six Flags Over Texas.  On one Christmas visit, I found some local 1960's high school yearbooks for sale in a store.



I bet these high school Seniors had some fun at Six Flags Over Texas.  The big hair inspired me to create my own imaginary pitch for a Sixties TV show for the CW Network called Bigger In Texas.

Early Six Flags Over Texas had its own identity and character.


Every hour, oil would erupt out of the Six Flags Over Texas Oil Derrick, showering unsuspecting people under the tower.

Or not.



Whoa!  Where are the wall-to-wall roller coasters?


The arrival of licensed characters kind of robbed Six Flags Over Texas of its original life force and soul.


Skull Island was featured in quite a bit of park merchandise.


Skull Island is kind of similar in some ways to the Skull Rock that used to be at Disneyland in California from 1960 to whenever it was destroyed for the New Fantasyland that debuted in 1983.

Here we can see The Cave (home of the Spee-Lunkers) and Skull Island on an old Six Flags park map.


Like the Spees, Skull Island is no longer at Six Flags Over Texas.

Early Six Flags merchandise could be very unusual.


How about a mod piggy bank?  Well, this isn't a typical piggy bank.

Yes, it is a Spee-Lunker Piggy Bank!


The Spee-Lunkers never got the Smurfs or Snorks treatment, but they did appear on merchandise.

The cute yet grotesque Spee-Lunkers were designed by Walter McKeegan.


Walter McKeegan was an art director for TV shows like I Love Lucy, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies.



The Spee-Lunkers Cave was designed by theme park designer Randall Duell.

The Six Flags Over Texas Charm Bracelet may be the most coveted souvenir dedicated to the original version of the park.


Included in the assortment of park icon charms are Skull Island and a Spee-Lunker.  Yes, a Spee-Lunker!


This is as close as we'll ever get to a Spee-Lunker action figure.


The Six Flags Over Texas Charm Bracelet sells for big bucks (if you can even find it).

This vintage patch seems to predict the future.  In 1985, the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes arrived at the Six Flags chain.  The characters gradually became the focus of promotions and merchandise.


In 1992, the Western Looney Tunes themed "Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure" dark ride replaced the aging Spee-Lunkers attraction.

The unique Spees are gone, but not forgotten.  Allegedly, some of the Spee-Lunkers made their way into the homes (and Christmas displays) of loving Texans.
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Busch Gardens: Fly Like An Eagle, Or A SheiKra, Or A Griffon

February 14, 2016, 12:35 pm
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Long ago, a dream became a reality in Florida.  A thrilling world opened up filled with intoxicating enchantment, wild animals and flowing booze.  And it was all started by a bird.  A Friendly Eagle who makes beer.

Anheuser-Busch created Busch Gardens as a marketing tool for its products.  Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida opened in 1959.  Busch Gardens in Los Angeles, California opened in 1964.  The park in Williamsburg, Virginia opened in 1975.


The stoic Eagle from The Anheuser-Busch logo was transformed into a friendly cartoon mascot.

Let's go to Busch Gardens in California!


Gardens, birds and brew were the main focus for Busch Gardens in the earliest years of the parks.


Let's plan out our day of frothy, feathered fun.



Visitors to Busch Gardens could meet their favorite bird of prey.


You could even meet the Big Eagle's three trouble-making Nephews, the Little Eaglettes!  Their names are Lager, Hops and Barley.  They'll sing you a song about how beer is made.

It seems the park in Los Angeles literally had a Garden theme.


Busch Gardens in California closed in 1979.

In Florida, Busch Gardens focused on African animals.  And birds, trains, trams, log flumes and beer.


Busch Gardens in Tampa was primed to become an exotic destination in Florida.


The Friendly Eagle appeared on all sorts of souvenirs.

Kids, don't use magic markers to color in this plate we bought for Grama as a souvenir.  This cost some serious cash!


40 years ago, I guess people recognized the Friendly Eagle character.


Are you ready for a day of fun at Busch Gardens Tampa?


Let's go get tanked and look at parrots!

Dwarf Village was an area for Kids at Busch Gardens in Florida.


Dwarf Village closed to make way for the 1995 opening of Land of the Dragons.

Busch Gardens in Virginia has a European theme.


Here, you can get drunk and look at cuckoo clocks.


Let's go buy some souvenirs!

How about a Wind-Up Friendly Eagle?


Wind up Sobriety Test Friendly Eagle and he will briefly move forward in a straight line and then spin around wildly.

These Salt and Pepper Shakers have Tampa written on them, but I think it is safe to say they were also available in Virginia.


The Salt and Pepper Shakers will look great next to this Hamburger Plate.


There's a place for Ketchup and Mustard.  What goes in the unmarked section?  Your cigarette, of course!

You can also get your own plush toy of the Friendly Eagle.


"Kids, I thought this was cute when I bought it for you.  But clearly I was wearing beer goggles."

If you prefer more realistic birds on your dinnerware, Busch Gardens has you covered.


Enjoy a tall glass of ale and get on the monorail to see the lions!


Please refrain from sharing your drink with the animals.

Do you want to remember your visit to Busch Gardens?  Get an Elephant charm!


Eventually, Busch Gardens Tampa got the name The Dark Continent.


The Dark Continent became the prominent name on all forms of media and merchandise.


At the same time, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia became known as "The Old Country".


Busch Gardens is just like going to Africa.  Africa with roller coasters and dolphin shows!


This artwork has me all nostalgic for childhood car trips to Florida.


The Africa-shaped Busch Gardens image was featured in marketing materials and merchandise.


Let's go on Safari!


Busch Gardens has sold some great merchandise over the years.

When I see this shirt, I think of the Toto song "Africa".


You could totally wear this to a Paul Simon concert, too.

What sound does a giraffe make?


Giraffes are pretty, and also really dangerous.  Have you seen them in nature films?  Don't tick them off.

Busch Gardens is associated with Africa, but it also features lots of tigers.


Tigers are Asian.  We'll forgive Busch Gardens, because Tigers are beautiful.

The Python Arrow Corkscrew roller coaster opened at Busch Gardens Tampa in 1976.


This iconic coaster was prominently featured in commercials for the park.


You could get some groovy looking Python gear in the stores.


By today's standards, The Python was a very short ride.


In 2006, The Python slithered away from Busch Gardens Tampa.

In 1978, Busch Gardens in Virginia opened The Loch Ness Monster.


Busch Gardens created an amazing animated commercial for the launch of The Loch Ness Monster.


The impressive ad was narrated by Paul Frees and featured the creature attacking a ship.


The Loch Ness Monster is an Arrow Dynamics roller coaster with two interlocking loops.


I like how the interlocking loops are incorporated into the creature's design.


The Loch Ness Monster was the first roller coaster with interlocking loops, and it is the only coaster that has them now (the others have been dismantled).

When it opened in 1978, it was the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster.


The coaster trains enter a cave during a section of the ride that used to feature images of the monster.


The design for the Monster's mascot has changed quite a bit over the years.  There really isn't a "definitive" version of it.


In 2013, the Loch Ness Monster was classified as a Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts.

In 1984, Busch Gardens in Virginia got a new roller coaster, The Big Bad Wolf.


The Big Bad Wolf was a suspended steel roller coaster.


Arrow Dynamics designed the ride, which was located in the Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens.



Over the years, there were many different "looks" used for souvenirs for The Big Bad Wolf.


There was a highly realistic version of the Wolf.


What a menace!


There were also more comical versions of the Wolf.


Who's Bad?


Are you afraid?


My, what big teeth you have.


Looks like he's about to huff and puff.

My, what red eyes you have.


Mr. Wolf, you need some Visene.

The Big Bad Wolf closed in 2009.


The Big Bad Wolf was replaced by Verbolten, a German themed Zierer launching roller coaster ride through The Black Forest.


The Big Bad Wolf is gone, but not forgotten.  Verbolten's dark ride sections include show scenes, and one is wolf themed.  Verbolten also contains a drop over the water similar to The Big Bad Wolf's.

In 1987, Giant Pandas arrived for a limited time at Busch Gardens in Tampa.


They are adorable.  You could eat them up with a spoon.


The Pandas got their own exhibit in the Bird Gardens section of the park.


I imagine the Pandas moved quite a bit of merchandise.

In 1988, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened Roman Rapids.


A rapids ride among Roman ruins is a pretty unique design choice.

When the Pandas left Busch Gardens in Tampa, they were replaced by Koalas.


Like the Pandas, the Koalas were so adorable, you could eat them with a spoon.


The Panda exhibit featured Asian architecture that remained for the Australian animals.  I guess they could have explained it as "Australasian".

In 1989, Anheuser-Busch bought the SeaWorld Parks (in California, Ohio, Florida and Texas).  Even before its ties to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens had a Dolphin Show.  The Dolphins went away in 2002.


In 2009, Anheuser-Busch  sold the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Parks.  Currently, the Busch Gardens parks and SeaWorld Parks exist as part of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

Let's go to Duff Gardens and see DuffMan.  Oh Yeah!


Yes, the famous Bud Man mascot that The Simpsons spoofed appeared on Busch Gardens merchandise in the late 1980s and 90s.


I'm not sure if you could meet Bud Man at Busch Gardens.


The Bud Man Stein is a pretty popular collector's item.

In 1992, Tampa opened Myombe Reserve.


This impressive Great Ape Domain exhibit provides close encounters with Gorillas.

The Drachen Fire Arrow Dynamics roller coaster opened at Busch Gardens in Virginia in 1992.


Drachen Fire had a reputation of being a rough ride, and it closed down in 1998.

In 1993, Busch Gardens Tampa opened its famous Bolliger and Mabillard roller coaster, Kumba.


Kumba was a huge hit for Busch Gardens, and became the biggest roller coaster in the park.


The word "Kumba" means "Roar".


Promotional artwork and merchandise for Kumba is particularly interesting to me.


What kind of animal is Kumba supposed to be?

Sometimes, Kumba resembles a panther.


Sometimes Kumba looks like a made-up creature.


Is Kumba a jungle cat, or a wolf or a mongoose?


Whatever it is, Kumba is intense.


I'm thinking Kumba is based on a Genet or a Civet or a Fossa.

Busch Gardens in Virginia has been home to a number of unique characters for years


The Dragon character has been around for a long time.


The name of the Dragon is Gordon.  You can meet him in person.


Don't worry.  Gordon is a Friendly Dragon.


For many years, Gordon was exclusive to The Old Country.

In 1994, the Land of the Dragons kids area opened at Busch Gardens in Virginia.


Land of the Dragons opened at Busch Gardens Tampa in 1995.  Gordon also made the journey to Florida.

Gordon's blue friend is a dragon named Dumphrey.

Dumphrey reminds me a lot of the monsters on The Monster Plantation ride (now called The Monster Mansion) at Six Flags Over Georgia.

In Florida, the Land of the Dragons closed down and was replaced by the Sesame Street Safari of Fun in 2010.


Land of the Dragons still exists at Busch Gardens in Virginia.  The park in Williamsburg also has the Sesame Street Forest of Fun section for kids, which opened in 2009.

By 1996, Busch Gardens Tampa invited visitors to walk like an Egyptian.


King Tut's Tomb allowed visitors to experience what it was like to be Steve Martin.

The big new attraction in Egypt was the B and M Inverted coaster, Montu.


I'm not sure if this ride intentionally pays tribute to Busch Garden's early focus on birds, but I like to think it does.

Montu's Hawk Head guy mascot is pretty intense.


Montu was the tallest inverted coaster until Busch Gardens in Virginia got Alpengeist.

What happens when a ski lift goes wild?  You get Alpengeist!


This Bolliger and Mabillard inverted coaster opened in 1997.  Like Montu in Tampa, it proved to be a huge hit.

Alpengeist means "Ghost of the Alps".


The furry Alpengeist creature looks like a blue version of the Abominable Snowman.

A creature does not appear on the ride, but he shows up on a lot of merchandise.


Let's go to Busch Gardens Europe, located in Virginia.  Then we can go to Busch Gardens Australia in Tennessee.

In 1999, the Apollo's Chariot Hyper Coaster debuted in Virginia.


Apollo's Chariot is a famous B and M Hyper Coaster.  It is the one that model Fabio rode at the grand opening and a flying goose accidentally hit him in the face.

The legendary Gwazi dueling wooden roller coasters opened at Busch Gardens Tampa in 1999.


Wooden roller coasters can be good and they can be bad.  There's probably a good reason why there aren't more of them in Florida.

Gwazi had a nice concept, based on a creature with a head of a tiger and a body of a lion (or was it the other way around?).


For some time, Gwazi was kept open but no longer dueled.  Only the Lion side was operational.

Rhino Rally opened in Tampa in 2001.  This was a one-of-a-kind Vekoma Safari Adventure ride with live animals.


By 2010, the water portion of Rhino Rally was shut down.  By 2014, the entire attraction was shuttered.

In 2005, Busch Gardens Tampa opened SheiKra, a 200 foot tall Dive Coaster designed by Bolliger and Mabillard.


SheiKra is based on a hawk called a Shikra.  Of course, lots of folks call this ride "Shakira."

When SheiKra first debuted, the coaster trains were a bit different.


Originally, riders sat inside the SheiKra coaster trains, which had a sleek, stylized hawk "hood ornament".

In 2007, SheiKra's trains were redesigned to become a more thrilling Floorless Coaster.


It seems the "hawk hood ornament" remained as part of the new Floorless coaster trains, but it was eventually removed---I'm guessing to make loading and unloading the passengers easier and safer.

SheiKra was a big success among the roster of Busch Gardens Tampa's roller coasters.  We can't forget ol' Scorpion (a rather short Silverarrow looping coaster), which opened in 1980.


Gwazi was ultimately shut down.  I do think Busch Gardens should revive the concept somehow.  Did you ever see the movie Napoleon Dynamite?  That movie had a famous Liger (Lion/Tiger mix) character.  I think there should be a new dueling coaster: Napoleon Dynamite: Liger Vs. Tigon.

Flashing forward, Busch Gardens Tampa got a brand new big cat coaster called Cheetah Hunt in 2011.


Cheetah Hunt is an Intamin launched steel roller coaster.  Being in Busch Gardens, the attraction also features live cheetah encounters.

The Cheetah Hunt coaster weaves through parts of the old Rhino Rally attraction.  Busch Gardens knows how to recycle!


I think Cheetah Hunt has some of the best themed coaster trains I've ever seen.


Cheetah Hunt is the essence of a Cheetah, in coaster form.

Flashing back to 2007, Busch Gardens in Virginia unleashed SheiKra's fraternal twin, Griffon.


Are you Team SheiKra or Team Griffon?  Both rides are virtually the same (both were built by B and M), but it seems they are different enough for people to take sides.

Griffon debuted as a Floorless coaster.  This idea was so good that SheiKra was converted to a Floorless coaster, too.


Griffon is 205 feet tall.  SheiKra is 200 feet tall.  Is that a big deal?  It is to some people.


Griffon is based on a Griffon.  Or a Gryphon.  Or a Griffin.  However you spell it, it is a cool mythical animal.


As far as I can tell, Griffon never had the avian "hood ornament" that SheiKra had.

SheiKra and Griffon debuted at the time when the park in Florida was called Busch Gardens Africa and the park in Virginia was called Busch Gardens Europe.


The confusing names were dropped in 2008.  Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens Africa are no more.

So, who is the winner in the feud between SheiKra and Griffon?



I have not yet experienced SheiKra or Griffon, so my opinion on which is better is strictly observational.

I prefer the idea of a Griffon theme, because it is a freakin' Griffin.  I mean, come on!  Nobody "gets" the name SheiKra.  Everyone just calls it Shakira.  And Griffon is a bit taller.

That being said, I think SheiKra (on the surface, at least) LOOKS like a better experience.

Griffon's splashdown sequence is not as impressive to me because a section of coaster track momentarily blocks the water stream effect.  And I don't understand why it was designed that way.


SheiKra vs. Griffon?  I call it a draw.

This past Summer, I drew up some new characters that were inspired in part by the mythology of Busch Gardens.  Majestic Griffith stars a middle-aged, divorced Dad named Griffith (inspired by a Griffin) and his son, Izzy (inspired by a Wizard).  Griffith's ex-wife is Harper (inspired by a Harpie).


The SheiKra vs Griffon battle was in my head when I thought of the sparring mythical bird creature-based characters.  Griffith is very much inspired by comedian Louis C.K., and I imagine the character with his voice.  I think of actress Annie Potts as the voice of Griffith's ex-wife, Harper.

Griffith is a security guard at a treasure vault, and he reports to the controlling and power-hungry Cornelia (inspired by a Unicorn).  I think of Amy Poehler voicing Cornelia.


Cornelia wants her Conrad Birdie-like boyfriend, Gus (inspired by a Pegasus) to take over Griffith's job.

The Loch Ness Monster was on my mind when I drew up Griffith's friend, boxer Nestor McLoch.


Blaise is a pyromaniac firefighter (inspired by a Phoenix).

Uncontrollable Underbridge is a punk, inspired by a Troll.


Lawnmower Nomad (a play on "Lawn Gnome") is a Graffiti Artist.

Mannox is a rich, eccentric cowboy (inspired by a Minotaur).

Dr. Rojo Ojo, O.D. (inspired by a Cyclops) is Griffith's eye doctor.

Griffith works as a treasure vault security guard for the mighty Firewall (inspired by a dragon).  I think of actor Keith David as the voice of Firewall.


Can the middle-aged Griffith survive in his ever-changing world?  With the help of his technical wizard son, Izzy, the answer is yes.

Busch Gardens is not the only theme park that has inspired me to create new characters.

In July of 2015 I went to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida (a sister park to Busch Gardens) and I drew Power Sharkskinsuit and Koi Goldcoin when I returned home from my vacation.
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