Parkeology was always intended to be a place to talk about the truly hidden aspects of Walt Disney World. The ruins of theme park history lay scattered throughout the property. I would spend hours wandering past shuttered buildings, old props, and the lost vestiges of long-gone storytelling civilizations, reminiscing about the past and tracking down […]
Lost and Abandoned Disney Details
Origins of Big Thunder Mountain
I’ve always been a Disney World guy. I love Disneyland to death, but it’s not the park I grew up with. Disneyland had a whole generation of changes before I was even born. Whenever I get nostalgic for the Disney of the past, it’s the electrosynth big-haired purple optimism of 1980s EPCOT or the 1970s […]
Confessions of a Splash Mountain Rap Star
The Splash Mountain rap will be the most awkward part of your week. Your month. Possibly even your life. But you will watch. You have no choice. When history presents you with a D-list TV star busting rhymes in front of a theme park ride featuring woodland animals, you must rise to the occasion. Hear […]
Forgotten Waterfalls of the Rainforest Cafe
I have a pretty good eye for noticing when things are different, even when I can’t quite put my finger on what has changed. So it came as a shock to me when I suddenly realized that sometime in the last decade an entire Rainforest Cafe has disappeared. I know what you are thinking: throw […]
Alternate Fantasy – Bizarro Adventureland
The strangest thing about Disneyland’s Adventureland is that the Treehouse is in the middle of the motherlovin’ sidewalk. It’s no secret that I have an unhealthy fascination with Magic Kingdom’s Swiss Family Treehouse. I love the way it’s perched out there on its own plant-infested island, sweltering in the hot florida sun. I love that […]
Alien Encounter Action Figures
Since we’re on the subject of Alien Encounter, I want to share some pictures with you of my toys. Because that statement didn’t sound creepy at all. Did you know that back in its heyday, Disney marketed a line of action figures based exclusively around this attraction? And there were some pretty good ones! I […]
This Post Is Not Scary Enough
I’ve been away for awhile. Disneyland and Christmas ate up all my time. It is a tough life being me. But as the new year approacheth and my grammar regresseth into King James dialects, I find myself misty eyed with reflection and possibly a cat hair that has fallen onto my contact lens. It’s hard […]
You Can Learn A Lot From a Dummy
I suppose this is a sad week. After 15 years, we finally say goodbye to Test Track, the “first Epcot thrill ride” if you pretend Body Wars didn’t exist. It ushered in a new era of awesomeness that finally pushed Epcot past those pesky elaborate animatronic epics. Test Track 2.0 may rock a sleek, Tron-esque look […]
Disappearing Act
Anyone who reads this blog long enough to get past the repetitive John Muir jokes and the poorly concealed Tony Baxter man-crush knows we have a true love of Walt Disney World’s simpler time. Nothing symbolizes this more than the old House of Magic shop on Main Street (now part of Goofy’s Plush-o-rama and Magical […]