Monday, August 23, 2010

Retro Disney



The House of Mouse. Steamboat Willie (1928) . The Wonderful World of Disney. How To Play Baseball (1942). The Baby-Sitters Club. The Original Mickey Mouse Club. These are some personal favorite “retro” Disney shows/shorts of mine.

Many of us on Twitter have agreed that Phineas and Ferb is the only top-notch Disney cartoon which currently airs. (I also personally enjoy Mickey Mouse’s Clubhouse as well.) Sure, you have the cute appeal of Wizards on Waverly Place and the innocent faces of Zack and Cody…but do their shows really stand against the power of the Mouse?

I don’t want to criticize Disney, because the corporation is basically who I am, but I want to say that I do not watch High School Musical or Hannah Montana, or any other current show. And as much as I enjoy Phineas and Ferb, I don’t make the time to watch an episode like I would with a classic Donald Duck short.

In the 1990s, I adored Boy Meets World (1993-2000) & Sister Sister. When I have children, I want them to grow up on The Goof Troop (1992-1996) and The Little Mermaid series (1992-1995), among many others.

Uncle Walt believed in the simplicity of magic. When he began the Wonderful World of Disney, he had big dreams in mind, dreams for his children (us!) to feed off of. "You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." Our very own Uncle Walt said this. We need to take heed of this and bring back the true meaning of imagination.


@yourcuppycake and @tiggerlover75 “I miss Dumbo’s Circus (1985), & the tv series "Alice in Wonderland" & "Darkwing Duck" & "Gummi Bears.”

@maryspixiemagic “My favorite is Peter and the Wolf. Love Sasha the duck.”

@sezcluvswdw “I used to adore Kids Inc. (1984-1992), MMC, (1989-1995) and Avonlea.”

@DisneyDean “The Wonderful World of Disney, especially their nature shows. I am all of a sudden really loving the MMC serial Annette – very cool series.”

@hatboxfiend “MMC, House of Mouse, Disney Afternoon. All the Wonderful World of Disney stuff. Don’t forget Lonesome Ghosts.”

@DanceBratz23 “I luv the one with Mickey and Donald and Goofy in the camper all inside with no driver classic.” (Camping Out – 1934)

@VertigoDawn “Bongo and Lambert the Sheepish Lion J.”

@chipfoods “Buzz Lightyear’s show!” (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command – 2000)

@EPCOTPluto “Alien Encounters New Tomorrowland Parts I and II (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2851108648044545655), Innoventions Parts I, II, and III (http://youtu.be/2JhSnrFTUpc http://youtu.be/1zsP3WlB-8o http://youtu.be/4o0_bzuxoJ8), and some Vault Disney videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/VAULTDISNEYreturns).”

@sweetaleisha “MMC...that was classic. I miss it to this day!”

@SusieNotSusan "Disney Sing Along Songs - Disneyland Fun (Part 1 of 3)."

@ara_kay “The Original Mickey Mouse Club circa 1950s.

@Debs7777 “any Mickey Mouse Club episode with Annette Funicello are my favs!”

@RyanKilpatrick “Zorro! Zorro! Zorro! Did I mention Zorro?”

@shaene_o_mite “KIDS Incorporated, Mousercise, Dtv, Gummie Bears , The Wuzzles, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin.”

@MrsMcDrew “DuckTales!”

@IlluminatEpcot “I loved WDW Inside Out. JD Roth was the host if i remember & Flash Forward had @JewelStaite in it. (Who later did Firefly).”

@pattie81 “I loved The Wuzzles!”

@dd_indy “I always loved watching the original MMC reruns and of course Uncle Walt on Sunday evenings while growing up in the 60s.”

@jillybeaner21 “KIDS Incorporated, Mousercise, Dtv.”

@Eweaver6405 “Ducktales!!!!”

@heatherw25 “The New Mickey Mouse Club in the 90s.”


I ask you all now to please take the time to watch some of these shorts/TV episodes. Please leave comments on this blog, or tweet me at @BufferflyBrie on Twitter. We need to let Disney know how important these classics are. We want back what Uncle Walt gave us – the original magic!

Here are some links:

The Original Mickey Mouse Club http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOBlXZyKC6A
Gummi Bears http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=7043953
The Wuzzles http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=7099204
Dumbo’s Circus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W-P8btNVc4
The Little Mermaid show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUbNTujvGg
Darkwing Duck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XbUl4ldRoE
Steamboat Willie (1928) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RexXDDA8RoI
TaleSpin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2-hz0YGjxA
Zorro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQhu1s-gsRg
The Goof Troop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oYRSE-L4hw
Kids Incorporated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5Ar0qO_VY
House of Mouse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6VjJqPXR3I
Aladdin show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwaFAmKOMV8&p=D5790996689C21E0&playnext=1&index=3
The Skeleton Dance (1929) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h03QBNVwX8Q
Lonesome Ghosts (1937) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtVJOqRCZBE
How to Play Baseball (1942 – a personal favorite of mine!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DydQa3WBo8k
Peter and the Wolf (1946) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtns6R757i8
The Baby-Sitters Club http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXrAUkPVHwI
Disney Afternoon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqOE5SmtwT0
Camping Out (1934) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHLHQypWgdc
Bongo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFCuZC-qIFU
Lambert the Sheepish Lion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KI_zRwdzy4
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHwrNRIVP-o
Mousercise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUSzA8EFS0U
Dtv http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vua5E-_X0p4&feature=fvst
Chip & Dale’s Rescue Rangers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RScxR_2KQRQ
DuckTales http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8QErsFhe0g
WDW Inside Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htd4pbWaNmg
Flash Forward http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwA1HL4Wb4I

Walt's Plan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnSTfBN1lU


“I hope we never lose sight of one thing – it was all started by a mouse." – Walter Elias Disney






Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Sweet Taste of Hersheypark

7/26/2010

My parents and I decided to spend a one-night vacation in Pennsylvania. We left the house at 7:30a, and drove about four hours to the Comfort Suites in Grantville, PA. Our room was in the midst of being cleaned, so we had a bite to eat in the lobby. My cell phone started to ring at that point, and I saw it was from the Hampton Inn & Suites, the one I applied to back in New York. I took a deep breath and answered the phone….then I just about dropped the phone when the assistant manager said to me, “I would like to go ahead and offer you the job.” AAAAAH!!! While on the phone, I was facing the window, away from my parents, standing on the opposite end of the room. I whipped around and gave them the thumbs-up. After speaking to him, I ran over and hugged them. They are so happy for me. That right there was a sign that this day would be AMAZING. And I do want to add that I had a dream the previous night that I would get a call from Hampton Inn. Strange! Before long, our room was ready, so we put all our stuff down, got ready, and headed to the park.

It’s only a 15-minute drive from the hotel; we got there around 1:45p and got my mom’s wheelchair. They only had manual ones; since it was late in the day, they were out of ECV’s. #FAIL! We actually entered the park and started our day around 2p. First, Dad went on SooperDooperLooper. I think it’s the loop that intimidates me, but I just cannot fathom the thought of going on that ride. I know I will someday, but I just can’t. Mom and I waited by the nearby Whack-a-Mole, happily watching kids play. When he returned, we went to Coal Cracker. Dad and I went on that. That’s my favorite ride there!! It’s almost the equivalent of Splash Mountain in WDW, minus the furry creatures and smoothness of the drop. Only my socks were soaking wet, which is what happened last time. But because Dad was in the back, his shirt and shorts were drenched. Haha! We then went to game called Goblet Toss, where you have to get the balls in colored cups. I was trying to win a minion!! When I saw they had minions, I just about had an attack. But unfortunately, although all three of us tried, I couldn’t get one. Oh well and moving on.

Next was the Kissing Tower, which I call “The Mothership.” It’s a huge pole with a circular seating device that slowly rotates up the pole, giving you a birds-eye view of everything. It was gorgeous! We all went on that one. Then Dad and I went on Twin Turnpike, which is similar to the Indy Speedway in Tomorrowland at MK, only a much shorter ride. Dad really relaxed me when he said, “Think of this as your road test.” Thanks, Dad! I responded with, “Oh, is there parallel parking included?” I actually did a great job fake-driving!

Mom and I went to the Garden Grille place to just sit in the air conditioning for a while, while Dad rode the leg-hanging, corkscrew & loop-crazy rollercoaster, Great Bear. We were going to do Trailblazer next, but the line was too long, so we went to Subway instead. Dad didn’t want Subway, so we went to the Boardwalk area next, where he had a Nathans hot dog. I absolutely love the Boardwalk area. They do a great job with the Atlantic City vibe; piped-in seagull sounds, water rides, and the Boardwalk-esque games. So I went to the changing room and put on my bathing suit with capris over it. We headed to Midway America next for some shopping. Mom called the front of the park and they had ECV’s in, so they brought her one. Yay! We all then went on another one of my favorite rides, The Whip! Mom and I rode together, and Dad hopped in the other one. We had a wonderful time on that.

I was planning on doing Tidal Force, but the line was ridiculously long, so we stood in the ‘splash zone’ area. Dad and I got pretty drenched! That was awesome. We headed out of that area then to ride Trailblazer. We were able to hop right on that time. It’s SO much like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! Except I prefer BTMR, of course. Next was Dry Gulch Railroad, an easy train ride. The breeze felt wonderful. We took the Monorail around the park after that for another cooling-off adventure. God gave us such a beautiful sunset to end such a beautiful day!

When we got off of the Monorail, I hopped onto the Reeses Xtreme Cup Challenge, which I’m assuming is similar to Buzz’s ride in Tomorrowland at MK. You shoot at targets as your ride moves along a track and there are two attached vehicles, peanut butter vs. chocolate. I think I got about 25,000 points. Go me! Our team still lost, unfortunately LOL. We did some shopping then; Mom got some chocolate-nut fudge & Dad got a couple of collectible pins. Hmmm I wonder where Hershey got the idea for pin collecting/trading?? I will have to ponder this question for a while. We then returned to the hotel. An awesome day!!

7/27/2010:

We checked out of our hotel and headed to Chocolate World. We went on the ride, then shopped. I bought an adorable baby pink shirt that says “Kisses” with one Hershey Kiss made out of multi-colored flowers. I also bought a Hershey plush squeak toy for my dog, Daisie. While Mom had a bite to eat, Dad and I went on the ride again. We made ghetto poses for the picture they snap at the end LOL. We met up with Mom, then made the 4-hour car ride home. ‘Twas a lovely mini-vacation!!