Neatorama |
- Neatorama Facts: Splash Mountain
- The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Campers
- Skeleton Apron
- Humans and Habitats
- 8-Bit Zardoz
- DIY Grappling Hook Launcher
- The Cute Cartoony Watercolors Of Mark A. Fionda Jr.
- Destruction Caused By The East Coast Earthquake
- Woman Made of Candles
- Star Trek Cat Tree
- Can Feeding Pigeons Get You in Trouble with the Law?
- These Binoculars Do More Than Help You Spy On The Neighbors
- The Horror Train of Japan
- Man Tried to Stop Car the Flintstone's Way and Crashed
- Papercraft Pistol
- Virtual Boarding Agent in Paris Airport
- Tron Guy Duck Tape Stop Motion
- Scientists Discovered the "Missing Link" of Beer Brewing
- Giant Inflatable Heads
- Heartland Surgery
- NASA Rover Snaps New Photos of Huge Crater
- Lawyer Disbarred for Addiction to Video Games
- Steampunk Themed Apartment in Manhattan, Only $1.75 Million
- Who Produces the Oil?
- Hyrulean Biology
- QWOP: The Movie
- The Strange History of the Sunflower
- George Bernard Shaw "Turns" a Lazy Susan into an Eco-Friendly Hut
- The Muppet Show Theme Song
- Planters out of Old Light Bulbs
Neatorama Facts: Splash Mountain Posted: 24 Aug 2011 05:09 AM PDT If you've been to Disneyland in the last twenty years, then you're almost certainly familiar with Splash Mountain. Even if you refuse to ride the massive log ride, you probably at least rode the train through the tunnel that shows the happy ending of the ride. But did you know the ride is based on a movie that has never been released on home video because it's considered too offensive? Or that the reason there are so many familiar faces inside is because the imagineers salvaged the characters for another attraction? There's plenty more fun trivia like this inside this edition of our Neatorama Facts series. Image Via OpenThreads [Flickr] Trying To Make a SplashThe Zip-a-Dee River Run was originally conceived of as a way to start attracting more people over to the often empty Bear Country area of the park, which was renamed Critter Country after Splash Mountain was opened. Unfortunately, the project quickly ballooned over budget, becoming one of the most expensive projects the Imagineering team had worked on up until that point. To help reduce the cost as much as possible, the team decided to use previously existing animatronic animals from the recently closed America Sings attraction. Even then, the ride still ended up costing $75 million to complete. Although CEO Michael Eisner kept pushing for the ride to be based on the film Splash, imagineers had long planned to base the ride on the live action/animation film Song of the South and they refused to be moved on that point. In honor of Eisner's ignored contributions, they did decide to change the name of the ride from the Zip-a-Dee River Run to Splash Mountain. Strangely, despite the fact that one of the most popular Disney rides was based on Song of the South, the company has still refused to release the title to American home video or DVD because their executives believe the content is offensive to black people. While Uncle Remus is the character believed to be the most offensive and was left out of the ride as well, his presence can be felt in the queue area; a variety of his quotes can be found throughout the barn-themed line area, all the way up to the loading area. Images Via Express Monorail and PrincessAshley [Flickr] America Sings AgainBecause first Splash Mountain incorporated the characters from America Sings, the Disneyland ride has the most animatronic characters in their version of the ride –a total of 105. While the main characters were specifically created for the new ride, all of the rest were rescued from the closed attraction. All but a handful of the characters from America Sings were used in Splash Mountain; two of the other characters were already hijacked and reskinned for use in Star Tours and one was saved to help teach new imagineers how the technology works. While the characters may have already been dressed for the occasion, the America Sings animatronics had to be completely reprogrammed and synched with the ride. It took imagineers over 80 hours to rework each figure to fit in their new home. After months of hard work, the characters can now carry out 45 seconds of movement and dialogue before they loop back to the beginning of their programming sequence. In comparison to the 105 animatronics at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom only has 68 animatronics and Tokyo Disneyland has about the same number. In case you're wondering, there is no Splash Mountain at Disneyland Paris because the designers agreed the weather was a bad fit for a water-splashing log ride. A Simple Story From A Time Long AgoWhile the live-action story lines aren't used in Splash Mountain, many of the Br'er Rabbit tales from the film are. When you get on the ride, you are soon put on a conveyor belt that brings you up the side of the mountain. The main characters can be seen, but mostly you're just serenaded by unseen voices singing "How Do You Do?" before you drop down the first small dip nicknamed "Slippin' Falls." You're then whisked inside the mountain where you are entrenched in a cartoon version of Georgia circa 1870. Once inside, you see the source of the singing, the geese, frogs and opossums cheerfully saying hello through song. You also see Br'er Rabbit mocking Br'er Bear just before you go down the next small drop, leading to the Rainbow Caverns filled with more characters, this time singing "Ev'rybody's Got A Laughing Place." In the movie, Br'er Rabbit gets caught in a tar blob that was disguised to look like a little person, but since the "tar baby" was considered to have questionable undertones, the ride shows Br'er Fox catching the sly rabbit in the honey of a bee hive instead. The mood in the ride turns somber and the characters start to sing "Burrow's Lament" and your log starts climbing up the large hill. You pass between two vultures who taught your impending doom and see Br'er Rabbit about to be eaten by Br'er Fox. In the movie, Br'er Rabbit convinces the fox to throw him into his home in the brier patch using reverse psychology, so after taking the huge dive down "Doo-Dah Landing," you're suddenly immersed in a happy land of critters singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." You see Br'er Rabbit relaxing at home with his family and Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox fighting off a hungry alligator. Before arriving at the loading area, you're shown a preview of the photo that was taken during the plunge as Professor Barnaby Owl describes the looks on the rider's faces. Image Via Loren Javier [Flickr] Differences Between The ParksOverall, the Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom's versions of the rides are fairly similar, except that the Disney World logs feature a lap bar, likely added after a rider died after trying to get out while the ride was moving. The Disney World version also has slightly different music, as the Southern style of Disneyland's Critter Country ride was determined to not be a perfect fit for the Magic Kingdom's version, which was located in Frontierland. As a result, the music is a bit more country-music styled. The Tokyo version looks largely the same as the others, but it features the country music soundtrack from Disney World with reworded lyrics and the dialogue is split between English and Japanese. The scenes are also put in a different order. This park has the highest drop of the three parks, letting riders fall 60 feet instead of 52 feet. Interestingly, the Japanese version is also the driest, as this version was specially designed to limit the size of the splash. If you want to stay dry at the other parks, all you can do is try to get on a log with a lot of kids, as the more your log weighs, the more water you'll get soaked with. Image Via vmpyr_david [Flickr] Sweet Southern SoundsYou might not realize it when you're on the ride, but some serious celebrities gave their voices to the characters. A few background characters with famous voices include: Br'er Owl by Woody Allen, Br'er Frog by Humphrey Bogart, Br'er Turkey by Keanu Reeves and Br'er Frog by James Avery (aka Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air). Only one voice from the original movie was used, and that is Nick Stewart who voices Br'er Bear. As for the two main characters, they were both voiced by Jess Harnell, who is better known for his role as Wakko Warner on Animaniacs and as the most recent announcer for America's Funniest Videos. Many of the other characters and the final song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," were voiced by imagineers and Disneyland cast members who just happened to be working at the park when the ride was being designed. The only song that Disney paid people outside the company to work on was "How Do You Do?" This number was recorded especially for the ride by a 29-piece group called The Floozies. The bullfrogs singing this number are all performed by members of this band, with one notable exception. The frog with the deep bass voice was voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft who also voiced Tony the Tiger and was one of the lead singers for a variety of other Disney rides, including The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. Image Via Express Monorail [Flickr] Switching the "Sp" for a "F"While I'm sure some of you are already familiar with why the ride is sometimes called "Flash Mountain," let me go ahead and corrupt you innocent readers who don't know about this phenomenon. Because the ride has a huge climax that is viewable by visitors not yet on the ride at the same time guest's photos are snapped, more than a few women (and men) have decided to flash the camera during the log drop. While Disney is usually pretty good about deleting these images before they get out, at one point an employee managed to steal a number of them and upload them on to the internet. It's almost impossible for anyone to steal these images from the park now, due to heightened security measures, but even so, a lot of women still bare it all on the drop –only to get escorted off the premises shortly after landing. Image Via Loren Javier [Flickr] So, do you guys like the ride or is it too tall or too wet for you? Personally, I love the singing and the characters, but after being wet for over seven hours the last time I went on it, I haven't been too eager to go back. Have any of you had similar experiences? Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2, #3, Disneyland, Songofthesouth.net, Snopes _____________________________ Disneyland fans! See more Neatorama Facts: Neatorama Facts: Haunted Mansion |
The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Campers Posted: 24 Aug 2011 04:23 AM PDT In 1959, ten people went on a skiing expedition to a Russian mountain named Kholat Syakhl, camping along the way there. One turned back due to illness, and the other nine were later found dead.
When the bodies were finally recovered, some had unexplained wounds, and the tongue of one woman was missing. Read about the investigation and the various theories about what happened to the campers, at Environmental Graffiti. Link |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 08:01 PM PDT Skeleton Apron – $23.95 The very popular Skeleton Apron is back in stock at the NeatoShop. This apron is only available for a limited time. Get your Skeleton Apron before it is too late. This fantastic chef apron is made of 100% cotton canvas and is available in black, green, and pink. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Aprons. |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:28 PM PDT I’ve been saying this for years: we’re all just characters in a really boring role-playing game played by transcendent, unseen beings. Or that our lives, somehow, are interesting to them. Kris Straub sums up this reality nicely in this strip. Link -via Ace of Spades HQ |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 06:56 PM PDT (Video Link) Zardoz, that bizzare 1974 John Boorman film starring Sean Connery, might make a good video game. Animator Nick Criscuolo created this introduction for this tragically non-existent game. -via Boing Boing | Criscuolo’s Website |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 06:35 PM PDT You can buy a grappling hook launcher, but they’re expensive. Instructables member and MIT mechanical engineering student crreed figured that he could build his own. The force is provided by a paintball gun CO2 canister and the barrel is a copper pipe held in place by the frame of a Nerf gun. Link -via Technabob | Maker’s Blog |
The Cute Cartoony Watercolors Of Mark A. Fionda Jr. Posted: 23 Aug 2011 06:17 PM PDT Awww, Chunk and Sloth are best friends! Mark A. Fionda Jr.’s take on characters from pop culture, such as these cuties from The Goonies, make me feel all warm and squishy inside. Use these images to battle depression, make your girlfriend giggle, or simply to fill your cuteness quota, just don’t try to deny Mark’s skills with the watercolors! See many more cute and colorful imagery at Mark’s website, or hit the ComicsAlliance link below for a mini-gallery of his works. Link -via ComicsAlliance |
Destruction Caused By The East Coast Earthquake Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:53 PM PDT The East Coast is still recovering from a less-than-devastating earthquake that shook walls, knocked stuff over on desks and generally didn’t do a whole lot of damage. The folks over at BuzzFeed have gathered together a gallery of images that shows just how simple it will be for the folks on the East Coast to recover from the kind of tremor that Californians feel on a weekly basis. Damage caused by an earthquake has never been so hilarious! Link Image via Ashley Colassard |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:44 PM PDT This isn’t a sleeping woman, but a huge candle sculpted into the shape of one. It was made by the A.F. Vandevorst fashion design house and displayed at the Arnhem Mode Biennale, an art and fashion show held this past July. There’s nothing quite like candlelight to create a romantic/creepy atmosphere, right? |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:35 PM PDT I can’t find any information about this marvelous creation which shows a Galaxy-class starship and Terek Nor. But as you can see from the other photos in the gallery, it’s not the only such cat tree. Somebody get this man an Etsy account. |
Can Feeding Pigeons Get You in Trouble with the Law? Posted: 23 Aug 2011 04:23 PM PDT
It sure can, if the birds turn out to be a major safety hazard for airplanes at a nearby airport. Here's the story of how 59-year-old business owner (and bird lover) Charles Douglas got arrested over a flock of pigeons:
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These Binoculars Do More Than Help You Spy On The Neighbors Posted: 23 Aug 2011 04:23 PM PDT Have you ever wanted a record of all you see while peering into your binoculars, whether bird, ballgame or a neighbor’s illicit activities? Maybe not, but even if you don’t care to record it all, you have to admit these binoculars are really cool! Built by Sony, the DEV-3 and DEV-5 are the binoculars of the future. With built in HD and 3D recorder, they are capable of doing everything you could ever want a pair of binoculars to do, except of course for x-ray vision. They can even shoot still pics at 7 megapixels, prompting the question: what would you do if you got your hands on a pair of these bad boys? |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 03:22 PM PDT
Got a spoiled brat? When scoldings and time-outs don't work, scare 'em straight with the horror train. Yes, that's right: here's the Yokai Train, a scary summer "attraction" in Kyoto, Japan, featuring creepy monster aboard a train.
Actually, this explains a lot about Japan: Link |
Man Tried to Stop Car the Flintstone's Way and Crashed Posted: 23 Aug 2011 02:21 PM PDT
Most people would stop driving their car when the brake failed, but not this Fred Flintstone-wanna be: he tried to use his feet instead.
The next time you feel the urge to imitate a Stone Age cartoon, here's an advice: Yabba dabba don't. Link - via The Obscure Store Previously on Neatorama: 10 Neat Facts About The Flintstones (on their 50th anniversary) |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 01:36 PM PDT Firefly fans will enjoy this paper craft version of Malcolm Reynolds gun. Created by Leo Firebrand of Firebrand Creations this gallery features his work on the replica firearm. |
Virtual Boarding Agent in Paris Airport Posted: 23 Aug 2011 01:20 PM PDT
No more surly boarding agents in Orly, wary travelers! The Paris airport is experimenting with "virtual" boarding agents that materialize out of nowhere at a touch of a button (bonus: they never go on strike)
Now if only they can make those security checks more pleasant ... Link (Photo: Francois Mori) |
Tron Guy Duck Tape Stop Motion Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:29 PM PDT The “Tron Guy” is back in a new video utilizing multicolored rolls of duck tape to recreate the iconic light cycle scene from the film. Watch the video at the link to see if a stop motion duck tape – creepy “younger” version of Jeff Bridges makes an appearance. |
Scientists Discovered the "Missing Link" of Beer Brewing Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:19 PM PDT
Mystery solved! Scientists have discovered the "missing link" in beer brewing. Ladies and gents, take a good look at the orange-colored galls on the beech tree to your left: they were found to harbor the specific strain of yeast that makes lager beer possible.
I assume the scientists appropriately celebrated their discovery with a few pints: Link (Photo: Diego Libkind) Previously on Neatorama: Neatolicious Fun Facts: Beer |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 10:42 AM PDT Giant Inflatable Heads - $11.95 Are you having a bad hair day. Cover that unruly mane with a Giant Inflatable Head from the NeatoShop. Pop open the box, blow up your new and improved head, and simply affix it to your existing head. Presto! Your hair problems are solved. Is a Giant Inflatable Beehive just not your thing? Don’t worry! Giant Inflatable Heads come in several different styles. Child sized inflatable Air Hedz are also available. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Halloween items. |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 10:24 AM PDT Playing the “what if” game, here are the names Thomas Jefferson thought would be nice for the states of the American Midwest: Sylvania, Michigania, Chersonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illinoia, Saratoga, Polypotamia, Pelisipia, and Washington. Aren’t you glad he didn’t get his way? It was hard enough to learn how to spell Mississippi! Link -via 22 Words |
NASA Rover Snaps New Photos of Huge Crater Posted: 23 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT
The Opportunity rover sent back a few "postcards" from The Red Planet this weekend. The photos which were taken using the rover's panoramic camera show the edge of the Endeavor crater. Amazing that these photos are from another planet, look as though they could be taken somewhere in the western US. See more great photos from mars at the link. |
Lawyer Disbarred for Addiction to Video Games Posted: 23 Aug 2011 10:06 AM PDT
Mathew Eshelman, a Pennsylvania lawyer has been disbarred due to his gaming obsession. He started screwing up the real life game of the criminal justice system so he could continue his non stop gamming even when he started his own practice. What video games would you risk getting fired from your job just to play?
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Steampunk Themed Apartment in Manhattan, Only $1.75 Million Posted: 23 Aug 2011 09:51 AM PDT A Filmmaker named Jeremy Noritz with a passion for Steampunk began renovating his 1.3 million dollar apartment when he bought it in 2006. Now he is selling the Manhattan dwelling for 1.75 million which is now fully Steampunk including the bedroom which resembles an exploded blimp. See more photos at the link. |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 09:44 AM PDT Do you know which countries produce the most crude oil? That’s the subject of today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss. You are challenged to name the 12 nations that produce the most oil (not the ones that have or export the most) in three minutes. There was only one left when I ran out of time. Link |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 08:08 AM PDT If you have followed through the Legend of Zelda games, you’ve interacted with hundreds of different creatures whether it be sword fighting or milk jug hustling. This genealogy tree by artist Jude Buffum compiles 200 of our favorite characters, showing how the Hyrulean world could have evolved from Deku Tree to Hylian villager. Previously by Jude Buffum |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 08:07 AM PDT The most ridiculous (and most difficult) online game in the world, QWOP, requires you to control a runner’s legs with your keyboard. Now, for some reason, it has been made into a live-action story. -via The High Definite P.S. While preparing this post, I found that it is possible to actually win the game! Link |
The Strange History of the Sunflower Posted: 23 Aug 2011 08:04 AM PDT Sunflowers were grown as a food crop thousands of years ago in North America, although they looked very different from modern flowers. Sunflower seeds were exported to Europe in the 16th century as ornamental plants. But it took Russian intervention to make it the huge oil-producing plant it is today.
Read about how the sunflower made its way back to America as a crop in this post at Kuriositas. Link -via the Presurfer (Image credit: Flickr user Allen Hsu) |
George Bernard Shaw "Turns" a Lazy Susan into an Eco-Friendly Hut Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:23 AM PDT When George Bernard Shaw began designing his ideal writing hut, he decided to construct it on top of a rotating Lazy Susan. It was drawn as a simple 8′x8′ square with two large windows on one side for lighting and heat. With ascetic efficiency, the building’s windows could be turned towards the sun during the winter–allowing solar energy to warm up the room–and turned away for the summer. I would’ve guessed that the hut was built within moderate climate if it wasn’t for the fact that “it has a sloping roof to shed rain and snow build up.” Not only was he a literary visionary, but a clever engineer. (One might even say that he Shaw solutions…) Link via Home Design Find |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:21 AM PDT By OK Go (with help from The Muppets). This is from The Green Album, available as of today. And it’s not over when the fat lady sings! -via Metafilter |
Planters out of Old Light Bulbs Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT A how-to on turning a light bulb into a terrarium has been posted before, but if you haven’t gotten started on the project yet 1-800-Recycling has a few amazing examples to use as inspiration. The one pictured above is like a portable little escape to Yosemite National Park. (Image credit: Juliette Melton) |
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