I was just wondering if anyone else here was kind of creeped out by animatronics, cuz I always kind of have been. When I say animatronics, I mean like the ones at Chuck E. Cheese in the 80s and 90s, Showbiz Pizza, ones like that. I remember being a little kid going to Camp Snoopy with my parents and aunt and going on the rides meant for young kids and getting to see the people dressed up as Peanuts characters (Linus gave me a big head-hug and even let me cuddle his blanket! ) and then we went on Paul Bunyan's log ride. I liked PBLR for the most part, but there were all these animatronic people that kind of scared me. For one, there was a housewife flipping pancakes, and a little later, you passed right by Babe the ox hauling timber, and he'd turn his head to discourteously snort mist in your face. On top of that was Paul Bunyan himself with his feet planted right over the exit to the tunnel, singing a mountaineer song at the top of his lungs.
In fact, here's a POV video of that very ride from Youtube - it might be a bit different than I've described from memory, but this way you get an idea of how loud and eerie the ride seemed to me as a kid. It wasn't loud enough to make me melt down or have sensory overload, though - and it was actually kind of fascinating, as well as somewhat disconcerting. And I kind of liked Paul Bunyan and Babe, since I'd seen the old Disney cartoon about them on the Disney Channel not long before.
Also, the video was taken after Mall Of America lost the rights to Camp Snoopy and had to replace everything with Spongebob and Dora stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VfzfgXkRWA
And then there's the cowboys, animal barn dance, and piano-playing gorilla at Wall Drug, South Dakota:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QifsjpvSypQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WafmyPqDy_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AKt9UCLibE
Oddly enough, I've always loved it when people dress up in constumes and suits, like at Disneyland - to me, they were like huge stuffed animals come to life. But for some reason, I've never been crazy about animatronics. Maybe it's cuz unlike with people in suits, there's something obviously artificial in robotic movement?...I really don't know.
Anyone else?
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I wish Sterling Holloway narrated my life.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" "Life isn't fair, Calvin." "I know, but why isn't it ever unfair in MY favor?" ~ from Calvin and Hobbes