cfc

^As I recall, they always allowed barefoot riders on Pilgrim's Plunge because it was accessible from both Holiday World and Splashin' Safari. But I might be mistaken.

^Nothing official has been announced. Therefore, who knows?

^License to Kill (Dalton's second and last outing) was a good idea for a Bond flick, but the movie was hampered by a lower budget and weak execution (no pun intended--well, maybe it was). I'm not a fan of Daniel Craig, but Skyfall was pretty good.

^I was pretty intrigued by GG's new dark ride/coaster concept when I saw it in the IAAPA coverage last year. I hope that it comes to pass at IOA.

^Bluto has a bit of an identity crisis, too. He's also known as "Brutus."

I wish you much good fortune in your quest.

Yeah, it's not appropriate to compare a literary icon like the Cat in the Hat (or the Grinch, for that matter) or a media juggernaut like Harry Potter to old comic strip characters like Snuffy Smiff or Krazy Kat. I think the Potter stuff will be relevant for quite some time whether some of us like it or not. I think you can make a case for Popeye as a cultural icon, and maybe even for Dudley Do-Right or Betty Boop, but not for the other characters in Toon Lagoon.

^He and Maramduke committed double suicide.

Hmm--reminds me a bit of Black Diamond at Knoebels, only on a larger scale.

^Even if they themed it to Dean Martin?

The thing about Jurassic Park is that dinosaurs are, pardon the pun, "universal." Even those who aren't familiar with the area's "backstory" would still "get it." As for Toon Lagoon, I'm a big fan of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons because they were a part of my childhood. But I understand that they wouldn't mean much to kids today. ( Popeye is, at least, "iconic.") The whole area, aside from the big water rides, comes off as an afterthought (at least to me): "Hey, we need more cartoon characters for IOA! Who can we get cheap?"

I honestly want to know: What exactly is wrong with Toon Lagoon? I thought it was well themed and actually rather nice looking. The only renovation they would need in my opinion is a couple flat rides to fill in the gaps. While I think that Bilge Rat Barges and the Dudley Do-Right flume ride are very good (except for the lapbars they installed on the latter), I've never been impressed with Toon Lagoon as a whole--a bunch of out-of-date comic strip characters plastered over a bunch of goofy looking buildings. At least I'm old enough to recognize many of them. I just feel that compared to the other areas of the park, Toon Lagoon just didn't come off as well. I always just wander through there on my way to Jurassic Park, and that's about it.

Good point. ^I agree--Toon Lagoon is butt ugly.

I'd forgotten all about the carousel where you can ride in the big guy's butt. I like Parc Asterix quite a bit, too, Goudurix notwithstanding. Transdemonium is very cool dark ride, indeed.

All this sounds intriguing (particularly the new dark ride). And the river ride could definitely use a bit of "freshening."

^I was denied on two rides in China--the knock-off SLC at Shijingshan and the "looping toboggan" at Fisherman Warf (or was that "Wharf"?). And, come to think of it, they did tend to "staple" people into the SLCs.

^I don't recall being "stapled" on any of the wooden coasters at the Chinese parks, and have no idea about the "two clicks" rule.

^"Carnie" is not generally used as a term of endearment or honor in the U.S.

I, too, support this plan. Aquatopia, as Hanno's photo show, is great at night.

^^Or go to the Movie Tavern and spring for a couple of their largest mugs of beer.

My favorite is definitely the amazingly violent Skooters at Knoebels. It's like a 40-car pileup during each cycle! I guess my least favorite would be the bumper cars at Disney California Adventure. Even by kiddie-ride standards, they just look lame. (But I haven't actually ridden them.)

Exactly. I can ride Balder and Phoenix all day and have a great time, but I can't say the same for Voyage, even when it's at its best.

^Thanks for sharing that Evan. I much prefer "Mountain Flyer" to just plain "Wood Coaster," and I don't blame GCI for going with the fomer over the latter. But, by any other name, it's still a great ride.

^It's often hard to tell at the Chinese parks. The Golden Horse version of an SLC looks very much the Vekoma original (as do the Mine Trains).

I recall hearing about the Skyloop knock off earlier, but not the 4D.