tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25183915862578607032011-11-06T07:00:52.129-08:00OCCASIONAL RETRO FUN - Emphasis on Fun. [Okay maybe the emphasis is on occasional, but just play along won't you?]Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.comBlogger511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-33387364698441376702008-07-04T07:33:00.000-07:002008-07-04T07:50:04.997-07:00

Wow, I just had this really weird dream where I was like Rip Van Winkle and I was asleep under a tree for six months...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!IN honor of the 4th of July, Here's a few pages from a 32 page pamphlet issued by the US Government Printing Office in 1973. The full color book gives a short history of the US Flag and the proper display of Old Glory. Wherever you are enjoy your day.

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-45394135010245493502008-01-31T01:44:00.000-08:002008-01-31T02:21:04.271-08:00

It didn't require monthly payments, registration, or a license.No one was offering cash back, trade-in allowances or 0% financing.Keyless remotes, MP3 players, power windows, GPS tracking or Onstar weren't optionsYou were lucky if it came in more than one colorThey were all convertibles You didn't care about any of this because it was dependable, it didn't need gas,You could drive it as fast as

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-8400678538237475982008-01-29T00:48:00.000-08:002008-01-29T01:16:50.741-08:00

A really short history of the real M-16In 1948, the Army organized an Operations Research Office. An early project of this office was to study 'small arms' effectiveness. Battlefield reports from America's previous wars were studied and the ORO came to a few conclusions.Most small arms combat takes place at close range, less than 300 yards.Quantity usually won out over quality. Careful aim didn't

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-82673173346270948242008-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:002008-01-23T20:57:37.491-08:00

Don't forget clicking on the pics makes them larger and a little easier to read

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-5838851335796582812008-01-18T12:14:00.001-08:002008-01-18T17:37:47.827-08:00

Let's start with the Winnie: In August of 1914, less than a month after the beginning of World War I, Lieutenant Henry Colebourn was a Veterinary Officer traveling on a troop train from his home town of Winnipeg to Quebec. From Quebec, Colebourn and the rest of the troops would set sail for Britain awaiting further orders.On a stopover in White River Ontario Henry gets off the train to take a

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-27886425380553300152008-01-17T22:53:00.000-08:002008-01-17T23:03:55.430-08:00

Russ Berrie was a toy buyer who decided to go into business for himself and from the beginning, his idea was to expand the "Impulse gift" trade. His first breakout hit came in 1964 with the Bupkis Family; ten ugly, rubbery oily critters that could sit on your desk or hang from the rearview mirror.Bupkis was so popular, Berrie introduced at least two more oily lines called the Untouchables and

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-43913881761602151392008-01-16T15:31:00.000-08:002008-01-17T23:06:18.158-08:00

Millions of people loved his hamburgers, some hated his politics. He was a devout Christian attending mass every morning before work. He was a staunch Republican showing his support for ultra Conservatives. His restaurant career started with a hot dog cart and almost ended when he was bounced as chairman of the company he founded. [He was back in less than a year.]Carl Karcher was born in

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-82775716158650825952008-01-15T21:23:00.001-08:002008-01-15T22:03:21.449-08:00

The VW Bug. The Pinto. The Willy's Gasser.That's it.That's the whole line.I'm sure there were plans for more cars because Aurora went to the trouble of making commercials and the ad you see above [without certain embellishments] was in dozens of comics. The early 70's were a tough time for Aurora and they were eventually bought out. Maybe the Imposters were just a victim of the times.If there is

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-19479859035583409602008-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:42:11.217-08:00

I can't find any real information about this truck but here's what I can tell you. The 'CAT' stands for "Climb Action Traction". This was Remco's buzz phrase for a motor they devised which climbed over just about anything at a snails pace. The same gear ratio was miniaturized and used in their Mighty Mike Jeep & Truck series.Fat Cat is a big hunk of plastic I would guess about 2 feet long. If you

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-68517437987203658592008-01-14T13:09:00.001-08:002008-01-14T13:22:47.698-08:00

Near Christmas of 1967, 20th Century Fox released "Dr. Dolittle" to theaters. Kids of the 60's set sail with Jip, Pollyanna, Chim Chim & the good doctor in search of the legendary Pink Sea Snail. The musical starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar & Anthony Newley won a few technical Oscars and one for "Best Song". Rex Harrison who had made a career of performing in musicals without singing, only

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-70944035500287052592008-01-09T16:59:00.000-08:002008-01-09T17:21:59.759-08:00

1964 must have been a bad year for insurance companies. Mattel released the Thingmaker & Kenner released the Easy Bake oven. Both if left unattended could cook a house as easy as it could make an ugly bug or a cake. I used to drop water on my Thingmaker stove to watch the water dance like it was on a griddle.Ol' easy was a little less dangerous because you were cooking with a light bulb. It also

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-84321477026967596602008-01-08T13:59:00.000-08:002008-01-08T14:10:59.212-08:00

I love this. It's so goofy and still brilliant. Make a foam saddle, wrap it in vinyl and strap it to dad. Yehaa! I wonder what the box art looked like? It conjures up the scene in Adulthood where Steve Martin is in the kiddie cowboy hat & chaps galloping around the yard.If it had done well, would there have been accessory sets? A foam horse head & spurs? [ouch!] Dressage maybe? The Daddy

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-46520184859177725392008-01-07T19:11:00.000-08:002008-01-07T19:17:22.147-08:00

1929 was quite a strange year for kids. On the down side, the Great Depression was in it's first few months and would run for close to ten years. Families would have little extra money for simple things. Cheap entertainment like movies for a nickel or dime and the Sunday funnies would become a Depression kid's best escape from family struggle. Fortunately, both newspapers & movies knew their

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-28683695212372634382008-01-07T19:05:00.000-08:002008-01-07T19:19:54.725-08:00

When the Buck Rogers comic strip premiered in January of 1929, it was the first science fiction comic strip ...ever.Buck had started his fictional life as coal miner Anthony Rogers who awakens from a mine cave-in 500 years in the futue. The story was written by Philip Nowlan and premiered in Amazing Stories Magazine in the August 1928 issue. Syndicate newspaper executive John F. Dille read the

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-51572280368910113262008-01-07T18:56:00.001-08:002008-01-07T19:05:29.301-08:00

He was one of a popular group of cartoonists that submitted to the New Yorker. His one panel cartoons were often silent & off the wall. Over time, some of his characters took on a life of their own and became a strange troupe with a love of the macabre. While less than a hundred of his gags included this 'Family', they became the core of his most popular gags and eventually became The Addams

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-50256153676808045892008-01-04T11:21:00.000-08:002008-01-04T11:45:35.556-08:00

Starting in 1963, Marx toys brought out a line of plastic army men in a 6 in. size. The figures were released individually and originally sold for less than a dime. Like all soft plastic soldiers of the time, they had no articulation but the attention to detail set them apart. Faces showed emotion and you could see things like individual feathers in an Indian headdress. These new big figs

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-22788058135796614312008-01-03T00:37:00.000-08:002008-01-03T01:06:21.010-08:00

There's a scene in Star Wars A new Hope where the Millenium Falcon is being pursued and Luke and Han man giant cannons mounted in glass bubbles. With a bit of beginners luck [and the force], Luke manages to shoot down a Tie fighter.In his excitement, Luke turns to Han Solo and says:"Got 'im, I got 'im!And Han in his kind and nuturing way says:"Great kid, Don't get cocky!The Millenium Falcon's,

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-65624497366191977002008-01-02T00:10:00.001-08:002008-01-02T00:57:52.555-08:00

If you were to judge a products popularity by it's TV commercials, you would think Mego's Action Jackson had sold like Beanie Babies. The commercials were crammed with testosterone and produced with character animation & a manly theme song ("Think of what you want to be and count on meeeeee."). Watching the commercials today makes me want to start an instant Ebay collection, but in his time,

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-27144001760936105642007-12-28T17:01:00.001-08:002007-12-28T21:37:01.588-08:00

Stan Lee is probably the worlds most well known comic book professional and if you don't believe it, ask anyone who doesn't read comics on a regular basis to name someone in the profession. (Okay, Charles Schulz and Walt Disney might be the first names you hear because people who don't know anything about comic books really don't know anything about comic books, but that's a technicality that

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-88857897198540128352007-11-29T16:32:00.000-08:002007-11-29T16:34:13.363-08:00

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-8625168115631807002007-11-26T09:57:00.000-08:002007-11-26T10:02:57.732-08:00

Photo (without editorial comment) is a free wallpaper download at snoopy.com

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-68730353977587860822007-10-31T00:29:00.000-07:002007-11-26T09:51:28.164-08:00

In 1926 at the age of 10, Forrest J Ackerman bought his first science fiction magazine and it altered his life. At 13, he started a science fiction club and as a teenager he was getting letters published in most of the pulp magazines of the day. He attended the world's first Science Fiction Convention wearing a costume (putting him in the running for the world's first hard core fanboy), published

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-87622077381254405432007-10-29T23:34:00.001-07:002007-10-30T00:03:51.759-07:00

Television was hungry for content. with 168 hours of possibility in a week, TV couldn't make shows fast enough. Networks and stations were asking studios for movies from the very beginning but studios were having none of that.At first they believed that TV was a passing fad and then they began to see it as the enemy. Movie studios believed it was televisions fault that movie ticket sales were

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-53329596830769769762007-10-26T23:38:00.000-07:002007-10-27T00:16:36.232-07:00

In the early 50's, ticket sales were down in theaters and studios were looking for gimmicks. Cinerama movies opened in NY and 20th Century Fox was playing with Cinemascope. A 3-D process was shopped around to the studios but no one was interested except producer Arch Obeler. He released his 3-D Bwana Devil in March 1953 and the fad swept the country. Studios took a second look and put their own

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-49022315181769811242007-10-24T22:30:00.001-07:002007-10-24T22:55:57.874-07:00

By the end of the 1940's Universal had defanged and declawed it's monster mill. Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney Jr. played in an infinite combination of horror films with rambling names like the Ghostly Son of Frankenstein in the Mummy's Castle Risen From the Grave. And when Universal had plucked every feather and squeezed every egg from their ghastly golden goose, they chopped it up

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-84138918812741385142007-10-23T22:38:00.000-07:002007-10-23T23:15:06.781-07:00

Over the years, there's been a persistent rumor that when Universal first bought the movie rights to Dracula, they wanted Lon Chaney Sr. as their "Count". Considering Universal's track record with Chaney, the choice made sense. He had made big money for the studio in his roles as Quasimodo in " The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923) and Erik the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera".(1927).In his time,

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-44080379032031024702007-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:002007-10-19T22:27:52.711-07:00

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-39640206965750972582007-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:002007-10-18T23:49:10.238-07:00

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-2559468538977927772007-10-17T23:40:00.000-07:002007-10-17T23:56:58.824-07:00

His day job was managing the Lyceum Theater in England. To supplement his income, Bram Stoker wrote fiction novels. His best known novel is Dracula but did you know it wasn't very popular at the time it was released?When Dracula was published in 1897 sales were brisk for a time, but tapered off soon after. To make matters worse, the release in the U.S. was mismanaged and the book was instantly in

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-38922803275777134232007-08-22T13:41:00.000-07:002007-08-22T13:58:55.704-07:00

The last thing I want to do is write about Ray Bradbury.I don't have anything against the guy, in fact the complete opposite is true. I love Ray's stuff. It's my personal connection with his stories that makes writing about him hard. I can't help falling into cliche. Summing up how grateful I am for his stories is beyond my writing and yet no tribute at all would be worse.The first sci-fi book I

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-78938842744210345602007-08-16T00:22:00.000-07:002007-08-16T00:29:47.089-07:00

If anyone in the blogosphere is paying attention, I am sorry for the long delay. I will be back shortly. Please accept this Indian Head test pattern as a temporary substitute for content.Thank you for your patience

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-5801503244403530402007-08-03T23:20:00.001-07:002007-08-03T23:47:23.622-07:00

The characters are almost on model and the coloring isn't too bad but what's with the slogan? "Obey your Safety Patrol He is there to help you" Shouldn't it be they are there to help you Or obey your Safety Patrol leader? Something like that. I'm also not seeing Yogi as the safety conscious type. This is the bear who runs willy-nilly through Jellystone with unauthorized picnic baskets. And

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-69406207806525898772007-08-03T22:54:00.000-07:002007-08-03T23:19:39.413-07:00

At some point every generation embraces it's inner brat. There's a long history of fictional characters that are funny because of their nasty behavior. Just how mean the characters can be or how much they can get away with depends on the mood of the country at the time. Before the kids of South Park there was Bart Simpson. Before that, Kevin Mcallister [Home Alone] & Junior [Problem Child] and on

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-56935641444774364072007-07-31T12:31:00.000-07:002007-07-31T12:44:51.376-07:00

The first book was an instant hit with kids. The original popularity of the young Harry Potter series was not due to it's extensive ad budget or endless television commercials, the popularity was due to kids [and adults] who loved the story and shared their enthusiasm with other readers. It was this unintentional literary grass roots movement that caught the media's attention. In the first

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-76375826714764904932007-07-27T12:30:00.000-07:002007-07-27T12:54:50.472-07:00

Why would you choose the horse to ride a bike?. You'd think Quick Draw has the horsepower to get there pretty quick on foot. If you're a horse on a bike I'm pretty sure there's an Elmer's factory in your immediate future. Wouldn't big lumbering Yogi or Wally Gator be a better choice? [Yes, I am attempting to apply a strangely twisted logic to cartoon characters drawn over 40 years ago. These

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-44487902271110089192007-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:002007-07-27T12:30:15.003-07:00

You may not have heard of him but Scott Corbett changed my life.It was early in my 2nd grade year and we were in the school library. Miss Sporky had given us 15 minutes to find something to read and time was running out. [I've forgotten my teachers real last name. I remember she was young and I had a crush.] I was in one of those kid panics, running through the stacks trying to find something

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-18951572089582691462007-07-25T17:39:00.001-07:002007-07-26T09:01:39.113-07:00

At the end of the 1960's Topper Toys released a series of 6 inch tall robots known as the Ding-A-Lings. Each Ding had it's own personality which usually revolved around their occupation. They also had some manual function they performed, usually by pushing down on their heads. [For instance, the fireman squirted water, the chef shook salt, the boxer would punch etc.]The thing that makes this

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-85905109291068510272007-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:002007-07-20T20:01:24.822-07:00

----------------------------- ----C'mon, pull my finger!Safety card #2 has some very good advice but in this case, where would the kids sit? This guy's got his steering wheel in the middle of his dashboard in a really small car. They couldn't even sit in his lap, with Pebbles big head, the guy couldn't see to drive.Where are they going at that age anyway? Did Fred send them to the store for a

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-39368958972474311602007-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:002007-07-18T16:06:55.708-07:00

Disneyland opened to the public for it's first full day of operation on July 18, 1955 . Below are a few facts about the park and the times.1955US President: Dwight D. EisenhowerUS Vice President: Richard M. NixonStamp: 3 centsBread: 18 cents a loafGas: 29 cents a galCoffee 79 cents a lb.Eggs: 79 cents a doz.Milk: 92 cents a galPopulation of the US is 165,931,2024.Avg.Income: $4,962/yrMin. Wage:

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-1890797326919466442007-07-17T11:48:00.000-07:002007-07-17T13:06:36.415-07:00

The first day of Disneyland's operation was an invitation only event. The idea was to have a light day of 10 to 12 thousand guests to break in all the new rides and attractions. During this light opening, Walt and a few celebrities would host a live 2 hour television show to introduce the American public to Walt's new park. It sounds simple enough, but when Mother Nature, Father Time and Murphy [

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-65304611026965534672007-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:002007-07-14T12:46:45.224-07:00

He didn't start out to be an animation pioneer, he was just looking for a job during the depression. William Hanna was born in Melrose New Mexico July 14, 1910. His father was a construction supervisor for the Santa Fe railroad which meant the family went where Santa Fe needed construction.The Hanna's finally settled in Los angeles where Bill became active in the boy scouts. In college he

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-10737261113505117672007-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:002007-07-13T12:11:36.565-07:00

What did your teachers hang on the wall in elementary school? Did you have charts with gold stars? Did your teacher hang students art work around the classroom? If Hanna Barbera safety cards had been in any of my classes, I would have remembered them.I remember lame generic safety cards and I seem to remember a Jiminy Cricket set, but imagine having a set of cool Hanna Barbera cards in your

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-6829212452276202472007-07-12T10:33:00.000-07:002007-07-12T11:00:11.614-07:00

Don't you just love an internet adventure? I do, at least when they end up with me learning a little something. This one started with a swing by Daveland blog last night. I love lurking at vintage Disney sites on the web and there's a few I surf on a regular basis. Last night I was looking at Daveland's post with pictures from America on Parade.During the Bicentennial back in 1976, Disney had a

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-14075006984551853562007-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:002007-07-11T22:35:55.461-07:00

"Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-55963280077058837982007-07-10T15:09:00.000-07:002007-07-10T15:41:48.702-07:00

Fred Gwynne was a modern renaissance man. With his deep baritone voice, he was an accomplished actor and singer performing in plays and musicals on and off Broadway. He was a sculptor and painter holding a one man exhibition of his art and he also wrote and illustrated nearly a dozen children's books. With all of this talent, it's funny to think he's best remembered as TV's Frankendad.Frederick

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-91117092182977538302007-07-02T16:00:00.000-07:002007-07-02T16:22:02.708-07:00

Carousel of Progress, Rocket Jets and the Peoplemover and all opened on July 2, 1967 and outside of premiering on the same day and all being in Tomorrowland, they don't seem to have too much in common. But these three rides do share a common thread. All three attractions started as a sort of round peg in a square hole idea.Carousel of ProgressWhen Disneyland opened in 1955 there were hundreds of

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-40414437162242422402007-07-02T15:04:00.000-07:002007-07-02T15:36:30.025-07:00

At the time Dave Thomas opened his first Wendy's in Columbus Ohio, he wasn't looking to be the third largest burger chain in the US. He had been in the restaurant business over 20 years and his dream was to have a place of his own with a few franchises for his kids to run. He turned a profit in only six weeks and Wendy's was off and running. Below is a few highlights of Dave Thomas's life. An

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-34075914144616078602007-06-30T09:10:00.001-07:002007-06-30T10:01:22.978-07:00

America Sings or Carousel of Progress? It was a tough call. I liked America Sings, but I missed the corny "Carousel." I especially missed Walt's "Progress City" the model you saw after the show. I've seen the parts of the model on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority but it's not the same as the full presentation that came with the model when it was at Disneyland.Now, I have neither ride. Carousel

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-67841750411040250832007-06-29T16:34:00.000-07:002007-06-29T16:48:43.804-07:00

I really hate to start this entry this way but it's hard to talk about Don Rosa without mentioning Carl Barks. By now, I'm sure Don Rosa is used to it.If you pay any attention to Disney comics at all, you may have heard the name Carl Barks. Barks was an animator and gag man for the Disney studios in the early years. When he left the Disney studios in the 40's he began drawing Donald Duck comic

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-27623360795078959712007-06-29T16:16:00.000-07:002007-06-29T16:34:11.001-07:00

At the time of John Hench's death in 2004 He was 96 and still maintaining an office in Imagineering. He had worked for the Disney Company for over 65 years as artist and philosopher king. Hench was the conscience of Imagineering. The tall firm reminder that the theming in Disney parks had balance and a purpose.He had started as a sketch artist in 1939, moved over to the special effects department

Uncle Skiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07694102895206998923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518391586257860703.post-3942392249144805722007-06-26T09:46:00.000-07:002007-06-26T12:42:22.260-07:00

In 1955, Walt Disney had decided that a circus would be a cool addition to Disneyland so he bought a huge tent and created a circus using the original Mouseketeers as the main participants. (It wasn't really that simple but let's roll with the short answer for the sake of brevity shall we?)The circus flopped like a fat guy from the high dive and Uncle Walt was left with a big dirt field. Since he

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