The Lowdown on the Plus-up - A Theme Park Podcast

Randotti Skulls - The Disneyland Souvenir That Doubled As A Bludgeon

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335588/fan_mail/new] A three-pound glow-in-the-dark skull from Disneyland sounds like a joke until you realize it was real, widely sold, and now weirdly hard to find. We’re talking about Randotti skulls: handmade chalkware souvenirs that once hung from hot rod mirrors, lit up under Haunted Mansion blacklights, and gave Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean shops a darker edge than you’d ever expect from a theme park aisle.  If you love Disneyland history, vintage theme park souvenirs, Adventureland tiki culture, or Disney nostalgia collecting, hit play, then subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more park nerds can find us. Thanks for listening! We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air. Come visit us on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social], Mastodon, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lowdownplusup/], or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up!   We are a Boardwalk Times production. Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/ Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .

Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure and the Giant Ice-Maker of Doom!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335588/fan_mail/new] A giant boulder looms, your jeep “panics,” and somehow you leave feeling like you just lived a 1920s Republic serial on steroids! We trace how Indiana Jones is born from the language of movie serials and classic adventure cinema, then follow that thread straight into Disney Imagineering. We saw Imagineer Tony Baxter give a lecture on this attraction last week and his fingerprints are everywhere here: environmental storytelling, practical effects that feel physical, and a ride vehicle design that turns a machine into a character. We also talk about the bigger Disney parks shift toward licensed IP, why Star Tours opens the door, and how Indy becomes the proof that a non Disney story can still feel like Disneyland if the craft is right. Then we get nerdy about mechanics: Enhanced Motion Vehicles, Maraglyphics decoder cards, the best ride queue ever, and the effects now lost to Disneyland's technical debt. We also share the behind the scenes drama that shaped Indy’s voice and likeness, plus our patented plus-ups! Listen now, then subscribe, share with a fellow park nerd, and leave a review if you want more deep dives like this. What’s the one Indiana Jones Adventure effect you’d bring back first? Thanks for listening! We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air. Come visit us on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social], Mastodon, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lowdownplusup/], or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up!   We are a Boardwalk Times production. Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/ Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .

Disneyland - Can We Still Find Walt? | A Lowdown Shorty

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335588/fan_mail/new] Something is quietly disappearing inside Disneyland, and it isn’t a single ride. It’s the feeling of Walt Disney himself: the founder's fingerprints, the hand-crafted oddities, and the design choices that made Anaheim’s original park feel like a living, ebullient, organism. We take a thoughtful walk through Disneyland history and ask a focused question: what is actually left of Walt? We talk about how the man used to be omnipresent in the park, why that kind of creator presence still matters to Disney adults across generations, and how it might be aa little tougher, but he's still there... if you know where to look. In this short episode, Kelly and Pete speak from the heart, and get a little melancholy. Hey, we're human! Thanks for listening! We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air. Come visit us on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social], Mastodon, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lowdownplusup/], or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up!   We are a Boardwalk Times production. Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/ Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .

Big Thunder Mountain - The Mine Train that Ran Away from History

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335588/fan_mail/new] Big Thunder Mountain Railroad feels like pure fun: a runaway mine train, a mountain of red rock, and a few perfect sight gags that hit at 35 miles an hour. But the ride’s real story starts way earlier, in the myths America told itself about the frontier and the Western movies that turned those myths into pop culture. We follow that thread from Frederick Jackson Turner’s famous frontier thesis to how Walt Disney shaped his original Frontierland into something that resembles actual history. Then things get messy. Mark Davis’ fingerprints are all over Disney's greatest achievements and in the late-'60s he began designing his theme park masterpiece: Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition. And that's when things start to go wrong. But from the wreckage of the project emerged one of Disney's greatest attractions: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - the only ride that can actually be prescribed by a Doctor as a cure for kidney stones. If you love Disney history, theme park design, Imagineering legends, or just want to ride Big Thunder with smarter eyes, hit play. Subscribe, share the episode with a fellow parks nerd, and leave a review with your best Big Thunder plus-up idea. Thanks for listening! We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air. Come visit us on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social], Mastodon, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lowdownplusup/], or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up!   We are a Boardwalk Times production. Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/ Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .

Roger Tofte and The Handmade Magic Of Oregon’s Enchanted Forest

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335588/fan_mail/new] Start with a finish-line smile and a hand-built castle. We open by honoring Jeff Galloway—the Olympian and Run-Walk-Run mentor whose you can do it turned marathons into memories for everyday runners—then spend most of this short episode saluting another architect of joy: Roger Tofte, the craftsman behind Oregon’s Enchanted Forest. Roger was a draftsman, sign maker, and watch repairer who saw a quiet forest near Salem and imagined a fairy tale carved into concrete and trees. He bought twenty acres on a shoestring, spent seven years shaping Storybook Lane by hand, and opened with a butcher-paper sign. We celebrate Roger’s life at ninety-six and the ongoing stewardship of his family, who still run the park with the same hands-on care. If you’re mapping an Oregon road trip, looking for family-friendly attractions near Salem, or chasing the charm of indie amusement parks, this story is your guide to what handmade wonder looks like—and why it endures. Press play, then share this with someone who loves small, magical places. Two great men have passed. We were so lucky to share the planet with them. Thanks for listening! We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air. Come visit us on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social], Mastodon, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lowdownplusup/], or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up!   We are a Boardwalk Times production. Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/ Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .