Not in Miss Mary's Time! (MAJOR breaks in the SDC Theme.)

[Junior]

Last August I visited SDC and noticed several things "out of theme" in the 1880's area of the park. I went on a weeklong rant here at SDCfans.com! Some of you thought I was nuts. Some of you didn't understand why I was going ape over some things you have come to accept. But I promise you, during the time Miss Mary Herschend ran the park, people would have been in serious trouble or just plain lost their jobs over breaking the theme in such a bold manner. If you check my Flickr site, you will see just a few examples of "breaks" in the 1880's theme that would not have been acceptable in Miss Mary's time. The photos were taken on opening day, last Thursday, March 17, 2011. I present the photos in a humorous manner...with some commentary below the photos. Hit the enlarge icon on the Flickr site, take a good look at the photos, and read the captions. You'll see what I mean when I say "NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME! Enjoy!


                                          http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

[Coaster]

Haha, nice album Junior. Only some of the things actually bother me though. I look past all the fans, as they provide relief on a hot summer's day. I also look past the garage doors and the modern soda machines and vendors. However, the TV really bothers me, as I feel that is a major major breaking of the theme. The toys in the Hospitality House and the fence that looks like it is about to fall over also bother me. It just looks bad, as I know SDC could do better if they just tried harder on some things.

[History Buff]

At least they purchased coolers to blend with a natural color scheme.  More unsightly ones have been used in the past several years.

The fans are still at least of a color that blends in, but modern heaters, telephones, and computer monitors at the registers are not always installed with the same thinking.

The refreshments in refrigerated coolers are recessed into the walls and not sticking out like in most parks.

I hate the airbrush and body art stands, and everyone knows what I think about the confounded basketballs.  I'm just waiting for the tattoo/piercing stands to become the popular thing.

There is really no excuse for the t-posts in the garden when wooden posts are so readily available.

It used to be that SDC took a more "Disney" approach and didn't allow visitors to see outside the park (parking lots, etc.).

Oh, Junior!  I have walked through the park with a very critical eye since my childhood.  I really think all of these things could be covered and disguised much better than they are while still allowing for the modern convenience.  I've always thought this could be done with relative little cost, say during a year when a major addition is not being planned.  I'd love to see HFE really make a push to make this park into one unlike all others and not merely do things out of expediency.  You and I should be the ones in charge of going through with a fine-toothed comb and making a list of thematic violations to present for changes.

[rubedugans]

Call me crazy, but I think it would be a fun job to theme items to be placed in the park to not seem out of place.

[Junior]

One thing I saw that I did not take a photo of...in one shop, a clerk was walking around talking to someone on a wireless phone. There was no one in the shop until I came in, but, she continued the conversation on the phone while walking around the merchandise. Sorry, NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME!

[History Buff]

That's what I've thought for a long time, RD.  And you would be perfect for that job with your ability to carry through with your artistic vision.  I always see it in my mind, but I can't execute it.  Junior and I will feed you the list and offer suggestions, and you can engineer the theming.  See how easy it is to be TPTB!  We could be TPTB in a heartbeat.

[mhguy77]

You gotta have the fans.
 The park was not open in early spring back in the old days so you didn't see the parking lot.
The fence around the garden is not excusable, that could be well done even if they did have to use wire fencing.  The rubber toys are terrible.
Water coolers could be hidden.

[History Buff]

Still, the fans could be in theme with some creativity.

As for the rubber toys, that area of the HH has always been the cheap, plastic tourist toys (I dare say, even during MMT) - a last effort to get everybody's pocket change.

[mhguy77]

that area of the HH has always been the cheap, plastic tourist toys (I dare say, even during MMT) - a last effort to get everybody's pocket change

Yes this may be true.
But the toys in the toystore are an abomination " . "
al least I think so

[History Buff]

I absolutely agree.  Since the toy store moved to GG, the toys have been questionable.  I can't imagine people actually buy toys in there, since the same things are sold in any WalMart, Target, Toys R Us, or mall in the country.  There are plenty of toy companies, selling through catalogs, that produce the type of toys that should be sold at SDC.

[rubedugans]

Nothing like a wall of stuffed animals and beanie babiesto say 19th century. Anyone know what the "build a bear" setup at HDH is like?

[History Buff]

At least the new bear thing is a "craft" of sorts.  Hopefully there are some exclusive SDC bears planned.

[mhguy77]

Anyone know what the "build a bear" setup at HDH is like?

I went into the store on Sunday and thought it was very nicely done and it fit into the immediate area.  Please remember that this is a kids area with a kids theme.
They had bears you stuff and they also had some of the TY bears in there with SDC printed on them.
Frankly its not in theme but I wasnt as turned off as I was in the regular toy store.

[rubedugans]

If people don't buy that junk, then they will stop selling it! BOYCOTT BOYCOTT. No not really, in all reality people more than likely ARE buying these things, which are spurring the introduction of more and more anachronisms in the stores. I freaked out as a kid when my sister-StLphotoGal- purchased an Edgar Allan Poe anthology at the book store because in my mind "you can get that anywhere, and you came to SDC to buy that... out of all of the things you could have bought" It was in no way out of time period for the park, at all, and I was glad later that she purchased something she wanted, and was interested in, It just wasn't my choice.

I would think very differently today if there was, on that same shelf, the "Wimpy Kid" series, or "Twilight" books or Mumsket on the shelves. (only kidding HB!) I would think that they would keep most shops period correct, society has changed I guess...

[Junior]

People who don't remember or never visited the park years ago will accept almost anything they see, because...well, they don't know any better! (Kinda sorta joking here.) You know what I mean. In the photos I posted, the modern fans are accepted by todays crowd, but in the old days, the park might have built a covered walkway with ceiling fans. Yes, ceiling fans are a modern thing, too, but if they blend into the background, you won't notice them as much, and still, the air will circulate and people will be cooler. Check out the ceiling fans in the Mill, for instance...yeah, they are there in the big dining area with the magic table. At the diving bell, we had three large "blower" fans that circulated air conditioning in the building, but the blowers were hidden in the ceiling and a wooden grille was covering them. I gotta admit, the modern fan posted in the GE and in the Lost River line work, do their job, make people comfortable...and it's much cheaper than building a covered walkway with the ceiling fans, which saves the park money. But sorry, NOT in Miss Mary's time! To me, unforgivable "breaks" in theme are the TV in the furniture shop, the electric heater in Two Sisters Jewelry, and the clerk in the shop talking on a wireless phone. Sorry, NOT in Miss Mary's time! Us Dugan boys were threatened with disciplinary measures if we carried our big plastic water cooler from the door of the rib house (where we filled it with ice and water each summer day) to the door of our break room (pictured in the photos I posted) which was a distance of probably less than 100 feet. If we carried it uncovered, it had better have been done prior to the rope drop on Main Street. If we filled the cooler after visitors were filtering through in the morning, we had a burlap cloth we covered it with for the short trip. If we didn't cover it with the burlap, dang, the bosses would skin us alive! Yep, the burlap covering didn't fool anybody, but, an ATTEMPT had been made to hide a "modern" device in the themed area of the park. At one point in the early '80's the entertainment directors ordered that the chrome microphone stands used at the gazebo, and other performance locations, be covered in a burlap covering too. It was downright silly, the entertainers hated it, but it was done for a season or two...again at least an ATTEMPT to "theme" something.