Yes! I have an answer for you. When the Jim Owens' Float Trip was installed in 1968, the theme was "the ghost of Jim Owens" and a speaker hidden under the back seat of the jon boat you floated in is where Owens' ghostly voice came out, and he described things along the river. Sometime in the mid 1970's, the theme was slightly altered. Now Matilda Jones' voice followed you along the route, as she looked for her no good husband, Pudgy Jones and his buddy, who were hiding out on the river. In the late 70's, the theme was slightly altered again. The Matilda and Pudgy Jones thing ended, now there was no character who went along with you on your journey, you just floated along the river and looked at the various scenes. Now, friendly gnomes inhabited the cave, and there were several scenes with gnomes inside. The gnome thing only lasted two or three seasons, from about '78-80. Then, in 1981 (in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis and the coming of a new president, Ronald Reagan...there was a surge in feeling good about being an American, and the AMERICAN PLUNGE made it's debut.) The legacy of American daredevils began at SDC. I worked at the float trip in '79, midway through the "gnome" phase. I remember riding the float trip in '70 as a kid when the ghost of Jim Owens theme was in place, and then riding several times in my mid teens, in '77 and '78 when the Pudgy Jones era was in effect. It was a nice, relaxing family ride, and it is also one of the rides I have fond memories of as a guest and employee. So, Pudgy Jones is from the float trip, not the American Plunge.
