This is Last Stand at Big Thunder Mountain, a large-scale model of Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction, on display through February 3 at Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica.

It’s hardly a faithful representation, it lacks the exposed dinosaur bones and western town, but the inclusion of plasma balls in a tinfoil-lined cave is a vast improvement. And frankly, I think the world could use a few more models of Big Thunder Mountain.
Here’s past work I found on his site - also low-end materials - also fabulous.

After the 1979 partial meltdown at Three-mile Island in Pennsylvania, Disney theme park designer Art Riley jokingly proposed repurposing the site as an amusement park - seen here in this concept art found recently on Ebay. Good news: meltdown was contained. Bad news: fun park wasn’t built. But…

Years later, for reasons I’m too lazy to research, a German power company abandoned their nuclear plant before its completion – and someone over there thought giant cooling towers could make a cool fun park too – and this time they build it. Kernie’s Familienpark, is what it’s called, but they painted the tower with a mountain scene instead of a big smiley face with a bow-tie – and inside is just a rock climbing wall. Not a single attraction celebrating the atom.

(Thanks to Jordan for the Ebay tip)

Seen at the Supreme store on Fairfax in LA.
See also: My Disappointed shirts and Mickey LA handsign tee.

Located off an alley, under the historic Higgins Building, The Edison is possibly the least “LA” bar in LA, not to mention one of the biggest. It features rows of the original generators perfectly complemented by distressed art-nouveau murals - lit with reproduction edison bulbs, of course. Disney fans will understand when I say it’s exactly as if the Tower of Terror load area were a nightclub.

It’s not officially open yet but here’s pictures from the press party last night.

The artist, Catherine Bay, outfits performers in latex recreations of the famous Disney ensemble, and then they go about their business reciting a script that includes the lines:

My place in society does not allow me
to play Russian roulette,
to open a casino,
to carry on a sexual relationship with Bill Clinton,
to dress myself out of a fashion magazine,
to wear sneakers Made in China.

Whatever. I just adore the crude English translation of the French explanation: “The multiplied image of White Snow evokes the fall of marvellous in the industry of Disney, its effigy hung up again with our banality…”
There’s video here.

Group Object Orange paints abandoned Detroit buildings bright orange in hopes someone will take notice and fix or desroy the structures. Four buildings were imediately razed after being painted. The color of choice? “Tiggerific,” from the Pooh collection, new from Behr’s Disney line of paints. More info from GOOD.

It’s under his the table his model train runs on. See more here.

That I’m-all-skeletal-under-moonlight look popularized by the first Pirates of the Caribbean film can now be yours with UV reactive dye tattoos. Although the effect won’t occur under moonlight, you’ll appear simply dashing on any blacklit dance floor.

Thanks Dave.

Years ago, while designer/Disney historian, Dave Mumford was researching wrought ironwork in the Disney Company library, he found a photo of a building that resembled Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion (top photo, below). I was working nearby and he showed me the book and we agreed it had an uncanny resemblance to Disney version. I made a couple Xeroxes right there, and Dave checked out the book. (Sadly I never got the name of it. “Frances Lichten’s Catalog of Victorian Artwork.”) It wasn’t until later when I compared the book photo to Ken Andersons’ 1958 sketch (second photo) that I knew this was the source of the mansion’s design – Ken had copied every visible detail in the photo, details that would be realized as the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland (third photo).

Now the second half of the mystery begins, where is this original house? It was previously believed Disneyland’s mansion was based on the Evergreen House in Baltimore (last photo) but clearly that is not the case. The caption beside the b/w photo from the book Dave found does say the house is in Baltimore. Any Baltimore historians recognize the house in that top picture?

This week, the world’s largest sporting goods store opened in Fargo, North Dakota, the same week I happened to be visiting. Now, understand, sports are huge up here, huge as spectator sports, that is. Actual athleticism isn’t as popular. It’s “sports as leisure,” if you will. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Fargo’s mega-sporting goods store to feature a Ferris wheel, candy shop, and shooting arcade. A rock-climbing wall would require effort, possibly sweat, and that’s no fun.

A “living statue” has nothing to do with sports but no one seems to care.

You can practice with toy guns in the shooting gallery.

Or aim for your husband with the real thing.

Buckets of candy replenish valuable carbohydrates.

And for no logical reason, Lincoln, and seven other presidents, line the second floor balcony. That’s my Fargo!

I called the Adidas store on Melrose and (like everywhere) they were sold out. “Good luck trying to find those,” the lady told me. “They came out a long time ago.”

“When”

“May 6th.”

“You mean ten days ago?”

“Yes.”