Something odd is happening, and it’s happening around the world according to our Theme Park Rangers Radar. And a new Ripley Entertainment publication is helping gather “Believe It or Not” items for public consumption, sometimes literally. We’re also doing a double take at Gatorland before doing quick-hit updates.
Radar is a weekly roundup of notes and nibbles from Orlando’s attractions. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.
Believe it book
The latest “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” book is on shelves, its 20th annual collection of oddities. Of course, Floridians are in the mix as well as shout-outs to new attractions from Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment.
The theme of the publication is “Level Up,” and the idea is to “gamify” the book and make a little bit more modern, said Sabrina Sieck, director of creative solutions at Ripley.
“We added a feature where users can kind of level up their reading experience,” she said. They “scan to play different challenges and many games and interactives throughout the book, pushing themselves to read those stories, understand those stories, dive a bit deeper in them and kind of earn their own level-up badge.”
The hardback version remains true to its format with hundreds of items that range from a sentence to a two-page spread. The Ripley books typically have between 1,700 and 3,000 stores, Sieck said.
Among the items in the latest 256-page edition are cakes that look like cartoon drawings by Australian baker Tegan “Tigga Mac” MacCormack; “pinkest person in the world” Kitten Kay Sera; and blind professional skateboarder Justin Bishop.
And then there’s Allen Pan, who invented an apparatus that enables snakes to walk. (Think long, clear tube with short, robotic, lizard-like legs.)
“It just felt so Ripley’s that we invited him to Ripley’s warehouse here in Orlando to check everything out, meet our art department,” Sieck said. “And he was really into our medieval torture devices, because he wanted to see if he could create one himself.”
Central Floridians in the new book include Orlando’s Christina Wong, who makes crowns out of bones; Kristin Lammert of Oviedo, whose three daughters were all born in Aug. 25, but in different years; Wave Asian Bistro of Mount Dora, which creates sushi in unexpected shapes (like tacos, doughnuts and “Mandalorian” character Grogu); the longstanding 50-foot-tall Monument of States in Kissimmee; and Orlando’s Rod Price, who was part of a four-person team that rowed the length of the Mississippi River in less than 18 days.
The book also features a spread about the new Out of This World gallery at the Ripley’s attraction on Orlando’s International Drive. The space includes Buzz Aldrin’s jumpsuit, Apollo 11 moonwalk tapes and a meteorite found in Nantan, China. Also spotlighted are new attractions including Selfie Studios in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Mirror Maze on I-Drive plus Kieran Castano, the latest Ripley cartoonist and a Central Floridian.
The book itself is produced out of Ripley’s Orlando headquarters and is a yearlong endeavor.
“It is a continuous process,” Sieck said. “Once it goes to the printer, we breathe for about a week and then jump right back into research.”
Who’s the boss, man?
Gatorland has some Easter eggs this Halloween. The first room inside the Monster Museum portion of Gatorland’s Gators, Ghosts and Goblins event is a take-off on pop-up Halloween stores. Among the items are prepackaged costumes for the masses.
Among the options for “purchase” is the Boss Man costume, but isn’t that a photo of Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, on the packaging? Of course it is. McHugh is frequently referred to as “Boss Man” on the attraction’s online videos.
The bag says it comes with hat, adventure gear and “forehead vein prosthetic.” A sense of humor helps when working at Gatorland. Several other employees were featured this way (including crazy cat lady) as well as on wanted posters in the ghost town section of the park.
2-sentence updates
• We have a name for Universal’s unnerving year-round Las Vegas project that was announced in January. It shall be called Universal Horror Unleashed.
• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has unveiled the Kennedy Entry Experience. It features six-minute video on a 3,000-square-foot video display that tells the story of NASA.
• Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, plans to open the Dolly Parton Experience next year. It will be a multi-building exhibit about the singer/songwriter/theme park operator’s career.
Weekend outlook
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival continues, and upcoming Eat to the Beat concerts will feature Taylor Dayne (Friday, Saturday) and Billy Ocean (Sunday, Monday).
• Science Night Dead, the Halloween-y adults-only event at Orlando Science Center is Saturday.
• Admission to Orange County Regional History Center is free between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday in conjunction with Come Out With Pride festivities.
• Nelly performs at Mango’s Live on International Drive on Friday.
• Halloween events roll on at Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld Orlando, Gatorland, Legoland Florida, Fun Spot, Pirates Dinner Adventure and elsewhere.
What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.
