King of the land
May 21, 2008 7:34 PM   Subscribe

Great story about being Jack Sparrow. A quick story of a guy hired to play Jack Sparrow at Disneyland.
posted by edmcbride (86 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
That is a sad story on several levels. Thanks.
posted by yhbc at 7:48 PM on May 21, 2008


What a strange company.
posted by nola at 7:54 PM on May 21, 2008 [2 favorites]


“Jack Sparrow and I are just friends.”
posted by ericb at 7:55 PM on May 21, 2008


Really interesting. Thanks for posting it, edmcbride.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:00 PM on May 21, 2008


Oh dear. That is very sad.

Thing is, Disney's success at what they do comes down to the rigidity of rules like that. Or, rather, down to one rule: don't break the illusion.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 8:00 PM on May 21, 2008


Mauswitch
posted by subgear at 8:01 PM on May 21, 2008


Employment laws are so very different in the US than in NZ. Is it true that you can just be fired at the whim on an employer?

Nice engaging open style.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 8:01 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


I hope he doesn't get sued for having his stage name appear in the article. You can use this and other details to identify him.
posted by acoutu at 8:04 PM on May 21, 2008


Is it true that you can just be fired at the whim on an employer?

It varies by state, but here in Massachusetts, most employees fall under the category "employee-at-will," which means either party (you or your boss) may terminate the working relationship at any time, for any reason or no reason. Even so, in a case like that illustrated in the article, the employer had an ongoing record of rule infractions (as draconian as the rules may be), and so I would think that Disney could be said to have had cause to terminate the guy. It's not like he didn't know he was breaking the rules.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:11 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


Speaking of jack Sparrow, my local corner store had this in stock the other day. I'm no expert but the buccaneer community was not known for soft lips of good oral health in general. Maybe they market it as 'scurvilicious.'
posted by jonmc at 8:14 PM on May 21, 2008


thanks, edmc!
posted by cowbellemoo at 8:14 PM on May 21, 2008


Great story. Thanks edmc.
posted by crunch buttsteak at 8:16 PM on May 21, 2008


A sad story but very interesting story, but it played out pretty much the way I expected when clicking the link to read it. All big companies become bogged down in strict rules and draconian policies and are ultimately rendered in-human because of it. It's a result of fearing law suits, fearing that the smallest mistake or even a percieved mistake (such as the mother who though 'Jack Sparrow' said "no shit" to her kid) will cost the company a lot of money.

It's ironic that Disney thrives and sells itself on the notion of magic being alive and real and yet behind the scenes they do everything they can to kill it.
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:20 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


But the magic is not for those behind the scenes. This guy sounds like a bit of a whiner to me.
posted by autodidact at 8:25 PM on May 21, 2008 [2 favorites]


Wah, wah, I didn't do my job, and then I got fired!! WTF?!?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:34 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


Everyone has their personal dystopian vision of the future, the one they always think is just a little more realistic. Some people have Mad Max, some people have 1984, but in my bleak nightmare of what happens when the United States finally jumps the shark, the government simply outsources everything. Not to Microsoft nor Cisco, not Monsanto nor Boeing.

Nope, in my crushing fear, they turn over the administration of the country to Disney.
posted by adipocere at 8:38 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


I had no idea they had to go to acting classes... I guess it makes sense. Kinda makes me wish I saw the Esmerelda...
posted by wangarific at 8:44 PM on May 21, 2008


Wah, wah, I didn't do my job, and then I got fired!! WTF?!?

He claims he wasn't breaking contract as he had appeared in costume, but not the Disney costume, and wasn't garnering a fee for is appearance.

Granted, sailing close to the wind, but you should really need to read the article.
posted by mattoxic at 8:50 PM on May 21, 2008 [5 favorites]


Wah, wah, I didn't do my job, and then I got fired!! WTF?!?

Except he got fired for doing something he had been told was okay to do.
posted by Nattie at 8:52 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


I was a ride operator at Disney, and worked closely with some characters and some "face" characters, like this guy was. The face character job seemed surprisingly tricky, because you're out wandering the park, and because you need to be in character at all times, and tourists (sorry, guests) do all sorts of wacky things, it's like an improv sketch that can last an hour or more between breaks.

I mean, even the guy playing Johnny Appleseed -- not exactly a character in high demand -- was impressively fast on his feet in dodging anything that would appear anachronistic and breaking the illusion.

And the "no shit / nice ship" thing? I could *totally* see someone heading over to Guest Services and filing a complaint.

One thing that stuck out for me were the anecdotes about clocking in on time. You have to literally walk past the time clocks at the employee (sorry ... cast member) entrance just to get inside. And then your time sheet is only marked when you actually arrive at the work station (in his case, in costume). So his whole story about failing to clock in right seems like he simply misunderstood something fundamental.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:00 PM on May 21, 2008 [4 favorites]


Interesting story - it reminded me instantly of "Disnae Matter" by Irvine Welsh:

Eh apologises tae ays, then turns tae the bear cunt n sais: Wir gaunny huv tae lit ye go mate.
link to a rather brutal confrontation between text colour and background colour
posted by bunglin jones at 9:21 PM on May 21, 2008 [3 favorites]


Great read, thanks!
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:34 PM on May 21, 2008


My sister did an internship at Disney World. Apparently there is a city of tunnels under the whole park that they use to stock stores and move about the park. She said that she saw Goofy with his head off smoking cigarettes and cursing some kids that had been bugging him.
posted by Mr_Zero at 9:34 PM on May 21, 2008


Everyone knows the REAL Jack Sparrow hangs out on Hollywood Blvd anyway.
posted by mykescipark at 9:36 PM on May 21, 2008


This is good.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:05 PM on May 21, 2008


You know, I don't think this was all that sad. He seemed to have fun with it. Except this part:

There is a big thing in the park about not being visually linked to another character. You’re told to stay in your area. But Pluto was a friend of mine, and one day he came over to see me. We posed for photos, and the next day he told me it was on YouTube. Eventually he got fired.

They fired Pluto. That just somehow seems wrong to me.
posted by ninjew at 10:18 PM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]


They fired Pluto. That just somehow seems wrong to me.

Maybe it was this Pluto.
posted by farishta at 10:29 PM on May 21, 2008 [4 favorites]


Esmerelda.
posted by mecran01 at 11:12 PM on May 21, 2008


Fascinating that someone would want to work in an environment like that. That part is seriously interesting.

And that video of Pluto is freaky not for the Pluto chasing the kid, which is funny, but for how clearly freaked out Pluto is when he realizes *just what he has done.*

thanks for a very interesting anthropological side-trip.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:33 AM on May 22, 2008


Look out for those Ariels. Savvy?
posted by rongorongo at 12:59 AM on May 22, 2008


I took a creative writing class with one of the guys who played Goofy. He wrote a lot of dead baby stories.
posted by brookedel at 1:08 AM on May 22, 2008


I didn't really see the "I got fired" part as the key to the article. Interesting story.
posted by grouse at 1:26 AM on May 22, 2008


What's really puzzling is that people will queue to stand next to someone who is merely dressed up like a character from a film. Never mind 'Jack Sparrow', I wouldn't queue to stand next to Johnny Depp. Actually I wouldn't even queue to stand next to Keith Richards.

Humans are weird.
posted by Phanx at 1:48 AM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


They're lining up to get to interact with a live improvised performance of a character they know, like seeing a play where the actors are speaking to you. It's a pretty lowbrow pleasure when adults do it, sure, but it's at least as understandable as paying to see a movie. To me, this seems like something more out of the continuum of the old audience-talkback/improvisation-heavy performances like Punch and Judy, where (unlike in a serious business theater performance) your awareness isn't directed towards the performer doing Mr. Punch, but you look forward to seeing a particularly well-done Mr. Punch.
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks at 3:49 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


Just as puzzling to me was all the sexual attention. What is up with that?
posted by Catfry at 3:50 AM on May 22, 2008


I swear this guy was at Dragoncon and he was amazingly accurate.
posted by dasheekeejones at 4:04 AM on May 22, 2008


Catfry, I don't get it either, but a surprising amount of women looooove Jack Sparrow. I think some of it might be knowing that it's Johnny Depp under there (the guy did say that people called him Johnny all the time), but there is definitely some appea to the "rakish rogue" character, too. As soon as I saw "a guy hired to play Jack Sparrow at Disneyland" I knew a good portion of the story would be about women throwing themselves at him.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:23 AM on May 22, 2008


I wonder if anyone has ever slipped the note, "I'll blow you AND Mickey if you get me out of this fucking line"?
posted by dasheekeejones at 4:24 AM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


I swear this guy was at Dragoncon and he was amazingly accurate.

Nope. I know the D*C Jack Sparrow.
posted by elfgirl at 4:28 AM on May 22, 2008


I'm not at all shocked at how strict Disney is with keeping in-character (compare the teenager working The Haunted Mansion vs. Your state fair's haunted house) but the most surprising thing is how willing one employee is to report another behind their back.

Printing out a photo from the guy's private myspace page to show to management? Gareth and Dwight would be proud.
posted by unsupervised at 4:32 AM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


I've heard a lot of 'Disney are Nazis' stories before... but not relaxing the 'no facial hair' rule even when your character has a mustache and soul patch is so draconian it's beyond sanity.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:35 AM on May 22, 2008 [3 favorites]


You must be at least THIS tall to ride Jack Sparrow. For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.
posted by horsewithnoname at 4:52 AM on May 22, 2008 [4 favorites]


Mr_Zero: yes, there's a whole series of tunnels under the Magic Kingdom (and bits of Epcot) called the utilidors. They're part of some of the backstage tours you can do. When you realise they built a network of tunnels and raised the whole park up a storey so that you never saw characters in the wrong land spoiling the illusion, it doesn't seem so surprising that they're incredibly strict with the employees portraying the characters.
posted by penguinliz at 5:16 AM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


That's a good story. Thanks edmcbride!
posted by rmmcclay at 5:17 AM on May 22, 2008


"a guy hired to play Jack Sparrow at Disneyland"

See for me that's just it. He's just playing. I could understand it if the guy playing was actually some real hunk (and he might be) but the write up made it sound like it was his character that facilitated the response and this I just don't get. I don't get role playing and I don't understand people wishing to have sex with a dream, but I'm not really good at understanding people in general.
So to quote another poster upstream 'humans are weird' (For me).
posted by Catfry at 5:34 AM on May 22, 2008


Magic is like sausage: you don't want to see how it's made.
posted by absalom at 5:43 AM on May 22, 2008 [5 favorites]


I wouldn't queue to stand next to Johnny Depp.

Not to stand next to, no. To kidnap and then hold for some serious ransom coin..

Actually I wouldn't even queue to stand next to Keith Richards.

What? Contact high, anyone???
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:51 AM on May 22, 2008


I swear this guy was at Dragoncon and he was amazingly accurate.

I just want to clarify something here, how can someone be an accurate fictional character? I'm not trying to be snide, I really don't understand. Do you mean that he captured the essence of the character or that his accent and costume were immaculately researched for pirate authenticity or that he perfectly reproduced the mannerisms and costuming of Johnny Depp's interpritation of the character?
posted by Pollomacho at 5:52 AM on May 22, 2008


or that he perfectly reproduced the mannerisms and costuming of Johnny Depp's interpretation of the character?

That'd be the one.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:11 AM on May 22, 2008


Disneyland-inspired comic... all part of the show, folks.
posted by anthill at 6:15 AM on May 22, 2008


... coincidentally called King of the cats... maybe not such a coincidence after all. Disneyland bit starts at page 21.
posted by anthill at 6:30 AM on May 22, 2008


Maybe the attention from the women is a role they are playing too. There is no indication that they are serious and would actually go through with it.
posted by Saddo at 6:43 AM on May 22, 2008


A quick story

ts;dr
posted by stbalbach at 6:59 AM on May 22, 2008


Hilarious.
posted by ph00dz at 7:05 AM on May 22, 2008


Arguably, Disney may not always be the best at what they do, but they certainly try really, really hard to be the best.

I've been in and out of most of the studios as part of my job. Walt Disney had a tunnel dug between the writer's building and the animation building at the Burbank studio supposedly so that sketches would not be damaged by (infrequent Southern California) rainfall. I mentioned this to a couple of animators at Hanna-Barbera and they laughed and said they'd be lucky to get plastic envelopes!

Seen in this light, if you're not willing to commit, I mean Samurai level commit, to their vision of what's best, you're not going to last.
posted by Standeck at 8:05 AM on May 22, 2008


Obliquely related: Confessions of a Superhero.
posted by Dr-Baa at 8:15 AM on May 22, 2008


I thought a really interesting dimension of the story was how affected by the YouTube culture these public performers are. It seemed like he wasn't really concerned about being fired because of a park official's on-the-spot disapproval so much as being fired because somebody with a cell phone caught him doing something out of character and put it on YouTube- which is what ended up getting him canned. Do you think Disney has paid internet screeners who do nothing but search around online for employee infractions documented by park guests?
posted by baphomet at 8:30 AM on May 22, 2008


Very interesting story and not at all surprising in any way. Neocons wish the whole world was run like Disneyland. In both Disneyland and Disney World, I was very impressed by Disney's crowd-managing skills. The places really are like the conservative dream of how things ought to be.

Dissent? Individuality? I don't think so. On the other hand, all the trains would run on time. :-/
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 8:37 AM on May 22, 2008


Interesting story. I give the guy kudos for writing it all down for us to read.
It is kind of sad the way the Disney management handles things. I guess when you are hyper vigilant of litigation this is what you end up with.
posted by a3matrix at 8:52 AM on May 22, 2008


Like what was said above, I just hope he changed his stage name for the article. I mean, he may never want to go back to Disney, I can understand that, but it'd be a shame of a petulant Disney lead were to get him into more trouble for that.

IMO the face characters have the hardest, and by contrast perhaps the most rewarding job in the park. They are the living embodiement of a fictional character, so they are under the screws to not endanger that fictional character or its representation. At the same time, they're face to face with...well.. people! And they get to bring that character to life. Some great, rewarding interactions.. coupled with some scarey, o-shi-somebodys tryin to take my pants and I've got to stay in character not stray into Tomorrowland and keep my pants on- moments.

The fuzzies, on the other hand, sort of the same predicament, but at least they almost always have handlers and they have a mask to hide behind. I remember many moons ago I was sitting with some friends at a Disney character breakfast and Minnie sat down with us and started waving and hugging people. My party noticed that Minnie was exceptionally affectionate towards me and laughed that she was interested in me. I appreciated the novelty of it, but deep down inside I said to myself "There's a decent chance there's a bloke inside that fuzzy."
posted by cavalier at 9:05 AM on May 22, 2008


Shoulda previewed, uh, [NOT-DISNEY-APOLOGIST], but if you're the top destination for tourists who come from every believable part of the world, with all of those cultures and mannerisms to handle, and let's say maybe 0.005% members of society are litigous, and you want to stay in business.. how can you not help but develop a very structured and detailed policy for darn near every interaction? In this I don't fault Disney so much as all the litigation for obvious common sense issues.

There's a rumor type story -- one I've heard so often to almost be credible just by repetition -- that after fireworks shows there is essentially a standby team of legal counsel in every park parking lot. Riding around in a Disney security van or what have you. If by some errant act of god or gust of wind or what have you, some rocket ends up slamming into your car or otherwise damaging it, they swoop down faster than anything with a thousand apologies some offers of compensations gifts etcetera if you'll just release them at that point for future litigation etc and sign something saying you're not going to talk about it.
posted by cavalier at 9:13 AM on May 22, 2008


There's a rumor type story -- one I've heard so often to almost be credible just by repetition -- that after fireworks shows there is essentially a standby team of legal counsel in every park parking lot.

I don't believe it. No matter how many times it has been repeated (and I've never heard it before). I don't believe that the risk of fireworks damage to people's cars is sufficient that this would be worth the cost. It makes no sense.
posted by grouse at 9:17 AM on May 22, 2008


That's a fun story; thanks.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:33 AM on May 22, 2008


Eh, dudes in eyeliner are hot even if they're not Johnny Depp.

I seriously wonder if the guy I got photographed with at Disneyland (yes, I did it, I'm not ashamed, it was funny) is this guy now. Not that I can prove anything.

Man, I don't think I could work for somewhere THAT rigid. And what is with the employee stoolie netstalking thing? Are they getting some kind of secret reward every time they nail a guy? That's the only reason I can come up with (either that or "Jack" was going around being a real prick in the cast member lounge or something) that there'd be SO many people trying to nail each other.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:44 AM on May 22, 2008


I don't believe it. No matter how many times it has been repeated (and I've never heard it before). I don't believe that the risk of fireworks damage to people's cars is sufficient that this would be worth the cost. It makes no sense.

Yeah. I mean, it's not like Disney can't just cut a cheque so they can buy a new car first thing the next morning, plus a bit for a cushy cab ride home and maybe a season pass. I'd be astonished if they had to do that even once every five years.

I would believe that there is at least a small team of lawyers on duty at the park while it's open, though.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:51 AM on May 22, 2008


And what is with the employee stoolie netstalking thing? Are they getting some kind of secret reward every time they nail a guy? That's the only reason I can come up with (either that or "Jack" was going around being a real prick in the cast member lounge or something) that there'd be SO many people trying to nail each other.

Well, there is only one (or three, I guess) Jack Sparrow and about 15 internal applicants, the story said. If you want to be a Pirate King, the only way to get there is to take out the incumbent, right?
posted by Rock Steady at 10:38 AM on May 22, 2008


I have never been, and never plan to go to, and Disney facility (not even the one in France, which is near).

My kids and I have better things to do than pay a gillion pounds just to stand in a queue all day.

Thanks for the post.
posted by chuckdarwin at 11:16 AM on May 22, 2008


It is very likely that the person inside of the Minnie (and Mickey) costume is a girl, since both Mickey and Minnie aren't allowed to be taller than 5 feet or so.

And while there's absolutely no chance that Johnny Depp would sleep with me, there's a fairly reasonable chance that a guy made up to look like him (but works for near-minimum wage) would. So I get the reason why ladies would be coming on to him.
posted by chowflap at 12:00 PM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


Jonmc, I've been puzzled by the PotC slot car set. How anachronistic can a toy be?
posted by Harald74 at 12:21 PM on May 22, 2008


Thanks for posting this, interesting read.

The darker side of recruiting Disney characters...courtesy of robocop is bleeding.
posted by marxchivist at 1:19 PM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


I've heard a rumor that once in a while the person who flies across the park as Tinkerbelle is played by a guy. Allegedly, if you were in the right place (the gondola ride at Fantasyland?), you could see Tink slam full-force into several mattresses held up by the employees at the other end.

Mauswitch

I've heard it referred to as Duckhau as well.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:24 PM on May 22, 2008


About 20 years ago some friends and I got busted drinking beer in the Disneyland parking lot. We'd only been in the car for a couple minutes when security showed up and we hadn't seen any patrols, so we couldn't understand how they knew what was up.

As security drove us to the Disneyland Jail to call our parents, they told us that the parking lot was designed so that the windshields of the cars all faced the Disneyland Hotel. On the top floor of the hotel was a room full of spotters with infrared scopes. Anytime they see people get in a car and not immediately leave, security is dispatched. Apparrently they had interrupted a lot of interesting situations over the years.

That parking lot is gone now, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't have an even more high-tech surveillance system in the new parking structure.

Oh, and I don't think fireworks debris is much of an issue because they detonate those things over the 5 freeway. It's like a war zone heading south about 10 pm in the summer.
posted by InfidelZombie at 1:44 PM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


both Mickey and Minnie aren't allowed to be taller than 5 feet or so.

Got a friend who does this. If you end up being inside a fuzzy and you're too tall, you stoop. If they need you, they put you in the costume, and you just deal.
posted by nax at 3:06 PM on May 22, 2008


I just don't get the enthusiasm so many Americans have for Disneyland. Going on roller-coasters or whatever, I can understand, but I can't figure out this whole cult-like kayfabe structure that people not just yearn to visit - sometimes over and over - but will tolerate a singularly crappy work environment to be part of.

(I appreciate that the realities of the job market, particularly for actors, have quite a bit to do with the last part.)

It's like a vast, mutated version of sitting on Santa's lap in a department store, which always scared the crap out of me as a kid even before I understood that this was just some dude being paid to pretend to be someone who didn't exist. And then it just mystified me. I mean, he didn't actually have the power to give you the presents you wanted. So what's the point of playing the game?

I suppose, for some people, theme parks are the closest it's possible to get to The Happiest Place On Earth when you don't want to buy illegal drugs. But seeing as Peter Pan in Disneyland, like a mall Santa, does not actually have the ability to do any of the things that Peter Pan is supposed to be able to do, I think it's a pretty poor alternative. Especially for the money.
posted by dansdata at 4:01 PM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


I've heard a rumor that once in a while the person who flies across the park as Tinkerbelle is played by a guy. Allegedly, if you were in the right place (the gondola ride at Fantasyland?), you could see Tink slam full-force into several mattresses held up by the employees at the other end.

While it was a girl Tink the entire time I was there, the "slam full-force" thing is 100 percent true. The slam into Tink's Tower was a nightly amusement for us ride operators in Frontierland. The tower is a disguised water tower on the back side of Big Thunder. Tink is going about 20 mph at the end of the line, where she slams into a mattress held up by two burly guys. Sometimes, all three of them are knocked ass-over-teakettle upon impact.

As security drove us to the Disneyland Jail to call our parents, they told us that the parking lot was designed so that the windshields of the cars all faced the Disneyland Hotel. On the top floor of the hotel was a room full of spotters with infrared scopes. Anytime they see people get in a car and not immediately leave, security is dispatched. Apparrently they had interrupted a lot of interesting situations over the years.

Not sure about the hotel thing, but when I was there in the days before California Adventure, there absolutely was a spotter with a set of "Big Eyes" to watch the parking lot. Not infrared, but they could see enough. His watch tower was located on the roof the Pirates of the Caribbean building, overlooking the parking lot.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:22 PM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


My third grade teacher, Mrs. Soop, was a Snow White during the summer. I had the hugest crush on her. She had the biggest, cutest dimples. Oh, Mrs. Soop.

Also, I've been on the backstage tour at Disney World. I've been down in the tunnels (where if you take a picture, they take your camera). It's as cool as you'd think it would be. Fun Fact: the restaurants at Disney are so small because most of the cooking is done underground and shipped up by conveyer belts to the shops above.
posted by ColdChef at 6:39 PM on May 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


It's like a vast, mutated version of sitting on Santa's lap in a department store, which always scared the crap out of me as a kid even before I understood that this was just some dude being paid to pretend to be someone who didn't exist. And then it just mystified me. I mean, he didn't actually have the power to give you the presents you wanted. So what's the point of playing the game?

It's for parents to get a chance to hear what their kid wants for Christmas when the kid won't tell anybody except Santa!
posted by emmling at 7:40 AM on May 23, 2008


I can understand, but I can't figure out this whole cult-like kayfabe structure that people not just yearn to visit - sometimes over and over - but will tolerate a singularly crappy work environment to be part of.

It's not the whole answer... but I think Hyperreality goes a long way towards it.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:37 AM on May 23, 2008


Americans have had to cut their mythical past from whole cloth. No Acropolis. No castles. No York or Rothenburg. These carefully preserved sites are no more real than Disneyland, and also present a highly idealized version of the reality that they supposedly preserve. That so many visitors find the Disney parks compelling is a testament to how cleverly the creators (Creators!) tapped into our psyche.

I found the concept of Disneyland vaguely creepy, but I have to say once I got there I was impressed and had a lot of fun.
posted by nax at 3:44 PM on May 23, 2008


Nope. Still think it's creepy and overpriced. Wouldn't go if I were paid to.
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:19 PM on May 23, 2008


I don't know if I go along with the idea that York is no more real than Disneyland. I'm in the slightly creepy (for adults) and expensive camp.
I would take my kids, though. I remember feeling jealous of a kid who got to go when I was about 8, even though I didn't particularly like Disney.
posted by bystander at 4:48 AM on May 24, 2008




Maybe not York so much, but I will put forward Stratford-upon-Avon instead, in my opinion, the whole town is a theme park for the bard (the theatres are great though).

To add to the hyper-reality, there's the Shakespeare Country Park in Maruyama, Japan, that has recreations of some of the Shakespeare properties, including New Place that was knocked down in the 18th century, whose owner had previously expressed his distaste for all the Shakespeare-a-holics that came visiting by pulling down a mulberry tree allegedly planted by the bard.

I grew up in Stratford and have lived in York, I feel qualified to comment
posted by Helga-woo at 12:47 PM on May 25, 2008


That Jack seemed awfully cavalier. It's not hard to follow the rules, especially when you're in a highly-competitive, highly-managed environment. Of course he got fired.

Interesting story, though. I'd be interested in reading similar experiences...
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 1:24 PM on May 25, 2008




Nice find, grouse. Deeply disturbing, but still a nice find.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:14 AM on May 28, 2008


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