Water Works

With a new season of Jersey Shore airing this month, I thought it would be appropriate to reminisce about a Jersey Shore destination that featured prominently in my childhood:  Water Works

On a side note, I also stumbled upon a description of Water Works on Domain of Death and found it severely lacking, so I  thought a write up that included proper names of the rides was needed.

Water Works was a water park that occupied a full block in Seaside Heights.  I believe the park first opened in the summer of 1988 and operated as Water Works until around 2000 (if anyone has exact dates of operation, please let me know).  I specifically remember our family of six opting every year for the 9am entrance because Water Works was a pay-by-the hour joint.  Typically, you'd pay your entrance fee and they'd give you a wristband to wear that was good for 2 hours.  i.e. if you came in at 10am, they'd give you a wristband with blue stars on it.  Around noon they'd announce over the loud speaker "Attention! It is now time for guests wearing the blue star wristband to exit the park." Buuuuut (here's where the beauty of 9am entrance came in..) if you entered the park at 9am, you got an EXTRA HOUR FREEEEEE!  That's right folks, 3 beautiful hours at the park for the same low price as the regular 2 hour entrance.  Of course, entering a water park at 9am had its down sides as well.  Even in August, 9am in NJ is a little chilly, but as a kid, you quickly get over the cold because Water Works was just that much fun. 

Upon entering the park, one could purchase a locker in which to store one's things.  Then some poor member of your group then had to wear the key to the locker around his/her wrist or ankle for the remainder of the day.

Now, on to a description of the rides. 

Double Dive
The double dive was the most daunting ride at Water Works.  You could easily see the Double Dive from Ocean Avenue and the boardwalk just outside of the park.  It consisted of two nearly vertical slides towering 80 feet in the air.  A rider simply waited for the staff member to tell him to go, then legs crossed, arms crossed, down you plummet into a shallow splash lane, which impeded your progress and prevented the rider from catapulting into the lounge chairs at the bottom of the slide.  (Anyone remember those chairs?   They had those horizontal plastic bands that could pinch your skin or leave lines on your legs/butt if you sat on them for too long.  They also got really hot when exposed to the sunlight for too long.).  The Double Dive was a great ride for spectators as well.  Inevitably, someone would go down the slide (usually scared to death) and upon entering the splash lane, the rider would sit up, discreetly pick his wedgie, then continue on to the next ride.  My first experience with the Double Dive was one I will never forget.  It took me a few years to get up the nerve to go down the slide.  I took someone's wise advice and didn't look down, didn't hesitate when it was my turn.  As soon as the lifeguard said "go," I was gone.  The ride was actually really fun until I realized what the "double" in Double Dive meant.  No, no, the "double" was not because there were two slides. The "double" was because this ride did double duty.  Task #1:  serve as a fun ride for thrill seekers brave enough to conquer it.  Task #2:  Enema.  I assert that the human body was not intended to travel at such high speed skimming water along the way.  No only did I have the worst wedgie in life when the ride was over, but I swear my 10-year old self was crapping water for weeks (I never promised this was a clean blog).  And yes, I went on the Double Dive again...many times, but no ride was ever as bad as my first experience. 

Super Twist
The Super Twist consisted of dueling enclosed tubes or pipes that traveled across the width of the park and ended in splash lanes right next to the infamous Double Dive.  Despite my rather unfortunate experience with the Double Dive (I swear, I'm not the only one), the Super Twist was by far the most frightening ride at Water Works.  I went on it twice, but after that, I vowed never to go on that ride again.  The concept of the Super Twist was fun, but because Water Works operated during the inaugural days of water parks in America, I don't think they had the execution of rides down to a science just yet.  The idea was that a current from stream of water inside the pipe would carry the rider through the pipe to the opposite end of the park.  The current was aided by the eventual downward dip in the orientation of the pipes, which allowed gravity to have a heavy hand in transporting the rider.  But here's problem #1 with the Super Twist (and the source of the ride's name):  The two pipes twisted around each other as they crossed the park.  Whoever designed the ride must have thought an immediate twist of the pipes was a great idea.  I say not.  About 10 feet from the entrance of the pipes, the left pipe twisted over the right.  10 feet is not enough space for one to build up momentum to get over another pipe.  The rider in the right pipe was fine.  His pipe dipped down first.  The rider in the left pipe....not so lucky.  His pipe went up first, and unless he weighed enough to gather momentum quickly, he wasn't going to make it.  That exact scenario happened to me.  I was always a thin child, and at 10 years old I'm being generous by saying I was tipping the scales at 65 pounds.  65 pounds is not enough to get a person over that first hump.  I GOT STUCK IN THE PIPE.  This is what I remember:  The lifeguard said "go."  I laid on my back, pushed myself into the tube, hands and feet crossed, and WHHEEEE! for 5 seconds.  I slowed to a stop.  I was stuck trying to get over the other pipe.  The insides were a dark blue and the air was stuffy.  I had to sit up inside the pipe and push off the interior walls with my hands to get myself moving again.  After that it was fairly smooth sailing, but once I built up momentum, I really got splashed in the face with water.  Then I couldn't see anything.  And I had no idea when this pipe was going to come to an end.  I was awaiting the splash lane...."WHEN SHOULD I HOLD MY BREATH!?!"  Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I was free.  I was in the safety of the splash lane with a few minor cuts and bruises on my back from God knows what.  My oldest brother later told me about a recurring nightmare he had in which he got stuck in the Super Twist.  I vowed to never submit myself to the Super Twist again.

Next Post:  Water Works Part 2 - The Octopus & The Mats/Double Tubes

I'll be back

Hello loyal readers (if I have any left after a long hiatus from writing).   I'm working on a gem of a post right now.  I hope to include photographs, and, if I'm lucky, video footage.  I'm warning you now this one is long.  It's already 1300 words and I'm not even a quarter of the way through, so either schedule a time for reading, or it can be read in pieces.  I hope to have it completed by the end of the week.  The topic:  Water Works.

McDonald's Halloween Pails

Yet another festive post from me.  Two in one day....watch out!  Keeping with the Halloween theme, this post discusses the immortal McDonad's Halloween Pails

I say immortal, because these things never die.  They have seen numerous reincarnations since their official inception in 1986. 

The 1986/1987 varieties are nearest and dearest to my heart because those are the versions that stand out most prominently from my childhood.  The Halloween Pails served as a vessel for the Happy Meal.  Instead of getting the cardboard box with the golden arch handles, your meal came in a plastic pumpkin.  The original Halloween pails were a set of three (as always), but they were all pumpkins, unlike their successors who were witches and ghosts as well as pumpkins.  Here is a picture of the 1986/87 pails, compliments of Sydlexia (continue reading if you want to know why I don't have any of these pails in my possession):  

(Image:  http://www.sydlexia.com/halloween_pails.htm)

Their names, in order as pictured above, were:  McGoblin, McBoo, and McPunk'n.  They came with a lid and a handle so that once you had finished your scrumptious Happy Meal, you could then go trick-or-treating and fill them with candy.  Because we already had larger pumpkin pails for trick-or-treating, my mom had other plans for the pails (to the horror of McGoblin, McBoo, and McPunk'n).  I'm not proud of this.  Keep in mind I was 2-3 years old during the pails' inaugural year.  What are most kids doing at that age?  Yup, potty training.  By October of 1987 I had already perfected the idea that I was supposed to pee in the toilet, but when you're three and at your brother's travel soccer game with no bathrooms, desperate times call for desperate measures.  Our family's whip was a brand-new, kick-ass 1986 Chevy Conversion Van, not unlike the 1990 model pictured below:

Should I (or later, my sister) feel the urge to pee when toilets were unavailable, we were free to use the fine facilities my mom provided in the privacy of the conversion van.  These "facilities" consisted of a McDonald's Halloween Pail and a box of wipes in the back seat of the van.  The curtains and blinds on the windows of the van provided a private, dark environment for relief.  When the task was complete, mom simply sealed the receptacle with the lid until she could dispose of our fluids at home.  And to our family, THAT was the primary function of the McDonald's Halloween Pail, hence the pails being so vivid in my mind and double hence why we don't still own them.

The only other McDonald's Halloween Pails that I remember well are the 1989 versions, in which McGoblin and McPunk'n were eliminated in favor of McWitch and McGhost (I bet McDonald's was really kicking themselves for already using the name McBoo, because that name would be so much more appropriate for the Ghost variety had it not already belonged to the pumpkin.  Instead, they had to settle for the lackluster "McGhost.").

(Image:  http://www.sydlexia.com/halloween_pails.htm)

McDonald's must have gotten the word of our family's antics with these pails because they wisened-up (I know that's not a word), and PUT HOLES IN THE LIDS. Thank god I was beyond the age of need for these by 1989, because they may not have been as effective with their contents sloshing around on the drive home.  

Oh wait, I take back my not remembering any other models....eventually, McGhost could GLOW IN THE DARK!  That badass version of McGhost released in 1990. 

McDonald's occasionally releases new models of their Halloween Pails every few Octobers.  They're back this year for the first time since 2001, but their design is severely lacking.  Someone needs to inform McDonald's that sometimes, simplicity is best (and why does there appear to be a potato prominently featured on the pails?).  

2010 McDonald's Halloween Pails (Image:  http://mamasmoneysavers.com)

UPDATE:  I think I get it now.  It appears as if the "potato" I was seeing earlier is in fact, a chicken McNugget.  Also, the craziness on the lid of the pail are stickers.  I assume you're supposed to remove the stickers from the lid and dress your naked McNugget with them.  huh....pretty clever.

DOUBLE UPDATE:  And is that grandiose handle a MASK?!?  Wow.  The more I look at this image, the more I understand.   

There are an abundance of the old school Halloween Pails available on eBay today, although most of them are listed as "used" and if anyone else was using them for the same purpose in which they were used by my family, I wouldn't want to buy them.  

Rating:  7 out of 10 for their multi-functionality.

Halloween McNugget Buddies

BOO! In the spirit of the season, today I'm featuring the Halloween McNugget Buddies, brought to you by McDonald's.

McNugget Buddies originally debuted in 1988 with the introduction of the 4-piece McNugget Happy Meal.  The original MBs were not Halloween themed, but rather, civilized contributors to society such as a policeman, a mail woman, and (of course!) a scuba diver.  

In 1993 MBs returned, but instead of responsible citizens, they were trick-or-treaters!  I'm guessing 1993 was about the time my family's visits to McDonalds began to die down, because we only managed to acquire 2 varieties of the six Halloween MBs available.  (On a side note, I'm pretty sure we snubbed McDonald's at this time because Burger King was in full force in both the toy and food department.  It was about this time that BK started manufacturing useful toys [i.e. magic tricks, frisbees, and the like] aaaand they introduced the Italian Chicken Sandwich, God's greatest gift to the fast food world).  Anyway, I digress.  Back to Halloween MBs.  The complete set of Halloween McBuddies in 1993 included McBoo McNugget, Mummie McNugget, Monster McNugget, Witchie McNugget, McNuggula, and Pumpkin McNugget.  Because we never collected all of them, I had to borrow an image from SydLexia to aid my readers:

(Image:  http://www.sydlexia.com/mcnugget_buddies.htm)

Anyway, as I said before, my sister and I only collected two:  Mummie McNugget and Witchie McNugget.  We actually collected two of each of these, but I seem to have misplaced the second Witchie McNugget's body, so she would have just been a pile of clothes had I included her in this image:

I have to give McDonald's props on these toys.  They were (and still are) awesome.  They celebrate the greatest holiday of the year.  You may be fooled into thinking these are your run of the mill trick-or-treaters, but SURPRISE!!!

They're Chicken McNuggets.

In my efforts to locate the missing Witchie body amongst the millions of Happy Meal toys in the playroom, I managed to locate some original MB bodies.  There were two clues to lead me to the conclusion that these bodies did not belong to my witch costume.  1.  The original bodies were made of a sturdy, rubber-like material and were not glossy like the plastic ones of the Halloween era.  2.  The Witchie clothes didn't fit.  The original MBs must have been slightly larger than their Halloween counterparts. 

So there we have Mummie McNugget and Witchie McNugget.  I wish we had collected them all (as encouraged by the commercial).  Based on looks, I'd say the best of the lot was Monster McNugget, but if we're basing this contest on name, McNuggula wins, hands down.  

I give these toys an 8 out of 10.  As far as Happy Meal toys go, they're among the cream of the crop, but if you think about it, all they do is stand there, so I can't give them a perfect 10.

If you'd like to read more about the dawn of McNugget Buddies and their evolution, I advise you to read this article:  http://www.sydlexia.com/mcnugget_buddies.htm.  The article uses the F-bomb a bit too loosely, rendering it ineffective when necessary, but it does a great job of chronicling the lives of the McNugget Buddies and the creative play and commentary at the end is pretty funny. 

Lack o' Blog

I keep trying to blog, only to be thwarted by missing pieces of my feature items.  I hope to find them tonight.  They've got to be in the playroom somewhere.  This can't be another Fleas on Fred incident.

Newsies

One word:  NEWSIES

Newsies was a highly underrated Walt Disney creation released in 1992.  It was my favorite movie back then, and is still probably in my top 10 favorite movies of all time.  The movie is a musical that takes place in 1899, highlighting the lives of the "newsies" or news boys of NYC.  The main character, Jack "Cowboy" Kelley was played by none other than Christian Bale.  I love most of Christian Bale's work, but this has got to be his best.  It's pre- "I'm Batman" days for Bale, which is a good thing, because ever since Batman Begins, Bale likes to throw his creepy, deep "Batman voice" into his characters. There is none of that in Newsies.  Bale does, however, attempt a pretty terrible New York accent with lines like New "Joisey" and never "hoid of him,"but Bale wasn't the only culprit to do that in this movie, so I'll let that slide.  

Bale was not the only big name in this movie. Other cast members included Bill Pullman (as the newspaper reporter Bryan Denton who champions the Newsies), Ann-Margret (as the hooker-esque Medda Larkson, the "Swedish Meadowlark"), and Robert Duvall (as the ruthless Joseph Pulitzer).  Another notable was Max Casella (you know, Doogie Howser's best friend), as Racetrack Higgins.

I just watched the Newsies VHS this weekend, and wow, is this movie still fantastic.  I felt the urge to sing along to every song (of course I still know every lyric to every song).  I think my favorite might be the little known "Once and For All" song they sing in the background as they're slyly using Joe Pulitzer's press to print the newsboys' "pape."  Also, I can't help smiling when the hoards of child laborers turn the corner during the "Seize the Day" reprise. Oh, and for those of us from NJ, you gotta love that they rhyme Denton with Trenton during "King of New York."

My sister and I spent countless hours one summer creating our own dance to "Carrying the Banner."  Whenever possible, we included the original dance moves and incorporated newspaper props.  I recall attempting the move where one person bends in half and the other person rolls over her back, but I'm 99% sure that was unsuccessful.  I swear we video taped our dance one time when we performed it at Gram's house.  I also recall a bulldog interference at some point, but god I wish I knew where that video was.

Here are some little known facts about the film*:

It was originally intended as a drama, not a musical.

Most of the characters are based on real people, although Jack Kelley is fictional. 

At the time, Newsies was the lowest grossing live action film in Disney history.  And here is where I insert my commentary:  I have no clue how this movie did so poorly.  Every person I have ever talked to that has seen it, loves it.  No one is watching this movie for historical accuracy.  So what if in real life, by 1899 Joseph Pulitzer was blind?  And so what if the real Newsies strike of 1899 wasn't all that successful?  The soundtrack is phenomenal and the storyline is entertaining to adults while still be kid-friendly.  Newsies did, however, become more popular after it was released on VHS and the Disney channel started playing it fairly regularly in the mid-1990s.  I believe it was about this time when I went 2 straight weeks during which I watched the VHS every day.

I purchased the DVD for $6.00 on Amazon.com yesterday.  I cannot wait for its arrival.  I'm gonna go ahead and say that is probably the best $6.00 I ever spent. 

For those of you who love this movie as much as I do, you'll be happy to know that Newsies is coming to Broadway this spring.  Alan Menken is doing the music (just as he did for the movie), and he's added a few new songs.  Too bad the original cast is now too old to participate, but I have no doubt the Broadway show will be a hit.

*http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104990/trivia

McDonald's Soft Serve

Holla!  It's been a while.  My apologies. 

Today's topic:  Fisher Price McDonald's Soft Serve

This toy was tremendous in so many ways.  Manufactured in 1988, it was part of a time when people weren't concerned about what their children consumed for fear of them ballooning to elephant proportions.  Granted, there was Richard Simmons and Jazzercise, but that was geared toward the adults.  Today's obesity epidemic among children makes me yearn for the days when you could give your child a toy that encouraged them to make milkshakes and orange sodas without worrying about the implications.  *sigh*

Also, how cool is it that this toy allowed your child to see how awesome it would be to work at Mickey D's?  Combine this toy with a viewing of Bye Bye Love, and McDonalds would never be hurting for employees.

Now on to a description of the machine:  The main dispenser had a variety of dispensing options.  Should one pull the far left lever, and BAM! Orange soda.  Ok, maybe not real orange soda.  It was more like a bright orange plastic tube would appear instantaneously, only to be sucked back into the machine when the lever was released. I believe the term for that is "Indian giver."

The same would happen with the milkshake lever, although the tube was a bit thicker, true to the thickness of the McDonald's milkshake.  Also, it was pink, indicating the shake was strawberry.  Should you like some ice with your beverage, a shoot from the top of the dispenser would nicely drop 2 fused plastic cubes into your cup.  I believe originally there was a second set of ice cubes, but naturally, we lost those long ago. **UPDATE:  I did some research, and this fountain in fact only came with one set of ice cubes.  Good for us for managing to keep them all these years.  In addition, I wondered what the holes in the top corners of the dispenser were for.  Apparently, they're to store white plastic spoons.  I know we still have them, but they're stored with our kitchen utensils at the moment.  You'll see them in a later post.** Also, if you did not want a clear glass, you could choose to use the very authentic looking McDonalds cup with lid.

These don't match the cups of today, but back in 1988, this is EXACTLY what the styrofoam coffee cups looked like.  Well done FP, nice design. 

Should you not be thirsty, another option with this device was the beloved ice cream cone.  A circular wheel at the top could be loaded with chocolate and vanilla ice cream.  We always alternated chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla. Once loaded, all you had to do was slide the red button on the right to the side and a perfectly swirled portion of ice cream would fall from above into your cone (your cone also had the McDonald's stamp).  Having worked at an establishment that sold soft serve, I can appreciate a cone that is pre-swirled, because a good looking swirl required practice. 

For a better idea of how this worked, here's an image of the top of the dispenser sans lid:

But the machine did not stop there.  Would you like a topping on your ice cream?  No problem! 

These flexible rubbery toppings could easily be plopped on your faux dessert.  The brown topping was obviously hot fudge, but what the heck was the red supposed to be?  I have never seen an ice cream topping that took that form and color.  Maybe it was supposed to be strawberry sauce?  Or cherry? No clue.  Did McDonalds serve that in real life in the 80s?  They sure don't now. 

Overall I rate this toy an 7 out of 10*. It worked well, had great variety, and was true to real life. 

*I've decided I'm going to start rating the items I review.  Eventually, I'll go back and edit pre-existing posts to include ratings.  For now, I'll start with this one.