Author: Peter Wood

New pin released as part of Busch Gardens “Classic Collection”

Despite the park being officially closed at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some new Busch Gardens Williamsburg merchandise recently appeared online and on the shelves during their special “Coasters and Craft Brews” {…}

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Inspiration for the “Wonderful World of Oz”?

An interesting piece of concept art recently came up on my radar: It was drawn in 1999 by William Stout for a never-built park that Landmark Entertainment was working on, The Wonderful World of {…}

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Original model still exists – and is up for sale!

Because Landmark Entertainment has morphed, divided, and rebranded since 1985, the whereabouts of the original Laboratory model had been unknown … until now! In late May, 2020, I was delighted to discover that the model is {…}

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Jim Michaelson Poster Concept

Recently stumbled upon this pencil drawing on eBay: The name “Jim Michaelson” rang a bell, and a quick Googling reminded me why.  Many Disney now-iconic parks posters from the 70’s and 80’s were designed {…}

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Scott Wichmann Interview

Actor Scott Wichmann appeared as Northrup 2,212 times, so you know he has some tales! Before working for Busch, Scott fell in love with the show as a teenager.  In 1989: I remember being soaking wet {…}

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Tony Pinizzotto Photos and Stories

Big thanks to Tony Pinizzotto for sharing so many fantastic photos and stories! Tony was super helpful with clarification on how the actor schedule worked (up to five Northrups and 30 shows per day!), as {…}

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Press Photo 1990

The following press photo was recently purchased on eBay by an anonymous bidder* (*OK, it was me) Caption reads: MAGICAL MISCHIEF — “The Enchanted Laboratory” show at Busch Gardens, The Old Country in Williamsburg, {…}

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Technifex Visual Illusions Promo featuring Nostramos

Recently stumbled upon this Technifex promotional video, featuring Nostramos in a crystal ball just after the 1 minute mark: The reel is promoting their “Techniscan” process, a version of the classic Pepper’s Ghost optical effect using {…}

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Jamey Schrick Interview

Northrup actor Jamey Schrick was kind enough to pass along some wonderful anecdotes that I’ve sprinkled around the Cast and Effects pages. Jamey also shared: The show crashed a couple times when I was doing {…}

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Steven Woolworth Interview

A hat tip to Steven Woolworth who played Northrup in 1989, and had some great details about his time with the show. In particular, Steven was one of the first actors to appear in the {…}

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