Comments for toys are good food

Comment on Six Flags Autoworld by Bret

Bret — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:36:37 +0000

I too remember Autoworld! I grew up in the Thumb area in the 1960s, and Flint to me– more than an hour’s drive to my west– was always a mystical metropolis hub of factories, businesses, the miracle of the Buick plant (that my class toured in 1972), and the Michigan School for the Deaf, where an older cousin attended school and my grandmother was a house mother. The city was already in decline by the time I graduated H.S. in 1979. I joined the USAF in 1981 and left the area. Coming back for a family visit in 1984, however, my relatives were excited about the prospects of Flint’s revival, with both Crossroads Village/Huckleberry R.R., and this new thing called Autoworld, which included some of the area of the old I.M.A., where I’d seen H.S. basketball tournaments played as a kid. I was literally blown-away by Autoworld– I must say– that so impressive a thing had been created from the ashes of the old Flint I knew. I was in my 20s at the time, and well jaded by other experiences, but Autoworld was a quaint throwback to fond childhood memories, with a bit of Walt Disney-styled animatronics thrown in for fun. I wish I could have stayed all day. I was most impressed with the theme of the automobile, that giant moving V-8 engine, and the IMAX theater that the evening we visited, showed one of the most impressive such films I’ve ever seen. It was simply called “SPEED”, and chronicled man’s quest to move faster from prehistoric times to the present. I was deeply saddened when I discovered few others seemed as enthralled about the place as I was. It is a sad commentary on much of middle-America these days. Have we all become so spoiled by the deceptive glitz and temporary glamour of Vegas, Orlando theme parks, Hollywood, or the New York City night life that we can’t appreciate a home-grown, slightly-slower-paced version of the same? Are we all so soft-headed that we’ve got to be ENTERTAINED (read ‘in sensory overload mode’ all the damn time now? No wonder nobody enjoys family or neighborhood picnics anymore. They’re all more interested with the latest Tweet and the next text-message coming in. (&^%#@!) Such attitudes, along with too many other societal changes, have destroyed every small town I’ve ever known, and threaten what’s left of the remaining cities I used to visit for both business and pleasure (Flint & Detroit being two of them). Ah for the fond memories contained here of a well-intended idea the general public was no longer intellectually astute enough to appreciate — even as few pictures as these were. I DO remember Autoworld, in a very POSITIVE way.

Comment on Pow Pow Pow Pow Pow! by Gabriella

Gabriella — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:04:32 +0000

TV Pow is awesome! Keep on rocking!

Comment on Pow Pow Pow Pow Pow! by Matty

Matty — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:45:15 +0000

Thanks for adding some more information to this story. I worked on the studio side of the hall, but I had many great friends who worked in Master Control.

Comment on Pow Pow Pow Pow Pow! by Frank Traum

Frank Traum — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:29:17 +0000

I was a Master Control Switcher at WEYI from April to November 1980. The host for TV Pow (At least when I was there and the same person in these flickr photos) was a woman named Sandy. Once she let me pick the contestants from a pile of postcards/letters.

Comment on Six Flags Autoworld by Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:08:47 +0000

I was born in Detroit and lived in Livonia for the first 6 years of my life (1978-84). In the summer of 1984, not long before moving to Florida, we went to Autoworld on a weekend trip.

I have some vague memories of it. I remember a couple rides which were pretty lame in retrospect. I also remember a play area near the cafe which had a ball pit. Being six at the time, the ball pit was my favorite part.

Following day we set out for home. On the way back we stopped in Frankenmuth. That was more memorabl;e and is still around.

When I saw Roger And Me and found out later (via independent research) how quickly Autoworld had bit the dust, I wasn’t surprised. It was too much of a museum for the theme park crowd and too much of a theme park for the museum crowd.

As far as M Moore goes, I will say that I like his movies yet don’t consider them to be documentaries. They’re the cinematic equivalent of a newspaper editorial. If he would admit to this, maybe people would stop giving him as much hell as they do.

Comment on Wedding Pez by Dave

Dave — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:57:58 +0000

This is such an awesome idea, and I have convinced my fiance to let me do this. (As long as I do the work)
Do you happen to have a template for the candy wrappers, or do you have any tips on how to easily accomplish this? Any advice or help would be much appreciated!!! Happy Pezzing!

Comment on Testing, testing… 123 by botgurl

botgurl — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:01:43 +0000

Yippee!

Comment on Testing, testing… 123 by Jen da purse Ho

Jen da purse Ho — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:18:21 +0000

YAY!!! i started mine back up too after a 2 month hiatus and then i saw that you updated your site. whee!

Comment on Testing, testing… 123 by Alison

Alison — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:56:42 +0000

Yay for the return of the blog! Can’t wait to see new baby and big sister pics on here soon…

Comment on Testing, testing… 123 by Matt

Matt — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:51:44 +0000

Yay! I’m glad that the blog is back. I was a little sick of seeing the dino pix at the top of the page!