PODCAST · arts
Those Happy Places
by Buddy Duquesne and Alice White
Those Happy Places is a podcast about Theme Park Rides, Attractions, and Lands. We focus on the stories they tell, how they tell them, and why it matters. Those Happy Places is produced by Alice White and edited by Buddy Duquesne. Our theme music is "Golden Gate" by The California Feetwarmers, featuring Phil Alvin.
Episodes
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Eyes of Mara Episode 4: It Belongs in a Museum -or- There is Nothing You Can Possess That I Cannot Take Away
It’s time for one last dive into the Temple of Mara to answer some big questions about Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure. What does this ride really mean? Where does its core appeal lie? How does it harness both storytelling and atmosphere to earn its status as a classic attraction? What, if...
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Eyes of Mara Episode 3: The Ride Today -or- Eternal Youth and Beauty
Over 27 years since its opening day in 1995, Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure remains one of its most popular attractions. That said, it’s also one of the most infamously broken attractions at the resort. How exactly can we categorize the way this now-classic dark ride has aged? Has it had…
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Eyes of Mara Episode 2: The Ride as Opened -or- Glittering Gold, it is Yours
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye opened at Disneyland in 1995 as one of the most advanced Theme Park Attractions of its era. Nearly 30 years later, it remains one of the most popular attractions at the Disneyland resort—despite, in the opinion of some fans, having long since...
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Eyes of Mara Episode 1: History and Development -or- You Seek The Future
In March of 1995, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Since then, the attraction has gone from revolutionary in its use of technology and effects to a legacy attraction—the successes of which have been used and re-used in a whole new...
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Theme Parks 100: What is Literature? Or: Page, Stage, Screen, and Place
Welcome back to class for our fifth and final lecture! Join Alice and Buddy as they discuss their relationship with literature as scholars, educators, creators, and fans of theme parks. What are the connections between the worlds of Literature and our favorite theme parks? How and why do we treat...
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Theme Parks 100: What is a Land? Or: A Miserable Little Pile of Secrets
Welcome back to class for our fourth lecture! Join Alice and Buddy as they try to define one of the most idiosyncratic terms in Themed Entertainment. What is a Land in the context of a theme park? What separates an attraction or a ride from a Land? How many attractions does it take to make a…
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Theme Parks 100: What is a Ride? Or: Remain Seated Please
Welcome back to class for our third lecture! Join Alice and Buddy as they dissect the definition of the word “Ride.” What, exactly, does the word mean? How does it relate to Theme Parks and Attractions—both as a noun, and as a verb? What are the limits of the category—and the action—when we’re...
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Theme Parks 100: What is an Attraction? Or: Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!
Welcome back to class for our second lecture! Join Alice and Buddy as they dissect the term “Attraction” as it relates to Theme Parks. What is an Attraction, really? When do Attractions become Theme Parks? What drives us to analyze them as we would literature? This one gets philosophical—so be…
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Theme Parks 100: What Is A Theme Park? Or: More Than Amusements
Class is now in session! Join Alice and Buddy as they get back to the very basics of dissecting Theme Parks, Rides, and Attractions like Literature by first defining the term Theme Park. What is a Park? What makes a space themed? What is the difference between Theme Parks and Amusement Parks, if...
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Episode 56: What's The Deal With SeaWorld?
In this thoroughly researched episode, join Alice and Buddy as they embark on a quest to better understand SeaWorld’s history, its controversies, its appeal, and its seemingly ongoing success. What makes this combination theme park and animal exhibit franchise continue to thrive? Find out on this...
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Episode 55: Beyond the Shooting Gallery: Interactivity in Rides
In this competitive episode, join Alice and Buddy as they jump into the world of interactive rides for the first time in a few years—a world that has grown significantly since the last time they’ve considered it. How have rides gone Beyond the Shooting Gallery already? How can they continue to...
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Episode 54: Disneyland's "Land Blender" Rides
In this theoretical episode, join Alice and Buddy as they analyze an underappreciated part of how Disneyland, specifically, blends its iconic lands together. How do these lands, ostensibly separated by genre, find themselves connected thematically, aesthetically, and narratively? Do any lands…
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Episode 53: In Praise of the Omnimover
In this un-lost episode, join Alice and Buddy as they praise—and criticize—one of the most iconic ride systems in all of theme parks. What makes the Omnimover so unique? How is it best deployed in attractions like Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion? What are its strengths and shortcomings? And, most...
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Episode 52: Shows, Parades, and Nighttime Spectaculars
In this energetic episode, join Alice and Buddy as they tackle the roles that shows, parades, and nighttime spectaculars play at Theme Parks. What purpose to they serve—from both operational and narrative perspectives? How do they add character to a place? How do they help us tell the story of…
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Episode 51: Plans, Reservations, and Lighting Lanes
In this long-awaited episode, join Alice and Buddy as they work their way through their complicated feelings about returning to Theme Parks, only to find that the systems by which they now work are thoroughly changed from what they were before their hiatus. If Theme Parks are literature, are...
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Episode 49: Guests Aly Grauer and Drew Mierzejewski
In this luminous episode, join Alice and Buddy as they welcome two special guests. Aly Grauer and Drew Mierzejewski are Podcasters, Performers, Writers, and Builders of Worlds—they’ve also both worked in iconic shows and attractions at some of Orlando’s most famous theme parks. Listen in as they...
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Episode 48: The Brilliance of Calico Ghost Town
In this lively episode, join Alice and Buddy as they dive deep into the wonders of Knott’s Berry Farm and the understated brilliance of its Calico Ghost Town. This is the attraction that made Knott’s what it is today—and it stands today as one of the most comprehensive, complete, and thoroughly...
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Episode 47: The Alice White Canon Classification System
In this categorically profound episode, Alice and Buddy sit down to talk about a system Alice has devised to categorize and better understand how Intellectual Properties are deployed through Theme Parks, Rides, Attractions, and Themed Lands. How do some of our favorite IP-based places fit into…
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Episode 46: The Haunted Mansion, American Haunting, and Hospitality
In this palatial episode, join Alice and Buddy as they revisit The Haunted Mansion yet again! What makes this attraction so unique in terms of its tone? How does it fit into the greater culture of American haunted houses? What is the unique role of its cast members in creating a welcoming...
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Episode 44: Authorship and Theme Parks
In this collaborative episode, join Buddy and Alice as they attempt to answer the question of just who we can consider the “Author” of our favorite theme parks, rides, and attractions. What can we learn from the history of Film, Television, and Video Games? Where does the identity of each major...
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Episode 43: Anaheim's Themed Sports
In this sporting episode, join Alice and Buddy as they reminisce about the Walt Disney Company’s first forays in the realm of professional sports as they attempt to unravel the source of a team’s identity and legacy. Can a trilogy of films, an animated series, and an upcoming sequel series on...
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Episode 42: The Intersection of Sports and Theme Parks
In this Mighty episode, join Alice and Buddy as they discuss the similarities between Sporting Events and Theme Parks. Just how closely related are these two seemingly disparate forms of entertainment? What is the significance of the Dodger Dog? Have you ever heard the tragedy of the Long Beach…
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Birds of Paradise Episode 4: The Origins of Tiki Culture -or- The Summer of Tiki
Donate to Black Lives Matter Donate to The Trevor Project Join Buddy and Alice as they cover the rise of Tiki Culture in the United States—from its origins in post-prohibition Tiki Bars, to its relationship with soldiers returning from World War II, to the invention and somewhat artificial spread...
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Birds of Paradise Episode 3: A Brief History of the Hawaiian Islands -or- Annexation Without Representation
Join Alice and Buddy as they attempt a somewhat comprehensive look at the history of the Hawaiian islands as they relate to the United States—from re-discovery in the late 1700’s to the eventual Annexation and Statehood of Hawaii in 1959. They also talk about the rise of the Hawaiian Pineapple...
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Birds of Paradise Episode 2: A Second Reading of The Enchanted Tiki Room
Join Alice and Buddy as they talk a bit more about what makes Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room such a unique attraction. How does it engage every sense—even taste? How does it present its sponsorship by Dole? How do the Pre-Show and Show relate to one another? Why, pray tell, are the hosts…
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Birds of Paradise Episode 1: The Enchanted Tiki Room as Primary Text
Welcome to our tropical hideaway! Join Alice and Buddy as they embark on a journey to discover the history, cultural impact, and storytelling implications of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. The classic, beloved attraction opened in 1963, and has delighted guests since then with its catchy...
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Episode 41: The Duquesne Taxonomy of Theme Park Guests
Join Alice and Buddy as they explore a new way of thinking about guests at a theme park—dubbed lovingly (and somewhat jokingly) the Duquesne Taxonomy of Theme Park Guests. This idea comes to us from Richard Bartle, a game designer and researcher, who coined his popular Bartle Taxonomy of Players…
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Episode 40: Ride Update Extravaganza!
Buddy and Alice have been doing this show for two years! In that time, they’ve produced 40 full episodes, dozens of smaller works, and countless tweets. Join them as they explore the idea of rides that could use a few updates, refurbishments, or rebuilds! Featuring submissions from Charles…
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Episode 39: The Simpsons Ride
Since 2008, The Simpsons Ride and its surrounding themed area has delighted guests in both Hollywood and Orlando. That said, one question remains: would we consider it a good episode of The Simpsons? Join the nation’s foremost Simpsons Scholar, Buddy Duquesne, and recently-minted fan of the show...
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Episode 38: Themed Dining and Shopping
Everyone’s gotta shop. Everyone’s gotta eat. That said, we’d love to enjoy doing these things while we did them, right? Join Alice and Buddy as they take close looks at themed dining and shopping experiences to answer the question—what makes a place worthy of a theme? Why do we theme otherwise...
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Special Update: Introducing Those Happy Podcasts
Alice is here with a special update about all our shows and some fun Patreon information! Stick around to the end for a preview of our next episode and some information about how you can be part of it. Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an...
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Episode 37: Seattle, Themed City
Join Buddy Duquesne and special guest host Kate Prince as they recap their recent trip to Seattle, a city with a surprisingly unified sense of theme. How does it compare to other tourist destinations? All this and more on this unique episode of Those Happy Places! Be sure to visit our Patreon for...
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Episode 36: Autopia and Retro-Futurism
In this dynamic episode, Buddy and Alice take a deeper look at Autopia, a beloved Opening-Day Disneyland Attraction. What is its role in Tomorrowland? What are its unique appeals? What does its nature as a corporate-sponsored attraction say about our present, and our imagined future? What would…
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Episode 35: Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular!
In this Live, Spectacular Episode, Alice and Buddy return from an unplanned hiatus to discuss one of the most enduring, entertaining, surprising shows in all of Themed Entertainment. What makes this now-25-year-old show so relevant today? What are its secrets, both narrative and thematic? Is the...
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Episode 34: Interview with Tami Brown and Emily Howard!
October is Sensory Awareness Month, and Alice and Buddy were honored to meet with two fantastic guests to talk about this increasingly important aspect of themed attraction design! Join Tami Brown, Executive Director of the Soon-to-be-Opened Saint Louis Aquarium, and PGAV Destinations Vice...
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Episode 30: Ride Fanfiction Extravaganza!
In this extrapolated episode, join Alice and Buddy for a 30th-Episode-iversary extravaganza. We reached out to the Those Happy Places community for fanfiction about rides with basic or unstated stories. What sorts of narratives and emotions are theme park rides and attractions most suited to?…
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Bonus Episode: Alice at Galaxy's Edge
In this far-out bonus episode, Buddy interviews Alice about her trip to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. What stories does this new place have to tell? How does the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction creatively use interactivity? What are the pitfalls of a highly themed bar at…
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Episode 29: Theme Park Food and Storytelling
In this tasteful episode, Buddy and Alice tackle the specific needs of theme park foods, the ways fandom develop around certain foods, and the importance of culinary experiences in the larger scheme of themed spaces. Topics include: Butterbeer, the invention of the Ice Cream Cone, the mysterious...
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Bonus Episode: Building a Game of Thrones Theme Park
In this once-thought-lost bonus episode, Alice and Buddy discuss the challenges and possibilities in the construction of a hypothetical Game of Thrones Theme Park. How does the property resist adaptation into a themed space? What inspiration can we take from existing attractions? What are the...
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Episode 28: Tours, Tourism, and Tourists
In this globetrotting episode, Alice and Buddy reflect on their experience as both residents of areas popular with tourists, and as tourists themselves. What do cities and theme parks have in common, and what are their distinct differences? What draws people to places—and what kinds of…
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Episode 27: Adventure, Exploration, and Magic
In this verbose episode, join Alice and Buddy as they explore three words that Theme Parks around the world use in connection to themselves—Adventure, Exploration, and Magic. What do these three concepts mean in a controlled, safe, well-charted, and most importantly, non-magical place? Featuring…
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Watch Party: The Haunted Mansion (2003) with Charles Gustine!
In this special call-in episode, join Buddy, Alice, and Iconography’s Charles Gustine as they watch and review the infamous film adaptation of The Haunted Mansion. Released in 2003 and starring Eddie Murphy, can this oft-maligned movie redeem itself in the hearts of our hosts? We’ve got just over...
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Q&A Special: One Year of Those Happy Places!
In this very special episode, Buddy and Alice take some listener questions. It’s been one heck of a year—and they’ve got some big plans ahead! Stay Tuned! Discussion topics include: Extinct Attractions, Re-Imagining IP’s as Different Rides, Transplanting Disney Attractions, Building the Perfect...
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Episode 26: Chaos and Control
In this cosmological episode, Alice and Buddy dive into the ideas of Chaos, Control, and Determinism as they pertain to Theme Park Rides. How do various types of attractions offer chaotic experiences? What does the idea of chaos mean in rides that give their passengers a measure of control? Who...
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Episode 25: Mickey Mouse as Empty Signifier
In this symbolic episode, Alice and Buddy take a close look at one of the most iconic animated characters in history. What makes Mickey Mouse such a powerful symbol of the Disney Parks—not to mention the rest of the Walt Disney Company? How does he compare to other walk-around mascots? What, if...
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Episode 24: Motion as Metaphor
In this comparative episode, Buddy and Alice explore how motion in rides and attractions can be used to gesture towards an experience, place riders in the mindset of a character, or imply themes of a story. Listen in to find out how motion itself is the language of attractions—and how it mimics…
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Minisode 4: Alice at Podcon Seattle
In this conventional minisode, Alice reflects on her experience at Podcon Seattle. What do themed spaces have to do with the vast blank canvas of convention halls? What are the benefits of being at an event that draws people together? How does it feel to meet your listeners—and the people you...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Those Happy Places is a podcast about Theme Park Rides, Attractions, and Lands. We focus on the stories they tell, how they tell them, and why it matters. Those Happy Places is produced by Alice White and edited by Buddy Duquesne. Our theme music is "Golden Gate" by The California Feetwarmers, featuring Phil Alvin.
HOSTED BY
Buddy Duquesne and Alice White
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Those Happy Places have?
Those Happy Places currently has 79 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Those Happy Places about?
Those Happy Places is a podcast about Theme Park Rides, Attractions, and Lands. We focus on the stories they tell, how they tell them, and why it matters. Those Happy Places is produced by Alice White and edited by Buddy Duquesne. Our theme music is "Golden Gate" by The California Feetwarmers,...
How often does Those Happy Places release new episodes?
Those Happy Places has 79 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Those Happy Places?
You can listen to Those Happy Places on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Those Happy Places?
Those Happy Places is created and hosted by Buddy Duquesne and Alice White.
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