Toon Town, am I alone in disliking it?

[mechurchlady]

SID here so I love sensory things and the architecture and the sounds and stuff. I have fun over there for a while then back to normalcy. That will be my next stop on my return to DLR.

Being a neurovariant makes it easy for me to love Toontown usually.

 

[pixiewings71]

We aren't huge fans of TT but we don't avoid it. It's not terrible it's just not that much fun. We do RR but that's it really, we like going into the Gag Factory and looking around, the kids like messing with the doorbells, mailboxes, doorknobs etc etc but we don't feel an overwhelming need to be there.
We can and do skip it some weekends.

 

[kkmcan]

My ears perked up when I heard about the Gag Factory giftshop. What cool things have you guys found here? I wouldn't want to miss out on any must have souvies!

 

[Belle Ella]

TT isn't my favorite part of DL, but I always make a stop there. I like to make sure that I see everything while I'm there and TT is no exception. Not to mention the buildings there are so fun to look at and I always have fun with my camera.

 

[Sherry E]

My ears perked up when I heard about the Gag Factory giftshop. What cool things have you guys found here? I wouldn't want to miss out on any must have souvies!

The thing with Gag Factory is that it is waaaaaaaay in the back of the park, and no one (who isn't going into ToonTown anyway) wants to schlep all the way back there. So Gag Factory carries most of the same items that can be found at the Emporium, China Closet, etc., BUT it has the benefit of being out of the way....so when that perfect souvenir that you saw in Emporium is no longer there (because that's where everyone shops since it's right on Main Street) because it's sold out or out of stock, chances are you may find it at the Gag Factory!

Gag Factory used to sell the mini-ToonTown houses and sculptures (which, in Disney tradition, are no longer available), which were adorable; they used to sell the Disney Mr. Potato Head and parts (before he became DCA-exclusive, I guess); they used to sell great ToonTown pop-up watches; they currently sell a little mini-version of Buzz Lightyear riding in the Astro Blaster vehicle; they used to sell some of the best magnets I have gotten, including the 'gingerbread Mickey and Minnie cookie sheet' magnets and the Mickey-shaped ice cream bar magnet, Mickey-shaped lollipop magnet, Mickey-shaped pretzel magnet, etc. They had really cool keychains and things that they no longer have. In Dec. 2007, I found more of the gingerbread cookie ornaments, snowglobes, mugs and other holiday items than I found in any store on Main Street - because they were all sold out in the other stores. They have little die cast wind-up things (not the cool Attraction Collection vehicles that were sold years ago) of Roger Rabbit in the taxi, etc. Cool stuff!

 

[Diznygrl]

I'm with others in saying that the CONCEPT is there, it just needs a bit more actual content. I mean, I totally LOVE the detail of the area, the "puffy" buildings, the music, etc. And Car Toon Spin is an awesome dark ride that has one of the greatest and most detailed queues in all of DL. What I really wish they would (could??) do, is rip out Chip and Dale's Treehouse, which serves no purpose anymore, build a Toontown Concert Hall and put Mickey's Philharmagic in there. I know it's a small area, but I'll bet they have enough room backstage to "expand".

I know Gadget's coaster is not that thrilling and the character it's based on is totally lost on today's youth, but I would hesitate to tear it out because it does serve its purpose as giving small kids their first opportunity to ride a "real" coaster. Perhaps a re-theme is in order.

BTW, if you think DL's Toontown is blah, you should see WDW's. Yikes!!

 

[Sherry E]

I have heard that the WDW ToonTown pales in comparison.

I was going to say, also, that during the holiday season, ToonTown becomes even more interesting to me because the little touches in the decorations are so clever. First of all, most of the Mickey-shaped wreaths that used to adorn the lampposts along Main Street have moved to ToonTown. But you have to pay close attention to the other wreaths and garland and the various Christmas trees (Mickey and Minnie have their own mini-trees) around TT because they each have unique ornaments specific to that particular location. It is actually a very well thought out land in the park in terms of inside jokes and details, both during the holidays and during the rest of the year. You can kind of tell that.

 

[Eeee-va]

When Toontown opened I was a teenager and LOVED toons, so I adored Toontown! (I also was a huge fan of Gadget from Rescue Rangers, so I was completely blown away that she would actually get a ride, especially so near the end of her show's run on the Disney Afternoon. When I saw it, I didn't feel like it was made of "found objects" as much as it could/should have been--the Rescue Rangers certainly did not build wood-frame houses to live in, but lived inside an oak tree. Gadget made her vehicles out of stuff she found among human's garbage, more often than not. The acorn cars don't even look like acorns, etc. But I still loved it, and the whole land itself!)

I remember having so much fun there an hour or two before park closing, when we had the place almost to ourselves. Characters had literally nothing better to do than to take my or my friend's inflatable dumbbell and hit each other with it. Priceless!

The main problem Toontown had when it opened was that several areas (particularly Chip and Dale's Treehouse and Goofy's Bounce House, and later, Toon Park) are exclusively for kids (which as many have argued is the exact opposite of what Walt Disney intended Disneyland to be). Of course, some of those issues went away by closing down areas of Toontown. I'd think the other areas are aimed towards children but technically something the whole family can do. (Well, if the whole family is small enough to fit into those acorn cars. )

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin may be the exception, since the movie it's based on was fairly grown-up and yes, is lost to today's kids.

I think the main issues Toontown now has are closing very early (so you don't get much of that magical nighttime/uncrowded time, which could be good for adults with kids too) and a lack of overall upkeep. It seems to lose an attraction every few years. And I went on Gadget's Go-Coaster in 1993 a few months after it opened, when almost everything was bright and shiny. I took at least two rolls of film worth of photos. But it's lost effects through the years and was SO different in 2005.

went to having no bell on it (which I THINK I saw when the bell assembly was broken off and lying in the bushes, though that may have been something my mind made up) and then went to I believe nothing at all when I went. The colors are so dull too!

The fish in the tank used to rotate like it was alive and "steam" would come out of the plunger on the top of the tank.

It was a lot easier to get a clear photo in 2005, with no movement and no steam. (Though honestly, that was a step up from one visit, when the fish and whole assembly was completely gone, with a cap on top of the soccer ball!)

The details are what could keep adults interested in the land, and on my trip in 2005, so many of the details in Toontown were gone. I still don't dislike the area per se, but I find it hard to find much to do there anymore.

 

[Mugglemama]

i'm with the OP, TT isn't my favorite. in fact, it's probably my least favorite part of the park. all of my kids have really loved all the rides at disneyland since they were very tiny, so just walking around to look at mickey's house and such just seemed boring in comparison, even to them. i like both of the rides, although i don't think either one of them are worth a long wait in line. when we're in the parks, if we can't get on RR or the go-coaster in 20 minutes or less, we don't even bother.

i do think it's a good place for toddlers and preschoolers, particularly for those who get scared on many of the rides at disneyland. TT offers them a place to wander and explore, without having to do things that are scary to them, and that's good!

 

[Tasscrapper]

My kids love Toontown. Even the 13 year old had fun there. My biggest beef with Toontown is that there is so much stuff that is looking and touching that my youngest one just can't go fast enough. lol We lost him in December for about 10 or 15 minutes. It ended ok but it was very nervewracking to me and my husband. The whole time we were searching I didn't see a single cast member who could help or notify others to keep an eye out for him. We had a 6 and 8 year old that we had to tell to just stay in one place while we ran around looking for him.

I personally think it would be great if Disneyland offered some kind of wristband that you could get to identify a child in case they get lost. We have a grocery store that has a play land that both the child and the parent get a wristband with corresponding numbers that must match when signing the child out and can jsut be snipped off when you pick them up. If they just had those paper kinds with the threads that make them almost impossible to tear off a cell number, child's name and parents name could be written on it. That way if and when a child got seperated from a parent the number could just be called. It could be very cheap to offer and if parents wanted they could stop at City Hall or wherever and get one for younger kids. I think that would be awsome. As it is I will be buying dog tags for my son for the next trip I hope he'll keep them on.