What ARE those freaky clown things?

[TreslovesWDW]

oh but the specto guys are cool

 

[Disney Girlie-Wirlie]

Burger King guy is freaky, but definitely funny...I think I saw like 20 people dressed up like him for Halloween last year, hilarious!
But I don't know you guys, I can't believe how many people are freaked out by those adorable "clown things" in SpectroMagic. They're my Favorite! I LOVE that part of the parade, I seriously am almost reduced to tears every time I see it!

 

[Golliwobbler]

b-b-b-bump

 

[Nicolepa]

Those guys really freaked me out. I'm pretty surprised my kids weren't afraid. I wouldn't say they enjoyed them, but they didn't cry.

When I mentioned something to dh about how they freaked me out he made the comment that the parade was done after Mardi Gras. I don't know how true that is, but it made sense to me.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Has anyone found out the story behind them??? Anyone??? Maybe it would help put them in perspective???

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

they ARE scary!! i hate those things!

 

[Eeyore2003]

Did some looking around, this is from ************* about the various parts and floats, I guess they're the "proclamation men", hmmmmm.

Some "SpectroMagic" highlights:

The Genie from Disney's "Aladdin" is the eccentric conductor of an orchestra producing a rainbow of music notes that flow into the air.

Practical Pig, poised before the magical world of Disney's characters (a parade segment more than 100 feet in length and featuring castle towers, a carousel, a bejeweled coach and other dreamlands), flicks a paint brush to change the colors of the characters' world into silvery white.

Chernabog, memorable for his role as the monstrous demon figure in "Fantasia," is portrayed in dark and eerie colors as he dramatically spreads his wings to a 38-foot span.

The Three Good Fairies in Sleeping Beauty's garden create the sparkle of day among the flowers and insects...and magically transform the scene to the mystery of night.

"SpectroMagic" borrows from the prismatic holographic industry, military lighting developments, electro-luminescent and fiber-optic technologies, and tosses in light-spreading thermoplastics, clouds of underlit liquid-nitrogen smoke and good old-fashioned twinkle lights. The visual spectacle is choreographed to music produced for the show and presented over an array of 204 speakers with 72,000 watts of power.

It is the Disney entertainment wizards' 21st-century show to rival the charm and splendor of the "Main Street Electrical Parade," which ended an encore engagement in March 2001. "SpectroMagic" is presented on select evenings at the Magic Kingdom.

Mickey Mouse in glistening lights with "a confetti of light" sparkling in the air around him heralds the 20-minute production. Dressed in an amber and purple grand magician's cape, he plays the role of a light-controller capable of altering colors, brilliance and types of lighting effects.

Title float, proclaiming "SpectroMagic" in flowing fiber optics, is surrounded by SpectroMen atop spinning, darting whirlyballs. Effect is a ball of energy, alive with blue and purple mini-lights and twinkle lights. SpectroMen are robed in rope lights (points of light inside transparent ropes), mini-lights, fiber optics and twinkle lights. Electro-luminescent panels make dragonfly wings as bright as day and costumes enchanting.

 

[Syrreal]

oh...I thought I read that something about Chernabog being scary.... actually, that is my fave float in the parade. I know that he's all "evil" and whatnot but I think the float is beautiful

 

[Twingle]

Just found this thread thanks to horsegirl, and all these posts have made me laugh SO hard. Especially the one about having the Spectromen in bed with me ala the "King" from Burger King. EEEKKK doesn't even begin to describe it!

Anyway, I have to admit I never paid that much attention to the Spectromen faces, as their movements were just so wacky.

Thanks for the giggles!

 

[wings91]

I hate those guys, but is sort of like a car wreck. You want to look away, but can't because they're so gastly.

They keep me coming back and shaking my head each time.

I vote freaky.

 

[threeboysmom]

I guess I'm in the minority here. Yes, they are creepy, but I like those little guys! In fact, they are my FAVORITE part of the parade!

 

[horsegirl]

Just found this thread thanks to horsegirl, and all these posts have made me laugh SO hard. Especially the one about having the Spectromen in bed with me ala the "King" from Burger King. EEEKKK doesn't even begin to describe it!

Anyway, I have to admit I never paid that much attention to the Spectromen faces, as their movements were just so wacky.

Thanks for the giggles!

Hey Twingle! I came here to laugh again, as I had posted here right before my trip and was in hysterics and here you were! Yup, the burger king guy got me too! Glad you got a good laugh!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Pink! You are nutso! lol!

I have always hated those demonic clowns! They give me the creeps!

 

[diznyfanatic]

Just bumping this because we're leaving in 17 days and will see the freaky clown things again!

 

[christopher R swinehart]

well the story is that they are friendly magical robots from a place called robot world in a land called lightsperation where mickey built them

 

[christopher R swinehart]

basically wacky friendly magical androids

 

[PetePanMan]

Do a google image search for "spectro-men".

I swear, they look like a cross between that doll in the horror film "Chucky" and that whacked out white masked thing from either "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th" (can't remember which it was).

Very odd choice by Disney to include it in the parade.

They haunt me…

 

[Robo]

This thread is over 15 years old.
The SpectroMagic parade in MK was discontinued in the year 2010.

 

[christopher R swinehart]

anyone have photos of the 90s spectromen 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

 

[christopher R swinehart]

even though scary to some people i love them