The Disney Frontier Blog

Just in time for Christmas, Costco brings us this awesome pirate themed playhouse. It would be the dream of any child…it sure beats making a fort out of blankets and sofa cushions. The drawback, it costs $18,000 and requires a crane or fork lift to assemble. From Costco site:

Arrrrr Matey…thar ba pirates a playin’ in yer’ yard!

After their pirate ship ran aground, the band of thrifty pirates salvaged what they could to build this secret pirate hideout. Watch out kids… the adults may pull off a mutiny and take over this tree house!

Why purchase ordinary swing sets and other playground equipment? Our tree houses are incredible play sets that double as a centerpiece in your landscape!

• Oversize 5′ x 6′ custom “Pirate” themed Club House
• 8′ x 6′ Galleon Style Pirate Bow
• Oversize Log
• Right Side Swing
• Fireman’s Pole
• Cedar Log Bow Support Beam

(bow support cannon is optional)

• Ship’s Wheel
• Ship’s Mast w/Crow’s Nest on Roof (not accessible)
• Dimensions: 18’ W x 10’ D x 20’ H

Tree house requires 6’x 8’ x 4” thick, rebar reinforced concrete slab. Requires forklift or crane to lift pieces from the truck and set them into place. Customer must secure personal handyman or contractor to receive and install the tree house. See installation manual for details.

Each tree house is built in two main pieces: the playhouse and the log. The log is a real, old fallen tree that we hollow out using a chainsaw! To get into the playhouse, simply enter the door in the hollow log, climb up the ladder in the center of the log and pull yourself through the trap door in the floor of the playhouse. Kids or no kids, this tree house is an incredible addition to any landscape!

Every tree house is a unique creation. That’s because no two logs are exactly alike. Although they each differ, they’re all extraordinary! Skallywag Sloop tree houses are about 14’ tall at the roof peak, and 20’ tall at the top of the flag. The average log is about 4′ in diameter. It’s a snug fit, but a large adult can easily climb inside and stand straight up with room to spare.

Benefits of owning a tree house:

• When your children grow up, they will have priceless memories of the most whimsical playhouse a kid ever had
• They add value and curb appeal to your home. They create a fun place in your yard where your kids will want to play- a place where you can see them and know they are safe
• They provide a reason to go outside and engage in activities that promote physical strength, balance, confidence, coordination, social development, imagination and more
• They are incredible conversation pieces. Your friends and family will line up for a tour
• Every time you see your tree house, you’ll smile a little, feel a little younger, and be a little happier

LaughingPlace.com has some holiday pictures up. I find it interesting and refreshing that Disney doesn’t decorate their Christmas trees in all Disney ornaments. Make sure you click through to the other pages. I really like the effect of projecting the white snow flakes on the blue Cinderella Castle.

Greg Wiggle (Greg Page) has announced his departure from the very successful children’s group, The Wiggles. He has been suffering from a chronic illness and has been unable to perform in a steady capacity for almost three years. His condition is not life threatening but it does make it hard for him to perform. According to his video message, when he stands up, his heart does not produce enough blood to fuel is body. He will pass on his yellow shirt to Sam Moran who will take over for him.

My daughter used to love the Wiggles a few years back. She’s a little older now so she watches with passing interest. Greg was her favorite.

[via TV Squad]

Enchanted Tiki 1964 Disneyland, originally uploaded by Shifting Leaves.

This 1964 Disneyland photo was taken outside the Enchanted Tiki Room. The Tiki Room was the original Audio-Animatronics attraction featuring birds from around the world with their own unique accents. The attraction opened on June 23, 1963 so it’s probably around one year old in this picture. It was also the first air conditioned building at Disneyland but it doesn’t look too hot in the shade where they are sitting.

PoohPostCards.com lets you send an e-card with various Pooh characters on it to your loved ones. Send one today (come on, it’s a nice gesture).

Courtney has created 72 different Cars icons that you can download and…use them for…well I’m sure there’s something.

Streetrat has gone through the trouble of finding 7 different 2007 Disney calendar covers (6 of them being Disney Princesses) and making a blog post about it.

I’ve been rather irritated lately with the criticism of Imagineers and the direction the parks are going. I think most of it is unfounded sentimentalism. But news came out today that makes me want to criticize. Disney will be changing Space Mountain and California Screamin’ into Rockin’ Space Mountain and Rockin’ California Screamin according to UltimateRollerCoasters.com. They will outfit each roller coaster to play hit songs from well known bands as the attractions sound track. I was on Space Mountain in March after it reopened from its latest rehab and I loved the symbiotic relationship between the darkness, the motion and the sound track. I can’t imagine it pumping out sounds from Britney Spears or The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The plan is to convert to the new sounds on January 3rd, 2007.

Along with the debut of Jack Sparrow within the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, Disneyland has added more film-related details to New Orleans square. The most noticeable additions are — a small stage where a few musicallly-oriented pirates play an impromptu show, and a queue for pictures with Jack Sparrow himself. Keith and I were impressed by the character’s vocal and physical similarities to Johnny Depp’s work in the film. Here they are together.

Oh, and of course this deserves a mention that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is coming out on DVD next Tuesday, December 5th.

The Destination Series has featured cities like London, Venice and San Francisco. The newest painting will feature Reno’s neighbors to the West, Sacramento. According to the SacBee.com, the painting is expected to do well in the Japanese market as they are found of old American trains. It was painted by Manny Hernandez, a former Sacramentan.

1975 Disneyland: View of the Submarines from the Monorail, originally uploaded by Shifting Leaves.

This image was taking as the Monorail was passing over the water of the Submarine Voyage. At eye level you can see the cables for the Skyway. I’m excited to be able to see this view again once the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opens and the Monorail returns to its regular path.

Sorry for the inconvenience but all the youtube.com videos are down right now. YouTube is having a scheduled downtime and if everything goes well, will be back up shortly.

This is an MP3 of the Disneyland Monorail audio track. It’s 10 MB so it may take a few to download. There is some slightly interesting chatter going on between the pilot and what I assume are the other pilots. I wish I knew who to credit for the recording but I found this on a peer to peer file trading site and have no idea who recorded it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Video of the Disneyland Believe in Holiday Magic Firework show from Disneyland.

This is the movie poster for the new Pixar film Ratatouille. Ain’t it Cool News has a review of the new film (which does contain spoilers – read at your own risk).

[review via The Disney Blog]
[poster via Luxo]