How Not to Have a Healthy Halloween

In another surprising episode of What the WT-!, Halloween sees a spike in candy consumption and sharing, not just at doorsteps of houses, but at every party in any house and community hall (and cosplay pageant if they exist). And because at the time of this blogpost, once again, toothpaste and dental health companies don the message of sharing the sugary joy responsibly and consuming candy moderately (because face it, teeth are the diamond encrusted silverware of the human body – too expensive to lose or damage). Without being too preachy with the "healthy things are better than candy", Crest and OralB decided to put together an ad campaign with this in mind, capturing the kids' reactions to healthy Halloween options gone terribly wrong.



Sure, the advert is not meant to offend anyone who chooses to eschew candy products in favor of healthy fruit and vegetables, but reaction wise it is meant to be a comedic lampoon on how healthy options may be exploited too commonly for the dollar. Okay, okay, On the topic of which, Wonders of Life really did have a healthy options bar, Pure and Simple, and you may remember it selling salads and wraps through to yoghurt and waffles and the odd fruit. According to the advert, there is a high likeliness the bars' Halloween would feel like a (admitted it) drabby Helloween.

You can feel free to express your views on the advert, both on the source video page, as well as on this blog post comments section. And if anyone is gearing up for a Halloween season like no other (either a quiet night of delivering candy, or hosting a party, or going out trick or treating in your finest garmentry), I leave you with some words of wisdom the time trick or treaters come: sites like Spoonful's article on doing your own healthy Halloween treats could be of help if you like to cook and create. Supplying for trick or treaters? Don't be afraid to check the labels if you Offer sweet fruits such as apple slices and carrot sticks (always a winner with kids) but hey, it's Halloween, and moderation ensures happy celebrations!

I wonder if, you too, would be interested in watching a collection of healthy public service announcements? There are some scary and unsettling ones, word of warning, and apt for the night of fright to come! Hopefully, the Wonders of Life Eterna blog will be returning back into gear, open for suggestions and recovering from bloggers' block as we speak!

Possibility 9 - The Memorial Pause

First of all, I would like to deliver my apologies for my long period of blogging absence, due to a clogged up schedule and current state of mind already exhausted beyond cognitive awareness (sigh). For some apparent reason, there was a reason why I chose to post this article on a day of rememberance, as it has given me fresh inspiration to help with the Possibilities article. My heart goes to everyone whose lives have been changed, as well as the countless heroes who saved precious lives as well - from firefighters through to paramedics, and even ordinary people who gave their lives to save others.

Memorials, in the context of extinct attractions, are a very controversial topic in the eyes of many people – who supports the idea, who opposes it – but there is no universally correct answer of having one exist, to pay homage to many rides and experiences gone by, yet allowing room for others to move on. The Wonders of Life pavilion, one of the numerous examples of the extinct attractions worthy of a memorial, will likely be the typical candidate, but this post will be open to discussion in the comments section. In today's Possibilities, we will explore and brainstorm the many ways that the Wonders of Life pavilion could be given a tangible reminder of its existence – from events to attractions that once captivated our joy and wonder – but also to debate on which kind should be considered, and even where to draw the line.

Footsteps - Medical Inflatables

 

 Another faithful welcome back, and with another Footsteps article with regards to some of the most interesting, yet similar exhibits that some of us might enjoy, that is if you enjoyed Wonders of Life. Of course, while we covered some interesting and state of the art external exhibits beyond Epcot's borders, there is a class of external exhibits in which they are considered visually unusual at first glance (well, to the point they might qualify for a What the WT- article), but on closer inspection, this kind of exhibit has already developed a large traveling footprint, and it is successful in both message and visitor attraction.

As found in the Mega Heart official page (http://www.medicalinflatables.com/MEGAHeart.aspx)

Believe it or not, this article is covering a unique travelling exhibit - it is a group of inflatable models of the human body, under the name MEGA. These inflatables are designed to present the many areas of the human body or organ in an exploratory manner, both to exhibit their roles and functions, and deliver awareness of the many diseases associated with the organ itself. These inflatable model exhibits are often rented out for venues, ranging from school incursion visits, through to charity awareness events (heart disease organisations , and some are even hired for parties.

To date, there are four inflatable exhibits currently functioning are the heart, the lungs, the brain and even a stylised representation of a human body (the whole set, including the digestive tract). The advantages of such inflatables would be their portability, where one inflatable model (plus the necessary air) would take one mode of transport, as compared to other exhibits designed for migration with multiple museums requiring more, and requiring part assembly on arrival. With regards to their complexity, the inflatable models have been regularly maintained to ensure they are ready for their next stream of visitors, either for a day or a week.

In their relation to Epcot's Wonders of Life pavilion's exhibits past, there sadly is no equivalent other than Body Wars (far different and more mechanical), but both in comparison highly emphasise the need to explore, but different respectively... while Body Wars tended to run on "scheduled missions" programmed on the rides, the MEGA Inflatables are a 'wander at your own place' type of exhibit, where guests can make their way around the model, even with the option to return to a spot they may have otherwise missed. There is an underlying health message in them too, one that Body Wars only leaned on a touch – showcasing the many diseases and conditions (albeit physical) experienced by the organ in question might help motivate people to manage their health better, even prevent the condition. 

On further thoughts, if Wonders of Life were still around, or if it had any room to spare for temporary exhibits, chances are these inflatables would have stopped by, either for events or promoting the pavilion to crowds on a slow visits day. Somehow, Wonders of Life could have taken advantage of opening a showroom for those not fit enough to travel the LGS-250 B229 probe, and built an equivalent exploratory exhibit (blood vessel gymbaree anyone?) to keep them happy. 

Chances are you might want to look up some more information on the exhibits, or maybe you have opinions with the exhibits of this kind, which you can leave in the comments below. Here is the link to the exhibits in case you are interested in reading more:

Medical Inflatables, 2013. Inflatable Heart | Heart Exhibit | Brain Exhibit [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.medicalinflatables.com/HOME.aspx. [Accessed 19 December 2013].

Until next time, readers!

Attractions Toolkit - Body Wars

Welcome back to Attractions Toolkit, the section selecting one attraction from the pavilion, and figuring out which parts can be added, subtracted or replaced. But first, there had been a flurry of rumors and updates pertaining to the current state of Body Wars before we begin today's brainstorming. From an anonymous witness, word has it that demolition of the interior may have happened, with the simulator shells removed completely. In an uncanny way, this somewhat freed up some thought possibilities pertaining to how Body Wars would have been updated, or even by now, replaced.

In Bed with Imagination, Currently Ill

Massive yawn at this hour, and after a rollercoaster of uncertainty for this blog, there is a rumor going hot off the press about the Wonders of Life's right brained ally (yes, I meant ally in a sense), the Journey into Imagination pavilion. Of course, you may wonder why a Wonders of Life centered blog is writing about the Journey into Imagination pavilion, but out of respect, there are a lot of issues at stake in which I will provide one of Epcyclopedia's articles explaining what's to come.
Apparently, the renovation job is not due until somewhere in 2014, but already, there is a discussion in both sides pertaining to the fate of the pavilion; it is asking a whole lot of questions altogether - what should go into its place? Who should run the show? Is Figment coming back? Dreamfinder? Unfortunately, no answers are revealed at this point, but there is another question that is bugging us too: will it end up being abandoned?
As scary as it may sound, some pavilions and locations within Epcot have actually been abandoned for many reasons - sponsor walking out, maintenance problems or just too few to stop by - and to have Wonders of Life (as a pavilion in this case) hanging in the balance between closure and its status as a festival center apparently stuffs the situation right into its seams.
While things may as well yet to be finalised on what will take the place of Imagination later on (to the Imagineering department, we hear you! Good luck!), there is likely a different story pertaining to the Wonders of Life pavilion. While it is too soon to speculate, there is a reason why the Wonders of Life Eterna blog exists in response to events like this. It is in inspiration of the various memories held by many guests who have actually been into the pavilion - young and old - and it is in the interest of these people, no matter how variable they are, who would be interested in
If you are brave enough to look back, it is quite interesting to figure out how many possibilities (even from my own thoughts, as well as the thoughts of others) exist if the pavilion were to actually come back. However, the only (and likely, futile) way would be to put the pressure on management to finally look into brainstorming different ways to treat an ailing patient in Future World East. And, yes, I meant that as an architectural metaphor.
On a different side, for some odd reason, one of the servers for the informational site appear to be down, so the most likely thing to do is open up a mirror site to serve as a backup operator in case. However, some interactive components are building up offline, especially the pavilion articles and the interactive map. (Did you hear that? An interactive map!) So hopefully, as soon as the site situation is rectified, then expect the site to return with these wonderful features.
So until next time, if you have any possible thoughts on whether management (whether they are done with the Imagination refurbishment or not) should focus on Wonders of Life, feel free to leave a comment (it's always moderated), or even feel free to share the petition, or complete the survey online, or even view the results corresponding to the pavilion. I'm all ears!