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The main stage at Captain Carnival Pizza Theatre in Windsor, Ontario. Animatronics fans rejoice. Footage of the elusive Captain Carnival, the homegrown Canadian response to Chuck E. Cheese's, has been found. For the uninitiated, Captain Carnival Pizza Theatre was a short lived chain of family entertainment centres that operated in Southwestern Ontario for only 18 months. Founded in 1983 by Joe Sorgi and Phil Jakobi, the chain only expanded to two locations, the original in Windsor and a second location in London, Ontario. There were ambitious plans to expand into American markets, with planned locations in Atlanta, Pittsburg, New Jersey, two in Massachusetts, and five more Canadian stores; two in Toronto and three in Vancouver. Despite these ambitious plans, the 1984 over-saturation of animatronic pizza restaurants caused a market crash from which not even Chuck E. Cheese's was safe (their original company folded in 1984), resulting in Captain Carnival topping out at the two locations before falling into obscurity. Davey Jones and the Beach Bones, a wisecracking skeleton band, occupied half of the stage left of the Captain's pirate ship. The animatronics for the stores were provided by Elnicky Enterprises, who also provided the rare " Family Album " human band animatronic shows to a small handful of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theaters in the early 80's, as well as " The Hot Fudge Show " to the Clawson, Michigan location, which was based on characters from a local children's TV show. The stage consisted of Captain Carnival's ship containing the Captain at the helm, his parrot named Pinza, and a pizza chef (who it turns out sounded more like the Swedish Chef than a stereotypical Italian chef). Located to the left of the boat was a small island containing Davey Jones and the Beach Bones , a loudmouthed, surf-rock skeleton band that served as the comic relief. After the chain's abrupt closure, The Beach Bones from the Windsor location ended up at legendary local arcade Fast Eddy's on Riverside Dr., where they spent their final days. The characters had a gimmick that set them apart from other animatronic pizza chains at the time, that being that they could be controlled/voiced live like puppets from backstage to actually interact with guests on special occasions. The Captain himself. The discovery of this clip is quite interesting, as lost media has surrounded this restaurant for years. Aside from all footage and show tapes of the show being lost, there was also a 1983 TV commercial known to have been filmed at the Windsor location. This unearthed footage is not the missing ad however, instead appearing to be part of a local children's show involving a wizard (calling on you Windsor locals for help ID'ing it). It was uploaded to YouTube by the channel " CPRWindsorsub ", who allegedly had it recorded due to a family member providing the voices to some of Captain Carnival's animatronics. After allegedly seeing that footage of the show was lost in showbizpizza.com 's fantastic research video on the chain, they uploaded their footage to the internet. The segment is a good chunk of advertising for the restaurants, showing a good chunk of the show, some closeups on food and merchandise, and some great early 80's arcade footage. We can spot Super Pacman, Galaga, Millipede, Baby Pacman and classic Skee Ball machines amongst the games. Shot of the ticket redemption counter. In the background, two leather-clad guests play Bally/Midway's pinball-video hybrid "Baby Pacman", while the side art of Atari's "Millipede" can be seen behind it. All things considered, the fact this footage surfaced at all is incredible. While birthday party footage from the place may still surface in the future, seeing nearly seven minutes of professionally shot footage we didn't even know existed is probably a greater discovery than the lost commercial, and probably had a slimmer chance of resurfacing as well. Unlike the commercial, which may reside on a dusty VHS tape somewhere containing any Southern Ontario commercial break from 1983-1984, this likely only aired once or twice as a segment on this obscure local show. Huge thank you to CPRWindsorsub for this footage. With it, an entry in the Lost Media section of the website can be checked off. Video can be found below:

The "Wizard" as he appears in Feartek's catalog (left), or "Merlin" (right) as he was better known in West Edmonton Mall's now-walled-off and abandoned "Merlin's Haunted Laboratory" attraction. Feartek productions was not a Canadian company, rather being based in New York City, however they supplied theming to some of Canada's most famous haunted attractions.  Feartek was founded sometime in the late 70's by James and Earle Goodman, two brothers who had worked under the legendary Fred Mahana along the amusement-rich Jersey Shore.  Mahana's attractions were so creative and successful that he garnered the nickname "Fast Buck Freddy" amongst amusement operators for how fast his attractions could return a profit.  Mahana was a visionary with a keen eye for horror specifically, creating an iconic, cartoonish art style that came to define East Coast amusement piers and attractions. "Blackbeard" figure created by Mahana for Brigantine Castle in Brigantine, NJ. The coffin hallway in Mahana's "Morbid Manor" attraction in Ocean City, Maryland. The Goodmans would combine this art style with a more modern take on prop design and digital technology to create high tech attractions with Feartek.  Their most high-profile and well known attraction on Canadian soil, which you can still visit today, is The Haunted House on Clifton Hill, which opened in 1984 in a former section of what was once the World's Largest Gift Shop underneath the Honeymoon City Motel (now Travelodge).  Speculation flew for years around the true creators of this attraction.  Early theories included Freddy Mahana himself, as well as his cousins' company, due to the identical art style found on the attraction's facade to several of the Mahanas' other attractions. Fred Mahana's famous Haunted House attraction on Morey's Pier in Wildwood, NJ. The clear influence on Feartek's "The Haunted House" on Clifton Hill is striking. Clifton Hill's Haunted House prior to minor renovations in the mid-2010's. It wasn't until a Feartek ghost identical to one that can be found in The Haunted House was found in Waldameer Park's legendary Wacky Shack, that the full story became clear.  Several ghouls from The Haunted House can be seen in this newly surfaced 1981 Feartek prop catalog courtesy of Reddit user Ok-storage3530 .  Bits and pieces of this catalog have been floating around the internet the past year, but seeing the full product line tells us a lot more about Feartek, and The Haunted House, than was previously known. The ghost figure seen in both the Wacky Shack and The Haunted House that finally tied the mystery together. In The Haunted House, two identical copies of this figure appear and disappear on either side of guests via a mirror trick. The "Wheel of Death", "Apparition" and several more of the prop skeletons, skulls, creatures and even background sets are all longtime mainstays of The Haunted House.  There's also speculation this company designed The Fun House next door, which also took up a portion of the former gift shop space and opened the same year under the same owners.  The Fun House originally contained a wide variety of murals and artwork that matched the cartoonish style, and there's even unconfirmed claims that at one point, the attraction featured a skeleton scene at the end despite not being a haunted attraction.  All these signs definitely point towards Feartek designing the attraction, however concrete evidence is yet to surface.  Skeleton props matching the style of ghouls hanging around The Haunted House. Background set components that can be found throughout The Haunted House. "The Wheel of Death" in Feartek's catalog. The "Wheel of Death" in The Haunted House. Several of The Haunted House's props have slight cosmetic difference to the versions shown in the catalog. This is likely due to the fact the attraction opened 3 years after this catalog was printed, implying these are early versions. Feartek's 80's polish, high-tech (for the early 80's) motion detection technology, and larger-than life sets and props created a middle ground between the classic boardwalk haunts of the 70's and the modern props we see in the haunted attraction industry today.  Tributes to Mahana can be found throughout The Haunted House, but this cartoonish art style crossed with a clear 80's dark fantasy influence, create a style unique to Feartek that resembles an 80's Saturday morning cartoon (the likes of He-Man, Dungeons and Dragons, and the short-lived series based on the Dragon's Lair arcade game come to mind.) Feartek's rare and impressive "Troll King". Speaking of the fantasy genre, a much more obscure, but much more infamous Canadian Feartek attraction lives on in the memories, and nightmares, of Edmonton-area locals.  West Edmonton Mall's Fantasyland amusement park once featured a little-known haunted attraction named "Merlin's Haunted Laboratory"; a labyrinth of twisting caves housed inside a faux rock cliff face.  The attraction took guests past baby dragons, dungeon-dwelling creatures, and most infamously, Merlin himself.  The animatronic wizard reportedly became a legendary piece of nightmare-fuel amongst young visitors due to his sudden appearance, towering stature, and close proximity to guests.  Most inexplicably, the attraction was located in the children's area of the park, only adding fuel to the warped memories and trauma the attraction left in it's wake. West Edmonton Mall's Fantasyland in 1983. Merlin's Haunted Laboratory was located just out of shot near the dominoes on the right. While obviously meant to be an all-ages attraction with a cute and lighthearted tone, the low ceilings, lack of lighting, and median age of the audience who experienced it made this attraction go down in history as an obscure but haunting part of West Edmonton Mall history.  The attraction closed in 1995 when the park renovated, and for years only lived on as whispers on Edmonton schoolyards, mentions on old park maps, and lost internet users posting into the online void in an attempt to find anyone else who survived the attraction without repressing the memory. That is until Best Edmonton Mall's documentary series "From Fantasy to Galaxy" uncovered the first images of inside the attraction's walls ever found, but these were not 30 year old, historical photographs, these were of the attraction as it looks today.  In a horrifying turn of events that only adds fuel to the nightmarish legend of this attraction, it turns out after the attraction closed in 1995, it wasn't demolished, but walled off and abandoned for nearly three decades, where it remains rotting away to this day.  These horrifying photos not only show just how eerie this attraction would have been when it was operational, but also the decrepit state its in today.  An incredibly sad end for such a legendary attraction, but perhaps a fitting one, as it has only helped further its secretive and legendary status.  While the aforementioned baby dragons aren't included in this photo set, if they even still exist (part of the attraction may have been demolished, as despite these developments, there's still a lot that isn't known about what else this attraction contained), photos of the dungeon creatures as well as Merlin himself surfaced, sitting in their rotted and melting state. Merlin behind glass, his white beard now dark grey with dust. Dungeon-dwelling creatures peer out from their nest in a small cave in the rock walls. This brings us back to Feartek.  Going through the catalog, we find the exact Merlin animatronic that sists abandoned at West Edmonton Mall.  It also turns out that Fantasyland's dungeon critters were actually referred to as "Nerfs" by Feartek.  These connections, as well as the fantasy theme which Feartek specialized in (their logo even contained a dragon), no doubt place Feartek as the true wizards behind this mythical Canadian attraction.   Merlin as he would have looked before three decades of dust. This is also where the catalog and the photos of Merlin's Haunted Laboratory start to fill in gaps for each other.  The catalog gives a name to these creatures, and also describes what their animation would have been (the catalog states their heads bobbed up and down as well as side to side), going on to describe that "an amusing soundtrack has a nest of Nerfs talking about the viewers, sniffling and coughing and wheezing in alarm".  The catalog states however that the heads pictured are unfinished props, and that each would be attached to a "furry, baggy body" and situated in a nest.  These bodies as well as the nest can be seen in the photos of the abandoned figures at WEM, giving a strong sense of what this scene would have appeared like, albeit with a little melted latex that's deteriorated over time and given the Nerfs long snouts. Feartek's catalog page for the Nerfs. The Fantasy Excursion Railway (later renamed "Fantasyland Express"), the original train ride which took guests through the park, contained a horror themed section inside a tunnel as the train passed through the same rock cliff facade which housed Merlin's.  Even less is known about this area than Merlin's, as the darkness of the tunnel combined with poor home video recording capabilities at the time has left nothing but questions.  Several people remember a Werewolf, severed heads, and Frankenstein's Monster.  If Feartek supplied the theming for Merlin's, it stands to reason that this area's props would be their handywork as well, and sure enough, all of the props so far remembered as being in this haunted tunnel identically match ones found in this catalog. Could this be the Werewolf that once hunted the guests aboard Fantasyland's train? Hanging severed heads offered by Feartek. Feartek eventually disappeared sometime around the mid-late 80's shortly after these attractions opened, leaving little paper trail.  Fortunately, their props, which seem to have been more popular sold individually rather than as part of entire attractions like these, can still be found littered around North America in haunted attractions, dark rides, and carnival spook houses.  They were an early innovator in a new age of haunted attraction theming that would fully form by the dawn of the 90's with companies like Distortions Unlimited, Lifeformations, and Scarefactory.  Perhaps they just existed in too much of an in-between for their own good, with their over-the-top props being a little too ahead of their time, yet being a little too early to catch the wave that later companies would in the latter half of the 80's. Feartek's 7-foot-tall "Frankenstein Jr." prop.

The store's chase light adorned sign that also contains the last mentions of the sorely missed Rock Legends Wax Museum, which closed in 2019. December 1st will be a sad day for both heavy metal fans and the Niagara Falls tourism landscape. Rockworld, the souvenir and merchandise store that has sat on Centre Street half a block past where it becomes Clifton Hill for nearly half a century, will close permanently. The store has been a staple of the top of Clifton Hill since it opened in 1983, and is predeceased by the iconic Rock Legends Wax Museum which the same owners operated upstairs from 1997-2019. The wax museum's collection had been sculpted entirely by the owner, Pasquale Ramunno, who coincidentally wasn't even a rock music fan and allegedly had an ear for opera. Thankfully, he had an eye for art, and apparently for business as well, as Rockworld became a legendary pit stop for Ontario metalheads, punk rockers, and classic rock fans alike for generations. A section of the store named the "Niagara Souvenir Centre" offered more generic Canada and Niagara Falls themed items. When the wax museum was added upstairs in 1997, it greatly helped further the identity of the more thematically darker attractions in the up and coming "top of the Hill" area that was becoming popular with teenagers and young adults, joining Alien Encounter, The Criminals Hall of Fame, and the Screamers haunted attraction chain (Rockworld was actually neighbors with the short-lived 3rd Screamers location named "Horror Manor"). The museum's giant neon guitar and wall of musician's faces on the front of the building became a staple sight of the area. Rockworld, Rock Legends Wax Museum, and the iconic neon guitar. After years of success, the wax museum's visitor numbers unfortunately started slowing down in the mid-2010's as the Niagara Falls tourism landscape (and greater amusement industry as a whole) went through a turbulent period. By 2014, all the attractions I listed above that used to rub elbows with Rockworld were gone. With mounting pressure from record labels and their exorbitant licensing fees, the decision was made to close the museum in October 2019, allegedly (according to a conversation I had with the owners some years ago) due in part to YouTube's infamous copyright algorithm flagging vlogs of the museum for use of music, thus alerting media companies to the museum's existence. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic less than 4 months later essentially halting the entire tourism industry for two years, it appears the decision may have been the right one. The incredible and impressive Locomoland, a model train attraction that replaced the wax museum upstairs and was operated by a third party, also unfortunately closed down this past summer (stay tuned for more on that). This also decreased traffic through the store as the wax museum formerly let out into Rockworld, therefore Locomoland did as well after it. The store was carried on for years by Ramunno's children Nick and Maria, but they've decided it's finally time to retire. I was a regular at the store, not for the reasons I'm a regular at most Clifton Hill area attractions, but as a heavy metal fan. The store was well known in the metal scene (allegedly even "back in the day") as a place to get rare and imported merchandise, and as Ontario's other rock stores, headshops, and other headbanger hangouts closed throughout the 2000's and 2010's, the king of them all stood strong. Nowadays, you have essentially three options to buy music merchandise. If you're looking for merchandise from an A-list band (Metallica, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, etc.) you might be lucky enough to find something at a run of the mill mall store like Hot Topic or Spencer's, but don't expect them to be quality, or anything other than the most basic designs. If you're a fan of more obscure bands like me, you could order them online directly from the band or an online merchandise store, but as a Canadian, expect shipping costs as high as the price of the item you're buying. The third option is buying merchandise at a band's concert, if you're willing to pay an arm and a leg, and if you're willing to wait for the band to roll through a city near you, which is especially problematic if a band usually only tours Europe or even worse, no longer exists. Rockworld was the only place left you could buy an officially licensed Razor, Destruction, or Mercyful Fate shirt in person and for a decent price, examples I use because this is probably the only excuse I'm going to have to mention those names on this website. Not only that, they carried a variety of items you simply don't see anywhere anymore like patches, flags, pins, and a variety of spiked/studded accessories. The best part? The store didn't charge the city's infamous "tourist tax", and proudly displayed that above the door. It'll be sad to see the store go, but the owners definitely deserve a good rest after everything they've done for both the Niagara Falls and metal communities. The store is currently on massive discount and getting more and more picked over by the day, so if you were a regular here or even want to squeeze in your first visit before it's too late, I suggest you make the voyage as soon as you're able. For die-hard rock fans or attraction operators, the museum's impressive collection of over 70 figures hand sculpted by Pasquale Ramunno (including the ones that were relocated to the store after the museum's closure), are in storage and still up for grabs, but expect to pay what these works of art are worth. If you've ever wanted an identical replica of Alice Cooper in your living room, Gene Simmons in your basement, or Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie in your Halloween display, now is the time to act.

Dazzleland Family Fun Center Attraction Type: Family Entertainment Centre Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 1992-2001 Designer(s): White Hutchinson Leisure Learning Group Overview of Dazzleland as seen from the Pilgrim Motel, mid 90's. In 1992, the final piece of the puzzle for Clifton Hill's present day atmosphere would click into place. Welland Securities changed their name to HOCO (Harry Oakes Company) and beginning in the late 80's, took ownership of attractions that were formerly just tenants of theirs including Movieland , The Niagara Marketplace, The Space Spiral Tower, Golf-a-Rama atop Circus World, and the Cliffside Motel (which had its pool removed and was integrated into a wing of the adjacent Quality Inn.) The only attractions that would continue being leased were Ripley's and Circus World, meaning HOCO not only owned all the land on the South-West side of the hill, they now ran everything between Circus World and Ripley's, as well as the Harry's Burgers space and the ice cream stand immediately down the hill from Circus World. With the driveway in to the former Cliffside wing no longer needed, as it could now be accessed by the Quality Inn lot, it would become the last section of land to be developed along Clifton Hill. In the driveway's place was now a large empty space between Circus World and Movieland, with the Space Spiral Tower (with a relatively small footprint) stuck in the middle. HOCO called upon attraction design and layout firm White Hutchison Leisure Learning Group (WHLLG) to design an attraction around the Space Spiral that would use the final undeveloped land on Clifton Hill. And so WHLLG designed Dazzleland Family Fun Center, a courtyard of buildings arranged in roughly the same layout as the Great Canadian Midway (for reasons we'll get to later) that sits on the land now. The space surrounding the Spiral Tower that Dazzleland would later occupy, as it looked when it was occupied by Golf-a-Rama and the driveway in to the Cliffside, 1980's. The buildings around the outside of the courtyard were long and narrow, picture a courtyard of carnival game trailers but permanent, appealing buildings in the architecture style of a European village. Carnival lights adorned much of the signage, and the complex featured an abundance of neon on the attraction's large sign, on many of the buildings' exteriors, and signage featuring the word "DazzleLand" on the wall in many of the buildings. Bird's eye view of Dazzleland's courtyard taken from the Spiral Tower, late 90's. At the front of the attraction facing the street, on either side of the large open entrance to the courtyard, were two fast food restaurants. On the downhill-most side, the Wendy's was built on top of Circus World, replacing the Golf-a-Rama mini golf that had formerly been on the attraction's roof. It featured an outdoor patio in the back corner of the dining area overlooking Clifton Hill, but this would be enclosed in later years. At the back of the dining area next to the washrooms was also a hallway that led into Dazzleland, as the washrooms also served as the washrooms for the attraction itself. Across the entrance to the courtyard from Wendy's was a Domino's Pizza, roughly where stairwell just to your right is when entering the Great Canadian Midway now. Unlike Wendy's however who had the option to dine-in, the Domino's was only a take-away counter. Above: Wendy's in 1993 above Circus World. Right: Domino's Pizza seen along with the Spiral Tower and camera store, mid 90's. Clockwise when entering the actual courtyard of Dazzleland, the first building, built into the side of Wendy's, was the Whac-a-Mole building. This section housed several Bob's Space Racers (the co-inventors of Whac-a-Mole) late-80's "Version B" Whac-a-Mole machines. In the same building along the same wall was a handful of various redemption games. The next building, running alongside the forested hill down to Queen Victoria Park, was a larger walk-in building that served as the main redemption arcade area, housing all the miscellaneous ticket redemption games. This area was also home to one of the strangest arcade games in the Falls, a shooting gallery utilizing water guns rather than infrared light guns. It was called "Fire Department 911" and appeared to be a custom build, with the targets consisting of cut-out flames. The manufacturer remains unknown. Above: The main redemption game building, 1993. Right: The Fire Department 911 water gun shooting gallery. Whac-a-Mole machines, 1993, Miscellaneous games occupying the back half of the Whac-a-Mole building, 1993. In the back corner, roughly where the XD Theatre now sits in The Midway, was the largest building in Dazzleland, the main Arcade. This is where the large collection of video games and pinball machines were located, as well as the Cyclone redemption game. This section could also be accessed via a doorway in the back corner of the redemption game building. The building next to the Arcade was also connected via a doorway on the other side as well, and ran along the back of Dazzleland. This building housed various carnival style coin operated games such as the Skee Ball, Boom Ball, and Roll-a-Ball style games. A couple smaller redemption games were also located against the pillars along the front of this building. The final building along the outside (between the Skee-Ball building and Domino's) was the Sports Games building, which included racing, basketball toss, football toss, and pitching games. A section of this building with a checkered floor contained racing-themed games, like 4 linked Sega Super GT racing simulators that would be added in the late 90's, and later go on to also be a staple of the Midway, as would nearly all of Dazzleland's games. Above top: Entrance to the main arcade. Above bottom: Inside the main video and pinball arcade, mid 90's. Left: Interior of the Skee Ball building and it's side entrance to the main arcade, as seen in a 2001 brochure. Right: Boom Ball style, Roll-a-Ball, water gun race, and Skee Ball machines, mid 90's. The racing-themed section of the sports games building with the checkered floor, 2000. In the middle of the courtyard was a small carousel, a small pond that contained an RC boat game, and a building housing the carousel's control booth which had miscellaneous games wrapping around it on the other three sides. A smaller building in the back half of the courtyard outfront the Arcade building was the ticket Redemption Centre and prize counter. The courtyard was also full of claw machines and coin operated rides. The Space Spiral and camera store next door were incorporated into Dazzleland, still being accessible directly off the Hill. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, the tower was exactly where the Fudge Factory now is, as the circular store was once the loading area for the tower. Along Clifton Hill, between the camera store and the Dominos was a fortune teller machine built right into the wall: "Ask the Brain". The brain still lives on inside Movieland, except now he wants a loonie instead of a quarter. Left: The RC boat pond with the sports building in the background, 1993. Right: "Ask The Brain" in 2000. To fill the consumer need left after the mini golf atop Circus World was replaced with the Wendy's, a new, much more challenging course would be constructed just up the Hill from the Spiral Tower. It's entrance was right on the Hill, but the course wrapped around the tower and ran back behind Dazzleland, between the back of Dazzleland and the parking lot of the Quality Inn. It would have no real theme for its first two years of operation, and feature generic statues like a comical man teeing off from the course's main waterfall, dolphins jumping out of the fountains, and a replica of the Skylon Tower at the back. It's debatable if this attraction could technically be considered part of Dazzleland. While built at the same time and wrapping around Dazzleland proper, it wasn't technically inside it. It's unknown if this course had its own name or was originally considered part of the complex. It would also outlive Dazzleland in its later form as Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf (see below), moving around the area and eventually evolving into the present-day Dinosaur Adventure Golf. Dazzleland under construction in 1991, showing the full layout of the mini golf. Above: The miniature golf course as seen from the driveway into Quality Inn, 1992. Left: A fiberglass statue of a down-on-his-luck golfer tees off from the waterfall at the entrance to the course on Clifton Hill, 1993. This early version of the Dazzleland complex would be very short lived, with changes coming just two years later in 1994. The Whac-a-Mole and prize buildings would be switched around, and the water gun shooting gallery would also switch places with the miscellaneous games next to the Whac-a-Mole machines. The biggest change however would come in the form of a retheme of the mini golf. Riding off the success of the film Jurassic Park, the course would now become "Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf." Unique fiberglass dinosaurs now populated the course, and a dragon/sea serpent was added to the RC boat pond. It's unknown who sculpted these figures (possibly someone from within WHLLG). Left: Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf in a 2001 brochure. Right: The dragon in the RC boat pond, 1998. The sign for the Redemption Centre after it switched places with the Whac-a-Mole building. Dazzleland was an instant success, being one of the crucial moments in the development of the Niagara Falls tourism industry that forever changed the area. It was the first Family Entertainment Centre in the Falls, combining arcade machines with other rides and attractions all in one arcade-like complex, more accessible than an amusement park yet more captivating than an arcade. Almost every arcade to open in the Falls since Dazzleland has also been an F.E.C., a clear indication of it's influence. The complex had a unique but distinct atmosphere, having no exact theme other than a whimsical, fantasy-like environment as represented by the stars and moons on the attraction's signage. The carnival-like atmosphere and variety in the attraction made it stand out from the other arcades in the area at the time, and it became a go to-hang out for both tourists and locals alike. It's variety also made it popular with all demographics, featuring pinball and video games popular with teenagers and adults, redemption games and rides largely popular with children and families, and an open, appealing atmosphere even drawing in those who wouldn't usually be arcade-goers. It's popularity however would also be it's demise, and it would be relatively short-lived, only lasting a decade. The success of the attraction led HOCO to expand the concept further, and more games = higher guest enjoyment, and therefore profit. The outdoor courtyard style with it's room for walkways between the buildings was re-designed, and HOCO again called upon WHLLG. WHLLG designed not only a remodel of Dazzleland, but an incredible 5-step plan that would have changed Clifton Hill, however only steps 1 to 3 would come to fruition... Step 1 was remodeling Dazzleland into the Great Canadian Midway , which opened in 2002. The level, concrete foundation Dazzleland was built on was kept as the foundation of the Midway, hence why it has a similar footprint. Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf was moved to a former parking lot in front of the Comfort Inn. Rather than have several different buildings, the Midway would all be one indoor space, allowing for more games and year round operation, a genius business move. After it's closure, Dazzleland would fall into obscurity. In the early days of research that would eventually evolve into this website, Dazzleland only existed as one-line mentions in old HOCO Attractions brochures and the vauge memories of the author, becoming somewhat of my "white whale". HOCO themselves eventually uploaded some limited photos of the attraction on their Clifton Hill Fun Facebook page, and as time went on and my original historical postings on Reddit began to receive attention, more people began to comment that they remembered Dazzleland fondly. Many details of the attraction came out along with it, and eventually, after years of scouring old tourist vacation videos on YouTube, the full layout and story of the attraction's changes over the years came to light. Arials of Dazzleland (2000) and the Great Canadian Midway (2024), showing how the Midway was built upon Dazzleland's pre-established layout. The gorgeous double-sided neon sign at the entrance to the complex, which acted as a beacon of Clifton Hill, 2000. While Dazzleland may be gone, the Midway took the carnival-like atmosphere that Dazzleland offered and turned it into the entire theme of the Midway, which is actually themed to an outdoor carnival midway complete with strings of lights between the pillars. It also features several attractions around the outside walls surrounding the main arcade space, creating somewhat of an indoor courtyard. This makes the Midway somewhat of a spiritual successor to Dazzleland that builds on the theme and retains the same atmosphere. Dazzleland continues to live on in the memories of those who visited, frequented, and worked there as well as the millions of visitors who have since visited the Midway, whether they realize it's hidden influence or not.

Waxattract/Enter-Tech Headquarters: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 1960?-1985 Number of Confirmed Projects: 30+ Mid-70's business card featuring the only documented instance of the company's logo. Waxattract was the leading wax figure and animatronics design firm in Canada, and were fittingly based in Niagara Falls, ON. The company was owned by (and entirely comprised of) the Dunham family, with Robert Dunham founding the company sometime in the early 60's. His wife Betty as well as their eight children would all go on to become involved in the family business in some way as the company grew. Together they achieved several firsts and milestones in the amusement industry, including the first programmable animatronics outside of Disneyland, the first entirely horror-themed wax museum, the first programmable stand-alone animatronic band, and the first modern haunted attraction, today an over $300 Million USD a year indusrty. By the 70's the business had evolved to an entire studio, officially taking the name Waxattract and setting up shop in a warehouse on Portage Rd., where the company produced some of the most iconic Niagara Falls attractions to ever exist, including The House of Frankenstein, Castle Dracula, and Circus World, as well as working on several attractions in the U.S. and across wider Canada. As their animatronic technology began to advance, the company moved to Thorold Stone Rd. and rebranded as Enter-Tech - "Entertainment Technology in Motion" (a division of Waxattract) at the dawn of the 1980's, as animatronic entertainment became the new revolution in the amusement industry due largely in part to the company's own innovations. Early-80's Enter-Tech Brochure The company's most popular attractions, and most groundbreaking, were their revolutionary haunted attractions which redefined the industry not just in Niagara but as a whole, and become an integral part of Clifton Hill's development and growth. The company disbanded in 1985 following the unfortunate death of Robert Dunham that year, a huge blow to the Niagara Falls amusement industry. He was working on the planning stages of an interactive, horror-themed blacklight indoor miniature golf attraction which would unfortunately never be completed, but would have been perhaps the first blacklight mini golf course in the world, and certainly the fist with a horror theme or interactive props. Who knows what else Dunham and Enter-Tech would have invented and come up with more time. One thing is for certain, his legacy, and the joy he brought to millions in his short time, will live on forever in Niagara Falls and the amusement industry as a whole, even if people may not know him by name. Fred (left) and Jeff (right) Dunham build a figure for "The All Star Mouse Revue" animatronic show, 1980. The full story of Waxattract and their incredible technological innovations in the industry is a tale far too long to tell on this page, which is why Canadian Amusement History is proud to present the special feature article "Scultping Memories: The Waxattract Story " , a deep dive into the company's attractions and legacy written with information sourced directly from the Dunham family. To learn more about perhaps one of the most important companies in the history of this industry, click the link above. Confirmed Projects Fantasy Land - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach (1960?) Waltzing Waters - Niagara Falls (1962) Burning Springs Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (1966) Boris Karloff Wax Museum/Niagara Wax Museum of Fantasy - Niagara Falls (1967) Movieland Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (late 60's/early 70's) Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (late 60's/early 70's) Niagara Belle (tourist paddlewheel ferry boat, non-amusement attraction) - Niagara Falls (1970) Royal London Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (1970?) The House of Frankenstein - Niagara Falls (1971) The House of Frankenstein - Lake George, NY (1973) Castle Dracula - Niagara Falls (1974) Myrtle Beach Speedway (NASCAR track, non-amusement attraction) - Myrtle Beach, SC (1974) Castle Dracula - Myrtle Beach, SC (1975) Magic Harbor - Myrtle Beach, SC (1975) Hound Dog Revue/Country Hound Jamboree - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975) Haunted Shooting Gallery - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975) Castle Dracula - Panama City Beach, FL (1976) Tower of London Wax Museum (figures/props only, relocated from Royal London Wax Museum) - Niagara Falls (1976) Jungleland Miniature Golf - Niagara Falls (1978?) Many Worlds of Jules Verne (concept work only, never developed) - Niagara Falls (1979) Circus World - Niagara Falls (1979) Legend Niagara/Great White Water Picture Show - Pyramid Place, Niagara Falls (1979) Dare Devil Gallery - Niagara Falls (1979?) Portable Walkthrough Haunted Attractions (produced for travelling fairs and small amusement parks) - (Late 70's?) W.C. Fields Display (Unknown Themed Bar) - (Unknown American City), (la te 70's?) Ocean World - Niagara Falls (late 70's/early 1980's?) All Star Mouse Revue - Produced but never installed (see "Sculpting Memories: The Waxattract Story "), (early 80's) Hillbilly Bear Jamboree - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls (1981/1982?) Animatronic Salmon Puppet (T ravelling e ducational p rop) - Ontario Ministry of the Environment (early 80's?) Animal Krackers - Huckleberry Junction Playhouse Theater, Genesee, Michigan (early 80's) Meet Mr. Lincoln - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls (1984) Pioneer Museum (Name Unconfirmed) - (Exact Location Unknown), P.E.I. Suspected/Possible Projects Crystal Beach Wax Museum - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach (early 60's - early 70's) National Marine Aquarium of Canada - Niagara Falls (1970) Dark Ride - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975) Boris Karloff Wax Museum - Sportland Pier, Wildwood, NJ (late 70's?) Movieworld Wax Museum (involvement likely minimal, if at all) - Lake George, NY (1977/1978?) Castle Dracula (involvement unlikely) - Lake George, NY (1982) Circus Time Pizza - Flint, Michigan (1983) Pizza Planet - Buffalo, New York (1983)

Photo and Video Archive Welcome to the Canadian Amusement History archives. This archive is the result of over a decade of searching through old photographs, tourist home videos, public libraries, newspaper archives, advertising, and more. Here you'll find images and footage of both former attractions and ones that have changed over the years. You can also find old postcards, brochures, guide books, newspaper articles, commercials, and more. All sources are provided when applicable. This section will always be a work in progress. Due to the scope and size of our personal archive collection, the entirety of it will never fully be featured here, so if you're after something you don't find here, please contact us as we might have it in our collections! All Photo Galleries All Video Galleries Lost Media