This post is based on one of my husband’s memories. A tongue-in-cheek film called Pompeii on Eliott Bay, which aired on King 5 in 1974 as well as my own memories of the Seattle Center Fun Forest. Yes, the two do meet up somehow.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Do you remember Pompeii on Elliott Bay? Or better yet, know were we can get a DVD of it? Do you want to share your own memories of the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center? Feel free to leave your comments here.Pompeii on Eliott Bay?
Our beloved Mount Rainier is, of course, a volcano — one that National Geographic suggested may be one of the most dangerous in the United States. If and when it does erupt, one thing that far-future archaeologists sorting through the rubble of our ancient civilization will never find are the remains of the collection of vertigo-causing torture devices otherwise known as the Seattle Fun Forest.
One of my husband’s memories of Seattle gone by was of a film called Pompeii on Eliott Bay, which followed archaeologists analyzing artifacts of a civilization destroyed by an eruption of the mountain formerly known as Tahoma. The film aired on KING 5 in 1974.
One find of these future archaeologists were these…instruments — which seemed to have a type of cage which would spin the user dangerously around. Their interpretation: torture devices meant to punish unruly children!
The film was made by Ed Tis, the same filmmaker known for having motorcycles and frogs call out for a particular brand of local beer in well-known commercials.
A few years ago, I contacted the archives at King 5 to see if the film was available, and I found that I could purchase the DVD for $75. I failed to buy it as a Christmas gift for my spouse that year — a thing I regret. The last time I checked, King 5 was moving/digitizing their archives, and I was told it was in storage. I’d need to wait at least a year and a half or so if I wanted to get my hands on a copy. While it seems everything is available online now — this film is not.
Remembering the Seattle Center Fun Forest
The Seattle Center Fun Forest consisted of a bunch of amusement park rides, carnival games, and an arcade near the Armory at the Seattle Center. (Another fun fact: when I was growing up the Armory — the correct name for it — was called the “Food Circus.” It took me a long time to recondition myself.)
The Fun Forest was a relic of the 1962 World’s Fair, of course, and was closed in 2009 — I think in the effort to make the Center more cultural and upscale and educational. But a bit of fun was lost in the process. But, anyway, as a teenager, it was the perfect hangout on a Summer’s day and, fortunately, was right on the bus line from my house.
The rides weren’t all that scary — the rollercoaster — which I can remember being called the Mad Mouse — was only terrifying until I became a certain age. A date night with my future spouse involved dinner and rides — and the Octopus proved to be nausea rather than fear-inducing (for him.)
I have mixed feelings about the disappearance of our carnival rides. Both the Fun Forest and the rides at Woodland Park Zoo are linked with childhood memories, and thinking about them is a nostalgia-inducing exercise. There is nothing like them in Seattle any longer unless you count an occasional pop-up carnival.
But I’m also glad the zoo has improved to be a better habitat for its animals and an educational facility vs. an amusement park. The Seattle Center is less tacky for its loss of the Fun Forest…but also a little less fun.
Here’s a playlist for some videos people posted on YouTube of the actual Fun Forest:
I’m glad they caught these. I was too busy playing Pac-Man, slipping Slurpees, and going on the Matterhorn.
Pompeii on Elliot Bay was actually made by Tyler Johnson. Ed Tis was the cameraman.
Thanks for pointing that out!
Jeez, but I’ve searched for some mention of “Pompeii on Elliot Bay” on the internet for years. I started at UW starting in 1972 after having move to Seattle for college. I was in Terry Hall and have no idea how I actually saw this gem but two parts are emblazoned in my memory.
Cheese Whiz (ie cheese in a pressurized can like whipped cream)… future archeologists theorized that, given the instability of weather in the PNW, cheese in a can was invented to speed the process of picnicking because the heavens could open at any moment so cheese and crackers had to happen quickly.
The second topic was child discipline machines. (Camera shows children on Seattle Center amusement park rides screaming) “In this barbaric time, unruly children were strapped into machines of discipline until they learned his to behave.”
Last very tentative memory was the moment of eruption where a fake manhole pops out of the street in a small jet of steam.
I hope it’s available some day. It’s a gem.
I hope so, too! I regret that for a while it WAS available from the station and I was going to get it for my husband as a holiday gift. But I didn’t and the next time I checked they said they were changing their archives and didn’t know if or when it would be available again. That was a while back, so I might put checking on it on my to-do list.