Podcast Episode 78: Wonders of Life Part II

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Welcome to Episode 78 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Wonder of Life Part II – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. Thank you so much for joining us for more, Wonders of Life. In this episode, we get into the various attractions that were peppered throughout the pavilion in great detail, so we hope you enjoy Part II. 

Listener Mail

We open the mailbag every month and we are ready to hear from you. Be sure to reach out with questions, stories, memories, and more. You never know if your letter will be read on a future episode: podcast@retrowdw.com

  1. Our first letter is from Scott and our second is from Gian; Scott would like to remind us of his aviation background and also is requesting an aviation-themed episode. This is a great idea that we will put on our episode idea list. Gian is asking us about If You Had Wings, and we had to recall the back catalog and we did do an episode on Dreamflight. Take a look here for Dreamflight and here for If You Had Wings.
  2. The next letter is from our friend on Twitter, @6MilesTall – His family was featured in a pictorial souvenir riding World of Motion! This is super exciting and if you are like the last few listeners who have reached out about being featured in a promotional capacity at WDW, let us know!
  3. Dan is back, as the Person of the Century, writing in about Wonders of Life and Body Wars. This is a great story and as always, Vote for Dan!
  4. Brian is our next letter and he is writing about the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set Adventure Coke bottles which were stationed outside of the attraction. According to Brian, these are located at the Wide World of Sports Complex.
    WDW Wide World of Sports Complex
  5. Jarrett is our final message and he is asking about the infamous Dip Machine/Mobile that was once on display at the Disney-MGM Studios. Brian gives us the final answer on if this is a real movie prop or not…. Also, the show how is referring to is called The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage, not nights.

Main Topic

This is a great episode How has in store for you all this month, filled with busted myths, detailed descriptions, and so much more. The Wonders of Life Pavillion was originally developed back in the 70s and if you didn’t catch the earlier episode, take some time to listen back by clicking here. We are going to step foot into the infamous golden dome, which if you poll people nowadays, odds are most have never seen these attractions or taken a ride on the Wondercycles. This 100,000-square-foot pavilion that is 65 feet tall was set back in a way that almost didn’t invite you in like the other EPCOT pavilions. The dome concept though was super clever and useful for what they had in mind, which seems to be low maintenance and not overly expensive to build when compared to something like World of Motion.

How gets into the METLife sponsorship and some of the other options that were discussed at WDI for this. One of the major things we have had in the works for quite a long time – the entrance signs over the years. Initially, there was a very slick looking archway that you walked under to enter. After some years, the arch was gone in favor of a more standard sign that was basically on a stick. What happened to the arch though? We dig into this and for your viewing pleasure, we have written up a thesis on the topic.

Throughout this episode, How breaks down each little section that you could partake in over the years. This includes everything from Coach’s Corner to the Sensory Funhouse and more. The pavilion really had a late 80s/early 90s mall feel with the street lights, natural lighting, and live plants inside. Brian even gives us a very detailed look at the various food options that were in the pavilion over the years, which has a unique history in itself. The entire Wonders of Life complex housed many favorite attractions for EPCOT Center guests over the years, but like many things in this style, the mini attractions did not have the engagement that would get you back into the pavilion again on another visit. For that matter, the pavilion itself was not something that would make you want to revisit EPCOT. These duties were still done by all of the heavy hitters in the park. Either way though, we hope you enjoy this look back inside Wonders of Life and make sure you throw on your teal and pink, in honor of this gone but not forgotten attraction.

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