Something I noticed during our most recent visit to Atlas9 was found in the Manager’s Office.
Atlas9 – manager’s office.
During our first visit in June 2026, we explored this “manager’s office” but did not make many connections with story – we had not learned the story yet.
As we visited a few more times, things in this room started to make more sense. For example, there are photos along the back wall. Some seem random. Why is there a photo of someone dressed a Dorothy from Wizard of Oz?
Atlas9 – manager’s office photo.
I did a quick Google Reverse Image search and did not find a match for that image, but I am sure there is some narrative reason why the office manager would have had this photo on her wall. Perhaps it is meant to be one of her childhood photos, showing how much she loved classic movies like Wizard of Oz? Or maybe it is a famous photo, and my search engine skills are just lacking. Either way, leave a comment if you have information.
On this most recent visit, I paid more attention to these photos. I believe they are using A.I. to generate them since they have this:
Atlas9 – manager’s office photo.
Since this attraction is perpetually stuck in 1995, the hair in this photo likely indicates it was “taken” in that era or before. Perhaps the woman on the left is meant to be the theater manager, Melissa Hartwell.
If so, do we know who she is with? If the hair style is more 1980s than 1990s, this may be meant to be an “old” photo in 1995. Could the person on the right a younger version of projectionist Frank? Frank also wears glasses and button up shirts. Here is what Frank looks like in the “current” 1995 time of Atlas9.
Atlas9 – Frank the projectionist.
But I digress.
What actually caught my attention was the background of that photo. I did not make the connection until this visit: it looks like it was meant to have been taken in the nearby theater break room. Notice the round windows on the cabinet doors in the break room:
Atlas9 – break room sink area.
…and look at the ones in the “old” photo:
Atlas9 – manager’s office photo.
However, if this was the intent, there are some differences.
The color is different, but rooms get repainted.
The tiles are different, but rooms get remodeled.
The cabinets that extend over the fridge (common in most kitchens I have been in) are missing in the actual location.
There are vertical dividers in the photo as if to imply pull out drawers, which are missing in the real drawers.
But I would bet that this photo was meant to be the same break room from Atlas9 and the A.I. generated image (assumption) just got some details wrong.
Of course, there is the chance that this is a genuine old photo and it just happened to be taken in a break room similar to the one they built. There are endless libraries of stock photos.
Either way, it does seem like an intentional detail. These addition details add to the history and backstory of the Atlas9 theater.
My speculation could be completely wrong, of course, but I bet there is a story to that photo — and the others in the room. This place appears to have been designed with very intentional details.
Welcome to a new series (maybe) here on the blog: the Crazy Atlas9 Theory (C.A.T.)
As I have said in the past, it is much more fun to read the book than peek at the ending (or ask someone who has read it how it ends). Of course I could just ask someone at Atlas9 about, but where’s the fun in that?
Let’s being our journey down the rabbit hole. Warning: there be speculation and spoilers ahead! (Oh, that would be a better name for this series, wouldn’t it? Atlas9 Speculation and Spoilers!)
Telephone Numbers
The Atlas9 attraction in Kansas City has eleven (11) telephones in attraction. One of them does not work, but it is supposed to, and used to work.
You can also find phone numbers on notes, business cards, signs, etc.
Atlas9 – phone in VERA (RV)
Above, that photo shows a notepad next to one of the phones. On it, three phone numbers are listed. These are the phone numbers that ring to three other phones. Right off the bat, we have numbers for three of the eleven telephones:
314-101 – payphone in the Containment Zone (first floor, entrance area)
314-112 – desk phone in Manager’s Office (first floor)
314-212 – desk phone in Projection Room (second floor)
Dialing those numbers from other phones inside Atlas9 should ring the listed phone. As I previously discussed, it appears the prefix 314 is used but “Internal Atlas9 Numbers,” as stated on the payphone:
Atlas9 – phone numbers on payphone
Until recently, those three numbers where the only ones that I had personally “confirmed.” However, two posters on the REDDIT r/Atlas9 group (u/Pridef-cked and u/Notlok) told me that one of the numbers found in this drawer is the number for the wall phone in the Speakereasy:
Atlas9 – phone number found on note in drawer
You will see the other two numbers go to phones in the first list, with 55-1943 being a new one. It would make sense that all three of these numbers are to telephones, much like the three numbers found elsewhere go to telephones.
I have not been able to verify that number myself, because this phone is broken:
Atlas9 – phone in Speakereasy (not working)
“This means something!”
With apologies to the Close Encounters of the Third Kind parody, Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind, the digits in these numbers might mean something. They could be an intentional way to get folks started in figuring out the missing ones.
Figuring out the missing ones
We will define our terms as follows:
prefix – the first three digits of the number (314, 030, etc.)
line number – the rest of the number
First, we “know” that the prefix of 314 means an Atlas9 number, as opposed to 030 which is an “outside” number (like a cleaning service or parts supplier).
If we ignore the Speakereasy 55 number, we do see a potential pattern in the others. The first digit of the line number could indicate the zone the phone is in:
314-1xx – first floor (two numbers found)
314-2xx – second floor (one number found)
314-3xx – “outside” the theater, in Splice Bros. Pizza “next door”
…and at one point, you get a new number with a 4.
314-4xx – one number known, and it’s like someone’s cell phone.
That 4 number rings to someone who is part of Atlas9, but not in the building when they answer. (A recording, not a physical phone.)
The second digit may or may not be relevant:
314-x0x – containment zone
314-x1x – inside the theater
When you put first and second digits in the mix, a pattern becomes clearer:
314-10x – first floor, containment zone
314-11x – first floor, inside
314-21x – second floor, inside
Everything could fit, other than 55-1943 for the Speakereasy. A second 55 number, 55-xxxx, is a movie hotline. Maybe there is some link between Speakereasy and the Movie Line I do not see.
Finding the missing telephone numbers
By my count, there are seven (7) phones on the first floor:
Agent Room
Containment Zone (payphone on the “outside” of the movie theater building)
Manager’s Office
Prototyzer Room
Scavengers TV Den
Splice Bros. Pizza (outside Atlas9)
VERA (RV)
And there are four (4) phones on the second floor:
Film Storage
Power Supply
Projection Room
Speakereasy
(On a recent trip I learned that the Splice Bros. Wall phone line number begins with 3. This may be the only line number that starts uses 3xx.)
For the first floor, we know of only one phone that is on the “outside” of the movie theater building – the payphone attached to the wall of the theater. That may be the only one that has a line number ending in 10x.
Once inside the movie theater, on the first floor we only know one number:
112
I would want to dial 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118 and 119 to see if any of those ring to the other three phones found on floor one of the theater:
Agent Room
Prototyzer Room
Scavengers TV Den
On the second floor, there are four phones, and we know the number for one of them:
212
Isn’t it interesting that the numbers they gave us are 112 (first floor) and 212 (second floor)? Coincidence? Maybe.
I would want to dial 210, 211, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218 and 219 to see if any of those ring to the other two phones found on floor one of the theater (ignoring the Speakereasy, because we supposedly have that number and it does not follow this pattern):
Film Storage
Power Supply
But what about VERA?
The phone inside the RV (VERA) in the Containment Zone may be completely different. It is not an Atlas9 telephone, or an outside vendor. VERA belongs to FACADE. We know that FACADE “secure lines” start with 710, so perhaps that is the prefix for the phone inside VERA. The secure lines I have in my list include:
710-009 (written on a note on the Polybius arcade game)
710-771 (given to you in a computer message)
When I tried to call 710-009, I got no answer – and I let it ring for almost a minute. That is also what happens when I call the Speakereasy number, or other “known” phone numbers if no one answers them.
This does make me suspect 710-009 is going to one of the phones… Perhaps that phone in VERA?
Of course, I could be wrong…
Humans like to see patterns. Look up Pareidolia for examples (I’m lookin’ at you, face on Mars).
This could be nothing.
But I’m sure gonna be dialin’ some numbers my next visit to Atlas9…
Often, I experience something, and enjoy it. If I enjoy it enough, I might try to experience it again later. For some things, the experience gets better and better each time. For others, it is “well, I already did this” and less interesting.
Atlas9 gets better each time.
Atlas9, the immersive walk-through experience in Kansas City, KS, has so many layers. The more I peel away, the more impressed I get with the designers. For example, their internal phone system.
Throughout the attraction there are currently 11 telephones. One of them does not work, but I am told that is it supposed to. Here are photos:
Atlas9 – phone in VERA (RV)Atlas9 – phone in Splice Bros. PizzaAtlas9 – phone in Speakereasy (not working)Atlas9 – phone in ScavengersAtlas9 – phone in PrototyzerAtlas9 – phone in Projection RoomAtlas9 – phone in Power SupplyAtlas9 – phone in Containment ZoneAtlas9 – phone in Manager’s OfficeAtlas9 – phone in Film StorageAtlas9 – phone in Agent Room
Phone numbers are found throughout the attraction. Perhaps there is a business card on a desk, or pinned to a wall…
Atlas9 – phone number found on business card
…or on some sign…
Atlas9 – phone number found on sign in break room
…or written on notes found on (or in) a desk…
Atlas9 – phone number found on note in drawer
Only the designers really know how many phone numbers can be found in the attraction (if they even know!), but there are quite a bit. I have tried to take photos of all the numbers I found, and maintain them in a spreadsheet because dumb hobby:
On my very first visit to Atlas9, I saw a payphone on a wall in the “Containment Zone” area where the ticket booth is. I wondered if it was a real one, and went to check it out. At first, it really did look like a functional payphone (I’ve seen only a few of those in recent years). But … something was not quite right when I read the details.
Atlas9 – phone numbers on payphone
It claimed to make free local calls, but look at the yellow and see how the sign glitches out. Also, the directory it gives — using 2 and 3 digit numbers — reminded me of the internal V.O.C.S. phone system used by Meow Wolf locations we have visited.
Indeed, Atlas9 has its own similar phone system. But they told us much more about it, right up front, and I did not realize this until today, four months later…
Directory Assistance
Most internal phone numbers are six digits long, and use the format of XXX-XXX. Many will have words (like 030-MOP for the janitorial service, or 030-PIG for a barbecue place). Two numbers have been found that break this format, starting with 55-XXXX (55-FILM for a movie hotline, and another 55 number that I haven’t figured out yet).
But there on the payphone was the explanation…
030 – “World Building Advertising” – these numbers are all “external” places to Atlas9, like janitorial, tech support, the barbecue place, etc. These numbers help “build the world” that Atlas9 is set in.
314 – “Internal Atlas9 Number” – The locations inside Atlas9 start with 314. These ring other phones inside Atlas9, including missing theater manager Melissa Hartwell.
710 – “FACADE Secure Lines” – I have only found two of these so far, and one plays a recording that is part of which “ending” path you are on, I think. I am now suspecting that based on what you do on the computers, you may be given different 710 phone numbers to call that explain what is going based on your choices. (?)
There are a handful of numbers we have found that use other prefixes, but it looks like they had some “method to the madness” when choosing which numbers to assign to Rusty’s Junkyard or lawyer Hugh Manrat.
The more I learn about this place, the more I love it. This is fun stuff.
Anyway, yeah. They have a cool phone system. And I have this:
If you go there, you will find a robot-written Telephone Simulator. You can try some of the numbers from my spreadsheet and hear recordings of what it plays inside the attraction. But, I only have a few so far… and these should be considered huge spoilers if you plan to visit yourself.
At some point, I became aware of the existence of a SPAM museum in Minnesota. I actually like SPAM, and generally have an “emergency can” in my pantry. Sometimes a SPAM sandwich or “hillbilly charcuterie” really hits the spot.
SPAM hillbilly charcuterie – the fancy date night version.
Okay, that above photo is the fancy one for date night. But if I’m making it for myself, and don’t have all the fancy toppings, it looks like this:
SPAM Hillbilly charcuterie – the cost reduced version. (2010 photo from an iPhone 3GS I think.)
I have even been bold enough to try some SPAM microwave dinners–and found them surprisingly good! Spam Jambalaya, anyone?
SPAM “Meal for 1” microwave dinners.
I wonder if these are still being sold.
Anywho, while I am no SPAM super fan, I am certainly no stranger to enjoying this unique “meat in a can.”
From Wisconsin Dells to SPAM…
We recently returned from a drive up to Wisconsin Dells, WI. You can find photos from that excursion here:
On the way there from Des Moines, Google’s WAZE GPS program took us kinda east then north. On the way back, it decided to take us west then south. This return route had us go through Minnesota, and that made me wonder …. just where in Minnesota is the SPAM Museum?
Turns out, it is in Austin, MN and we were going to be driving right past there! So naturally, we had to stop in. I mean, it’s FREE after all!
SPAM Museum
SPAM Museum – main area. (Austin. MN)
I was immediately surprised to find out how large a museum dedicated to a canned meat product could be. It was divided into several areas. The main room (shown above) featured a variety of information displays and interactive touch screens. If you ever wanted to know “what kind of SPAM” you are, there was one for that. Of course.
And overhead, reminding me of Star Tours at Disneyland (and the old Gag Shop at Toontown) was a conveyor belt of SPAM cans. It circled all over the main area, and into the gift shop, where a large gearing system appeared to control it.
SPAM Museum – conveyor belt. (Austin. MN)
There was a display dedicated to the famous Monty Python’s SPAM sketch, which I had heard about, as well as one for SPAMalot, which I was not expecting.
SPAM Museum – Monty Python display (Austin. MN)
There is an area that covers the International versions of SPAM and how it is used in other countries. I don’t know why, but this section really gave me EPCOT World Showcase vibes (Millennium Village, circa 2000).
SPAM Museum – international display. (Austin. MN)
Who knew other countries liked SPAM even more than America!
There was also one dedicated to SPAM during wartime.
SPAM Museum – wartime area. (Austin. MN)
As well as one that focused more on the Hormel company that created SPAM.
SPAM Museum – Hormel history. (Austin. MN)
And knowing kids get bored at museums (even ones with all kinds of interactive displays), there was a “Factory” room where kids could put on outfits and then see how fast they can stuff a “SPAM can”.
SPAM Museum – factory area. (Austin. MN)
Of course, the SPAM Shop was there for all your SPAM merchandise needs… You could even buy a huge pack of all the flavors of SPAM currently being made. Almost. There were still a few that we had to buy separately because they wouldn’t fit into the 12-pack. Who knew there was “Hot Honey” SPAM???
SPAM Museum – SPAM Shop. (Austin. MN)
You can take a deeper look into this fascinating museum in my Misc photo gallery. I now have an entry of Minnesota that features SPAM and a random coffee shop we stopped at (Cabin Coffee Co., which originated here in Iowa).
I had this blog behind a password for a few days to try to get some image problems resolved. Many sites (including most of mine) are being visited by robot scripts that are, some speculate, download everything on the site for A.I. training. This has taken down several of my projects (temporarily), and during my image maintenance I was suspecting these robots were responsible for things to be failing.
Ah, yes. It is time once again to revisit some theme park rules. Recently, I have seen a few posts from folks in the 360-video community about bringing their camera to a Disney park. Selfie sticks are banned at the Disney parks in the U.S.A., which makes taking 360 photos and videos a bit awkward due to the “giant thumb” problem when you try to handhold one of these cameras…
For example, here is a 2017 handheld shot from Disney’s California Adventure “Bug’s Land”:
Let’s see if I can show that as a 360 image:
Looking down in that image shows … I really need to stop biting my nails.
But I digress…
Cameras on sticks
In this modern world, folks wander around theme parks yakking away to their “camera on a stick” but if that stick is a selfie stick, they are not supposed to have it in the park.
Here is what Walt Disney World currently says about this:
Selfie sticks, hand-held extension poles for cameras or mobile devices, flags and banners are not allowed in any theme park or water park.
Tripods or monopod stands that cannot fit inside a standard backpack or that extend over 6’ (182 cm) are not allowed in theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, or ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The term “hand-held extension pole” likely comes from people arguing with them that their “camera on a stick” was not on a selfie stick because they were not using it to take selfies…
The more we try to work around the rules, the more rules we get. The system always fights back.
Break the rules without breaking the rules.
The easiest way to “break the rules without breaking the rules” is to bring in a monopod. A monopod is a one-legged tripod (ha) that extends just like a selfie stick. There was a time when I would bring in my full sized tripod into Disneyland for my camcorder, but as the park got more crowded, security started stopping me from using it. It would block the lanes, they said. Fair.
Back then, I switched to a monopod so I could still get a stable shot without blocking the lanes. I just had to keep holding my camera to keep it upright. Also fair.
A few years ago, I travelled to Disneyland with my 360 camera and knew to leave my selfie sticks behind. I did, however, bring in a monopod like this:
Hmm, I had no idea WordPress is now generating previews from Amazon links. In case you don’t see that, the photo is basically a huge selfie stick.
It was specifically allowed on the Disneyland website, after all.
Rules don’t matter.
Unfortunately, rules don’t matter. It only matters what the enforcers (bag check, security) think the rules are.
I tried to bring a monopod in, which was specifically listed as allowed (and within the length they allow). I approached the security checkpoint, confident I had followed the rules…
…but bag check turned me down, denying the monopod.
When I disagreed, they brought over a security officer… who also agreed with bag check, and would not allow me to bring in the monopod.
After fifteen or so minutes of showing them their own webpage where it says I can bring it in, and them responding with “but this is just a long selfie stick,” a lead (manager) finally came to my rescue and agreed I could bring it in.
I did not bother to bring it the remaining days of my visit. Enjoying the park was more important to me than wasting time waiting for a manager each morning, in case they stopped me again.
Don’t expect. Prepare for rejection.
My advice, from someone who has been taking gear into Disney parks since I started going on my own in the 1990s is: Just because someone else tells you they got some item in “just fine” does not mean it will work for you. People break rules and get away with it all the time. (Folks manage to sneak in alcohol, and even weapons.)
If you follow the rules, also prepare for rejection.
As this post shows, even when you try to follow the rules, you can still get rejected.
Yes, you may be able to sneak in a selfie stick. The same visit my monopod was rejected I saw someone using a 9 foot Insta360 selfie stick inside the park!
You may be also able to record rides and shows that tell you not to. Many people do. But you may be the one that gets caught and in trouble for doing so.
Just enjoy the parks. Follow the rules, and even then, understand you may still be told no.
Some issues with the JAlbum photo gallery software I use have been resolved, and I am running some test code which appears to be working.
Three galleries now have 360-degree photos that let you look around, up and down, using your phone, tablet, or computer. I have no idea how you would view them in a VR helmet, but maybe that is also possible.
Of note, this weird two-lens camera got alot of curious looks (well, frankly, even in 2026 360-cameras still get curious looks, though many more people recognize what type of camera it is). I have a gallery of various park managers and staff posing with me in the camera. It was fun to look back on those. Everyone in those photos is ten years older today 😉
I have more, but they were done handheld. Cameras back then did not have all the gyroscope sensors in them, so if I try to view them, they are crooked. I need to take time to level all of them out, then I will have another batch to add to that gallery.
In 2018, Adventureland’s Iowa Cafe was redone into Doc and Leone’s. I captured its opening year in 360-degree as well, plus a few more images from Main Street. Only a few from this visit:
I will be going through my archives and finding more to add. I know I took some at Disneyland (2017-2018 era), and Walt Disney World (2018) as well as Universal Orlando (also 2018), though very few, and most probably are not good enough to share. But we’ll see.
YouTube just showed me a random video of someone walking around Epcot. One of the things he did was walk over to a restaurant in World Showcase, and show the sign.
They even view on a phone just fine. In the past, the only place I shared them was in Facebook groups, and lots of folks do not use Facebook.
My history with 360…
As I repeat endlessly here, I got my first digital camera in 1996. Less than ten years later (2005), I was experimenting with “one shot” 360 panorama photos. I write a bit about my camera history on my Cameras page.
I doubt that modern 360 viewers will support those ancient SurroundPhoto images I took at Disneyland during its 50th Anniversary in 2005, but I am going to test. If they work, that will be the first time I have ever been able to share those ancient, low resolution 360-degree (horizontally, at least) images.
I don’t think I took a “real” 360-degree camera to any theme parks until 2016 (Iowa’s Adventureland). The first time I took one to Disneyland was 2017. Assuming the album software supports whatever size these older “modern” images are, I hope to get those shared as well.
For some reason, video bloggers think we need fifty different videos of the same roller coaster riding the same track. And, in many cases, these fan videos are breaking park rules unless you have specific permission to record on rides.
Here is my “Pro Tip” (no, there is no such thing as a “pro” tip unless your profession is giving tips):
If the park already provides official POVs, you are not contributing anything but an inferior version.
Here are some official POV examples provided by Lost Island Themepark in Waterloo, Iowa.
Mura Fury
Shaman’s Curse
Fire Runner
Nopuko Air Coaster
Skyborne
Lokolo
This one is my favorite they have posted 😉
Matugani
Now, put down your camera while on the ride and just have fun…
