Disneyland radio codes, pre world-wide-web.

In the days before the World Wide Web, finding information about Disney theme parks was nearly impossible. There were some books and TV specials, but beyond that, unless you knew somebody with inside information (i.e. someone who worked or had worked for the Mouse), you probably didn’t know much.

Today, of course, every nook and cranny of the parks is fully documented. You can find photos and videos of backstage areas, scans of ride maintenance manuals, attraction audio files and more just by typing a few words in a search engine. You can even find endless videos from inside the “secret” Club 33 which, before the World Wide Web, most of us didn’t even know existed. Heck, even *I* have photos I took inside Club 33.

But before the modern Internet, things were different. If you didn’t live in California or Florida, you probably did not encounter many (or even any) people who worked for Disney. Everything I knew about Disneyland and Magic Kingdom was from my family taking me to both several times as a kid in the 1970s.

Finding Disney information in the early 1980s…

But that started to change when home computers and telephone modems became a thing. In the early 1980s, I learned about computer Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes). I could dial in to some other kid’s computer and read messages from other users that called in at other times. Unlike a real bulletin board on the wall at a local book shop, this computer bulletin board could be accessed by anyone in the local area code! (Or around the world if they wanted to pay long distance phone charge to call some random kid’s computer in Houston, I guess.)

It was through one of these BBSes I met my first former Disney employee. He had worked at Magic Kingdom in the maintenance department. The stories he shared were my first glimpse “behind the magic” of Disney theme parks.

For example, he explained the projectors that made the singing busts and the Madam Leota’s face on the table in the Haunted Mansion. He described how the face surface was mostly flat with a bit of shape for where the nose and eyes and such would be. He mentioned they used a fan to blow air to keep dust from being in the projection beam. He said they used special lenses that refocused it around the shape. He also mentioned “angel hair” (though I still have no idea what this meant) for Leota’s crystal ball.

Was any of this true? A decade later, thanks to the World Wide Web, it sure seemed like most of it was.

But, not all of his stories checked out. He said that the Disney designers had been wanting to do a similar Leota type projection effect for 20,000 Leagues under the sea involving an octopus. Have you ever heard of such a rumor or experiment?

Even before the internet, there were rumors, and Disney cast members heard plenty of of them — some true, but most were not (just like today).

Finding Disney information in the late 1980s/early 1990s…

The 1980s also brought us national text-based services like CompuServe, The Source, Delphi and GEnie. Instead of just being able to interact with folks who were calling in to some random kid’s computer in same town, now you could dial a local number and be connected to a series of mainframe computers connected across the country (or even around the world).

I was a member of a few of these services in the later 1980s and early 1990s. It was on one of these services in the early 1990s that someone sent me a list of Disneyland radio codes. Thanks to my dad, I had already become familiar with some of these. His van was loaded with radio equipment and police scanners. When we’d drive to Walt Disney World, we’d sit in the parking lot listening to Disney radio chatter. (Have I told the story about carrying around scanners in the park, listening in? If not, I will have to sometime…)

He had written down a list of codes and what they meant. He had also gotten some more codes and information from Disney security staff. I am pretty sure I must have asked my Disneyland contact about these codes to see if I could get a complete list for my dad.

So below, I present to you a slightly redacted (just in case he still works for Disney in some capacity) of these codes. I wonder if any of these are still in use? I certainly recognize a few of the more famous ones… But back then, I don’t think any of us know what a ride going “101” meant.

Enjoy this trip back to the early 1990s…


Sub: Disneyland's radio codes...

Allen,

I'll bet you thought I forgot you! Well, do be honest, I did, but I ran
across the printout I made, so now I remember! :-)

Here are all of the codes I have...

Common Radio Codes Used At Disneyland

10-1 Receiving poorly
10-2 Receiving well
10-4 OK or Acknowledge
10-6 Busy
10-7 Out of service (usually used when going to lunch)
10-8 In service (when back from lunch)
10-9 Repeat last transmission
10-14 Escort or convoy (I've never heard this one used)
10-19 Return to office
10-20 What is your location?
10-21 Call x (where x is the telephone # given following the code)
10-22 Cancel last message/assignment
10-23 Stand-by
10-28 Registration request (never heard this one, either)
10-87 Meet __________ at __________
10-96 Request test of select call
10-97 Arrive at scene
10-98 Finished last assignment
10-99 Undesirable person (add to 10-99 the following codes)
Code C = Caucasion
Code B = Black
Code L = Latino
Code O = Oriental

11350 Possession of Dangerous drugs
11357 Possession of Marijuana
5150 Mentally disturbed
211 Robbery
240 Assualt
242 Battery
314 Indecent exposure
390 Drunk
408 Counterfeit bill
415 Disturbing the peace
417 Person with weapon (add following codes)
Code G = Gun
Code K = Knife
459 Burglary
486 Petty theft
502 Drunk driver
503 Stolen vehicle
594 Malicious mischief
901 Traffic Accident, unknown if injury
901-T Injury traffic accident
902 Accident, non-injury
904 Fire
921 Prowler
925 Suspicious person
982 Bomb threat
999 Officer needs help, any unit respond

Code 1 Routine
Code 2 Urgent
Code 3 Emergency
Code 4 No further assistance needed
Code 5 Stake out
Code 7 Lunch
Code H Call home
Code 100 Attraction delayed opening
Code 101 Attraction down - routine
Code 102 Attraction down - urgent
Code 103 Attraction down - emergency
Code 104 Attraction up - Normal operation
Code 105 Attraction up - reduced operations
Code 106 Attraction up - Full capacity

GC Guest Complaint

There are many more that I can't think of off the top of my head, but this
will give you alot to listen for. Please don't indiscrimanantly reveal
these codes, i.e. 'in the RT'. This is _not_ for public knowledge,
although with a little investigation by anyone, they could find most of
these out. ;-)


[Redacted]

Until next time…

Site downtime… fixed?

Oops. A plug-in update took down this site this weekend. I found the culprit and got it back online. Seems this has happened, at one time or another, to every WordPress site I run. It seems so common there are even WordPress support pages showing ways to fix it.

Yet we keep using this software 😉

Happy 2025, folks!

Truth Traveler VR attraction coming to Branson and Pigeon Forge

There will be a new virtual reality (or so it seems) attraction opening in Branson, Missouri later this year. It is taking over the former Andy Williams Moon River Theater. According to the always-accurate Wikipedia, Andy Williams opened that theater in 1992. According to this article at Thousands Hills, Williams performed there until 2011 when he was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away the following year.

According to an article by SJB, the property had been up for sale and was most recently purchased by Mindscape Creative. They specialize in 5-D theater attractions (the gimmicky name for having 3-D or VR movies that feature things like moving seats, scenes, or in-theater effects such as wind and such).

Per their press release:

Time Travel is making its way to the former Andy Williams Moon River Theater in Branson, MO, with Truth Traveler, a virtual reality ride and attraction developed by the acclaimed Ark Encounter and Mindscape Creative. Mindscape Creative, known for their expertise in blending cutting-edge technology with captivating narratives, has worked with the Ark Encounter to bring Truth Traveler to life at their Kentucky location and is also developing it for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

– Truth Traveler Press Release

Ark Encounter is an attraction located in Kentucky that opened in 2016. It features a “life sized” replica of what the biblical Noah’s Ark could have been like.

Unsurprisingly, with their involvement, Truth Traveler is also a bible-inspired attraction.

From the look of some of the concept art, it reminds me of early EPCOT at Walt Disney World.

The images hint of what may be a pre-show, or other exhibit within the attraction.

Several characters have been created for the attraction, including The Inventor, P.O.D. and Rae:

Although some of the concept art makes it look like a fully immersive ride environment…

…other images reveal that may just be what you see while sitting in a less-themed room and wearing a V.R. helmet:

Of interest, it looks like they are using HTC VIVE V.R. helmets (you can buy consumer versions of those to use at home) and the MX4D movie theater seats (we have those at one of our local theaters here in Des Moines, Iowa). As such, the experience may only be unique for those who have never tried V.R. before, and do not regularly watch movies in moving theater seats. (And we actually have two theater chains in Des Moines with different brands of moving seats, in theaters that feature effects such as wind, smells, etc.)

Hopefully, the storyline will be compelling, as well as any exhibits/pre-shows/etc. to make this stand out from the various other 5-D theater experiences found in Branson already.

And, for those looking for a more Christian-based positive message, the movie alone may be an attraction. For those less interested in that type of messaging, perhaps one of the several other attractions that let you blast zombies or aliens will be more interesting.

Since Branson is just a “short drive” down the road from where I am, I do expect to drive down and check out this new attraction when it opens. At that point, I hope to add new photos to the Branson photo gallery as well as VR images and movies to my Branson in VR projects.

More to come…

Golden Zypher???

Almost no one watches anything I post on YouTube (I created a channel for this site two years) ago), but of those who do, apparently they watch my Golden Zypher video the most. Out of all the things that were at Disney’s California Adventure when it opened in 2001, why is there interest in video of this ride? Thoughts?

Omega Mart. You have no idea.

Deep inside Area 15 (yes, 15) in Las Vegas is Omega Mart. To the casual observe, it looks like any old grocery store… but looks can be very deceiving.

This commercial from two years ago is one of the more up-front videos about the attraction, but when videos started appearing online in 2021, they were far more cryptic.

For instance, take a look at this old Omega Mart TV ad…

“Local coast to coast” and “your family won’t be the same” seemed … odd.

Even the more modern commercials also show that something is not quite right here.

Nebula loaf?

There were also bizarre product ads, like this one for Shrubs, the avocado-flavored French fry treats.

There are even videos about Plenty Valley and how it came to be at Omega Mart.

I fell down this Omega Mart rabbit hole quite deeply. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of Omega Mart videos. Some are presented as TV ads for the grocery store itself, promoting special deals. Others are for what I assume are “store brand” products. And others are like weird informercials…

The videos were scattered around the internet on YouTube, social media, websites and more, so I expect there are plenty I have yet to see. Fortunately, some folks have collected them and put together compilations of all the videos they have found.

And the rabbit hole went even deeper: There are internal employee training videos! Here are all the sections presented as one long video.

So just what IS Omega Mart?

Beats me! And we spent over five hours exploring it.

Here is my VR walkthrough of a tiny bit of it. In the future, I’ll share some thoughts and explanations.

Until then…

Area 15 does not exist.

Area 15 in Las Vegas (not to be confused with Area 51) is an entertainment complex that houses various food, drink, and entertainment offerings. You can ride an indoor zip-line, throw axes, play retro video games, experience Virtual Reality and spend hours exploring Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart.

Here is a VR walk around some of the art displays outside the building:

And here is a VR walk around the inside of the Area 15 building:

Admission to the building itself is free, so you can just go there and look around. Individual attractions and experiences all charge their own fees.

You can buy combo passes to save some money, as well, though I did not check to see how much of a saving this actually is.

Meow Wolf Omega Mart in Las Vegas

First, a quick update to my Miscellaneous (“Other Places”) photo gallery… I found some Las Vegas, Nevada photos I took in 2000 during a work trip. These were taken with my 1996-era Epson PhotoPC digital camera, so the “high resolution” was only 640×480. You can take a glimpse of Vegas through the eyes of a first-generation digital camera here:

http://misc.disneyfans.com/OtherPlaces/Nevada/index.html

Next, Omega Mart has been added to the gallery! After running in to some very weird “commercials” on YouTube for this “grocery store” a few years ago, I went down quite a rabbit hole watching their in-universe videos. Omega Mart is an interactive experience where you can walk through and just look at bizarre artistic creations, OR go down the rabbit hole yourself and explore the underlying story. For this one, Omega Mart is a grocery store operated by a corporation called Dramcorp. Dramcorp is up to some questionable business practices, involving alien worlds, extracting “the source” from humans, and stuff that it would take a book to fully explain. If even possible.

I really wanted to get to Omega Mart, but ended up in Denver earlier this year, and thus my first Meow Wolf experience was their Convergence Station (see photos in the gallery).

But now, Omega Mart has been visited:

http://misc.disneyfans.com/OtherPlaces/Nevada/LasVegas2024/Area15/index.html

It is located inside a facility called Area 15 (15, not 51) which was quite the site on its own—attractions, food, drinks, VR, arcade, shopping and, of course, Omega Mart.

VR photos posted to Park Hopping in VR on Facebook, and VR videos will be on my Park Hopping in VR YouTube channel (currently unlisted, but I will make them available soon—or ask, and I’ll send you the link sooner).

More to come…

Silver Dollar City “An Old Time Christmas”

The Disney/MGM Studios was epic at Christmas time when it had the “Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights”, but that has been gone for years. If you want a Christmas light fix, check out Silver Dollar City in Missouri. They basically said “hold my (root) beer” (no alcohol in the park, you see) and put up 6.5 million lights — more than what the Disney display had.

Photos from this event have been added to the Theme Parks gallery:

http://themeparks.disneyfans.com/SilverDollarCity/index.html

I have also been posting VR/360 photos to my Park Hopping in VR Facebook page and VR/360 videos to my Park Hopping in VR YouTube channel.

Explore!

World’s Largest Toy Museum?

In Branson, Missouri is a building claiming to be the World’s Largest Toy Museum. I do not know if this is truly accurate, but after visiting, I can say this place certainly is the largest collection of toys I am aware of 😉

https://worldslargesttoymuseum.com

The facility opened around 2001 (it is unclear on the website when the actual year was, only that they moved to Branson that year). It was initially one building, then in 2015, they expanded in to the building next door. That building also has a lower floor accessible from the outside, so I refer to it as the third building.

As I go to write this, I now see there is the original building – World’s Largest Toy Musem – and the second building is called The Memory Barn. This explains the charge on my credit card I was trying to figure out.

My gallery now has aver 500 photos taken in the museum — and that barely (BARELY) scratches the surface of what all is in these three buildings. While I was there, I also took over 100 VR360 photos, which I will eventually get posted to a gallery on the Branson in VR Facebook group.

You can check out my photos here:

http://misc.disneyfans.com/OtherPlaces/Missouri/Branson/Branson2024/ToyMuseum/index.html

There are other things new to the Branson section, so explore a bit if you are Branson-curious.

Until next time…

Silver Dollar City Harvest Festival photos

My Theme Parks gallery now has over 2500 photos taken at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. The most recent batch features their Harvest Festival, featuring thousands of pumpkins, special lighting, and more.

You can find these photos here:

http://themeparks.disneyfans.com

I did a bit more sorting to the photos as I learn the layout of this park. I still have virtually no understanding of where one “area” ends and another begins, beyond the obvious areas like “Grand Exposition” (which has a big sign as you enter it), “Fire District” (also a sign) and now “Wilson Farms” (another sign).

Eventually, I’d like to group all the photos by the area they are in. According to the map…

…it looks like I have much to learn:

  1. Fire District
  2. Grand Exposition
  3. Homestead Ridge
  4. Hugo’s Hill Street
  5. Main Street
  6. Midtown
  7. Rivertown
  8. Valley Road
  9. Wilson’s Farm

Nine areas shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, should it? But at Silver Dollar City, most of the areas look like Frontierland to me, and I have yet to “learn” the subtle differences so I can recognize one western building selling corn dogs form another western building selling corn dogs.

Everybody needs a hobby…