Invisible Themepark

Month: July 2017

5 Best Fake Cities in the World

Fake cities exist for many reasons: training, propaganda, subterfuge, filming, tourism. Few are meant to be 100% realistic, but some are definitely more realistic than others. Here are our top most realistic fake cities, current and past. Fake cities designed to pull in tourists are left off this list (except for one notable exception in Wales).

Hogan’s Alley: FBI’s Fake Training City

Hogan’s Alley, FBI Training Academy

It’s Faking: Any generic small town in the U.S.

It’s Really: A tactical training facility located at the FBI Academy, Quantico, VA

How Realistic? Very realistic, though a bit outdated now, with movie theaters and phone booths a rarity on the American landscape now.

Details: Tactical training fake cities tend to be light on realism and details. Trainees just need the basic physical elements blocked out for them–streets, storefronts, doors, halls, and alleys. Realistic signage and other real-world details tend to go by the wayside. Surprisingly, the FBI’s Hogan’s Alley training facility is heavy on detail, with small-town features like a coin-op laundry, bank (Bank of Hogan), hotel (Dogwood Inn), movie theater (Biograph Theater, where John Dillinger was taken down by the FBI in 1934), and row houses.

More: Hogan’s Alley Turns 30 (FBI Official Site)

Kijong-dong: North Korea’s Peace Village

North Korea Peace Village, Kijong-Dong

It’s Faking: A quiet, peaceful, orderly North Korean village.

It’s Really: An unoccupied set of buildings located in North Korea, within the DMZ, apparently meant to spread propaganda and to create an illusion of North Korean prosperity.

How Realistic? Very realistic in the sense that these are real buildings that could be occupied. Unrealistic in the sense that they are occupied by only 200 people (if that).

Details: Controlled by North Korea, Kijong-dong is marooned within the DMZ between South and North Korea. In a U.S. Army publication, Susan Silpasornprasit says

The village maintained by the North (“Propaganda Village”) appears to be merely a facade–mirage of prosperity. No residents have been spotted in its streets. People periodically turn the lights on and off in the buildings and sweep the sidewalks to keep up the ruse. Although, the village keepers apparently forgot to install glass in the windows.

Operation Camouflage: Lockheed’s Fake City on Top of Its Burbank Plant

Lockheed Burbank Plant Operation Camouflage

It’s Faking: “An ordinary California suburb,” according to Lockheed’s official statement. More accurately, tiny hamlets spread out across an American rural landscape.

It’s Really: Lockheed’s Burbank, CA airplane manufacturing plant.

How Realistic? Realistic enough from a 5,000 ft. altitude to pass. From the ground, not realistic at all.

Details: In a departure from the usual city-built-on-ground type of thing, which is the way most cities–real or fake–are built, is one of the more extraordinary World War II camouflage efforts. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 and Lockheed went into full production, they also needed to hide their extensive Los Angeles area facilities from enemy attack. Col. John F. Ohmer, stationed at March Field, near Moreno Valley, CA, was asked to oversee camouflaging of the entire Burbank plant. Giant expanses of camouflage netting was nothing new, but acres of it certainly was. To add to the realism, fences, fake trees, barns, meandering country roads, and even clotheslines were added to the top of the netting.

More: Lockheed During WWII: Operation Camouflage (Lockheed Official Site)

Hogewyck

Hogeweyk Village

It’s Faking: A village in Netherlands.

It’s Really: A “dementia village” in Weesp, Netherlands.

How Realistic? Very realistic, since it is a functioning “town” for Alzheimer’s patients.

Details: In Dutch, A weyk or wijk being a group of houses, similar to a village. Hogewyck has, according to its site, “streets, squares, gardens and a park where the residents can safely roam free. Just like any other village Hogeweyk offers a selection of facilities, like a restaurant, a bar and a theatre.”

More: Hogewyck (Official Site)

James J. Rowley Training Center: Urban Fakery for U.S. Secret Service

James J. Rowley Training Facility Beltsville MD 2017

It’s Faking: An urban street with three story buildings and a replica White House

It’s Really: A training facility for Secret Service in the Beltsville/Laurel area of Southern Maryland.

How Realistic? The White House replica portion is hardly realistic at all, plus it only covers the southern side of the White House. The urban street is not highly detailed.

Details: This replica was built in 1982 at a cost of $381,000, roughly the same as it cost to build the original White House. Plans included a Blair House, too. But judging from the photographs, this was never built.

More: James. J. Rowley Training Center and White House and Secret Service Official Site

July 18, 2017
Create a 100% Authentic 1960 Vintage Tiki Decor Home and Backyard

In July 1960, Los Angeles’ World’s Fair Market (not to be confused with today’s World Market) advertised a complete luau themed tiki set. “The World’s Fair has created a Hawaiian atmosphere complete with all the tropical settings of the South Seas,” said the ad, listing twelve items that you could place in your own backyard and indoors to give your house an instant Polynesian feeling.

By 1960, the tiki craze of the late 1950s was at its absolute peak. Here are ten of those twelve items re-created as close to 100% as possible from current sources. To abbreviate your search, you can also check out Jerome Coudrier’s TikiMaster.com. Based in Kailua, Hawaii, Tiki Master has an impressive range of all products tiki-related.

World’s Fair Import Market, Garden Grove CA

Tiki Torches

Tahitian Torch 1960

Barbados Tiki Brand 4-Pack Torch

The Tiki Torch is the natural place to start–and the easiest. Tiki Brand Torches are found everywhere during summer months. Tiki no longer offers the exact model that they sold in 1960, but they do have an even better-looking one–the Barbados Bamboo Torch 4-Pack–available on their site.

Back-Then Cost: $0.99/each

Current Cost: $4.00/each

Tiki Idol Head

Vintage Tahitian Idols

Emsco Resin Tiki Head

Tiki heads, too, are prevalent. Most today are cast in resin and look far more like real stone than the old ones. You’ll find this one, Easter Island Granite Resin Head Statue, at Home Depot.

For far more stylish tiki heads, go to TikiMaster.com’s Outdoor section.

Back-Then Cost: $10/each

Current Cost: $60/each for the Home Depot tiki head. Tiki Master heads begin at $119.

Samoa Basket Chair and Beaded Bamboo Curtains

Vintage Samoa Basket Chair and Beaded Bamboo Curtains

Papa San Chair Rattan

That’s right; you’ve already figured this one out. What’s called a Samoa Basket Chair is today called a papa-san chair. Don’t go for the usual cushioned papa san chair (though they are comfortable!). Go for the more authentic vintage-style Braided Rattan Papasam Chair from Wayfair.

Back-Then Cost: $3/each

Current Cost: $205/each

Oriental Party Lites

Vintage Oriental Patio Lights

Asian Paper Party String Lights

Check out the paper lantern string light sets from Redwood City, CA’s own Asian Import Store for a low-cost alternative!

Back-Then Cost: $6/each

Current Cost: $10-$15/each

Matchstick Floor Screens

Vintage Matchstick Floor Screens

Matchstick Divider from Oriental Furniture

Matchstick is a certain type of larger bamboo that emphasizes the bamboo look. Substitute with this 5½ ft. Tall Bamboo Matchstick Woven Room Divider from Oriental Furniture

Back-Then Cost: $10/each

Current Cost: $145/each

Louvered Screens

Vintage Louvered Shutters

homeBASICS Plantation Faux Wood Shutter

The retail world abounds with natural and faux wood louvered shutters. For the cheap ones, try Home Depot’s homeBASICS Plantation Faux Wood Oak Interior Shutters.

Back-Then Cost: $1.59 for a 29″ high by 9″ wide shutter.

Current Cost: $78 for a 36″ high by 31″ wide shutter

Bamboo Tumblers

Vintage Bamboo Tumblers

Bamboo Tumblers from TheVintageRedHeadCo – Etsy

Etsy is your best bet to find stylish bamboo tumblers.

Back-Then Cost: $0.50/each

Current Cost: $18 and upward/each

Bamboo Tiki Hut

Vintage Bamboo Tiki Hut

Check out Forever Bamboo for everything bamboo related.

Back-Then Cost: $2 per pole for 2″ diameter by 12′ long bamboo poles

Current Cost: $9 per pole for 2″ diameter by 10′ long bamboo poles

Hanging Rattan Monkeys

Vintage Hanging Rattan Monkeys

Apparently, rattan monkeys were a big deal in mid-century U.S. culture. No more. Since you will not find any rattan monkey knock-offs today, you’ll need to search Etsy for actual vintage rattan monkeys.

Back-Then Cost: $1/each

Current Cost: $40 to $400/each

July 13, 2017
Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design

Depicting a harsh and dystopian world (at least for the humans), “Planet of the Apes” has become an unlikely film franchise spanning over half a century. The original “Apes” from 1968 has some of the most fantastical, caveman-chic sets of any of the films. Art Directors William Creber and Jack Martin Smith were charged with the difficult task of building an entire futuristic world while limited by the budget of the first in an unknown, untested yet-to-be movie franchise.

Forbidden Zone

Planet of the Apes 1968 Concept Sketch of Forbidden Zone – Mentor Huebner

Ape Village

Planet of the Apes Village Set

As a result of the film’s lower budget, the centerpiece of the film, Ape Village, was filmed at 20th Century Fox’s movie ranch (now Malibu Creek State Park) less than an hour from its Century City studio. Except for a wide establishing shot (below) that shows just how small the set was, all other shots were kept tight and low by director Franklin J. Schaffner to disguise its tiny stature. Used also for “The Left Hand of God” with Humphrey Bogart the lake was dredged and enlarged by Fox over its early years of ownership.

Concept Sketch of Ape Village

Planet of the Apes 1968 Concept Sketch of Ape Village – Mentor Huebner

Mentor Huebner depicted a Gaudi world of craggy, skull-like buildings carved from stone.

Buildings Surrounding the Village

Planet of the Apes Set Surrounding Village

To give Ape Village a greater sense of size, additional buildings were constructed on the hills surrounding the town. Forced perspective likely was used to make the buildings look larger and farther away than they really were.

Stone Sky Bridge

Planet of the Apes Village Bridge Set

Amphitheater

Planet of the Apes Set Amphitheater

Church and Unique Circular Room Divider

Planet of the Apes Set Church and Circular Room Divider

The Apes’ church was enclosed by a semi-circular room divider made of stacked stones.

Museum of Man

Planet of the Apes Set Museum Interior

Hallway

Planet of the Apes Set Hallway

Another Hallway

Planet of the Apes Set Hallway

Courtroom

Planet of the Apes Set Courtroom

Courtroom Room Divider

Planet of the Apes 1968 Set Courtroom and Divider 1

Planet of the Apes 1968 Set Courtroom and Divider 2 Close Up

July 10, 2017
Tiki Torch: See How This Icon of Mid-Century Polynesian Pop Culture Started
The Tiki Torch is both older and newer than you might think. It’s newer in the sense that the tiki torch–or let’s use the brand name, Tiki Torch–burning in your backyard, the bamboo kind with a reservoir filled with petroleum-based fuel, has no basis in true Polynesian history. It’s older in the sense that those torches you see every spring and summer at Home Depot or Lowe’s go back to the 1950s.

Tiki Torch Original Package and Artwork

Summary
- Tiki Torch is a brand name currently owned by Lamplight Farms, Inc., a “leisure and lifestyle brands” company.
- Its initial MSRP was $4.99. Many Tiki Torch brand torches today cost around that same amount.
- Tiki Torch was originally produced in Belgium, Wisconsin.
- The 1947 voyage of Kon-Tiki was the basis for the word “tiki.”
- 1956 was Tiki Torch’s first year, but it was a slow one, with products only being sold in the Los Angeles area.
- Between 1957 and 1960 were Tiki Torch’s biggest years before interest began to wane.
1956: The Torch Is Lit

The word tiki is ambiguous, but it likely stems from the 1947 Thor Heyerdahl expedition of the balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki. The point was to prove the theory that Polynesia was settled by South Americans. Heyerdahl derived the name from the Incan god Viracocha, also spelled Con-Tici or Kon-Tiki.

The Birthplace of Mid-Century Modern Polynesian Popular Culture: Wisconsin

600 Park Street Belgium WI Original Location of Tiki Torch

In 1956, Tiki Torches began to be produced in the most un-Polynesia of all places: Belgium, Wisconsin. The original location–600 Park Street–is now occupied by Holiday Trims, Inc.

In June 1956, the first Tiki Torches began to be sold around the Los Angeles, CA area for $4.99 per torch and $0.99 for a quart of the safety fuel. It was a slow start for Tiki Torch, with products sold only in the L.A. area that first summer.

Surprisingly enough, the bamboo poles and reed housings that we are familiar with today were not present at that time. The original Tiki Torches were constructed of 100% aluminum, in Antique Copper, Antique Brass, and Satin Ebony finishes. The poles came in separate sections that were fitted together to form a single 6 ft. pole. From an ad:

Enjoy the decorative mood set by this new lighting. This smart-looking TIKI TORCH will keep away annoying insects while adding a touch of scenic glamour that is reminiscent of the enchantment of the South Seas. “Welcome, have fun…” that’s what your TIKI TORCH will say to friends who call…

By the end of summer 1956, LA-based pharmacy Thrifty had slashed the price by a dollar. By September, Tiki Torches had pretty much disappeared from stores for that summer season.

It wasn’t until December 25, 1956 that Tiki got around to filing the trademark on the name Tiki Torch.

In the 1960s, Interest Wanes

Next summer, Tiki Torches began to be sold across the United States. That $4.99 MSRP held firm for about three years, until interest began to wane around. By 1960, Tiki Torches could be scooped up for as little as $0.99 in some California stores.

Other brands, such as NOMA Luau Torches, Tonga Torches, Mai Kai Torches, and Tropic Torches, began to dilute the market, as well.

Tiki Torches and tiki culture in general were moribund through the period 1965 to 2003. Interest in mid-century modern Polynesian culture rose again in the mid 2000s when Sven A. Kirsten published the Taschen book The Book of Tiki. The Mad Men series also helped contribute to this mid-2010s interest in Polynesian pop culture, especially in Season 6, when Don and Megan go to Hawaii.

Tiki Torch Advertisement in the Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1961
July 8, 2017
Dan Bell, Chronicler of Dark Spaces

Dan Bell, or This Is Dan Bell, as his YouTube channel is called, has now been added to the annals of greatness that I am always stockpiling in my mind.

Start with the basic information. Maryland resident Dan Bell films himself walking through and, post-production, narrating his strolls through commercial buildings such as resorts, hotels, and malls that are dead or on their last legs in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. region.

Is that all he does? A site called Dead Malls has been doing this for years. Or has it?

Going Way Beyond Dead Malls

Not really. Dead Malls, ground-breaking at the time for encyclopedically covering the demise of super-sized retail shopping, failed to take advantage of its own popularity. With only 40 updates in the last 4 years, the site is nearly as dead as the malls they cover. My local “dead mall,” the Totem Lake Mall, in Kirkland, WA, has long been torn down and is almost rebuilt as one of those hipster food-retail cathedrals featuring a Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Dan Bell doesn’t pretend to be encyclopedic; he’s selective. He ventures on day trips, just himself and maybe a friend, and a camera. Unlike urban archaeologists who get off on being dick swinging badasses who sneak into Packard plants in Detroit, Dan Bell lets the subject speak for itself. He literally stays out of the picture. As a Baltimore Sun article notes

Bell doesn’t consider himself an urban explorer, but a filmmaker who takes risks in order to create thrilling short films.

Most importantly, he elevates these dark places to the level of high art. He gets their feeling. He understands visual composition. He carefully frames images. He knows that detail is important: a pair of roller skates, brochures on the ground, hotel keys on a rack, a cocktail napkin. He gently adds music that lingers in the background, providing just enough atmosphere to the scene but rarely overpowering it.

His camera hangs on parts of the mall (he really loves shooting through metal security gates), in long pans and slow zooms. Big budget Hollywood director Michael Bay, whose shots range from 3.00 to 3.40 seconds per shot, would have a brain aneurysm while watching a Dan Bell film.

My only complaint about the Dead Mall Series and Dead Motel Series is that there is not more of them. And there is one culprit for this: Another Dirty Room.

Another Dirty Room

On November 11, 2016, Dan published his first episode in the Another Dirty Room YouTube series entitled “Cesspit From Hell : The Midtown Inn Baltimore.” Dan and friends pay for decidedly low-rent motel rooms and, armed with UV lights and gloves, proceed to deconstruct the room. Results are disgusting: rat turds, semen, and lots of hair.

I understand the impulse: you start to see success in a certain direction, you read the signals (and often, the web traffic analytics), and then you capitalize on those signals. In other words, you go where you think people are telling you to go.

Another Dirty Room is a YouTube series that is clearly looking for a major TV network to pick it up. I could be wrong; I’ve been wrong before (I clearly remember the day in 1998 when I read that Amazon would begin offering products other than books and I said, “It’ll never fly.”).

But this impulse toward reality TV is misguided, it sorely misuses Bell’s ample talents as a maker of art, and it takes him away from more important projects.

July 7, 2017