Those Happy Places

Since 2008, The Simpsons Ride and its surrounding themed area has delighted guests in both Hollywood and Orlando. That said, one question remains: would we consider it a good episode of The Simpsons? Join the nation’s foremost Simpsons Scholar, Buddy Duquesne, and recently-minted fan of the show Alice White as they dig deep to find an answer.Featuring: A trip to two separate offices! A pretty good Professor Frink impression! The sinking realization that The Simpsons has been on television for literally our entire lives!All this and more on this wacky episode of Those Happy Places!Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.Additional music comes from Kevin Macleod. All Tracks Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Tracks in this Episode: Bummin on Tremolo, Bossa Antigua, Casa Bossa Nova, Long Stroll, Secret of Tiki Island, Deuces, Mining by Moonlight, No Good Layabout, Thief in the Night, Apero Hour, Babylon, In Your Arms

Everyone’s gotta shop. Everyone’s gotta eat. That said, we’d love to enjoy doing these things while we did them, right? Join Alice and Buddy as they take close looks at themed dining and shopping experiences to answer the question—what makes a place worthy of a theme? Why do we theme otherwise mundane spaces? What, pray tell, is Applebees Plus, and how can we sell that idea for money?All this and more on this unique episode of Those Happy Places!Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.Additional music comes from Kevin Macleod. All Tracks Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Tracks in this Episode: Bummin on Tremolo, Crunk Knight, Folk Round, Netherworld Shanty, Vicious, Village Consort, Captain Scurvy, Mining By Moonlight, Secret of Tiki Island, Bossa Antigua, Fretless, No Good Layabout, Long Stroll, Off to Osaka, In Your Arms

Alice is here with a special update about all our shows and some fun Patreon information! Stick around to the end for a preview of our next episode and some information about how you can be part of it.Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server! And fill out our survey!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.

Join Buddy Duquesne and special guest host Kate Prince as they recap their recent trip to Seattle, a city with a surprisingly unified sense of theme. How does it compare to other tourist destinations?All this and more on this unique episode of Those Happy Places!Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.Additional music comes from Kevin Macleod. All Tracks Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Tracks in this Episode: Bummin on Tremolo, Deuces, Deadly Roulette, Magic Scout Cottages, Airport Lounge, Future Cha Cha, Jazz Brunch, Jellyfish in Space, Off to Osaka, Breaktime

Delve into the nostalgic roots of retrofuturism and its impact on the vibrant world of Disneyland attractions. Discover how the iconic Autopia ride reflects both corporate influence and cultural shifts in car culture. Explore the irony of its vision against environmental concerns and the ongoing evolution of Tomorrowland. Imagine a reimagined Autopia featuring all-electric cars that fuse nostalgia with modernity, highlighting fun storytelling over moral lessons. Join the conversation about the future of technology and audience engagement!

In this Live, Spectacular Episode, Alice and Buddy return from an unplanned hiatus to discuss one of the most enduring, entertaining, surprising shows in all of Themed Entertainment. What makes this now-25-year-old show so relevant today? What are its secrets, both narrative and thematic? Is the plane stunt on a wire, or on a track or something?All this and more in this fantastic episode of Those Happy Places!Editor’s Note: Due to scheduling conflicts, work projects, and life’s sometimes downright ridiculous pace, this episode is being released fully two months after the originally slated start of Waterworld Month. The scale of the month’s events had to be scaled down, and references to additional material might be overly ambitious to say the least. Even so, we hope you enjoy the episode!Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.Additional music comes from Kevin Macleod. All Tracks Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Tracks in this Episode: Bummin on Tremolo, Awesome Call, Crinoline Dreams, No Good Layabout, Babylon, Captain Scurvy, Deuces, George Street Shuffle, Royal Banana, Surf Shimmy, Walking Along, Feather Waltz

October is Sensory Awareness Month, and Alice and Buddy were honored to meet with two fantastic guests to talk about this increasingly important aspect of themed attraction design! Join Tami Brown, Executive Director of the Soon-to-be-Opened Saint Louis Aquarium, and PGAV Destinations Vice President Emily Howard, as they walk us through the inclusive design choices being made in the construction of what may be one of the world’s most adaptive attractions for guests with various sensitive needs. What sorts of additions are being made to ensure every guest can enjoy the Aquarium successfully? How can staff training and technology unite to create an inclusive experience?All this and more on this latest episode of Those Happy Places!Be sure to visit our Patreon for all of the cool Passholder benefits, stretch goals, and an exclusive, long-lost episode of Those Happy Places! Join us on our Discord Server!Those Happy Places is Produced by Alice White and Edited By Buddy Duquesne. Our theme song is Golden Gate by the California Feetwarmers, Featuring Phil Alvin.Additional music comes from Kevin Macleod. All Tracks Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Tracks in this Episode: Bummin on Tremolo, Awesome Call, George Street Shuffle, Apero Hour, Crinoline Dreams, Samba Isobel, Bossa Antigua, Fireflies and Stardust, Casa Bossa Nova, Crunk Knight