Monday, October 30, 2006

Kracking Up at EPCOT Center

"Okay Krackpots! Let's get cookin'!"

While that cute little purple dragon has withstood the sands of Epcot time, the Kitchen Krackpots have not been quite so lucky.

The early days of EPCOT Center were devoid of the stock Disney characters. Disney wanted EPCOT to develop its own identity apart from the Magic Kingdom, so Mickey and company were largely absent form Future World and World Showcase those first few years. This however left the merchandisers and souvenir-creators in a bit of a spot. T-shirts with a big silver golf ball were clearly lacking in character. Their only options at the time? Figment and Dreamfinder from Journey Into Imagination, and the Kitchen Krackpots from the Kitchen Kabaret attraction at the Land Pavilion.

The Krackpots did not get quite the souvenir saturation that Figment experienced, but they were featured on quite a few items including postcards, placemats and other various household products. They even had a line of plush.

Sadly, the band was dissolved when Food Rocks replaced the Kitchen Kabaret in 1994. And while Figment made a miraculous return from the beyond (albeit sans Dreamfinder), it appears the Krackpots are destined to reside in theme park heaven on a more permanent basis.

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