It is now December and the holidays are right around the corner, and so naturally I think
it’s time to talk about Goosebumps!
In 1992 author Robert Lawrence Stine began a book series for children called Goosebumps
with the publisher Scholastic.
If you’re unfamiliar with them, they were kid friendly horror books that were published
every single month and they were popular.
By the time the original series had ended the 62 book series had sold hundreds of millions
of copies in over 20 different languages around the world.
At a rate of 20 pages a day, RL Stine was giving the world Goosebumps as quickly as
the world could buy it up.
In 1995 the franchise was adapted into a television series for Fox Kids, and as with any children’s
craze, there was merchandise galore.
It’s safe to say that if you had or knew or were a kid in the early 1990s, you were
probably acquainted with Goosebumps.
As RL Stine’s book series was becoming a worldwide sensation, Disney was continuing
their decade long quest to appeal to more kids as well as teenagers.
When it came to wholesome family entertainment they were pretty well off.
Mickey and the animated classics and even the films of the Disney Renaissance gave them
more than enough to work with.
And with the creation of studios like Touchstone, not to mention the the then recent acquisition
of Miramax and Dimension films, they were rapidly filling their library with more adult
entertainment as well.
But there was still a constant chase for the coveted teenage demographics, not to mention
the more edgy side of children’s entertainment.
Disney-MGM Studios, being a theme park that was born out of partnership with an outside
studio, served as the perfect place to introduce properties that Disney didn’t outright own themselves.
Star Wars. Indiana Jones. The Twilight Zone
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ace Ventura. Power Ranger, and eventually Goosebumps.
Announced in June of 1997 and with plans to open that October, Goosebumps HorrorLand Fright
Show and FunHouse was to be a 15 minute stage show followed by a walkthrough attraction
that led to, well..., to a Goosebumps gift shop.
I mean, this is Disney.
It was a collaboration between Stein and Disney that would prove to be more than just a business
arrangement, as it turned out that RL Stine was a major Disney fan.
His wife, Jane Stine, was quoted as saying that “For Bob, taking Goosebumps to Disney
World is like going to heaven.
He adores everything and anything Disney,”
On October 8th the show would premiere to the public along New York Street and it was…
well it was something?
The Goosebumps HorrorLand Fright Show was more or less a 15 minute magic show hosted
by Amaz-O the magician, and featured cameos from Goosebump characters such as Curly, Slappy,
Cuddles, and The Executioner.
Kids from the crowd would be brought on stage as magic trick volunteers, and after the short
production guests were able to walk through the fun house, which consisted of a maze of mirrors.
The Orlando Sentinel reported a “lukewarm visitor response” upon opening, a reception
that resulted in a couple of changes to the show early on.
The fun house itself was considered to be a let down, since guests were expecting more
to the space than just a maze.
So Disney dropped its emphasis by removing the “and FunHouse” from the attraction
name and adjusting the lighting and difficulty of the maze to make it a little more challenging.
The Goosebumps characters were also added to the maze to add a little more variety.
With such a simple execution, the show would run five times a day throughout 1998, before
ending that fall after Halloween.
It was a short-lived show, but then again, that was typical of the era.
It’s worth noting that in the early fall of 1997, just before the show premiered, Scholastic
would announce for the first time a decline in sales of
the books which resulted in a 40% drop in their stock price.
Just months later in December of '97 RL Stine would formally end the original run of Goosebumps
books and kick off a new series called Goosebumps Series 2000.
So I think it’s safe to say that while Disney had their mind in the right place by pursuing
Goosebumps for the parks, they waited until the tail end of the craze to actually act on it.
So perhaps had Disney launched the show a few years earlier it would have lasted longer,
but we’ll never know.
I think it’s also safe to say that it’s short lifespan could partially be attributed
to it’s mismatched format.
Disney was looking to grab onto a more edgy demographic, but they didn’t seem willing
to offer the content required to do so.
While Goosebumps was no nightmare fuel, it was still a horror series, and there’s nothing
really scary about a 15 minute long magic show.
Except for the part where I guess you’re stuck watching a magic show.
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Join me in February when I inevitably cover something Christmas related.