Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part four: Worlds of Fantasy

Once upon a time, when I was a wee little lass, I once proclaimed that The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie. I was a baby at the time, essentially, and only said as much because my dear grandpa had told me how he enjoyed the movie and it had meant something to him. Over the years, I've come to realize that not only is this not my favorite movie, but it's one that really gets under my skin and makes me terribly uncomfortable. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but there was a brief point during my early 20's where I dabbled in magic mushrooms and had a very bad, very Wizard of Oz inspired psychedelic trip that further entrenched my disdain for the movie and it's world. The Wizard of Oz is a bit of a psychedelic feature, to be fair, and the more I learn about it's history (including an attempt at reading the book, once) the more I realize this sense of foreboding was justified. Not only was Judy Garland essentially forced into stardom by her overbearing stage mum, but she was fed amphetamines by the studio and routinely berated for her weight, not to mention alleged sexual and physical abuse. No wonder it gave me bad vibes! 

The Princess Bride, however, is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, resolutely, without question. There are certainly some creepy moments and times of inconceivable peril, but between the rodents of unusual size (um, did they cast my pets? because I know quite a few rodents of unusual size) and Inigo Montoya's quest to avenge his father, it's a subversive ride that (as far as I know) didn't require the deaths of real, multiple lions or the abuse of its stars. Whatever your preference, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle offers a fantasy display that includes such a diverse array of fantastical goods you're likely to find your favorite fandom represented!

The six-fingered man's glove! While we weren't able to spend an exorbitant amount of time in the exhibit on this particular visit, we were stoked to see how many different films and franchises were represented and impressed by the amount of detail involved in the design. Every exhibit in the museum was thematically designed to further that area's motif, and the Fantasy World's exhibit was no exception. From the brilliant colors and whimsical door, it felt like being transported to a world where dragons and wizards were as likely to be encountered at the next bend as a hobbit or cowardly lion. Did you know the Cowardly Lion's fur coat was made of real lions? Egads. I get the feeling that sort of thing wouldn't fly these days, but if you're going for authenticity when it comes to lion's coats I imagine you can't get much more authentic than ripping the skins from real lions. It was a different time then, to say the least. Yikes. There's a lot more to see than the macabre suit, though, and if fantasy is your bag you won't want to miss this!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part four: Infinite Worlds

Perhaps spooky, supernaturally horrifying abstracts or creepy-crawlers aren't exactly your thing, and instead of shivering under the covers at night dreading a zombie hoard descending upon your quiet home and ripping you limb from limb into an unrecognizable spray of blood and viscera, you spent your nights worrying yourself with an ever-more imminent artificial intelligence induced apocalypse where cold, unfeeling robot overlords or inhuman alien beings from beyond the stars descend upon and obliterate our fragile, bipedal liquid-filled kind. After all, you've likely got a smartphone lounging around nearby, with audio, video and surveillance capabilities you might be unaware of as a consumer, and more smart devices enter our homes on the daily, whether it's your Google Home speaker or the smart fridge warning you via text message that you're low on milk... and who really knows when it comes to aliens? Space is a very big, very vast terrain, and inconceivable terrors could lurk in the outer reaches of the galaxy, or perhaps even in the shadows on nearby planets...

If the above all rings true with you, never fear my friend! The Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP for short, has got your back. Whether you're a die-hard Jedi, a whimsical Whovian with a tip of the bow-tie, rebel fighting against the threat of Skynet, or simply a curious observer stepping into uncharted waters,the Infinite Worlds exhibit offers a peek into the world of Science Fiction that is sure to whet the palate of anyone with half an imagination left rattling around inside their skull. Thankfully, all threats have been subdued, and we the visitors are able to enjoy the craftsmanship and design intricacies such up-close and personal observations allow. No Daleks will try to exterminate you here, though you may marvel in wonder at their plungers and whisk-like attachments, and wonder, as I did, what they ever hope to achieve with such things. I know, there's an episode of Dr. Who out there, somewhere, that demonstrates the precise purpose of the plunger, but it's more fun to wonder. Do the Daleks have terrible little pipes for plumbing on their home planet or do they encounter frequent clogs in their exoskeletal robo-suits? 

As science fiction does, frequently, tend to overlap itself with the horror genre, there are some creatures that could find themselves in either exhibit. I'm not going to question the logic behind why some displays wound up in one place and not another, as I think it's fair to assume the people running MoPOP have a measure of awareness when it comes to doing what they do. As a fan of the Alien franchise and the design of the Xenomorphs, in all their various stages of life and forms, it pleases me to see more of them lurking around regardless. As I mentioned before, there's a lot here to check out, and that goes for many different corners of the science fiction fandom. We were rapidly running out of time within which to enjoy our time at MoPOP on this particular visit, but we made the best of it within the time frame we had available and I hope these photos can give you a taste of what's in store should you decide to pop on down for your own visit. Trust me, it's worth it! But there are plenty more photos to come, so check 'em out and see what you're missing out on~

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part three: Scared to Death

Over the years I've had many different interests evolve, blooming into questionably obsessive territory before they eventually wane, like that time I really wanted to learn how to play the electric guitar but upon taking home an acoustic I realized my fingers were perhaps a bit short for the task and over time found my way to the ukelele instead...or the time I tried to learn Russian. One thing that has remained strong, consistent, and lurking in the background of my more pressing goals (tie-dye, candle making, travel, whatever thing I'm obsessing over at the moment) is a deep and lingering love for all things spooky, supernatural, or otherwise bone-chilling. Fortunately for me, I'm able to listen to headphones while I work, so I can satisfy my curiosity for the creepier side of things with endless hours of true crime or cryptid podcasts as I work, work, work away. If you're interested in some of those ear-filling goodies for yourself, some of my favorites include Small Town Murder,  And That's Why We Drink, Morbid Podcast, The Cryptid Keeper and of course, Mysterious Universe as always. I can absolutely credit Mysterious Universe for being the alpha and omega podcast to truly get me into podcasts, and I've been listening to MU for years and years.  

One of my first introductions to horror films was through an old Vegas local show, Saturday Night Fright At the Movies, a gloriously cheesy schtick involving an undead Elvis and a rotating cast of B-grade (or often much worse rated) films of a spooky or science-fiction bent. As a kid obsessed with spooky things, I absolutely loved the show and would make a point of trying to catch it every weekend after watching Ren & Stimpy. I'm really dating myself here with all this, but the point of all the backstory is to fully impress upon you, dear readers, that as a fan of horror I thoroughly enjoyed the Scared to Death exhibit at MoPOP!! I had seen advertisements for it during the Halloween season but had presumed it was a seasonal showcase and forgotten about it until the Marvel exhibit caught my eye and we found ourselves down at MoPOP to check it out. There are, as it turns out, many different exhibits that stay on for extended periods or permanently, but there's also many different rotating through, so if you're in the area it's worth considering a membership if you think you'd be going more than once. 

There's a lot to see, and we really could have spent longer wandering the halls and absorbing as many details as our eyes allowed. We'll be heading back again soon! For now, please enjoy these photos I captured and there's plenty more below the cut!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part two: Marvel Exhibit

Marvel's extended Cinematic Universe is a wide, expansive thing, and there are a lot of moving parts and pieces involved that means a lot of things to a lot of different people across the globe. It's also a massive creative undertaking that has spanned multiple decades, from the original pencil sketches of an artist's desk to the multi-million (or is it billions now?) media darling it's become. Marvel is nothing to sniff at and has become one of the most influential movie series in recent years. Initially, I have to admit that I was hesitant to get too involved and didn't see many of the early films in the theater, as most of the early movies revolved around some stereotypical white male protagonist and didn't feel particularly exciting or original to me.  Spider-man always held a special place in my heart, since I grew up watching the animated series, but rich Tony Stark? Uninteresting. Of course, some rich tech guy can invent or invest his way out of his problems... It took a couple of movies for Thor to evolve into the loveable oaf that he's become, and as the movies have rolled out the universe has expanded and evolved, bringing a richer, more varied tapestry along with ample humor and a modicum of self-awareness to the table. I've gotten much more invested in recent years if you haven't noticed, and while Marvel still has some work to do if it truly intends to be inclusive, they've made some progress over their many years now. I'm not gonna lie, Thor: Ragnarok and the more recent Spider-Man movies have been a blast, so while it may have taken me a minute to get on board I'm definitely one of the fans lining theaters for the newest releases.  

At the time of viewing this exhibition at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture, we were in the interim between Infinity War and the as-of-yet unnamed Endgame. Seeing some of our heroes (and anti-heroes) again, or at least their armor (or weaponry) was bittersweet. One thing I especially enjoyed, though, and consider to be of note is that they were kind enough to label the materials used in the various costumes on display, so the ardent at-home-cosplayer may better attempt their own recreations with a bit of knowledge. Knowledge is power, after all!

The entire exhibit itself was massive, with areas dedicated to each Avenger and their associates, and we could have spent even more time exploring all the different installations if we'd had the time available. As it were, we spent hours in the museum wandering around, looping back and trying to take in as much as we could in the time allotted. No easy task with so much to see! 

  

There are a whole lot of photos ahead, so prepare yourselves!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP, part one!

If you happen to find yourself in the city of Seattle and feel like you're lacking in necessary immersion into modern pop cultural awareness, appreciation, and knowledge, you might want to add the Museum of Pop Culture to your list of places to visit. The building is hard to miss, as it's a psychedelic mash-up of molten steel, unexpected angles, accents, and edges along with bold pops of color...not to mention the iconic Space Needle peering out or looming over depending on your mood or angle of approach. Our initial arrival was a little frantic, as we forgot the camera in the car in our hurry to catch our ride-share, and had to cancel the original ride and then get back to the car. In the end, I'm grateful that we went back to grab the camera, as it allowed us to capture some seriously awesome shots (in my ever-so-humble opinion) and commemorate our visit. The Marvel exhibit we went to see, specifically, was a limited run and given the cost of admission makes this sort of outing something we reserve for special occasions and not every weekend, so if we had missed our chance to get photos on this visit the chances of going back before our window of opportunity expired were minimal. We had already procrastinated until near the end of the run, so it was now or never! 

MoPOP is well worth visiting any time, though, as there is a multitude of different exhibits - some long term and enduring, other's passing through for a limited show, but all are excellent.  Given our stumbling over the camera and running in circles for a moment, we lost out on precious time and found that we were remiss when the closing time arrived. The employees and volunteers were gracious enough, but when it's time to close it up they'll make sure you're aware! MoPOP is a non-profit founded by Paul Allen in 2000, so many of the people keeping it running are doing so as a kindness due to their own personal passions, so be polite and courteous when visiting.  There's a lot to see and take in, after all, and as I said- the exhibits change often, so if you've visited in the past you'll find new and exciting things to see and experience upon repeated visits, and the additional time can always allow you to delve deeper into the permanent showcases. Seriously, folks, there's a lot to see and do inside this place, so if you're going to be around for a minute you may want to consider investing in a membership.