Welcome to the October 2022 episode of The Great British Mickey Waffle.

This month we are raising a glass to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of our favourite parks.  Whether you think of it as EPCOT Center, Epcot, or just ‘that park with the big golf ball’, there really is nowhere else like it.

Becca takes us back to the park’s opening on 1 October 1982.  It was very different from Walt’s original vision of the ‘Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow’, but there were already some attractions in place which we still enjoy today.  Any guesses on which ones?  And how did the park change over its first decade?  (Let’s just say the word ‘Horizons’ features strongly!)

Claire moves us on into the 1990s, and meets a certain purple dragon and his friend.  Plus you can find out about a Surprise in the Sky which seems to have had a lasting impact, and also how Epcot marked the millennium with a controversial wand.

Peter picks up the story in 2002 with the introduction of Soarin’ and a drive with some crash test dummies, as well as changes to Figment’s journey.  There are memories of the last days of Innoventions, including the Sum of All Thrills and its giant piggy bank.

Finally, Ben is our guide from 2012 back to the present, with a look back at Agent P’s adventure (sorry if you are now singing the theme tune all day) .We go ‘back, back, over the falls’ to Maelstrom, dine with princesses and talk about food and fireworks.  We end with a look at the park’s newest ride before we raise a toast – and of course cake – to 40 years of a unique and well-loved park.

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Enjoy the show, and Waffle On!

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