As cherry tells the story, he went to playland shortly after it closed in september 1972, a city kid who was ticked off that his amusement park was. On marylands eastern shore, walking among the spirits. Historysmith san franciscos playland at the beach the. A cross of thorns reexamines a chapter of california history that has been largely forgottenthe enslavement of californias indian population. Laffing sal, or beulah the laffing lady as she was known at meyers lake park, was one of the most popular and memorable attractions as part of the parks. Laughing sal evokes a number of different reactions from those who encounter her. Based in hatfield, pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by henry auchey and chester albright under the name philadelphia toboggan company. The story of laffing sal, the worlds most uncanny animatronic doll. Dictionary by madame le marchand paperback book vintage gypsy, vintage. Sal also will make an appearance at the sixth annual remembering the sights and sounds of euclid beach park, sunday, september 26, 2010 from 1. Laffing sal is one of several automated characters that were built primarily to attract carnival. Long beach in a box page 2 a living history and more. The original laffing sal santa cruz beach boardwalk. A secret gift goodreads share book recommendations with.
She was built by the philadelphia toboggan company of germantown, pa in the early 1930s out of paper mache, springs, gears and cams. Swaths of fishermans wharf can feel like a charmless tourist trap. Laughing sal welcome to the musee mecanique the mechanical. See 17 photos and 1 tip from 50 visitors to laffing sal. The story of laffing sal, the worlds most uncanny animatronic doll sixfeettall and pure nightmare, she was once one of americas most popular funhouse amusements. Laughing sal was massproduced by the philadelphia toboggan company in the and shipped to amusement parks across the country. Jun 14, 2017 laffing sal at the musee mecanique among the more popular concessions was the fun house, originally called the bug house, erected in 192324. This colorado town has just 8 people, an amusement park and a. When sam first walks into the comic book shop, a rare laffing sal can be seen and heard behind him.
Celebrating laffing sal the pier in ocean city, maryland. Apr 26, 2018 colorados smallest town has a history spanning back more than 100 years. Laffing sal was the first and most popular model of the series of automatons produced by old king cole and philadelphia toboggan company. Welcome to the musee mecanique the mechanical musuem. Her larger than life presence, mechanical gyrations, and raucous cackle cause delight in some and fear in others. After playland was closed, one of the original sals was relocated to santa cruz beach boardwalk. The book includes a complete timeline and history of playland from its beginning to its destruction in 1972.
More boomer memories from playland to candlestick park american chronicles. Riverview park in des moines, iowa converted to laffing sam. Built by the youngstown park and falls street railway company, the parks expansion coincided with the growth of the south side of youngstown, ohio, in the fosterville neighborhood. New book on cleveland tv history features horror hosts, tales and behindthescenes look at local television. Her larger than life presence, mechanical gyrations, and. Feb 21, 2014 our favorite creepy attraction at pier 45s musee mecanique in san francisco. A theme that emerges in your book is denvers mayor robert speer and his.
Decades later, the parks management learned that funnifrite inc. Some deep thinkers have even speculated about the meaning of laughing sal. Laffing sal and laffing sam were large animatronic characters that were mounted above the laff in the dark attraction ride on the pike. Ptc subcontracted the figuress fabrication to the old king cole papier mache company of canton, ohio. Sals early conceptual design and production made her an influencer and forerunner in the amusement industry and set the pace for a rapid production of animated figures featured around the for decades, laffing sal was the star feature at jesters fun house, and today you can still find her laughing at the lifesaving station museum. More boomer memories from playland to candlestick park american chronicles kindle edition by dunnigan, frank. The head, arms, hands and legs were detachable and were held together with fabric, staples, pins, nails, nuts and bolts. Laughing sal dolllaughing sal sal, laugh, amusement park. Long beach in a box page 2 a living history and more project. Laffing sal sometimes referred to as laughing sal was produced by the philadelphia toboggan company ptc of germantown, pennsylvania during the 1920s and early 1930s. Big bucks for yuks defunct playlands laughing sal could bring pretty penny by joe garofoli published 4. Ptc subcontracted fabrication of the figures to the old king cole papier mache company of canton, ohio the figure stood 6 feet, 10 inches 2. A secret gift is a really interesting account of the authors grandfathers hidden past, including his anonymous generosity to his fellow townspeople during the depression.
The top 10 things to do the first point of attraction that greets you as you enter the city of san francisco is fishermans wharf. Cd vintage laffing salaetms playland rare recording. Jan 18, 2004 big bucks for yuks defunct playlands laughing sal could bring pretty penny by joe garofoli published 4. Is she the incarnation of modern woman in an industrial age. Originally intended to be a laughing santa automaton, she was first produced in the early 1930s to attract and entertain crowds at funhouses.
Pioneering ventriloquist valentine vox writes in his book i can see your lips moving. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. The event will be held at euclid beach state park, the site of the old amusement park on lakeshore boulevard. An episode of the magician with bill bixby features the laffing sal at the nupike amusement park in long beach in the early 1970s. But whats perhaps the crown jewel of the collection is an original laffing sal from the idora amusement park in ohio. Get both books san franciscos playland at the beach. San franciscos playlandatthebeach amusement park also had a laffing sal. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Sep 22, 2012 laffing sal from euclid beachsee her the last sunday in september at euclid beach park. Her bright red hair, huge towering moving figure and loud boisterous laugh are etched in the mind of every child who saw her as a child. Sep 21, 2009 the laffing lady laughs on into history.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Sep 28, 2012 laffing sal at silver beach carousel museum. Funny name, serious breakfast at schmagels bagels more from people and. Author david forsyth on lakeside myths, the city beautiful. Laffing sal is one of several automated characters that were built primary for fun house throughout the united states. The second, known as sinister sal, was specially created by sculptor chuck jarman of bumpinthenight productions.
Often misspelled as laughing sal, the large robotic rag doll, the first animatronic of its kind, would shake her head, wave her arms, jerk her torso, and continuously laugh while patrons would stop in. Amusement park laffing sal doll 25 figure with laughing sound playland. Thirtytwo years ago, in the chaotic, mournful final hours of san franciscos playlandatthebeach amusement park, somebody ripped off the head of laughing sal, the maniacally cackling wooden woman who was posted in the fun house. Terror at 5280 kindle edition by wilson, carter, jones.
Laffing sal sometimes incorrectly called laughing sal was produced by the philadelphia toboggan company ptc of germantown, pennsylvania during the 1920s and early 1930s. Laughing sal at mechanical museum san francisco youtube. Memorabilia from original playlandatthebeach to go to. Big bucks for yuks defunct playlands laughing sal could. Heres the story ive been told by marvin gold, who worked at playland laffing sal became part of the ptcs philadelphia toboggan company catalog in. Like a lot of parks that existed the the mid20th century, meyers lake was a popular spot for corporate picnics each summer. The book s pages are thick with information culled from old newspapers and.
Celebrating laffing sal jesters fun house lets take time to celebrate one of historys most iconic amusement figures. There was no laffing sal at the comic book shop when i visited in 2007, however, a different one can currently be found on the boardwalk, near neptunes kingdom. Laffing sal and her partner laffing sam were a part of almost every funhouse across the united states built in the 1930s and 40s. The demonic origins of ventriloquism atlas obscura. Built in 1908, the park is a testament to the enduring appeal of oldfashioned thrill rides and neon lights. Memorabilia from original playlandatthebeach to go to auction as.
Playland at the beach, san francisco playland, playland photos. The original laffing sal from playland atthebeach is on display at the santa cruz beach boardwalk. Santa cruz, ca laffing sal at the beach boardwalk is one of the first animated amusement figures, laffing sal is considered a forerunner of the many animatronic figures seen at attractions. May 08, 2017 how to hit the ball then the turf with your irons magic drill duration. Laffing sal lindsay kingmiller this was always going to happen stephen graham jones electric stalker rebecca s. Jul 28, 2016 san franciscos playland at the beach, where laffing sal first appeared. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading growing up in san francisco. Laffing sal is one of several automated characters that were built primarily for funhouses throughout the united states. Sal was donated to the ocean city lifesaving station museum in the summer of 1980 by mrs. Color photos of laffing sal, the merrygoround and the fun house bring fond memories back to life. As noted in kim coopers 33 book on the album, the band recorded her soundtrack surreptitiously while in san franciscos musee. Its not a summer in denver without a trip to lakeside amusement park. San francisco bought the carousel and it is now located off fourth street downtown in yerba buena gardens. Now, she can be seen on the second floor of the museum in the boardwalk exhibit.
Sal, which is now in the ocean city lifesaving station museum, was a staple feature at jesters fun house, once on ocean citys boardwalk. Hello fellow wikipedians, i have just modified 2 external links on laffing sal. Author david forsyth on lakeside myths, the city beautiful and laffing sal. Laffing sal was a fixture at the balboa fun zone in newport beach, california when it opened in 1936. Bates gaze with undimmed eyes and the world drops dead carina bissett. This page was last edited on 8 february 2019, at 22. Jul 8, 2019 laffing sal and other amusement park automaton. She was built by the philadelphia toboggan company ptc of germantown, pennsylvania in the early 1930s. Sterility assurance level, or sal, in microbiology. Laffing sal automation often referred to incorrectly as laughing sal this sal was from the fun house at playland at the beach in san francisco. I started this page in 2008 as a tribute to laffing sal, often referred to as the laughing lady by san. Kusa colorados smallest town by population had just eight residents as of the 2010 census but you probably know it instead by the amusement park that bears its name and maybe the walmartshopping center next door. I found this book by accident on the available now section of nc digital library, and im glad i did. Have a laugh with laffing sal from the old playland at the beach, on.
Richly illustrated and painstakingly researched, san franciscos playland at the beach is a time. David forsyth on lakeside amusement park, city beautiful and. One is a classic ptc creation from a collector in ohio, while the one dubbed sinister sal is a contemporary update to the genre designed by sculptor chuck jarman. She was a part of almost every funhouse across the united states. Color photos of laffing sal, the merrygoround and the fun house bring fond. Laffing sal santa cruz beach boardwalk santa cruz, ca. Playland has disappeared but its laffing sal display still cackles away today at the musee mecanique. There were in fact many laffing sals at funhouses across the country at that time, all built by the philadelphia toboggan co. Foursquare uses cookies to provide you with an optimal experience, to personalize ads that you may see, and to help advertisers measure the results of their ad campaigns.
Woman on the run laffing sal has the last laugh reel sf. Laffing sal was the laughing automated character whose cackle echoed throughout the park. Image detail for freeman is a part of san francisco history for sure new hampton. Laffing sal sometimes incorrectly referred to as laughing sal, fat lady, sally or such names was produced by the philadelphia toboggan company ptc of germantown, pennsylvania during the 1920s and early 1930s. Sal is a compelling narrator because of her contradictions. Sal tree shorea robusta, from the indian subcontinent. For decades, laffing sal was the star feature at jesters fun house, and today you can still find her laughing at the lifesaving station museum.
Philadelphia toboggan company partially found audio of. Center stage a history of laughing sal at euclid beach park park photos, center stage. Laffing sal and bruno were two of the only stunts retained from the attraction. Telescope pictures giveaway take a virtual walk on the boardwalk more from latest news people and places. She was made of papier mache seven layers of pressed ground wood pulp card stock with interior horse hair over steel coils and frame, detachable head, arms, hands and legs. Her production was subcontracted to old king cole papier mache co. The book presents over 350 rare photographs of playland and the surrounding neighborhood, primarily neverbeforeseen photos drawn from the authors private archive. San francisco has never been the same in its entire history and its not just. Regional slang and curse words give the novel an edgy charm. Good times at lakesides fun house wow photo wednesday. Laffing sal was built by the philadelphia toboggan company of germantown, pa and was made out of paper mache, consisting of seven layers of pressed card stock with horehair strengthener, mounted over steel coils and frame. Denver horror collective has built bridges to history, to the here and now, and to the future.
A soulless, machinepowered being with an empty laugh and an. Salivary lipocalin, or sal, the pig major urinary protein homologue. San franciscos playland at the beach, the golden years is the follow on to the early years, offering great photos taken by those who were there and remember. Sal is well armed with survival skills, but the sisters wont be able to hide forever. One of the most iconic fishing harbors of the west, the wharf is a beautiful combination of history and culture of which the world cant seem to get enough. Raising money for believe in tomorrow only in ocean city. Laffing definition of laffing by the free dictionary. When activated, laffing sal swivels around in a manner that demons mistakenly think looks human, and a record player located under her feet plays a looped recording of her haunting, mirthless laughter, which does not signify joy so much as the complete and utter absence of it. Laffing sal southebys auction 1994 vintage circus, gal. Playland at the beach san francisco dedicated to all who remember home. Laughing sal is talked about in the novel the godfather returns. The late late show with james corden recommended for you. Stephen graham jones is the author of sixteen and a half novels, six story collections, a couple of standalone novellas, and a couple of oneshot comic. Sep 08, 2016 the 6foottall laffing sal is an automated character that was built primarily to attract carnival and amusement park patrons to fun houses and dark rides in 1930s and 40s.
I found a reference to laughing laffing sal on page 45 of the book. Laffing synonyms, laffing pronunciation, laffing translation, english dictionary definition of laffing. For decades, laffing sal was the star feature at jesters fun house, one of ocean citys most memorable 20th century amusement attractions located on wicomico street off the boardwalk. Artist profile kevin poole ocean city bringing out the best. The third, psycho sal, appears at halloween season. Laughingsallaffingsalthefatladymp3 directory listing. The first is a traditionallooking one from an amusement park in ohio. Idora park 18991984 was a northeastern ohio amusement park popularly known as youngstowns million dollar playground. Oct, 2019 a 1963 episode of perry mason, the case of the twofaced turnabout, features the laffing sal and laffing sam at the nupike amusement park in long beach, california. This is the original facebook page for the laughing lady. Philadelphia toboggan coasters ptc is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. A secret gift share book recommendations with your.