Leaderboard

This is most likely the exact same situation as when John Wardley was the creative lead at Tussauds. Creative projects like this always require massive teams, you only need to watch the recent documentary on The Haunted House to see that it was the product of a large creative team working together. The leaders on creative projects always get the lions share of praise (Or criticism!) because they are the public face of the project. It’s the same reason we revere film directors even though they’re one part of a larger team. John Wardley’s role in his projects is most likely over-estimated by quite a few enthusiasts. Also, @Theme park Fanantic pre Tussauds, shops on Towers Street sold brands like Gucci and Cartier, among others. Pretty wild to think about designer brands being on sale at parks these days!

The merch design this year is horribly camp.....

My niece-in-law is 10 and I can tell you she would love how dark and creepy Alty Mans is. Her younger sibling wouldn't. Some kids will love it, others won't. Much like many theme park attractions. It's clearly not a ride designed with a lot of humour in mind. Don't think that's necessarily a problem these days (massive difference in terms of expectations in theme parks these days after all compared to 30 years ago) as a lot of the humour in HH (lol what humour in Duel), seems to be overplayed as to how much there actually was. Nostalgia and the way it got spoken about in awed reverence often skews perception, especially to those who never rode it (see also original Bubbleworks). Sure for every parent moaning that it's "too scary" there'll be plenty of kids who love it. And if parents are that concerned there's plenty of evidence available for them to be VERY aware it's a darker themed ride.