Not to be confused with the mute Mickey and Minney costumes, these new robotic Muppets can interact vocally with Disney park visitors. The first to be tested is the “Muppet Mobile Lab”, driven by Dr. Honeydew and Beaker. The little egg-shaped vehicle roams around the park, interacting with guests by answering questions, spraying water and bubbles, leading the hokeypokey, and making humorous comments. It was debuted in the California Adventure theme park last week.
During this week’s initial testing phase, a team of Disney techs and Dave Goelz, the original voice of Muppet characters such as Dr. Honeydew and Gonzo, were behind the scenes in Anaheim. The goal is for one person to operate the characters from as far away as Glendale, the headquarters of Walt Disney Imagineering, the theme park design and development arm of Walt Disney Co.
The fact that no puppeteer is in sight gives these characters a reality that has not yet been seen in any of the costumed or other animatronic characters.
Here are some videos of the ordeal.
[via Los Angeles Times]
Tags: Disney, Muppets, robots, animatronics, theme parks
