Casey at the Bat on Paradise Pier

The Games of the Boardwalk at Paradise Pier are a must-see for animation fans. The attention to detail on each booth is amazing, and my favorite--by far--is themed to the most infamous baseball moment in American folklore.

Casey at the Bat, with its unforgettable tale of tragic arrogance, deserves its place as one of our country's most beloved poems. Disney's adaptation, from the 1946 film Make Mine Music, leans a bit too far toward silliness, but its character designs and art direction are fantastic -- and those features come blazing to life at this amazing booth.

Everything in the design--from the crazed crowd in the stands to the glove-bat-and-ball fan whirling overhead and the white fence along the front--works brilliantly.

Mudville lives and breathes on one tiny, wonderful patch of DCA.

For a look at another Boardwalk game, please see our post on the Bullseye Stallion Stampede.

Bullseye Stallion Stampede

Bullseye is one of my very favorite Pixar characters, so I was happy to see him awarded an appropriate DCA mini-attraction of his own in 2009.

Soon after Toy Story Midway Mania opened on Paradise Pier in 2008, the area's midway games underwent a major theme change to add some desperately-needed character elements. The Bullseye Stallion Stampede is one of those games where a prize is awarded each time, and your odds of winning depend on how many other players take part. Rolling a ball into holes on the playing field sends your little 2-D horse advancing across the race track.

The best scenario for this game is for one or two parents to compete alongside their child with no other players present, guaranteeing a plush prize for a reasonable cost. Although "real" world carny games are notoriously stacked against the player, this family-friendly twist can actually be a good entertainment/souvenir deal when all participants are in the same touring group.