Timon and Pumbaa Bring Park Safety to iPhone

Here's a nice little freebie that popped up recently: Disney's taken those funny little Timon and Pumbaa safety signs from the park security stations and turned them into an iPhone app.

Wild About Safety presents the signage as a light-hearted little safety course. It takes you through about 16 tips--some animated, some not--with voice overs.

The art's unfortunately rather low-res, but it still looks great on a phone screen. No word on the home site about an Android version, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one turn up soon.

Alice in Wonderland's Curious Signage

There's nothing quite as Fantasyland-ish as an eyeful of Wonderland leaves. That's a nicely-designed sign, too. Although, sometimes these ride descriptions get a bit too literal...

Is it really necessary to point out that the ride vehicles are oversized caterpillars? I honestly don't think anyone in line is expecting to board a normal-sized three-inch-long caterpillar...at least, I certainly hope not. Ah, well, it's a fun bit of signage nevertheless.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Toontown: Horace Horsecollar's Gym

The thoroughly-pummeled punching bag signage for the Horace Horsecollar Gym dangles above the heads of Toontown guests. On clear days like this, the town's design -- with no real foliage visible behind the rooftops -- creates a neat illusion: the sky looks like a painted backdrop.

Estelle over at This Happy Place Blog posted a great 2007 shot of a rare Horace (and Clarabelle) appearance during a Walt Disney World parade. Terrific costumes -- I hope we get to see them in the parks more often. In the meantime, it's nice to see the good Mr. Horsecollar officially acknowledged as a Toontown business owner.

Sunday Signage: King Triton's Carousel

King Triton's Carousel may not be the most thrilling ride at Disney California Adventure, but it sure has a first-rate sign welcoming guests aboard. Have you ever seen Ol' Triton so overjoyed to see humans?

Maybe it would have been more in-character to have him scowling down at anyone entering...and then, during the ride, a life-size audioanimatronic of the Sea King could lunge up from behind a boulder and fire thunderbolts over riders' heads while bellowing, "GET OFF MY CAROUSEL, HUMANS!!!" That would have been awesome.

Getting back to reality, King Triton's Carousel is a fun feature of Paradise Pier, and was actually one of the few opening-day DCA attractions suitable for small children. Its location -- tucked off to the side between California Screamin' and Toy Story Midway Mania -- keeps the waiting lines short, and that's good news for guests!