Check out my rant about insane collectors with deep pockets on my blog here:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/chris_merritt/

Tang, what do you know about plans to re-open the tahitian terrace? dare I hope that the menu will be even close to the original?

Dare I admit how much money I shelled out a few years ago to purchase not just ONE but TWO personalized bricks on the walkway from D-land to DCA? I just HAD to memorialize my sister's wedding, and my father's birthday, in stone, on a piece of Disney property. I thought it was pretty cool - we were raised in the area and spent many a happy childhood memory there. Our bricks are hard to find though.

On 2004-10-15 11:39, tiki mick wrote:
Tang, what do you know about plans to re-open the tahitian terrace? dare I hope that the menu will be even close to the original?

I know nothing - NOTHING I tells ya! I think it's another internet rumor - but I'll check with my friends who still work at W.D.I. & see if I can find anything out...
I'd doubt it though - ever since the Entertainment Dept. talked them into the Aladdin's Oasis show (which failed miserably, of course), they've been trying to find another "pay extra for dinner and a show" concept...

You can buy your own tombstone here for $29.95. A lot of great collectables here.

http://www.phil-sears.com/Disneyana6.htm

This auction led to one of the funniest sessions on Tiki Shout that I've ever experienced. Tangaroa was joking that I should bid on the tombstone since it was only up to $25,200. I stupidly typed "Dare me to bid on it?" To which MachTiki typed "I double dog dare you" and Tangaroa added, "I triple dog dare you".

So of course I had to.

With great, gut-strangling trepidation, I clicked on the "bid" button, knowing that with 5 days left on the auction I was probably pretty safe. Still, that bid of $25,400 just about stopped my heart. Of course, I was immediately outbid by the bidder current high bidder, so with a sigh of relief I boasted of my exploits on Shout and was congratulated all around for my male stupidity.

"Your Turn, Tang." I now prompted Tangaroa.
"F**K NO!" he shouted back. But I think my "bawk bawk bawk"s got to him eventually and he went ahead and took the plunge.

We were ecstatic and all called him "da MAN!" He was shaking with the adrenaline rush of playing "Ebay Chicken". Now it was MachTiki's turn. His reluctance was even greater than Tangs, because he knew his wife would absolutely kill him.

I pick up the transcript of the Shout from that point on. Please note, you will have to read from the bottom up, just as if this was a real Tiki Shout conversation. Please note how a group of grown men quickly revert to playground mentality.

The Sperm Whale: You guys could be the dummy's and we will be the wise men 17:35:45
Tangaroa: The stupid-ass wives may just divorce them club. 17:35:43
Tiki-Toa: I tried I DID I DID 17:35:38
Sabu The Coconut Boy: I'm going to go get a drink. You let me know if any of you wusses decides to step up to the plate. 17:35:14
Tiki-Toa: it actually came up when I placed the bid for 26,000 17:35:06
MachTiki: Well guys. What's going to be the name of our elite club that Toa & Spermy AREN'T in? 17:35:00
The Sperm Whale: I mean darn my accounts all messed up 17:34:52
Tangaroa: WHAT! I must own all Sambo's signs! 17:34:37
The Sperm Whale: Thank god for cut and paste 17:34:35
The Sperm Whale: Account Suspended A hold has been placed on your eBay account. Our records indicate that your account is past due, or that your credit card has been declined twice. You will be unable to list or bid on items until full payment is made. Please send a check/money order payment or a one-time credit card. ME TOO TOA DARN DARN DARN 17:33:57
Tiki-Toa: no it is for really I actually owe them for listing fees 17:33:55
MachTiki: suuuuuure 17:33:40
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Tangaroa, I can understand. He bought six big Sambos signs for God's sake. 17:33:37
Tangaroa: Yeah riiiiight 17:33:31
Tiki-Toa: Account Suspended A hold has been placed on your eBay account. Our records indicate that your account is past due, or that your credit card has been declined twice. You will be unable to list or bid on items until full payment is made. Please send a check/money order payment or a one-time credit card payment request to Ebay IT WON"T LET ME!!! 17:33:07
MachTiki: My heart's still racing 17:32:52
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Because that's CRAZY!!!! 17:32:42
MachTiki: Why not?! 17:32:22
The Sperm Whale: YOu guyz are nuts 17:32:17
Sabu The Coconut Boy: I can't believe MachTiki did it. 17:32:00
The Sperm Whale: TOA YOur UP! 17:31:50
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Sperm Whale, you shoud be well aquainted with pier pressure. 17:31:44
MachTiki: Boooooooooooooooooo........... 17:31:39
The Sperm Whale: I think I'll stick with door number #2 17:31:25
Tiki-Toa: Spermy! Spermy! Spermy! 17:31:06
Tiki-Toa: Spermy! Spermy! Spermy! 17:31:00
Tiki-Toa: Spermy! Spermy! Spermy! 17:30:53
MachTiki: Spermy, Spermy. He's our man. If he can't do it no one can! 17:30:50
The Sperm Whale: Tangaroa: This is pure evil, by the way 17:30:48
MachTiki: Spermy! Spermy! Spermy! 17:30:16
The Sperm Whale: Uh what am I doing here 17:30:09
Tiki-Toa: actually I was thinking what ever shop it is that sells the tiki mugs 17:30:07
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Spermy! Spermy! Spermy! 17:29:59
MachTiki: SPERMY!! 17:29:49
The Sperm Whale: What's my name again 17:29:46
Tangaroa: indentured servitude at Coke Corner for life 17:29:33
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Yeah. Forgot it. Riiiiiight. 17:29:26
The Sperm Whale: I uh lost my credit cards 17:29:19
Tiki-Toa: hey I am the guy with no job, I will just tell them "well I guess I will have to work it off"
Sperm Whale: alot more then some 17:28:09
MachTiki: Same way I did 17:27:49
The Sperm Whale: I'll lose all the money for my wedding and then some 17:27:48
Tiki-Toa: who me, how did I get involved in this 17:27:28
Sabu The Coconut Boy: C'mon Spermy. There's five days left. What could possibly go wrong? 17:27:15
MachTiki: TOA... you're next 17:26:57
Tangaroa: This is pure evil, by the way 17:26:41
Tangaroa: You mean you WON"T do it... 17:26:24
MachTiki: buc... buc... buc 17:26:17
Tiki-Toa: COMMMMMMMMMMMMMME ON SPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPERMY !! 17:26:10
The Sperm Whale: I CAN'T Do It 17:26:00
The Sperm Whale: i mean 25,900 17:25:12
Tangaroa: Take it to $26,000 Sperm 17:24:54
The Sperm Whale: It's now at 29,000 17:24:45
MachTiki: Calm.... calm... calm 17:24:44
Tangaroa: Now it's Spermys turn... 17:24:35
Tangaroa: HOLY CRAP - MachTiki did it! 17:24:19
MachTiki: I bid $25,800.00 17:24:14
Sabu The Coconut Boy: How was the rush, Machtiki? 17:24:12
The Sperm Whale: yeah Epitaphs 17:24:02
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Do it! Do it! 17:23:44
Tiki-Toa: boy the peer pressure is large here tonight 17:23:42
The Sperm Whale: Let's go back to doing epitaphs 17:23:42
MachTiki: F*ck.... I DID IT!!!!!!!! 17:23:40
Tangaroa: It's the stupid club - everybody come along! 17:23:32
The Sperm Whale: I think your right 17:23:21
Sabu The Coconut Boy: Spermy thinks this little prank has gone far enough. 17:23:02
Tangaroa: "Mom - I can't let them call me chicken..." 17:22:58
Tangaroa: DO IT! DO IT! 17:22:42
Tiki-Toa: LOL 17:22:25
The Sperm Whale: I'm really scarred 17:22:20
Tangaroa: This is the stupidest auction ever 17:22:05
Tiki-Toa: man makes me wish I was Shag and could afford to bid 17
Sabu The Coconut Boy: No, the rush wouldn't be as good. Your turn, Spermy.
The Sperm Whale: Do it again, Tangaroa!

I wonder if Hanford realizes what uses his Tiki Shout is being put to.

Sabu.

PS: I got permission from all parties involved to post this shout transcript. We figure our wives will find out anyway through the grapevine. So we're just as dead one way or the other.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-10-15 19:01 ]

Doctor Z just bid $26,000. The drama continues...

You folks are really performing without a net!Gads,talk about living dangerously.

Up to $30,623!
Spermy & Toa - it's your turn! The longer you wait, the harder it will be....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=138&item=2277241669

On 2004-10-16 10:27, Tangaroa wrote:
Up to $30,623!
Spermy & Toa - it's your turn! The longer you wait, the harder it will be....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=138&item=2277241669

DAMN STRAIGHT!!!

Nice going Dr Z. Way to step up to the plate.

Next...

On 2004-10-16 10:27, Tangaroa wrote:
Up to $30,623!
Spermy & Toa - it's your turn! The longer you wait, the harder it will be....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=138&item=2277241669

man, i've seen some awesome games of chicken played out on tv and the movies, but you guys are collectively, "da man"!

chris, please call me to pick at your theme park carcass when you end up shelling out your 50k for your tombstone! amke sure they'll actually bury you under it if you win!

btw, if this price goes any higher, the charity will turn into the "home boyz club of amerika"!

i'm sure there's some fine print in the disney contract where if the price reaches a certain level, eisner gets to tattoo his initials on some boy's arse.....

hey tiki1963 - if I had 50K to spend, you know I'd be knocking on your door to pick up that item I tried to trade you for...!

On 2004-10-17 22:09, Tangaroa wrote:
hey tiki1963 - if I had 50K to spend, you know I'd be knocking on your door to pick up that item I tried to trade you for...!

man, you gotta swing by....have some new stuff since you were last here that's pretty good.

btw, did i give my halloween cd collection last year?

Noooooooo.... Gotta see whatcha got!

In the spirit of the Mansion auction - here's another fan:
http://www.2adults1child.com/fun_stuff/fun_stuff_tattoo_gallery_Mansion.htm

hey buddy...

anytime or lunch if you see fit. i wanna give you the halloween hootenanny collection. i've been doing them for over 15 years and are a halloween staple at this point!

RE the link: that giant turkey leg is a strange place for haunted mansion art. i actually think it helps the scary nature of the subject matter though!

Kind of brings new meaning to the phrase "cadaverous pallor"...

On 2004-10-18 21:38, ridetheory wrote:
Kind of brings new meaning to the phrase "cadaverous pallor"...

...or was it, "carnnivorous pallor"?

So the winner of this auction will only get to have his/her first name engraved on the tombstone.

Any chance that the winner of this auction will have a first name like "Pepsi" or "Sony"? What about more likely names like "Ford" or maybe even "Dell"?

Assuming one was able (and willing) to legally change their first name to something like "Fookyoo", I guess Disney would have to use it.

Any rich pranksters out there?

I think the rich part of the equation is obvious here... the prankster (which implies actual brains) - not so obvious...

On 2004-10-19 11:04, Hakalugi wrote:
Any chance that the winner of this auction will have a first name like "Pepsi" or "Sony"? What about more likely names like "Ford" or maybe even "Dell"?

Oh, that's moot anyway. I heard a rumor that Disney is planning to open a McDonalds inside the Haunted Mansion.

Did you read the disclaimer?

"Disney intends for the tombstone to remain an ongoing part of the Haunted Mansion attraction while it is operated at Disneyland park. However, because the Disneyland Resort is ever-changing and future business needs cannot be accurately predicted, Disney reserves the right in Disney's sole discretion to remove the tombstone at any time for any reason. In the event the tombstone is permanently removed on or prior to the tenth anniversary of its installation, the winner's only right or remedy shall be to receive a refund of the auction price."

If they take it out before the ten years are up, I'll bet the Boy's and Girls Club will be kind of miffed.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Mr. Dan H! awesome - glad you are on tikicentral!

My buddy Dan runs a great Theme/Amusement Park/Ride Theory Blog I post on sometimes called "Danny'sLand" Go here:
http://www.dannysland.blogspot.com/

Dan also gets super bonus points for schlepping those Sambo's signs I bought down here next month, saving me $100s in shipping costs...

And now my two worlds are brought a little closer....

Winning bid... $37,400.00 :o DAMN!!

Spermy & Tiki-Toa.... I'm...sooooooo...ashamed.....

Mach, Dr. Z, Sabu & I will now have to conduct our club meetings without you....

hey, the bidding ended ~ 37,400 ~ the winner also "placed his first bid Monday for a whopping $35,500 "as a joke" to give his friends one more thing to tease him about."

here's the full article Tombstone

which one of you TC'ers bid highest?

[ Edited by: dogbytes on 2004-10-22 12:04 ]

That would be Dr. Z, I believe....

OK - I kinda like that the winner isn't a Disneyland fanatic...
Here's the LA Times article, if you don't want to register:

A Ghoul and His Money ($37,400!) Will Soon Part
By Kimi Yoshino, Times Staff Writer

Cary Sharp is not a Disney zealot. Truth be told, he's been to Disneyland only once.
But he acknowledged Thursday afternoon — minutes after winning a $37,400 EBay charity auction to have his name and epitaph carved on a tombstone in the Anaheim park's Haunted Mansion attraction — that reasonable minds might disagree.
"I enjoy Disney; I'm not a Disney fanatic," said Sharp, a 37-year-old doctor and health care attorney from Baton Rouge, La. "Of course, this would raise questions now."
He placed his first bid Monday for a whopping $35,500 "as a joke" to give his friends one more thing to tease him about.
"To be honest, I seriously thought I would be outbid," he said. "I guess I'm a little bit stunned right now…. But I definitely have no regrets. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Disneyland has never given fans a chance to be a part of any attraction. Only longtime employees are immortalized in the park — in Haunted Mansion gravestones and in the store names along Main Street.
"It's been phenomenal," said Duncan Wardle, vice president of press and publicity for the Disneyland Resort. "I think it just completely caught people's imagination. We've never done anything like that."
When the tombstone offer first hit EBay, horror author Clive Barker started the bidding at $750. By the end of the first night, it had far surpassed Disney's expectations, climbing to $16,000.
But there are people like Patrick Hurd, 29, of Oklahoma City, a huge Haunted Mansion fan who went so far as to give his son the middle name of Gracey, after the ghost host in the attraction.
His final bid was $35,666.
"We honestly couldn't have gone any higher than we did," Hurd said. "We were going to max out the credit cards."
Sharp, meanwhile, logged back on to the auction with five minutes to spare, figuring he'd be willing to go a little past his $37,400 bid, which held steady Tuesday night and through Wednesday afternoon. But he didn't have to.
Within minutes of winning, he was on the phone with Disneyland officials, confirming that he had the money to pay (he does) and making sure he would sign all the necessary waivers (he will).
The money will be split between the Boys and Girls Club in Anaheim and one in Sharp's hometown. And it's a tax-deductible contribution.
"At least that'll be a plus," he said. "That'll take the bite out of the $37,400."

For anyone interested - DoomBuggies.com's message boards have pix of this nutter's "tombstone ceremony":
http://p080.ezboard.com/fdisneyshauntedmansionfrm0.showMessage?topicID=5794.topic
More photos are here: http://laughingplace.com/News-ID10021870.asp?Headline=1&Date=11/1/2004&Section=