At the History Center, an Inside-the-Park Exhibit

Here in Central Florida, many of us are experts on the local theme parks. We know the best attractions, and we know the ones to avoid. We might even have a favorite strategy or two to cut down on time spent standing in line.

But if you aspire to even loftier levels of theme-park erudition, you’ll want to visit the Orange County Regional History Center before the end of April to check out an exhibit called The Serious Art of Make-Believe.

I recently visited the exhibit, which offers a peek behind the scenes at Universal Orlando Resort. One of the first things I noticed was the truly creepy motorcycle driven by the Terra Queen in the 2005 edition of Halloween Horror Nights. With a horned creature’s head in front and giant dragon wings bringing up the rear, it looked as if it had been constructed from some giant animal’s bones.

Good thing I don’t scare easy!

As that mean motor scooter suggests, the point of the show is not to explore the movies and licensed characters, such as Spider-Man and Popeye, that have inspired attractions throughout Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure. Instead, its 300 drawings and 500 objects relate to the parks’ signature annual events, such as Halloween Horror Nights, Mardi Gras and Grinchmas.

“Those drawings and costumes and props: They’re made by people who live in Central Florida,” says Andy Sandall, assistant director of the center and curator of the exhibit. “A lot of this stuff has never been seen outside their offices.”

The show includes everything from the sort of props you’d see displayed at one of the parks to behind-the-scenes artwork that was created to help Universal executives visualize proposed projects. “It’s absolutely the most object-rich exhibit we’ve ever done at the museum,” notes Sandall, who adds that it’s also the museum’s most ambitious pop-culture show.

I was struck by two items from Grinchmas 2007: a small model of the event’s winter wonderland; and a satiny strapless crimson dress with white snowflake decorations and red-and-green poinsettia patterns.

The History Center has been presenting appearances by Universal artists to accompany the exhibit. Sandall can tell by the “very, very deep questions” from certain audience members at these events that the exhibit has struck a chord with the ultra-serious theme-park fan.

“When you see people with notebooks, you know they’re probably enjoying this on a deeper level than the average person,” Sandall offers. “But if you visit this exhibit and then go to Universal, you’re that person.”

Visit thehistorycenter.org for more information, including dates and times of public events related to The Serious Art of Make-Believe.

— Jay Boyar