My first trip to Islands of Adventure was during a soft opening in early May 1999. The discounted soft openings began on March 27, 1999. The official park opening was May 28, 1999, about 4 weeks after I went. One of the things that intrigued me was the monorail tracks that curved around Seuss Landing. This was to become Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s Very Unusual Driving Machines. Passengers were supposed to sit in a small vehicle that would go around the monorail track and they could control different elements of the machine. This attraction was not ready for opening day. In my future visits I was excited to see some Dr. Seuss cars riding along the monorail track, but no passengers. They were just there for show. The ride was reworked and opened as The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride on June 22, 2006. When I took my kids to IOA in 2007 I was so excited to ride it because I have been looking at empty tracks since 1999. I enjoyed it, even though it was not a monorail anymore.
Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s Very Unusual Driving Machines. In the original, unfinished version of the ride, guests would ride in the driving machines following the story of The Sneeches, much like they do today. Two guests would fit in the machine and journey along beams 15 feet above Seuss Landing. The layout was 1,500 feet, shared among two separate tracks. Riders could control the speed of their vehicle, honk the horn, and even bump the car ahead. The ride’s opening date was pushed back and two vehicles were created to circle around the tracks, without passengers. One car had Sylvester McMonkey McBean riding in his “Fix-it-up” vehicle. The other was a convertible filled with Sneeches and their beach belongings. After evacuation concerns, budget issues, and problems with manufacturer Severn Lamb, the opening was postponed indefinitely.
Grinch’s Lair. Since Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s Very Unusual Driving Machines did not open in 1999 the load/unload building was used for the Island Skipper Tours team member break room. In 2000 the queue was used for a Grinch meet and greet during the park’s first Grinchmas celebration, which coincided with the hit film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This area was used until 2005.
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! In 2006 Universal redesigned their Driving Machines into the more capacity friendly attraction: The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! MACK Rides, who also built Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Storm Force Accelatron, was the new manufacturer for the redesign. They constructed a tubular track on top of the old pre-existing steel monorail beams. Evacuation platforms were also built next to certain zones in the outside track. The two-person cars were redesigned to trains which seat up to 20 guests. The ride lasts about 3 minutes.
Queue. This attraction is close to the Lost Continent side of Seuss Landing. The entrance is through a “Sneetches In” opening in the building, similar to the 1961 Dr. Seuss book The Sneetches and Other Stories. Sneetches pictures are on the walls inside and a spinning contraption is overhead. The queue curves around many times. When guests get close to the load platform, they could head toward the purple track or the blue track, if both sides are running. The trains unload onto a separate platform, so an empty trolley enters the load platform, but it still loads pretty slowly.
Purple Track. In my video we ride the purple track. The narration gives us a tour of Seuss Landing, with some classic Seuss prose sprinkled in. We pass the Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop and the Caro-Seuss-el. Next, we pass the classic opening day attractions One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat. We glide over If I Ran the Zoo and the Green Eggs and Ham Cafe. Toward the end, we travel through two Zax who will not budge and Too Many Daves, characters from the Sneetches book. We also get a few lines about Mulberry Street, a nod to Dr. Seuss’ first published book in 1937. Animatronic Sneetches roasting frankfurters are at the end before we unload. Another audio version for this track is the Seuss A to Z spiel.
Blue Track. We did not ride this side, but it travels through Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-Pendous and then follows a similar route as the purple track. It has spiels about the Sneetches or silly sounds. Both tracks exit through the Snookers & Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers shop back into Seuss Landing.
REFERENCE:
Storybook Amusement (YouTube), “Universal’s Abandoned Dr. Seuss Ride: Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s Very Unusual Driving Machines” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zciJbwnmeIs
https://storybookamusement.com/blogs/universal/history-universal-islands-of-adventure-sylvester-mcmonkey-mcbeans-very-unusual-driving-machines
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