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Rick's Old Stuff

Rick

Rick

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Scanning some bits and bobs in today. These went out ahead of the 1992 season, in a number of VHS releases and also as part of a tie in with Tesco.

TheCarousel_AltonTowers_1992Hype_1.jpg


TheCarousel_AltonTowers_1992Hype_2.jpg


TheCarousel_AltonTowers_1992Hype_3.jpg


If you like this sort of stuff, you might like what I have put together at themepark.org.uk
 
It's weird seeing "Where Wonders Never Cease" as the slogan. I'm so used to hearing "Where The Magic Never Ends".

I can only guess the earlier slogan wasn't catchy enough. It's interesting though that Magic has become synonymous with Theme Parks (mainly due to Disney) and originally Alton went for something different.
 
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Tim said:
I can only guess the earlier slogan wasn't catchy enough. It's interesting though that Magic has become synonymous with Theme Parks (mainly due to Disney) and originally Alton went for something different.
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Alton's branding had been trying to copy compare itself to Disneyland for a long time though, I guess when Tussauds came in they wanted to steer away from the word magic until realising Disney weren't exactly gonna sue them

Very cool promo art for the rides!
 
OilyWater said:
Alton's branding had been trying to copy compare itself to Disneyland for a long time though, I guess when Tussauds came in they wanted to steer away from the word magic until realising Disney weren't exactly gonna sue them

Very cool promo art for the rides!
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It was Tussauds themselves who brought in the slogan 'Where the magic never ends', in the early 90's, which stayed until about 2004 I believe, when it was dropped off all logos, promo material and what not

I always thought it was a brilliant slogan for the park given its location, should never have got rid of it. It would still work today I think.
 
DistortAMG said:
It was Tussauds themselves who brought in the slogan 'Where the magic never ends', in the early 90's, which stayed until about 2004 I believe, when it was dropped off all logos, promo material and what not

I always thought it was a brilliant slogan for the park given its location, should never have got rid of it. It would still work today I think.
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Yeah it was a good tagline. Pre Tussauds things were a bit more on the nose, I have an old guidebook somewhere where the text across the front page says "The magic of Disneyland, the heritage of Alton Towers"! So maybe Tussauds initial tagline didnt use the word magic because it was so Disney associated at the time, but changed their mind
 
They did try both in 1992 - the magic clearly grabbed more attention.

Screenshot-1.png


It was a great tagline and the branding in general was very strong. The brand felt a bit lost and confused when they dropped 'the magic'. While from 2008 onwards there has been a strengthening and consistency with branding and marketing I can't help but feel none of it feels as natural as 'Where the Magic Never Ends' and the whole 90s ethos. Lets not forget 'the magic' was more than some fancy slogan and marketing, it was the heart of Alton Towers.

Rose tinted glasses I know.
 
Interestingly it was entirely Nick Varney's drive with the park too in the 90s and I kinda wish Merlin would recapture that better today
 
There's something so much more magical about the hand painted promotional material of the glory days compared to the terrible photoshop jobs that most modern attractions receive.

Thanks for uploading Rick.
 
James said:
Lets not forget 'the magic' was more than some fancy slogan and marketing, it was the heart of Alton Towers.
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In my opinion the "magic" left with Peter Rabbit and the closure of the Fountain Square stage. I think CBeebies has helped bring some of it back with live entertainment, but there is still more needed.
 
Thameslink Rail said:
I don't think that will connect anymore, at least not since PhONEday
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01538 is still the right area code for Alton though, however calling 01538 702200 results in "sorry it was not possible to connect your call".

I think there are several other 01538 numbers that do still work though. Its been a few years but I have used them to avoid calling 0870/0845 numbers that are expensive.
 
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