Walt Disney’s Missing 300+ Pound Animatronic: Where is Buzzy?
Apr 7, 2019 18:40:42 GMT
mecano04 likes this
Post by hi224 on Apr 7, 2019 18:40:42 GMT
Inside jobs, broken laws, and mega corporations. Buzzy’s disappearance has it all. Buckle up for the most gripping story of this past decade.
Who is Buzzy?
To make a long story short, Buzzy is a four hundred pound animatronic of a human boy who lived inside Epcot Center, forever perched on a six foot high chair in the sky. That is, until he was stolen.
Picture from Google because Imgur is hard
Background
Walt Disney World in Florida is broken up into several different parks. One of the parks is called Epcot and it is based around several large pavilions based on different themes, like Innoventions, Mission: Space, and The Land. Many original pavilions have been shut down due to lack of corporate funding and low visit rates.
One of these pavilions was called “The Wonders of Life.” Inside, there were two attractions: “Body Wars” and “Cranium Command.” Buzzy, our hero, is the animatronic host of CC. CC was a ride that explored emotions and different functions of the brain. CC is actually the basis for the movie Inside Out. In 2007, Body Wars was shut down, CC followed.
So what happened next?
Breaking and Entering
With Body Wars no longer functioning, Wonders of Life became a dead space. This massive pavilion stood unused and the entrance was roped off. Eventually, Disney put up some false walls in front of the entrances to Body Wars and Cranium Command. The pavilion became the “Festival Center” where chefs would seasonally come to showcase food.
However, Body Wars and Cranium Command were never removed. They just sat there, untouched and barely hidden. This is when the “urban exploring” began.
If you look up Wonders of Life on Youtube, you’ll find dozens of videos of people sneaking in to the abandoned attractions. It wasn’t hard to access them because the doors were frequently unlocked due to the food vendors. You just had to climb over a rope and walk on in which is still, of course, trespassing.
Buzzy
Because the attractions never were stripped for parts, sitting right inside CC for urban explorers to see was Buzzy. Over the years, Buzzy started to look worse for wear. His hair was falling out, his eyes sagged, and his paint looked like crap. This is where our timeline begins.
In 2017, Buzzy is lit up 24/7 by a spotlight. This is likely to deter vandalism, although none had yet occurred. In this year, Buzzy also received a “red tag.” When Disney is considering demolition of an attraction, a red tag means “do not destroy” so old, historical pieces may enter the archives.
An incident report is filed stating Buzzy is missing his clothes and that the clothes were stolen between August 1st and 8th of 2018.
In mid August 2018, Disney employees are seen entering and exiting the building. Soon after, Buzzy is fixed: his paint is better, his clothes are changed, and his eyes are fixed. Rumors swirl around a special event where CC is opened for a short period.
In December of 2018, Buzzy is gone. He is cut messily out of his perch and hydraulic fluid is sprayed all around CC. This news drops on the 22nd, but we don’t know how long it had been since he was removed. Some sources say it may have been gone since November.
On December 19th, a search warrant is served on a popular “behind the scenes” Disney Twitter account owner. Inside there is no Buzzy, but there is Buzzy’s clothes and, morbidly, his hands. The man claims innocence.
Major news outlets pick up this story around Christmas 2018.
Theories
Number 1: Disney Took Buzzy
It would make sense that Disney removed Buzzy because he was red tagged. However, the removal of Buzzy by cutting hydraulic lines and prying him off makes less sense. It would not be difficult for a professional to unplug Buzzy and not make a mess of CC. Secondly, it is odd that Disney has made no statement saying that Buzzy was not stolen. It’s a bad look on the security of their parks that someone could haul out a 400 pound animatronic without getting caught. Third, if Buzzy wasn’t stolen, the search warrant served makes less sense. Some people also claim that perhaps he removed and management just wasn’t informed. However, internal Disney systems require a lot of checking with departments and inner communication, so this would be considered a major mess up.
Number 2: Urban Explorers Took Buzzy
This is the hardest one to pull off. It would not be possible to remove Buzzy, who is six feet in the air, alone. Therefore, it is possible a team of thieves may have done the deed. As stated before, the pavilion is often unlocked and not guarded. It is off in a corner of Epcot covered by trees. With planning, it could, in theory, be possible. Buzzy could have exited in a large wagon stroller or something. However, this is less than likely.
Number 3: Inside Job
This is the theory I personally subscribe to. Buzzy could have been taken by Disney employees to be sold on the black market (which does exist for Disney memorabilia). A park employee could have access to backstage areas, as well as closer parking, and permission to enter the pavilion. The issue with this is that employees are checked when leaving the parks. Then again, we don’t know if the checker could’ve been in on it, too.
Where do you think Buzzy is?
Sources
Jenny Nicholson on YouTube (Her twitter also had a lot of info. I love Jenny)
Who is Buzzy?
To make a long story short, Buzzy is a four hundred pound animatronic of a human boy who lived inside Epcot Center, forever perched on a six foot high chair in the sky. That is, until he was stolen.
Picture from Google because Imgur is hard
Background
Walt Disney World in Florida is broken up into several different parks. One of the parks is called Epcot and it is based around several large pavilions based on different themes, like Innoventions, Mission: Space, and The Land. Many original pavilions have been shut down due to lack of corporate funding and low visit rates.
One of these pavilions was called “The Wonders of Life.” Inside, there were two attractions: “Body Wars” and “Cranium Command.” Buzzy, our hero, is the animatronic host of CC. CC was a ride that explored emotions and different functions of the brain. CC is actually the basis for the movie Inside Out. In 2007, Body Wars was shut down, CC followed.
So what happened next?
Breaking and Entering
With Body Wars no longer functioning, Wonders of Life became a dead space. This massive pavilion stood unused and the entrance was roped off. Eventually, Disney put up some false walls in front of the entrances to Body Wars and Cranium Command. The pavilion became the “Festival Center” where chefs would seasonally come to showcase food.
However, Body Wars and Cranium Command were never removed. They just sat there, untouched and barely hidden. This is when the “urban exploring” began.
If you look up Wonders of Life on Youtube, you’ll find dozens of videos of people sneaking in to the abandoned attractions. It wasn’t hard to access them because the doors were frequently unlocked due to the food vendors. You just had to climb over a rope and walk on in which is still, of course, trespassing.
Buzzy
Because the attractions never were stripped for parts, sitting right inside CC for urban explorers to see was Buzzy. Over the years, Buzzy started to look worse for wear. His hair was falling out, his eyes sagged, and his paint looked like crap. This is where our timeline begins.
In 2017, Buzzy is lit up 24/7 by a spotlight. This is likely to deter vandalism, although none had yet occurred. In this year, Buzzy also received a “red tag.” When Disney is considering demolition of an attraction, a red tag means “do not destroy” so old, historical pieces may enter the archives.
An incident report is filed stating Buzzy is missing his clothes and that the clothes were stolen between August 1st and 8th of 2018.
In mid August 2018, Disney employees are seen entering and exiting the building. Soon after, Buzzy is fixed: his paint is better, his clothes are changed, and his eyes are fixed. Rumors swirl around a special event where CC is opened for a short period.
In December of 2018, Buzzy is gone. He is cut messily out of his perch and hydraulic fluid is sprayed all around CC. This news drops on the 22nd, but we don’t know how long it had been since he was removed. Some sources say it may have been gone since November.
On December 19th, a search warrant is served on a popular “behind the scenes” Disney Twitter account owner. Inside there is no Buzzy, but there is Buzzy’s clothes and, morbidly, his hands. The man claims innocence.
Major news outlets pick up this story around Christmas 2018.
Theories
Number 1: Disney Took Buzzy
It would make sense that Disney removed Buzzy because he was red tagged. However, the removal of Buzzy by cutting hydraulic lines and prying him off makes less sense. It would not be difficult for a professional to unplug Buzzy and not make a mess of CC. Secondly, it is odd that Disney has made no statement saying that Buzzy was not stolen. It’s a bad look on the security of their parks that someone could haul out a 400 pound animatronic without getting caught. Third, if Buzzy wasn’t stolen, the search warrant served makes less sense. Some people also claim that perhaps he removed and management just wasn’t informed. However, internal Disney systems require a lot of checking with departments and inner communication, so this would be considered a major mess up.
Number 2: Urban Explorers Took Buzzy
This is the hardest one to pull off. It would not be possible to remove Buzzy, who is six feet in the air, alone. Therefore, it is possible a team of thieves may have done the deed. As stated before, the pavilion is often unlocked and not guarded. It is off in a corner of Epcot covered by trees. With planning, it could, in theory, be possible. Buzzy could have exited in a large wagon stroller or something. However, this is less than likely.
Number 3: Inside Job
This is the theory I personally subscribe to. Buzzy could have been taken by Disney employees to be sold on the black market (which does exist for Disney memorabilia). A park employee could have access to backstage areas, as well as closer parking, and permission to enter the pavilion. The issue with this is that employees are checked when leaving the parks. Then again, we don’t know if the checker could’ve been in on it, too.
Where do you think Buzzy is?
Sources
Jenny Nicholson on YouTube (Her twitter also had a lot of info. I love Jenny)