Credit: UniversalAt this point, it should be no surprise to Disney and theme parks fans that the original iteration of Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, is now in the public domain. Inside the Magic has been covering the updates in recent months as well as the recent announcements of new content inspired by the iconic mouse that have been released within the last 48 hours. However, it seems as though Universal Orlando is cashing in on the newly available icon.
With Steamboat Willie available to the public, fans and studios were quick with their announcements of upcoming content inspired by the character. Some of these projects include a 2D animated shooter video game and a horror movie, and even more ideas will surely be revealed in the coming weeks.
Universal Orlando Resort is home to two theme parks, Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure, as well as the Volcano Bay Water Park. Excitement and anticipation are high for the upcoming third park, Epic Universe, which is expected to open in early summer 2025. Currently, the Universal Resort boasts attractions and areas themed after the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Simpsons, Marvel, Jurassic Park, Dr. Seuss, and the classic Sunday newspaper cartoons. This area, called Toon Lagoon, is a unique area of Islands of Adventure, providing two water attractions and the opportunity to cool off from the Florida heat with one of several water features.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Popeye & Bluto’s Blige-Rat Barges are two fun water rides in the area. Dudley Do-Right’s is more of a log flume attraction, like the former Splash Mountain, and Popeye’s is a water rapids ride, similar to the Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Both attractions guarantee to get you soaked, with Popeye’s also offering guests who didn’t ride the option to spray water cannons at the unfortunate guests on the ride.
In addition to the water ride, the Popeye’s area also included Me Ship, The Olive. “This colorful ship is an imaginative play area packed with fun from bow to stern. Across three decks you’ll find passageways, slides, climbing nets, horns, an interactive piano and more. You can even squirt unsuspecting passengers of Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges® with water cannons as they sail by below.” Guests are able to explore the ship from top to bottom, and it’s a nice, quiet area off the main pathway through Toon Lagoon.
As the rights for Disney’s iconic Steamboat Willie have now gone public, Universal decided to join in on the fun with a post to X/Twitter earlier this morning. “So, can we rename this Steamboat Wimpy now?”
So, can we rename this Steamboat Wimpy now? pic.twitter.com/56H1XnH13v
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) January 2, 2024
J. Wellington Wimpy, more commonly known as Wimpy, is one of the characters featured in the Popeye comic strips and is Popeye’s friend. He is also the face of the Wimpy’s quick service restaurant located near the Popeye area of the park. It’s a clever joke in line with other memes and jokes made in the wake of Steamboat Willie losing his trademark. Although it’s unlikely the attraction will actually receive a name change, based on Disney or any other franchise, the area has been in question for a while due to the outdated nature of many of the comic strip characters.
While it’s often cited as the most underrated section in Universal Orlando, Toon Lagoon’s comic strips are rapidly losing an audience as younger generations begin to attend the park more often. Despite Popeye and Betty Boop being some of the most famous cartoon characters of the last century, characters like Dagwood, Cathy, and Hagar the Horrible are typically relegated to print newspapers, which are arguably losing their reach with younger readers.
Despite Toon Lagoon being a quieter area perfect for those hot Florida days, the characters are slowly losing their relevance and guests very well could see an entire overhaul of the area in the future into characters more popular for the younger audience. For now though, guests can enjoy the water attractions and several restaurant and shopping locations the area offers.
What would you like to see take over Toon Lagoon? Or would you rather it stay the way it is?