Nostalgiafilter: Does anyone remember an animatronic Grinch display at department stores in the 1970s?

December 2, 2008 8:25 AM

Does anyone else that grew up in the 70s/early 80s remember the animatronic Grinch Christmas exhibit thing?

Growing up in Omaha in the late 70's I vividly remember how, for at least 2 Christmases in a row, our major downtown department store had a gigantic (to a 5 year old anyway) walk-through How the Grinch Stole Christmas display exhibit thing. It was very elaborate and definitely much more than just a sales display. In fact, we had to take a freight elevator to get to on of the upper warehouse floors, where it had taken over an entire floor.
You would walk from scene to scene, as animatronic robots modeled largely (as I recall) on the Chuck Jones cartoon would play out around you. This was much more all-encompassing than a Marshall Fields-style window display and I remember it being more like walking through the It's a Small World ride. Of course the fact that I was a small child at the time may be causing me to overstate the hugeness of the thing in my memory.
I've been trying for a decade to find more information on this, and all Ive been able to come up with is that it may have also happened at other department stores in the Federated chain. That and I also remember a very similar set-up a few years previous for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's odd because this sort of pop nostalgia seems tailor-made for the internet. I would have expected to see multiple sites by now. :(

So I come to you, bloodhounds of the MeFiVerse!
Does anyone else in the world have any idea what Im talking about!?!?

posted by Senor Cardgage to society & culture (3 comments total)

Funny how I typed all that ho-hah and forgot to mention the name of the store: Brandeis.

Even tho I put it in the tags.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 8:29 AM on December 2, 2008

I don't recall that, but I do recall Marshall Fields doing the Seuss window series AAAaaand and much better I remember seeing a "The art of Dr. Seuss" exhibition at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, it was awesome.
posted by Ponderance at 9:33 AM on December 2, 2008

Not only do I remember the display (it was truly amazing to a child) I still have the picture the last time I went to see Santa. My mother had insisted, I think I was about 11 years old and was totally humiliated at the entire process. My mom has passed away and I still have to smile when I see that picture and think about that Christmas visit.
posted by moorecampers at 3:57 PM on January 16