The African Queen is finally alive after spending a few months developing it. Well actually, It was originally planned as a whole Jungle Cruise scene with the boat in the river. After spending a few weeks playing with different designs, it dawned on me that the real jewel of that ride isn't any of the scenes you experience but actually the ride vehicle itself. This propelled me to pause the scene design and put my focus on the boat itself.

Every time I visit Disneyland, I always stop into the shops to check out if there's any new "high end" merchandise for that attraction and I'm always left disappointed. I think they should have nice collectibles of every attraction vehicle.

These are the machines that float us into lands of excitement and wonder kind of like the scene in Willy Wonka where they go on the boat ride or the Wonka mobile. If the journey is the destination, then these attraction vehicles are the transformative and memorable catalysts that keep propelling us forward. Every time we ride into these attractions, we go with those close to us such as friends, lovers, and family. We’re all experiencing the same thing in a small enclosed vessel. Even with strangers, it’s fun and memorable.

So this is why I developed the African Queen, simply because I wanted one and now you can have one as well.

Now onto the next project!

-Jacob