Wonkavision: A Journey Into Home
by LostRainbow, HSM guest contributor
Did you ever think to yourself, while hanging out on Home, how cool would it be to physically enjoy the space you were visiting?
I was thinking that sometime in the distant future Sony could invent a device that could actually shrink you down, turn you into your avatar and place you on Home. This thought came to me while I was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the movie, the Wonkavision machine sends chocolate bars through the television and allows the person to take the bar right from the screen. The chocolate bars shrink to about six inches high. One of the characters, Mike Teevee, who is obsessed with TV, uses the machine to send himself into the television and shrink himself down to about an inch high. I thought to myself: how cool would that be, to be able to do that and go explore Home?
Willy Wonka’s factory is also home to a magical elevator with rows of buttons that will transport you wherever you want to go. Who would have guessed that a movie that came out in 1971 could be so ahead of its time? While in reality the likelihood of this happening is slim to none, I got to thinking that if it were actually possible, which Home spaces would I like to hang out in or live in? How cool it would be, to be able to do this and hang out with friends that live far away!
Where would your personal Wonkavision transport you? What buttons would you push in the elevator? Where would you go in Home?
My first choice, hands down, would be Tropical Escape. Everything about this space is so calming. The waters are clear blue and the sun is always shining. It reminds me of being in Hawaii or on a Caribbean Island. I thought I would have it set up similar to how I have it on Home, but I’d also be able to swim in the water, and I would own a small boat to take me to the mainland to get food and supplies.
While my space in Home doesn’t have a kitchen, I would have one built. I would keep it well stocked with food and drinks, and issue an open invitation for my friends to come visit and hang out with me. Can you imagine how awesome it would be to live in this tropical haven with your own private beach?
My second choice would be The Lakeside Log Cabin. The space is cozy with its fireplace, and it also has a beautiful sunset. I love the large outdoor deck where you can sit in a comfortable lounge chair and watch the sky magically change color as night falls. The outdoor deck would also be a fun place to host a party and have a bunch of friends over. It would for sure have a hot tub to relax in!
You could even live here year round. In the winter you could sit by the fireplace and watch the snow fall through the big picture windows. I imagine that there is a ski resort nearby, so you’d always have fun things to do.
My last choice would be The Waterfall Terrace. This space has a lot of room to hang out in and decorate. It has spectacular views, especially of a Niagara Falls-esque waterfall right out the bottom floor window! I also love the spacious deck with the views of cliffs and more waterfalls reminiscent of Hawaii. The large paddle wheel, the bridge and the high lookout point where you can see the falls are some of the unique things about this space.
It’s also cool that there is a boat there. I imagine hanging out with friends and taking the boat to explore the waters. We’d have to be careful to stay away from the giant waterfall, because we wouldn’t want to go over the edge! For dinner, we could go fishing and grill up something while we hang on the deck and listen to the calming sound of the waterfalls and the water swishing in the paddle wheel.
There are also a lot of cool public spaces I would like to hang out in. My first choice would definitely be The Midway. I would want to be able to go to all three of them. I love playing games when I go to amusement parks, so this would be a great place to hang out with friends. The games are challenging and have great prizes. Of course I would want to win them all, and would not give up until I did!
My second choice would be The Hub and Pier Park. I feel these two places are near each other, so I can visit both. I like The Hub because there is a variety of people and it is so much fun to people watch. It’s also cool because there is a place to dance and hang out. I imagine I could take one of those overhead trains over to Pier Park and ride the giant Ferris wheel. Ever since I saw that Ferris wheel, I have wanted to ride it. It’s nice to be high up and see all the cool scenery.
My final choice would be Irem Square and the Seaside of Memories. I know those spaces don’t exist anymore on Home, but I used to love visiting them. I imagine I would go from vendor to vendor sampling the food. I’d also play the arcade games there and win all the prizes. I would then go to the little store to buy a new bathing suit and snorkel, and then I would hop aboard the bus and head to the Seaside of Memories. I’d spend some time snorkeling and then go hang out with some friends in one of those cool huts and get something to eat. When it would start to get dark I’d jump back on the bus to Irem Square and head up the ramp to watch the fireworks and maybe buy a cool tee-shirt from the guy up there.
It’s fun to imagine that you could be transported into Home, like in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Where you would like to hang out and what you would do? I guess for now, when I turn on Home I can just imagine myself sitting on a warm tropical beach, sitting by a cozy fireplace or exploring the waters near a large waterfall! When I go and hang out in The Hub, I can people watch and imagine I am really there.
I hope in the future I can actually do this for real. How amazing would that be? With all the technology out there, who’s to say this can’t really happen? Maybe it can, maybe it can’t, but it’s fun to imagine the possibilities. Who knew that a movie made in 1971 would inspire me to want to do this someday? If Willy Wonka existed for real I think he’d be working on a way to invent something like this!
June 9th, 2012 by LostRainbow | 3 comments
LostRainbow is a Guest Contributer to HSM. She is also an online gaming veteran and a professional private beta tester who lives in New York City. She will hopefully someday find The Rainbow Connection.
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That would be awesome! Then I would be able to dance. LOL
And… who said Willy Wonka isn’t real?
I Love that movie. I think Willy Wonka was on to something! It would be great to hang in the waterfall terrace or race in Sodium 2. Great article Lost!
Very nice and whimsical article Rainbow. I loved the older version of the Chocolate Factory, for one thing the songs were funny as were the Umplumpas. I would probably pick the Waterfall too as one of mine and also the Dream Yacht, so we could live like kings and cruise around. As for public spaces I think that Aurora would be one as it is as whimsical as your article is. Nice job.