| P: Cake on a chair? J: Before the tour, they give visitors a slice of king cake. P: I know this. King cake is a coffee cake kind of pastry that is served at Mardi Gras parties. A small token, or "baby" is baked inside. The person who gets the baby in their slice has to host the next party. J: Very good. And no, I didn't get the baby. |
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| J: The tour goes through some of the storage areas at the Kern Studios. |
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| J: You know I'm going to ask if you know what
some of these figures are. P: Um, Madonna? J: Maybe I won't ask. It's Marilyn Monroe. |
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| P: Ooh, ooh! R2-D2! J: Yes, and next to him is his usual sidekick Groucho Marx. |
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| J: This is the prop shop. They actually do some
work in here. Right there you can see Bottom. P: That guy's skirt is kind of short, but I can't really see his butt. J: No, the unpainted donkey figure. It's Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream. P: So Bottom is an ass. I was closer than you think. |
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| J: They recycle a lot of the figures from past floats. This of course is George and Jane Jetson. The guide said that they are going to be turned into purple people eaters or something for a new float. |
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| P: Wow, that one is great. J: Well it's not really finished. What they do is cut out sections of styrofoam and glue them together to form a shape. Then they sculpt it into the shape they want. |
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| J: That is someone's workstation. |
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| J: The AFL Arena Bowl was in town on Sunday and
the Kern Studios did these figures for the game. There is one in a San Jose
uniform, one in a Philadelphia uniform, and two in half-and-half. P: I would imagine that they could use these over and over again. J: That's right. There was a guy a little later who was already repainting one of them. |
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| P: It looks like a big butter Buddha belly. J: Yeah, but that's not what I'm taking a picture of. There is a woman painting that Mardi Gras jester head over there. P: Try saying "big butter Buddha belly" three times fast. |
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| J: This float was used by the Krewe of Bacchus. It is a Bacchusaurus. |
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| P: Oh, that's just racist. J: No, these were made for Zulu. They mockingly wear blackface. Remember how they make fun of stupid stereotypes? P: When did you learn that? J: When I went to the museum in the Presbytere and you were in the Barely Legal strip club. P: Oh, yeah. Boobies! |
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| P: I bet this figure costs...one million
dollars! J: Very good. It is Doctor Evil from the Austin Powers movies. |
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| J: Good evening. P: It's afternoon. J: That is how Alfred Hitchcock used to open a lot of the episodes of his television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. |
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| P: Aaaaaaahhhh!!! J: Scary, huh? P: That clown is just creepy. J: These were built for the Krewe of Boo. They do a Halloween parade. |
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| J: I couldn't quite figure this one out. It is a prop from a float that looks like the logo from the Fantastic Four. Do they have krewes that are more politically conservative than others? |
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| P: Ah, my beloved Saints. J: I wonder how old this giant figure is. The Saints used to have a logo that featured a character like this with a giant chin, but that was many years ago. |
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| P: Who is this supposed to be? J: The guide said it was Jennifer Lopez. P: Must be cold. Her nips are sticking out. |
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| P: Manny, Moe and Jack? J: Oh, a wise guy, eh? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. P: Snap, Crackle and Pop? J: Why you, I oughta... P: I know it's not the Bee Gees. J: I'm gonna moider ya! |
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| P: Was this from the Passover parade or something? |
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| J: Look, it's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. There
is a motor that makes the blue robot's head go up and down. P: Cool! I remember them from, um, actually I don't remember them. J: That figures. How did I come up with such dim-witted imaginary friends? P: Dim-witted? Why, I never! I'm out of here. J: I'm sorry. P: No, that's okay. I have to leave anyway. There was this girl back at the strip club I have my eye on. |
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