Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 371
December 18, 2017
December 17, 2017
December 16, 2017
December 15, 2017
World’s 10 Weirdest Christmas Traditions
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While our own fascination with fruit cake and socks may be weird enough for some, let us take you around the world to find some of the most bizarre Christmas traditions and lore:
Japan: Eats KFC for Christmas
Greenland: Likes to eat raw whale skin and decomposed birds
Wales: Parades the town carrying a horse skull
Ukraine: Decorates trees with spooky spiders
India: Makes due with fruit trees
The Alps: Watches out for Krampus
Iceland: Fears a wardrobe-judging cat
Norway: Hides brooms to stave off witches
Czech Republic: Throws shoes in hopes of marital bliss
Venezuela: Skates to Christmas mass
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Orcas Hunt Great Whites and a Tattoo Salon?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[December 10-16th] Too much snow for a snowball fight, a mummy is diagnosed with cancer, and killer whales are hunting great white sharks.
5. Tattoo Salon?
A hair salon in Taiwan has blazed into unique territory, shaving art into a client’s head. After carefully contouring Donald Trump’s face on the back of an adventurous head, stylists dyed portions blonde to look just like the President.
4. Mummy Diagnosed with Cancer
A CT scan has revealed that this 2,000-year-old mummy had a tumor growing in his leg. Scientists were also able to determine it was malignant, an extremely rare find. The mummy belongs to the Cazenovia Public Library and was originally scanned ten years ago. At the time, they were able to find the lump, but the technology back then didn’t offer them much insight.
3. Snowball Fight Cancelled because of Snow
An amusement park in Georgia planned to have a snowball fight this past weekend, but had to cancel due to weather—closing the park completely. Snow is a relatively rare occurrence in the state, and a snowfall large enough for a good snowball fight is almost unheard of. That’s why park managers were surprised to find real snow had fallen where they had planned to make fake snow for the fight!
2. Airbus Draws a Giant Christmas Tree
Wanting to add a little extra holiday cheer, a flight test team based in Hamburg, Germany, managed to draw a Christmas tree—ornaments and all—above Europe. By tracking the plane’s progress via GPS, you can see the shape of the tree. Ten 360-degree loops had to be made to make the tree complete.
Some early “Season’s Greetings” from one of Flight Test Teams in Hamburg
December 14, 2017
The Times Square Ball Drops Into Ripley’s
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It’s a chilly evening. You’re standing in a crowd of millions, maybe even billions. You can hear cheers, laughter and the occasional sigh as people impatiently await a countdown. Ten… A wondrous, crystal ball, emitting fluorescent color patterns, begins to slide its way into Times Square. The roars of the masses flood New York City and three…two…one… It’s officially the New Year!
Now & Then
The dazzling New Year’s Eve Ball has been a staple for longer than you might have realized. Standing five feet tall and weighing 700 pounds, the Ball made its debut in 1907. Built of wood and iron, it was embellished with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs—slim in comparison to today’s 2,688 Waterford crystals and 32,256 LEDs! Believe it or not, the Ball can display over 16 million hues!
Continually upgraded, the Ball has been lowered every year since its debut, except in 1942 and 1943 due to wartime lighting restrictions in New York City. Regardless, crowds still gathered in Times Square, not to celebrate, rather to share a moment of silence and “ring out the old, ring in the new” with chimes. Today’s spectacle is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds!
See It for Yourself
Avoid the cold, the masses and the waiting! Ripley’s Times Square is the only place in the world where you can touch and interact with the original Ball from the 2007 centennial countdown, as well as the Waterford Crystal podium used from the 2002 through 2014 countdowns. Previously, only a select few high-profile individuals–including Lady Gaga, Christopher Reeve, Colin Powell and Muhammad Ali–have had the opportunity to ring in the New Year at the iconic podium. Now, it’s your chance!
Learn how you can relive the excitement of a New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, 365 days a year! Click here!
Ripley’s Gingerbread House Hollywood Christmas Parade Debut
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
To get into the holiday spirit, Ripley’s had three-time National Gingerbread House Competition winner, Patricia Howard, create a 5-foot-tall gingerbread house for the lobby of our Hollywood Odditorium. Believe it or not, Patricia spent more than 300 hours creating this edible dream home!
The gingerbread house was one of the centerpieces for Ripley’s during the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade!
After seeing the National Gingerbread competition on television, Howard decided to enter and, believe it or not, won the grand prize with the first gingerbread house she ever made! The Ripley’s gingerbread house uses the same design, but is five times bigger!
A contractor by trade, Howard knows just about everything about making houses—gingerbread or not. Despite being edible and smelling delicious, you wouldn’t want to take a bite of this gingerbread. She makes it extra tough—it would probably break your teeth!
Ginger-Facts:
The entire house took over 300 hours to make.
Over 100 eggs were used in baking!
Each wreath took an hour to make, over 1,000 leaves total!
Baked in Florida, the house traveled 2,500 miles to the parade.
The shingles are made from tortillas, each hand-cut.
Even the interior is decorated and edible!
THAT’S A WRAP!
Ripley’s proudest involvement was our donation of over $100,000 worth of Ripley books to Toys for Tots. To represent this donation, a stunning 12-foot-tall Christmas tree of books stood on the red carpet! (Don’t forget you can make your own Toys for Tots donation at Ripley’s locations around the country!)
If you’re looking for the perfect gift to give a loved one, you can get 25% off tickets to our world-famous attractions this holiday season!
The Hollywood Christmas parade will air a two-hour special premiere nationally on the CW Friday, December 15, 8PM/7PM CT, with second airings throughout the holiday season. You can also catch the parade on the Hallmark Channel and American Forces Network.
Source: Ripley’s Gingerbread House Hollywood Christmas Parade Debut
Or Not: Dog Myths We All Fall For
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Or Not
In today’s world many misconceptions have been perpetuated—becoming modern day “facts”—when, in reality, myths and hearsay have taken over. Sorry to burst your bubble, but in this weekly column, Ripley’s puts those delusions to the test, turning your world upside down, because you can’t always…Believe It!
Today: Dog Myths.
Dogs Eat Grass if They’re Sick
According to researchers, dogs just like to eat grass. Their original craving for the plant may have to do with the prey they ate as early wolves, but dogs will eat grass just for the taste of it. Some vets have observed that a dog will eat a lot of grass in order to induce vomiting, but this isn’t normal behavior.
A Dog’s Mouth is Cleaner than a Human’s
While a human’s mouth is a veritable cesspool of microorganisms, a dog spends its day sticking its tongue into all sorts of questionable places. Some rumors have even been floated that dog saliva can ward off infection, but dog saliva is just as dirty as human saliva. The culprit for being “cleaner” is simply due to different types of bacteria being present—the germs that affect you are more likely to be in your mouth already.
Dogs Are Colorblind
Though some dogs rely heavily on their senses of smell and hearing, some have excellent eyesight as well. Though they can’t see colors as vividly as people, most dogs can see blues, yellows, greens, and shades of gray.
Dog Years
The popular rule of thumb may be to multiply your dog’s age by seven to get their age in “dog years,” but veterinarians use a very different formula to equate your pup’s maturity with your own. Puppies develop quickly, but that accelerated aging doesn’t carry into their later years. Instead, the first two years are more akin to 12 years each. After that, just add four years for each human year.
A Dry Nose Means Your Dog Is Sick
A dog’s nose can go from wet to dry in a matter of seconds. The temperature, humidity, or excitement of your dog can all affect how moist it is.
A Wagging Tail Means a Happy Dog
A tail in motion can mean all sorts of things for a dog. While a dog will typically wag its tail when happy or excited, it can also wag when it feels afraid or threatened. Instead of just looking at the tail, read the whole dog’s body language to gauge how it feels.
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