Tag: television

McDonaldland puppets in Balboa Park, and a mystery!

Years ago, McDonald’s gave a special treat to San Diego. The fast food restaurant donated two of their McDonaldland television commercial puppets to the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park. The two puppets are now perched up near the ceiling of the puppet theater, in shadow behind the audience seating. I happened to spy them yesterday!

I learned that over ten years ago McDonald’s donated their old McDonaldland puppets to various established puppet theaters around the country. The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater received the famous, lovable Bernice, plus the horned pink creature in my first two photos. The theater affectionately calls the latter their “Pink Monster,” but little seems known about this particular puppet’s history.

Both of these McDonald’s puppets are quite worn after many years, so they now sit quietly, themselves watching puppet performances on the Marie Hitchcock stage.

Okay, here’s the mystery! Do you recognize the big “Pink Monster” puppet with horns? Was it in fact ever used in McDonald’s commercials? What was it called? If you do know anything about it, please leave a comment!

And now, meet Bernice! You quite possibly recognize her!

Here’s the photograph that I took yesterday…

Wikipedia’s McDonaldland page includes:

Bernice (performed by Tim Blaney and Tony Urbano) – A strange creature that was introduced in 1992 and that ate inedible things like the script in the three-part “Ronald McDonald Makin’ Movies” commercial.

You can find a great photograph of Bernice with Ronald McDonald on the RestaurantClicks website by clicking here!

As that website explains: The lovable Bernice appeared in TV commercials with Ronald McDonald for a decade, from 1992 to 2001… The main personality characteristic of Bernice remains her ability to eat anything. In one memorable commercial, Bernice eats the script and throws everyone into chaos.

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Star Trek dancers beam into San Diego!

What happens when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds beams into San Diego for Comic-Con 2025? A Strange New Spectacle!

Dancers representing characters from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have appeared this Saturday on the streets of San Diego, performing in an unusual but entertaining Broadway-like production!

Who knew the 23rd century would be so much fun!

Captain Christopher Pike, Spock, Uhura, and the happy crew of the starship Enterprise danced before a large crowd in the Gaslamp Quarter, loosely reenacting scenes from the science fiction series. Boldly they went where no one has gone before: a noir murder mystery (complete with trench coats), a sudden zombie situation, a ’60s retro mission, a Vulcan wedding, and plenty of sci-fi mayhem that the crowd loved.

Yes, it was a little bit silly, but everyone loved it. Lots of kids were in the audience. A few even danced along with the futuristic acting troupe!

Wouldn’t dancing in San Diego in the 21st century violate Starfleet’s Prime Directive?

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Unified Intelligence Taskforce’s Black Archive in San Diego!

Would you like to help defend Earth from paranormal and extraterrestrial threats? UNIT’s (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) Black Archive has arrived in San Diego, where you can join forces with Doctor Who to investigate all things weird and terrifying!

The Doctor Who UNIT Black Archive is open free to the public in San Diego through this Sunday during Comic-Con. The super cool offsite is located on MLK Promenade, across Harbor Drive from the San Diego Convention Center. It’s open 10 am until 8 pm each day, except Sunday when it closes at 5 pm. When I visited the activation on Thursday afternoon, the wait was perhaps 15 minutes.

In addition to the exploration of Black Archive relics, visitors can take an outdoor photo op with Doctor Who props and purchase exclusive Doctor Who merchandise.

My photos provide a hint of what you’ll experience.

Doctor Who fans will go crazy. There are references to every sort of Doctor Who monster, creature and alien, and Easter Eggs concerning past and future shows abound.

The atmosphere inside the Black Archive is indeed creepy. It feels real!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Doctor Who cosplay at Comic-Con 2025!

An awesome Doctor Who cosplay photoshoot was held today in San Diego at Comic-Con 2025!

A whole host of Time Lords, companions and other Doctor Who characters posed on the grass in front of the Marriott Marquis San Diego for photographs.

I must admit, it has been years since I watched any Doctor Who episodes, so my knowledge is extremely sketchy. How many of these characters do you recognize?

Leave a comment! I’m sure my Doctor Who blogging friend Paul Bowler over in the UK, who is an expert on the very-long-running television series, will know exactly who’s Who!

By the way, check out the Van Gogh Starry Night TARDIS shirt!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Thursday fun begins at Comic-Con 2025!

The fun has officially begun this Thursday morning at Comic-Con 2025!

Fans are streaming into the San Diego Convention Center, long lines have formed at the many offsite activations, and cosplay has appeared everywhere downtown!

That’s Mario and Donkey Kong in the above photograph riding through the Gaslamp Quarter!

There was a Thursday morning line at the Pendry Hotel for the Donut Bar’s special donuts…

A line outside the Hard Rock Hotel for Spider-Man Magic: the Gathering.

People head toward the San Diego Convention Center past the Percy Jackson offsite in Gaslamp Square.

Check out this cool Code Vein II motorcycle!

Hot dogs!

Friendly masked Green Lantern had some cool comic books on a table along MLK Promenade.

A line of Abbott Elementary fans wait for the Block Party to open!

The line ends way over here!

Super Toucan chalk art on the bayside boardwalk!

The center of excitement: the San Diego Convention Center.

A steady stream of fans were arriving from their hotels by bus.

Get your 2025 San Diego Comic-Con shirt near the Interactive Zone at Petco Park.

Yes, there will be lots of trash.

The Thunderbolts ice cream truck would begin serving at 10 am.

A fun Phineas and Ferb photo op tucked away near the Percy Jackson offsite.

On the other side…

The Gray Sisters taxi outside the Percy Jackson offsite…

An example of cool cosplay on Thursday morning, back on MLK Promenade…

San Diego Comic-Con sights everywhere you turn! I love it!

C-3PO occupies the Coca Cola Star Wars box office!

Now that’s scary!

Heading back up Fifth Avenue. Another long offsite line. This is for The Lodge, promoting Paramount+ shows.

Hello there. This must be San Diego Comic-Con!

King of the Hill graphic at BAIT in the Gaslamp Quarter. Drinking in public gets one behind bars…

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Action on the morning of Comic-Con Preview Night!

Lots of action in downtown San Diego this morning! Wednesday has finally arrived, the day of Comic-Con 2025 Preview Night!

Comic-Con’s many offsite activations are in a big hurry to have everything ready to open tomorrow.

Some offsites have appeared almost overnight, including the Twisted Metal Bumper Battle and the Petco Park Interactive Zone. The Rady Shell has begun decorating for their big two day Crunchyroll Anime FanFest. The grassy strip between the Omni San Diego hotel and Harbor Drive is seeing several pop-ups now materializing, including Thunderbolts and Lilo & Stitch.

I enjoyed my usual morning walk through the Gaslamp Quarter and around the San Diego Convention Center. You can imagine how anticipation for Comic-Con is growing!

I saw only one instance of full cosplay, and the guy was in a big hurry. Exhibitors were streaming in from every direction to get their stuff ready. For some independent publishers and specialized vendors, Comic-Con with its nearly 140,000 attendees can be the biggest few days of the year.

Yes, every year, Comic-Con is one of San Diego’s most epic events! The world is watching!

Here’s a photographic taste of the Preview Night morning action…

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Gods prepare to descend on San Diego!

A small outpost of Mount Olympus is being built in downtown San Diego. Greek gods and goddesses will soon be descending from on high for Comic-Con 2025!

Are you a demigod? Is Zeus your dad? Athena your mom? Is Poseidon your grumpy uncle? Well, you’ll have the opportunity to fill in your family tree at the Disney offsite, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters!

The fun activation is still under construction in Gaslamp Square this Tuesday afternoon, a day before Comic-Con Preview Night. Open to the public beginning Thursday, visitors will see whether they are selected by one of the Greek gods.

With any luck, the gods in their wisdom will proclaim that I’m closely related to Prometheus, and I’ll have to be chained to a rock so that an eagle can eternally eat my liver.

Enjoy some photos before the craziness begins!

Wouldn’t the gods prefer marble construction?

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Cool graphics from Alien: Earth at Comic-Con!

I love these super cool graphics on the fence of the FX offsite at San Diego Comic-Con 2025. They promote the upcoming original series Alien: Earth.

It appears planet Earth is in serious trouble!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Buttworld Bounce House at San Diego Comic-Con!

Bottoms up San Diego! This isn’t your ordinary bounce house. It’s the Rick and Morty Buttworld Bounce House!

The Adult Swim offsite for Comic-Con 2025 is now being built behind the San Diego Convention Center. And right next to the boardwalk are giant rolls of toilet paper, massive plungers, and a bunch of fat, gross, inflated behinds! Yes, this activation might be ass-inine, butt… What fun!

Do you dare enter the bouncy Buttworld dimension? What if other Adult Swim visitors have eaten beans? How sanitary is this? But–but–but–

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Bad Guys, Predator, Superman and more outside Comic-Con!

New stuff outside Comic-Con 2025 keeps popping up! Look what I stumbled upon while walking around downtown San Diego this afternoon, two days before Preview Night!

First, check out the Gaslamp Quarter sign! It has been taken over by The Bad Guys 2! Some panels were on the nearby sidewalk, too. Not sure where they’re going to be placed…

Workers were putting up large frames along Harbor Drive near the trolley tracks. And into the frames go Peacemaker graphics…

Still putting up Comic-Con graphics on the San Diego Convention Center…

The Gaslamp is filling up with Comic-Con goodness. Check out some of the awesome AMC graphics…

Work continues on the Percy Jackson offsite at Gaslamp Square…

A spaceship has landed at the southeast corner of the Hard Rock Hotel. I was told there will be a Predator: Badlands screening here!

The Rookie and Abbott Elementary building wraps on Petco Park grow…

That vertical banner workers were having trouble with this morning is now attached to the corner of the Hilton’s parking garage. It promotes Little Nightmares III.

Some cool graphics have appeared on one fence at the Alien: Earth offsite by FX.

Another surprise! I was told this offsite in the courtyard beside the Hilton San Diego Bayfront will concern Superman! It’s a collaboration between DC Comics and Old Spice. I’m told there will be photo ops.

Adult Swim is shaping up slowly…

The fun Abbott Elementary Block Party is also shaping up…

The Coca Cola/Star Wars activation is taking shape at First Avenue on MLK Promenade near Harbor Drive…

The Fantastic Four mural near their offsite is about done, looking cool…

I’ve come full circle back to the Gaslamp Quarter, where STARZ wraps are still being applied to the Hard Rock Hotel…

The IGN balcony is about ready at the Hard Rock. Which celebrities will be spotted here?

I peeked inside The Lodge and found Mission: Impossible!

Outside, Happy Does’ yellow smiley face has been replaced with the Paramount mountain logo!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!