Enchanted Forest commercial, Porter Indiana

[sonicwarrior]

Good place. We went there as well in the 60's 70's!

[fastfingers0]

YOU CANT SHAKE HANDS WITH A LION! I LION HAS PAWS!

[BarleyJack72]

we had our school picnic here every year in grade school....we use to ride the haunted house and jump off the cars inside in the dark LOL

[hoosierpunx70]

I used to love this place as a kid! My dad's company would have their picnick there every year, and I was always terrified of the giant indian guy at the entrance. I would hide in the back seat of my dad's care on the floor. He would have to coax me out until i would timidly inch toward him & realize he wasn't so bad. We went through this every year til I was older. Actually I know where the old guy is these days. He's in front of a shop in Toto, IN. with a fresh coat of paint. He looks great!

[SpringfieldGarand]

My grandparents were the original creators/owners of the Enchanted Forest and my parents ran the park through the 80's until its closing in 1990. I was born in 1980 and I'm the little boy seen in several places throughout the commercial: the front of the Mad Mouse car at 0:08, firing the cannon at 0:13, riding the tram at 0:17, and driving the red go-kart at 0:25. Seeing this ad brings back SO many fond memories of that time in my life. Thank you SO very much for posting this.

-Ted

[davejdog]

MadMouse is in Wisconsin, at Little AMerrickA theme park!

[DeFyAnTFoX]

Does anyone remember the skyliner.

[chicagodp]

I used to LOVE this place as a kid: Mad Mouse, Tobagan and the round up that was so scary because the boards in the middle used to bow depending on the wind.

Oddly, it turned into a water park and I worked there in college and didn't realize until mid-way through the summer that it used to be Enchanted Forest. So wild!

[MrTabby5000]

I loved those go carts.

[emy77777]

my first job was at enchanted forest! i stood at the front gate and checked returning customers for hand stamps.

[ColossiansNT]

Most excellent. I worked there in the 50's and 60's.

[tke48]

hahaha the enchanted ghetto.. thats great i remember the mouser was always broke

[uofmrules1]

I actually remember going to this park once back in, like, 1985 with my cousins. The big coaster was called Mad Mouse, and I remember there were no seat belts in the cars. (Try that today.) That's all I remember from it really.

[opryman65]

I remember this park - my dad took us there quite a bit in the late sevenites, eraly eighties. I loved the "fun house" they had there (it was very simple - had a train light on the ceiling that looked like you were going to be hit head on by a train). Had a lot of good times there on the sky lift too and the slow train LOL. Ilived in Mishwaka as a kid and this was one of the few enjoyments there...

[jencole29]

Thanks for posting that! I was in that commercial! My cousins's grandma was the housekeeper for the owners of the park, so all of us kids got to participate. Good times, lol.

[TB4000]

Haha, we used to go there all the time. I lived in Gary at the time, and every other weekend my dad would be like, "ya'll want to go to Enchanted Forest?" Our eyes would light up.

[jodieswife]

YES! We lived in Gary and we went there all the time. It used to seem so far away and exciting.

[BBmyQ]

cool i grew up near enchanted forest in portage--parents would take us there loved it

[VinylShellacLover]

I remember that commercial! Grew up in Goshen, IN...

[anythingdammit]

I remember the train that used to go around the entire place that you could walk faster than.

[chseaston]

@anythingdammit

I remember the smell of raw sewage when the train went a long the back of the park by the fence. Anyone else remember that also?

[hawthornestreet]

this is amazing. mad mouse i miss you.

[benjaminfalls]

I liked those cages you could get in and start rocking back and forth to try and get a loop going. They were across from the bumper cars. I used to get free EF tickets for selling raffle tickets at Westchester Middle School, hehe.

[althegamefreak]

i thought at first that it was the enchanted forest in maryland.

[heine71]

Is this from around 1988-1989? And from West Michigan/Grand Rapids TV?

[mchelbert]

I don't know what year this was from. I'd have to dig the old VHS tape out and see what was on tv before and after it. Your guess is pretty right on because I know the teen wolf cartoon was on this tape and that ran from 1986 to 1989. Itw as CBS in Indiana. Channel 16. Hope that helps.

[knightni73]

The CBS affiliate you speak of is 22. NBC is 16.

[mchelbert]

Your exactly right. Its 22 CBS.

Thanx:)

[GovernorBaker]

I think this ad might be from around the early or mid 80s, say 1983. Coincidentally, my uncle bought me a tape recorder around this time. We still have the cassette of me playing with it and you can hear this ad playing on the TV in the background.

[fr12jr34]

There was another amusement park I remember from youth. It was called Adventureland. It had two coasters, one called the super italian bobs, and the other one just the bobs. It had an amazing walk thru fun house. I believe it was in Illinois, or maybe Iowa, I'm not sure. Any other memories of this? Is it still around? Any pics, or video of this park? Time frame for me was around early seventies. Thanks!

[jbondelli]

Adventureland was in Addison, IL. Closed sometime in the late 70's/early 80's. I believe it was on Lake St. and Medinah Road. Haven't been able to find any pictures or anything about it.

[allahsnation]

I had a lot of fun there as a youth, in the summertime.

[fr12jr34]

Many fond memories of this place as a kid. I would love to see any home movies of this place. It was probably long gone before video cams were available. How about any 8mm films? I so loved the tiny rollercoaster seen at the beginning of the commercial. Also the haunted safari ride was a favorite. The mad mouse coaster, the paratrooper ride, the chair lift ride through the forest, I also remember great bumper cars. Again would love to see old film of this, or slideshow of pictures. Thanks!

[rowyntree]

Wish the commercial showed the big Indian that used to be there! I wish Enchanted Forest was still there instead of that rotten child molester infested Splash Down Dunes. Thanks for sharing the commercial.

[mchelbert]

I have pictures of that Indian from my childhood! I know where he is standing today as well. He is in Toto Indiana. (Its the same one the owner says so)I wish EF was still there too. Thanks for commenting!

[althegamefreak]

what is the area of the theme park now?since it was gone or years

[mchelbert]

There's a water park there now called Splash Down Dunes but I've never been there. I think some one commented on it before.:)

[lcampb00]

I remember enchanted forest, never went there but I had been by there on numerous occasions. They eventually built Splash Down Dunes where it used to be.

[mchelbert]

Yeah, they did! I have never been to Splash Down Dunes though.

[pezez]

i used to love the safari haunted ride.

[mchelbert]

I don't remember that one but I was a big chicken so its entirely possible my mom never took me on that.:)

I loved the animated pirate show. It was in a resturaunt and If Im right was before showbiz pizza and Chucky Cheese.