The original ride was amazing! Dreamfinder was Walt and Figment was his childlike spark of Imagination. That ride gave heart to EPCOT.

At this point.. FIgment is one of the only things that embodies original Epcot Center and has to be protected

As an ex cast member from 86. Original figment was the best. Thank you for this. Please bring him back. The entire original ride. Rebuilt. Disney. Time to fix your mistake. I was gone for decades. I came back to live here and was depressed on this lame version of Figment. Please for the love of DreamFinder bring it back. ❤❤❤

Restore the Imagination! Bring back Dreamfinder!

Riding the original Figment ride and also Horizons gave me a feeling of truly going to another world as a child.

Just knowing that the most 80’s park’s mascot’s name was inspired by an iconic 80’s TV show is very satisfying

What an imaginative expose! I never knew half of this backstory, and I loved the original attraction. You’ve done it again, Brickey!

It's a crime what they did to figment. The original ride was great!

Finally, a vlog that explains the Figment phenomenon completely. Most Figment videos I've watched only speak of this dude in a way that assumes everyone just knows who he is. Your video answers some questions. 🤘

You Really missed out on the Orginal Ride, its one of the things I remember most when I was a kid on my Trip to WDW. That attraction was incredible, you would have loved it.

I’ve been going to Epcot since October 1982. Imagination pavilion was incredible. Dreamfinder was the Man. Joe Rhode also was in the movie guests could play a part in. 80’s Epcot was Legendary. Horizons is my channels avatar.Todays Epcot is nice,but the original was special.

Yeah I remember the original ride with the dream finder and figment. It was so much better it was magical. The first half of the ride was so mesmerizing because you could tell you were moving and yet you seemed to be standing still moving with the show😮🎉 I've never seen anything like it since.

Another big component of the ride that no one ever talks about, and can’t be conveyed in pictures, was the smell. Instead of the stinky smell, it smelled like roses throughout the ride. That made it even more magical!

When I was little... Figment was the foundation of my love for EPCOT and made it my favorite park. I loved EVERYTHING about him! I just rode the current ride 2 days ago... it was so extremely depressing, and I really miss it! I'll forever hum the tune and sing in my head... "Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow, horns of a steer, but a lovable fellow. From head to tail, he’s royal purple pigment, and there, voila, you’ve got a Figment." and keep dreaming that they might just bring something like the original back someday!

The original ride was one of the greatest Disney dark rides, on par with Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Horizons was at the same level. Epcot was amazing in the 80s and into the 90s then it lost its way. I think it is starting to find it again, but slowly.

A friend's dad worked for Kodak early during this era. We're trying to get as many stories as possible, but it was incredibly stressful. EPCOT's been through so much, and always deserved more sustained attention and effort.

I remember the first version with the original Dreamfinder. Kodak was huge, and had a long association with the parks due to Walt’s relationship with Linkletter who agreed to host the opening of Disneyland on TV for the rights to put his Kodak (a company he co owned) in a shop at main street. The popularity is nostalgia.

Brickey could cosplay a mean dreamfinder! (If he was into that kind of thing, LOL). Also an amazingly comprehensive documentary film of this ride's history! 10/10

Not all of us are here because of the first iteration… I only grew up with the current one and I love both versions of this dragon and actually feel like they are just both different sides of the same character. I also love DreamFinder, despite never having had the pleasure of getting to take any “flights of fancy” with him. I just love ALL the Figment stuff.

Attractions are IP, too. Those that originate in the parks might drive greater sales because they can only be experienced at the parks, unlike a movie or show that can be accessed on demand.

Thanks for this explanation! I’ve always been curious about this and got to finally ride it at the end of a long Epcot day last year… I was confused, surprised but smiling and happy.

Just watched a full ride through of the original and i truly believe all disneyfans need to band together and demand they bring this back!! Recreate it please!!!!

Figment? Dude is adorable

Hello! Obsessed Figment person here. I've loved Figment myself for 3 years, and he's been my favorite Disney Character of all time. He's loveable, cute, and a childlike character. I've always wanted Disney to bring back Dreamfinder and the Original Journey Into Imagination because I know how much people loved the ride and would want it to return. I really loved more of Billy Barty's version of Figment because he had such a personality that sticked with us for years, and concluding the fact that Disney took down the original attraction broke so many hearts. I have never been to EPCOT in my life, nor have I ever ridden the attraction, but I am someone who knows what people want in terms of EPCOT, and believe me, I know what is up. But in the end, I hope Disney makes the RIGHT choices and bring back the loveable, imaginary, most creative characters of all time, Dreamfinder & Figment as a Duo.

The orginal ride was great! My family are from the UK so this ride, the song and the characters weren't something we knew about until we visited in 1993, but it made such a connection and was one of the most memorable things from the holiday. Definitely a case of executives not understanding when they have something special. ...and later not understanding why it was special.

Thank you for this! I rode this ride for the 1st time last year and I thought it was terrible and didn't know why it was so popular

Great video! Yeah, Disney did Figment dirty when they redid the ride in 98.

A character fit, for any imagination, suited for all possibilities and willing to please the toughest of nay sayers.

For my 80's EPCOT kid, Figment was the Mickey Mouse! I'm so happy to have experienced it. COME BACK FIGMENT!

Figment 1 was awesome! And when I worked in and around the parks, he embodied a lot of why I was there.

I’m a Californian that identifies Disneyland as my home park but was lucky enough to go to WDW a few times as a kid to ride the original Journey Into Imagination. And moreover, I can still remember The Living Seas, World of Motion, Horizons, The Universe of Energy, and so many more pavilions. See, Figment is the holdover from that time where Edutainment was more important than IP integration. The IP were the attractions themselves and they adhered to Walt as an Optimistic Futurist. You could say Figment is one of the last holdovers from that beautiful vibe EPCOT Center used to have, which is why the character is held so dearly by we who were lucky enough to experience what this park used to be - a celebration of who we are and where we are going.

Thanks for this video. My first time at WDW was in 1989 on my honeymoon. I loved the Imagination ride! We still have a 1989 plush Figment from that trip. We met Dream Finder and Figment once outside the gift shop. I missed the first change (fortunately) and am grateful for the revision. I never knew the “why” other than knowing Honey I Shrunk the Audience was part of the change. It’s crazy to me that they did what they did for a change they wanted - not listening to the people. But they continue on. Figment deserves better!

Another reason why this ride got replaced was because Kodak was in a little bit of a ditch because of bankruptcy and digital photos becoming popular in the late 90s.( also because the ride was ahead of its time so that means that they had to pay a lot of money for the turntable scene.)

This is me, figment! It seems I have been summoned here and I found this video. This is a great video and I’ve been searching through KZfaq on my imagination browser and this video was really Interesting on giving more history. It has been a while since me and Dreamfinder parted. I would love to be reunited. We must tell Disney that we’re tired of dreaming about the past and that it is time to revive Journey into imagination back to its original glory! #SaveFigment! 💜 - Your friend, Figment ⭐️✨💜

My home park! So glad you went back!

I wish I could see the Dreamfinder in today's ride. If you want some OG Figment, the graphic novel/comic Disney released is pretty entertaining!

You had my husband at Magnum PI. I’m old old school WDW and the first Imagination pavilion was really cool. I had forgot about all the sponsors. But immediately remembered Kodak. I guess Chevy is the only one left. Back in the day, I thought Figment a little lame. Where was Mickey? But now I love him. Total nostalgia vibes.

My boys loved Figment. So did we parents. He was a delight. I think one of them may still have the Figment stuffy we brought home from what seemed ages ago. One is in his forties and the other will be this August.

I appreciate this video as someone who first went to epcot when the original version of the ride was still there and fell in love with the little purple imagination dragon. Hell I have a Figment tattoo. :)

Thanks for this episode - I'm with you ... as a west coaster I've never gotten it. Who he is, WHAT he is, etc. I guess it's a bit clearer now, but yeah ... I doubt I'll ever be "Team Figment".

I think one of the main draws to Figment related items is the fact that he's a symbol of original Epcot. A lot of the people who are "Disney Adults" grew up with 80/90's Epcot and it's vastly different than today's Epcot. A lot of that generation misses "old" Epcot. That combined with most of those Disney adults being millennials and us seem to be a generation obsession with nostalgia in general... It makes sense why people flock for Figment merch. I'm sure some people grab it, because simply it's just a popular item, or because "he's cute". However, I think the main reason is because a lot of people are just holding onto what they can of "old" Epcot before it disappears. I kind of wonder if they grab it simply because it "may be the last time". As I don't recall being this much hype about Figment until just the last few years when it was announced Disney was making changes at Epcot. He's always been popular, but it's definitely peaked since constructed started.

It was so dissapointing that I couldn't show my kid the wonder that was the Figment of my own youth. They like dragons and purple, so Figment was still a hit, but they didn't get the same magic. Thank you for this retrospective, I learned things about my favorite lost ride that I hadn't known before.

I never rode the OG ride, but still when I did visit the park my kids (young adults) rode it and loved it

Figment is the best part of Epcot. Journey Into Imagination was the best pavilion. It sickens me that they got rid of the original ride and the rainbow tunnel with the interactive games. And there wasn't anything "alleged" about Dreamfinder walking around with a puppet version of Figment. My sister and I met them after my family went to the Journey Into Imagination pavilion. We have a photo of us together. I don't think I'd want to go back to WDW now, there's too many good things that are gone.

A fun thing about Figment, he was put into the videogame Disney Speed Storm. He is aged up compared to how he is on the rides, but he is full of his original spirit of being full of imagination and joy. Now I want that version to be incorporated into the parks because he's fantastic in the game.

Been a long long long time since I've been there, but pretty much all I remember is Figment, that Viking ride with the drop, the Aztec pavilion, and my marble elephant that went flying out of plastic bag when I was swinging it around that broke into four pieces. Oh and elephant #2 that's sitting on my desk right now.

I got to Disney in 1985 and fell in love with Figment. In fact,mwhen I got to choose a character to buy i got a figment, and I had it nearby for years.

It's nostalgia. I went to WDW for the first time in the early 90's with my school choir. And my friends and I thought the song was so funny. So it just became a thing. So I think for most it's the nostalgia is the character.

Thanks for more East Coast content Brickey!

Yes , that needed some in depth explaining. I do recall the eighties attraction and most definitely the dream finder. “Wonka” like and very memorable 😀. Last year same, completely confused. But “hey” thanks for the backstory. I’m a little better off now !

As a big figment lover. He means a lot to me and my childhood. The day I went to see the first of the two remakes before the current one I walked of the ride mad. So mad. They almost removed figment altogether. I was stopped by a cast member to do a survey. I was honest. And harsh on how I felt. Two weeks later when I was home from my trip I got a call from Anaheim. It was a cast member asking me all about the survey. And my feelings on figment. A few weeks after that call I got a post card from figment. They redid the ride to what it is now. Do I love the ride. No. Am I happy I get to see figment. Yes. I always cry at the very last scene with all the figgies. Disney needs to do better.

I wasn’t cool enough to ride the first 2 versions but as a wdw pass holder I cannot tell you enough how much I love figment. He’s precious, even when he’s annoying 😂

I was lucky enough to go to E.P.C.O.T. Center (back when it was called that) in 1985 on a school trip, and Figment was one of my favorite parts of the park. The original Figment was so much fun! I was so disappointed when I returned to EPCOT years later and they had totally changed the ride and Figment's personality.

I remember going and seeing the original ride, before Disney decided to change the entire thing. Dreamfinder and the journey into true imagination was a fantastic experience. The newer just seemed to feel more of a publicity project. Not to mention having that creepiest looking sight toward the end (traumatizing moon anyone?)

Thank you for bringing to the world here why so many of us are so enamored with Figment...for GenX, another help...that maybe we didn't catch until later...Figment was originally voiced by an actor/voice actor who did a lot of children's television in the '70s...so an adorable child-like character with a familiar voice cinched his popularity early on...and that carried on to GenX's children for those lucky enough to experience the original Journey Into Imagination

I want a reimagining of this ride. Let the imagineers go wild telling us about imagination, creativity, and dreaming. And I want Jack Black as the Dreamfinder!

My husband and I were lucky enough to get to see the original version with both Figment and Dreamfinder on our honeymoon. I fell in love with the ride and characters at first sight. I still miss it and am firmly in the camp that wants them to bring that ride back. The sweetness of the ride, and the way it encouraged kids to dream and how to think creatively was pure Epcot. My heart almost broke when they had stopped the Figment meet and greets for a good decade before they brought him back (thank you popcorn bucket Figment!). I'd accept them updating the ride by bringing technology up to date, but the spirit of the ride needs to be there, It needs to be Dreamfinder and Figment, and they need to completely toss out anything related to the institute! And I know I'm not the only one who's been vocal about it for years! Heck, they already released 2 comic book series centered around Figment, Dreamfinder, and Dreamfinder's niece. If they want a "new" story arc, use the ones out of the comics! It even opens up the possibility of multiple types of "Figments" and mentions that everyone can have one of their own They could market them like the Banshees in Animal Kingdom. The comics sold out multiple runs almost immediately, and there was no publicity before releasing the comics. The fans are already here for it, Disney just needs to up it's game and actually do something with it!

One little spark

Very interesting. I remember riding the original and thinking it was cool. I was kind of confused about the later version thinking I remembered the ride wrong, lol.

Ive always wondered what the big deal was with Figment, seemed goofy to me. Your video has helped, but, Im still not too sure about him. Thanks, Bricky! 👍👍

The original ride was amazing. You really missed a lot of great stuff at Epcot. Look up the 1980's and early 90's. You owe it to yourself to look up that period.

Yep, Figment is my oldest son's favorite character, 'cause we went to WDW for the very first time in September of 1996. Of course, my oldest son turns 44 years old this year. But he still has the plushie. I don't get LinaBell, Gelatin, etc. and I'll probably never get to Tokyo DisneySea or the parks in China. I mean, Duffy's just a bear, right? Oh well.

I rode the original ride as a kid. I still have my own life size puppet of figment they use to sell. Absolutely love figment. And yes the ride does not do him or the dream finder justice at all.

So my sister made me go on that ride during my first trip to WDW 10 years ago. The entire time I was thinking... what the **** is this?

I never got to ride the original attraction, but I'm a sap for an adorable dragon. I was a Figment fan from day one. And although now it does seem to be all about the quick cash grab, I for one was touched by meeting him. I actually cried tears of joy. I can see the views from both sides, but I'll always love Figment!

I’ve been lucky enough to ride all 3 versions and I LOVE the original Figment. I don’t think the original ride would cut it today, but we really should have gotten an upgraded Dreamfinder and Figment instead of version 2, it was awful.

I love Figment I originally saw him in the 1983 version.

I've never had the chance to ride the original 1983 version or the 1999 version, I grew up with the current one and call me insane but, I love Journey Into Imagination with Figment... I rode it SO many times when I was young in it hits the nostalgia for me. Yes, I do prefer Dreamfinder than Dr. Nigel Channing, but I find a charm with the current one. Honestly, I love the current and original equally..

No surprise here, Figment has always been the mascot for Epcot for marketing.

Nice to see you back at WDW

I want a movie, a TV show, and a new ride for Figment. Come on, Disney! He's been my fave since 1989, when I rode the first iteration.

I fall into the camp that does not get Figment, so thanks for the background

Figment 1.0 was great. Dreamfinder was great. Could ride that all day.

You have blown my mind. It’s genius and evil villain, Pinocchio type shit. If they do redo figment, I expect it to be an empty dark ride with a broken figment animatronic on a plastic chair.

I believe back in the 80’s or early 90’s Disney was planning to bring Figment to Disneyland Tomorrowland I think they wanted figment to be the main character for Tomorrowland but not really sure what happen with the plans

Very cool. I learned so much!

Dreamfinder's voice was Chuck McCann, who is probably best known for two things: (1) being the guy in the medicine cabinet who says "Hi guy!" in the 1970s ads for Right Guard deodorant, and (2) co-starring on "Far Out Space Nuts" with Bob Denver. (That's not him playing the live-action face of Dreamfinder, though.)

I saw the original back in the early 80’s when I was a kid, took my kids there in 2016 and was utterly disappointed in the ride and pretty much everything in the Disney parks. The last time I had been to the parks in general was 1993 the year I graduated high school and the parks in Disney World were still fun and enjoyable. When I went in 2016 the parks did not live up to what they used to be. I have no plans to ever go back and my kids feel the same way. There was very little they enjoyed there. They were 9 and 10 at the time the age that should have been perfect to enjoy the parks but again it had no long lasting impact on them. They loved the hotel room, we stayed at the Caribbean Resort, and that was one of their favorite parts of the trip that and when we went to Lego Land.

Yay Brickey! Awesome video about Figment’s backstory. You had me at the VIP tour of Walt’s apartment at DL (which I took by the way!) 😜 WDW is my home park (NYC) and I never knew the full Figment story! You have a mastery for storytelling and you have gained a subscriber with bell notifications on! 🥳🎉🫡 🏰

Billy Barty’s voice always bothered me. Otherwise loved the original pavilion. I can still hear all the songs in my head. It didn’t age well,but they flubbed all renovations. Maybe fourth times the charm.

Was maybe 5 when I feel in love with some silly dragon that overrode Mickey fo me Now, I got the bucket (40 Anniv version), some new Figment merch....but if they don't FIX that pavillion, I won't buy anymore because I consider it a manipulation of what I felt strongly about as a child. I'm glad you researched his back story because it broke my heart when you first visited Epcot and was confused. Pained me you did get it but why would you. Great vid, even if inside (AND they need to FIX the jumpy water....again broke) arrrgh......

Fun video, keep up the good work.

God I really need that beeping memory game to go away. Lol

It's ironic how Epcot lost most of its appeal after Eisner wanted Epcot to be more appealing to specific audiences... like a dad going to his kids' class to talk about his office job, but raps and poses cause he thinks it's super cool.. while the whole classroom cringes and his kids die of embarrassement.. but Dad is forever convinced how great it was... 😅😂 anyhow, i've experienced Epcot pretty much from since it opened. It was such a unique inspiration to me as a child, it literally shaped my life growing up. I was a teenager when Epcot went through its first major overhaul and seeing Horizons and JII being ripped away..two of the most iconic theme park attractions ever built... it was like all the hopes, dreams and inspirations withered away with it. And everything that Epcot represented and emanated in the 80s, i wish kids these days could have the opportunity to experience something so powerful as was the original Epcot Center. Nowadays it's just a shiny husk with some few remnants of its old glory and Disney Imagineering, or rather Disney Exec just don't grasp the depth of Epcot's vision any more and likely never will, again. I could go on and on... but it'll only make me feel extremely sad and heartbroken. RIP Epcot Center!

What baffles me all these years: Why don't they get Apple to sponsor Imagination? There's the Pixer/Jobs/Iger connection; Iger sat on the Board of Apple for years; Apple is the spiritual successor to Kodak; the crystal building looks like a Norman Foster design; the Imageworks could be rebuilt as the perfect Apple product playground; etc. Apple has a DOJ antitrust suit and could certainly start building up some extra goodwill. Apple is sitting on a pile of cash bigger than Scrooge McDuck - dropping $300m on a revamp of the pavilion would be nothing for Apple. Very strange missed opportunity. Imagine Tim Cook walking on stage with Bob Iger at D23 or an Apple keynote and having Figment show up. The crowd would go apesh*t...

Good video. We love Figment. We only know the current version of the ride. We like it, but know it needs a major redo again.

They should bring back the og concept!..this ride was the first of many to suffer a type of corporate "$$$" 😢 tampering along with The Great Movie 🎥🍿 Ride.😢 Splash...to a lesser extent lol.😂🎉

Maybe I missed something while I was watching this cooking dinner, I think most fans come from the comic tv part of it.

They'll have a problem with putting the dream finder back. They put him in Phantom Manor as the beheaded Mayor.

Thannnnnkkkkk you for this video. I am also in the boat of "wth is with the hype over this sort of just annoying demon looking creature?" (I am constantly amazed he isn't singled out by the "our kids are being brainwashed!" crowd, if you know what I mean) I didn't even realize he was supposed to be a dragon, tbh. I have had nightmares, as a damn adult mind you, of Eric Idle's moonface twisting and singing and then opening his maw to swallow our ride vehicle. So....theres that 😂 Now, I visited EPCOT as a kid in 1989/90 round about and I know we went on the original version. For whatever reason Figment never stayed in my memories, but Horizons certainly did. Coming back to EPCOT, nearly 20 years later as an adult I was so confused with how JIIWF was around. It's...bad. I mean, we go on it to get out of the sun and to sit for a while, but honestly my eyes are closed for nearly the entire ride and I'm practically napping lol it's the 1, 2 combo of being off your feet along with Pixar Shorts.

I agree, we need the original version of the attraction back, or as close as possible. I have ridden it and today’s version is nowhere near as good. Thanks for the backstory on Figment and Dreamfinder. I really had no idea the ideas came from Disneyland.

Galaxy’s Edge is great, but look at what we could have had!

This was a great historical overview of Figment and Journey Into Imagination. There seems to be lesser interest of corporate sponsorship of attractions at EPCOT, in some cases leading to their demise, as with Wonders of Life. Without that corporate sponsorship, there is less investment into keeping the magic in the attractions leading to very bad corporate cost-saving decisions. It is also sad to see that Restaurant Marrakesh has been diminished a glorified rest area. WDW management, listen to the "guests" and bring Journey Into Imaganination back to its original splendor with Figment being a prominent character.

I’ve experienced all 3 versions of the ride. The biggest problem with the second one ( besides being incredibly dull ), is that it was so drastically different from the original that it was a shock to the senses. If they had tweaked it a bit would have been one thing but they gutted out a fun, whimsical attraction and replaced it with something cold, dark and even eerie in places. Oh. Did I mention that it was dull? The current incarnation is only slightly better than the second one.

Figment is great but I want Dreamfinder back because they were a perfect duo and his original ride needs to return as well because it was sooooo much better then what we have now.

I would have LOVED to have rode the original version and I even remember seeing lots of ads for the Dreamfinder and Figment but never got to go to Disney World till late 2000's. I didn't mind the ride but it wasn't all cut out to be like most people who rode it after they had rode the original ride. I do love me some Figment. I wouldn't mind an animated movie or series or even a live action/CGI hybrid film about Figment.

Love the video! You truly knocked it out of the park. Literally brought up every point and explained the history & why we love this attraction & characters perfectly. Best video I’ve seen explaining what happened, to folks. Thanks so much, God bless ya man! 😁👍🏻👍🏻 (Though, I’d like to add a note.. I personally don’t think the turntable was fully dismantled/destroyed/removed, I believe it was Infact disabled. The current load area sits on top of the OG turntable, much like much of the rest of the track is simply disabled and laid over with hollow flooring that makes up parts of the current queue & downstairs ImageWorks. (The queue and load area taking up the original load & turntable, the current downstairs ImageWorks taking over the original film finale and unload). So theoretically, I believe the original could fully make a comeback with tech & spfx enhancements, similar to how Disney’s enhanced some of the other classics with new tech. And considering Disney has so many elements within the archives. Whether it be original maquettes/molds, audio & visual media, blueprints, etc. It really would be fairly simple to bring it back I feel and would be a HUGE win to bring back goodwill and fans back to the company, especially the theme park side of things. But yeah, here’s hoping & praying for the best! I totally agree that Dreamfinder, Figment, and this ride deserves the love & proper comeback us fans have been begging for, for years. A timeless iconic classic in line with the others like Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, etc. 🙏🏻)

Eisner destroyed the most amazing attraction because of his greedy idea that they needed to attract older kids! That turntable with Dreamfinder, the Dreamcatcher, and Figment was some incredible imagineering which we will never see again! 😢

I’m so happy I got to ride the original back in 1992

In a very loose way, does anyone else think that Professor Marvel and his dragon sound like precursors to Henry Mystic and Albert? I mean, it is a house of all these artifacts and instead of being a walk-through house of illusion it's a ride-through house of magic, but it just seemed like there might be a connection there.