Theme park fans, prepare to upgrade your park merchandise from paper map to wooden creation. IONOX Media on Etsy brings theme park maps back from an app to the physical world with detailed wood creations.
The Haunted Mansion, Jaws, The Great Movie Ride, and much more is available from IONOX Media. Their laser cutter art features iconic movies, tikis, video game artwork and the featured designs – theme park maps.
Universal Studios Florida original park map, re-made
Theme park fans can enjoy ride layouts and original park maps, made in this tactile wooden form. These pieces bring another level of quality into park artwork. While we all probably love some theme park maps, these designs by IONOX Media are more than a framed park map.
I spoke to Michael of IONOX Media, who gave a backstory of how this shop came together, “I started learning how to use a laser cutter in late 2018. I was learning from my local maker space, ‘Maker FX’ here in Orlando. I started out with basic shapes. Then I moved up to some more complex etched art, but still nothing too advanced. I was just an amateur hobbyist, booking time on a community used machine.”
The 2020 pandemic pushed the business into reality
Michael continued, “I was an Audio Video Technician for Universal Orlando. I was a Team Member at the park for 20 years. The shutdown caused me to lose all of my hours in the company. Not having another way to make money at the time, I decided to take the stimulus the government sent out, along with a chunk of my savings, and I bought a 60 watt OM-tech laser cutter/engraver…Up until that point I had only done laser cutting as a hobby, but then out of necessity, I opened up my online store to make ends meet.”
A hobby and skillset matched up with a sudden need. Michael said, “In 2020 I decided to try my hand at making a facility map. Since the parks were a home to me for so many years, I chose to attempt to make the 1990 map of Universal Studios. It was my way to celebrate Universal (Orlando Resort’s) 30th anniversary…I spent two weeks tracing every building line and pathway. So what you see when you look at that map is the actual park 1:2168 scale.”
3D laser cut theme park maps and ride layouts
In 2021, IONOX Media created their popular offering, ride schematics. This time, Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary brought out a ride that used to be featured at Magic Kingdom Park, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
Michael moved forward with Mr. Toad, “Mr Toad was my favorite ride from when I was a kid, so seeing the schematic I felt it would be a good place for me to start a project that meant something to me. I had the idea of taking the map, and having a friend, Tony Ross, redraw the original characters and set pieces throughout the ride. Tony is an amazingly talented artist, and former animator for Disney. I felt it somehow poetic to have him do the drawings…I’d cut the walls and ride vehicles out separately to give the art piece some depth, really make it pop and feel more like a model than just a picture.”
From hobby to the Haunted Mansion
“That art piece’s first appearance at a live show was in Chicago,” stated Michael, “when I went to vend at C2E2 in 2021. I actually said to myself, ‘I don’t think anyone is going recognize them (Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride schematics). They were just maps of an attraction that closed more than 20 years ago. No one was going to remember it, right?’ I was wrong. Much to my surprise, people half a country away, far from the theme park culture of Central Florida, comic convention attendees, recognized the map for Mr. Toad, and then bought out my stock before the weekend was over. Do you know what the number one thing said to me that weekend was? ‘This is amazing! Now you have to do the Haunted Mansion.'”
IONOX Media expands
Now with full time business partner, Kara, and part time employees, IONOX Media travels nationwide attending conventions and media shows. The laser artwork now features films, video games and even tikis.
Michael wanted to mention, “I wake up every morning with an overwhelming sense of joy that my little hobby from five years ago has grown into something that not only sustains me and my partner full time, but can afford to help other talented people as well.”
You can check out IONOX Media’s work on Etsy, with prices ranging from $45 to $525.
Etsy lets small shops shine, and one Disney Parks fan used small shops to rebuild parts of Walt Disney World at home. A dad surprised his family with a Living with the Land bathroom, made from home improvement tools and Etsy offerings.
