Tunnel of love (amusement ride)
Encyclopedia
The Tunnel of Love is a type of amusement ride
commonly found at carnivals and amusement parks. It is similar to a dark ride
in that riders are taken (usually by boat) through dark passages, in this case in pairs. There are two major themes: a relaxing romantic ride encouraging the couple to cuddle, or a spooky horror ride encouraging the couple to cling to one another. The darkness provides a degree of privacy in which the couple can kiss or make out
. The frightening variety also offered a socially acceptable "excuse" for the physical contact.
Although they were popular in the early 20th century, with the development of other socially acceptable opportunities and less stigma for unmarried couples to engage in physical contact, these rides have become less common. Gröna Lund
park in Sweden still contains a Tunnel of Love ride.
, The Crowd
, a tunnel of love is featured in which the sides are voyeuristically
pulled down at a place where couples are likely to be kissing.
The 1951 Alfred Hitchcock
film Strangers on a Train
features a tunnel of love ride that becomes the scene of a murder.
The Tunnel of Love was a favorite source of amusing scenes in Hanna-Barbera
television series such as The Flintstones
, The Jetsons
, and Scooby-Doo
, among others.
MAD Magazine spoofed the Tunnel of Love in a 1989 issue detailing a fictional amusement park called "Gary Hart Land
", with events such as "Dunk Ted Koppel
" or a Monkey Business Tunnel of Love, where men could "ride into the Tunnel of Love on replicas of the Monkey Business with a Donna Rice
look-a-like on your lap!"
The Tunnel of Love has also been used in Disney cartoons, mainly a jealous Donald Duck
storming the tunnel by foot and ruining the ride for a rival suitor and Daisy Duck
.
Bruce Springsteen recorded an album called Tunnel of Love
in 1987 with a single of the same name
.
In 1980, Dire Straits released a single entitled Tunnel of Love from their album Making Movies
.
The Tunnel of Love was also spoofed by Gary Larson
in his The Far Side
comic strip where he suggests there is also a Tunnel of Non-Communication, where couples act aloof throughout the whole ride, and a Tunnel of Mosquitoes.
References to the phrase "Tunnel of Love", as well as the actual rides, appear frequently in Batman
comics, often in connection to The Joker.
The 1993 video game Sam & Max Hit the Road
contains a tunnel of love which must be vandalised in order to access a secret room hidden part-way along the passage.
In The Simpsons
, episode Love, Springfieldian Style
, Marge and Homer get trapped in a tunnel of love and tell three parodies of Bonnie and Clyde, Lady and the Tramp and Sid and Nancy with Simpsons' characters playing the parts.
The 2009 apocalyptic survival video game Left 4 Dead 2
features a mission that takes place in a tunnel of love.
In Big Time Rush
episode, Big Time Girlfriends, there is a carnival that has Tunnel of Love but instead you ride a car which Jo and Kendall go through and there is another tunnel called "Tunnel of Just Friends" which Logan and Camille go through though they emerge with Logan's face covered in lipstick and Camille smiling satisfactorily.
Amusement ride
Amusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
commonly found at carnivals and amusement parks. It is similar to a dark ride
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
in that riders are taken (usually by boat) through dark passages, in this case in pairs. There are two major themes: a relaxing romantic ride encouraging the couple to cuddle, or a spooky horror ride encouraging the couple to cling to one another. The darkness provides a degree of privacy in which the couple can kiss or make out
Making out
In human sexuality, making out is a sexual euphemism of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms necking, heavy petting, and hooking up to refer to non-penetrative sex, though "hooking up" is also used in some cultures to imply casual sex.-History:The...
. The frightening variety also offered a socially acceptable "excuse" for the physical contact.
Although they were popular in the early 20th century, with the development of other socially acceptable opportunities and less stigma for unmarried couples to engage in physical contact, these rides have become less common. Gröna Lund
Gröna Lund
Tivoli Gröna Lund or Grönan is an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located on the seaward side of the Djurgården island and is relatively small compared to other amusement parks, mainly due to its central location, which limits expansion. Gröna Lund is a popular venue for concerts during...
park in Sweden still contains a Tunnel of Love ride.
In popular culture
In the 1928 filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Crowd
The Crowd
The Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor. It is notable for its dramatization of the concerns and dangers of urbanization and modernity....
, a tunnel of love is featured in which the sides are voyeuristically
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
pulled down at a place where couples are likely to be kissing.
The 1951 Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film)
Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,...
features a tunnel of love ride that becomes the scene of a murder.
The Tunnel of Love was a favorite source of amusing scenes in Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
television series such as The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
, and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
, among others.
MAD Magazine spoofed the Tunnel of Love in a 1989 issue detailing a fictional amusement park called "Gary Hart Land
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
", with events such as "Dunk Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
" or a Monkey Business Tunnel of Love, where men could "ride into the Tunnel of Love on replicas of the Monkey Business with a Donna Rice
Donna Rice
Donna Rice Hughes is the president and chair of Enough Is Enough, an American non-profit organization in the anti-pornography movement that seeks to make the Internet safer for families and children...
look-a-like on your lap!"
The Tunnel of Love has also been used in Disney cartoons, mainly a jealous Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
storming the tunnel by foot and ruining the ride for a rival suitor and Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
.
Bruce Springsteen recorded an album called Tunnel of Love
Tunnel of Love (album)
Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1987.In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Tunnel of Love the 91st greatest album of all time....
in 1987 with a single of the same name
Tunnel of Love (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Tunnel of Love" is the title song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as the second single from the album, reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Like the first single from the album, "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love" reached number one on...
.
In 1980, Dire Straits released a single entitled Tunnel of Love from their album Making Movies
Making Movies
Making Movies is the third album by English rock band Dire Straits, released in 1980.- History :The title of the album comes from a line in the song "Skateaway" and the unreleased song "Making Movies". Rolling Stone ranked the album #52 in their survey of the "100 Best Albums of the 80s"...
.
The Tunnel of Love was also spoofed by Gary Larson
Gary Larson
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. The series ended with Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995. His 23 books of collected cartoons have combined sales of more than 45 million...
in his The Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...
comic strip where he suggests there is also a Tunnel of Non-Communication, where couples act aloof throughout the whole ride, and a Tunnel of Mosquitoes.
References to the phrase "Tunnel of Love", as well as the actual rides, appear frequently in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
comics, often in connection to The Joker.
The 1993 video game Sam & Max Hit the Road
Sam & Max Hit the Road
Sam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure computer game released by LucasArts during the company's adventure games era. The game was originally released for DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release included compatibility with Windows and Amiga...
contains a tunnel of love which must be vandalised in order to access a secret room hidden part-way along the passage.
In The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, episode Love, Springfieldian Style
Love, Springfieldian Style
"Love, Springfieldian Style" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season and was first broadcast on the Fox Network on February 17, 2008, three days after Valentine's Day. It includes three self contained stories about romance...
, Marge and Homer get trapped in a tunnel of love and tell three parodies of Bonnie and Clyde, Lady and the Tramp and Sid and Nancy with Simpsons' characters playing the parts.
The 2009 apocalyptic survival video game Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It is the sequel to Valve Corporation's award-winning Left 4 Dead. The game launched on November 17, 2009, for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in the United States and November 20 in Europe; in 2010, Left 4 Dead 2 was made available to...
features a mission that takes place in a tunnel of love.
In Big Time Rush
Big Time Rush
Big Time Rush is a Nickelodeon television series created by Scott Fellows about the Hollywood misadventures of four hockey players from Minnesota—Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos, after they are selected to form a boy band. The series premiered with an hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time...
episode, Big Time Girlfriends, there is a carnival that has Tunnel of Love but instead you ride a car which Jo and Kendall go through and there is another tunnel called "Tunnel of Just Friends" which Logan and Camille go through though they emerge with Logan's face covered in lipstick and Camille smiling satisfactorily.