holy shit finally someone else talking about this i genuinely convinced myself that this wasnt real and just some weird shared dream that me my mom and a bunch of my friends had
I went there once with my brothers a million years ago and it was the coolest thing in the world. We came back some time later and we're so sad it was gone - then, like maybe a decade after, we came back and it had returned. Best exhibit and theme park whatever ever and now, like maybe 15 years later, we still bring it up.
@@therabbitfollower5550 he was a volunteer and I think he was a played British guy he was there the same time as another guy who played a character called Jonny the Spoons which was like this comical failed mobster that spoke with a New York accent. I will see if I can get him to touch base with you since he got really far into the different levels of the puzzle and had some behind the scenes knowledge. I still haven't been able to finish the video because my Internet being bad today so I am not sure what all you have been able to find out.
@@therabbitfollower5550 apparently my comment reply disappeared but I let my brother know and told him to leave a comment so hopefully he does so you can reach out to him. Also as further clarification he was a volunteer actor and was in middle school when was was doing it. My brother played some type of British explorer and I do remember one of the other characters there though at the same time was named Johnny the Spoons and he was like this comedic failed new York gangster mobster whose boss sent him to the valley of the unknown to keep him out of his hair. I haven't been able to finish the video because my internet here has been pretty poor so I'm not sure of what information you have been able to uncover. I remember I made it through level one and almost all of level 2 of the puzzle and my brother at the time was working on level 3 not sure how much of that he remembers.
Well let me tell you about the original COSI in downtown Columbus. It was magical. It had a coal mine in the basement with a simulated mine elevator. And it had a "village of yesteryear" with an old main street and operational old timey movie theatre that had silent movies playing. And much more; plus it was built into an old theatre which added to the mystique.
Pinning this because I've got a lot of questions about part 2-- YES, it's still gonna happen. I'm not a lad who likes leaving things unfinished. The only thing standing between me and finishing it is that I work full-time as a freelancer. My job takes up a majority of my time, and I often work over 40 hours a week in order to get projects done. On top of that, the second part is going to be way more editing-heavy because there's very little relevant footage of level two, so I'm mostly working with photographs and Sean's walkthrough. Because of that, I can't really give a window of time for when it will be done, but it's gonna happen. To put things in perspective, I had the audio for video #2 recorded before this one was even uploaded, so it's never been a question of if it was going to happen. These were actually meant to be one single video, but that would make it at least an hour long. All this said, I don't mind giving you a taste of whats up ahead: In part two, "The Best ARG You Never Finished", I'll be going into the full walkthrough of level 2, the supposed level 3 and 4, the full story of the lost civilization, what happened to adventure, what's left of it today, and the future of the exhibit, which, yes, there is some interesting info I got from cosi and a few anonymous sources thats worth mentioning on that front! Thanks so much for all of your suportive comments, and I hope to talk to you all again very soon!
If there is ANY chance that this exhibit may be making a return I will immediately drop everything and get a membership to COSI and donate to the cause, this exhibit was my childhood!
Oh good! I only encountered the exhibit once, at an age where I was sadly embarrassed to be sung to by animatronics. The aesthetics of the attraction have ALWAYS been up my alley though, I enjoyed getting the animal symbols, and I never knew there was a level 2! I did remember things and puzzles that I couldn't solve that seemed to be there for no reason, thinking they were just there for flavor. I would LOVE to hear about it!!!
@@inedanap6253 part of me wants to bring a sign to cosi that says something like:"if you would like, please donate to bring back this attraction! And please cosi, bring back the amazing attraction, adventure! We're all on the same page about wanting it back!" And sitting in front of plunk at the museum in the history of cosi section, with a jar for others to donate to. And I will only agree to give to cosi is they promise to use it for adventure, and adventure only. (And do it very nicely cuz I dont wanna start a riot, and I want to let the museum know that I'm on their side!) (And part of me also wants to host an event at cosi celebrating the attraction, and to donate money to bring it back. And we could sell plushies, stickers, figures, and buttons and stuff of the characters, and all the money will go to the attraction! While also having an adventure musical thats pretty much the same story and stuff, but as a musical and not an attraction! I dunno, but I've tot a LOT of ideas on how to bring that thing back! Heck, I might just start an etsy account to sell merch of the attraction! Cuz why didn't cosi have merch of adventure??? I wanna plunk plushie, among other things!!!!!)
@@inedanap6253 ill tell ya when I do start an etsy account! (First I have to figure out how to make the merch, but once I figure that out, I'll be good as gold!)
Update time! My laptop’s hard drive gave out! Why? I don’t know! I suspect it had something to do with the motherboard being replaced! I was told That my files are safe, BUT I need to reinstall all of my programs. I’m pretty sure this means the project files themselves are safe, but I’m not sure. I’ll cry if I have to redo everything, but nevertheless, I’m still determined to finish this doc. Not just for myself, but for you lot! Thank you so much for your continued interest and support! I wish I had something more to offer, but I swear to you this is gonna happen!
Thank you so much for making a thorough and substantial video about this exhibit. THIS EXHIBIT HAS BEEN HAUNTING ME FOR YEARS!! I happened to go to Cosi while visiting family in Ohio and my family did this adventure! I could hardly remember it however and no one ever knew what I was talking about when I tried bringing it up. Not to mention researching "Ohio singing rocks exhibit" wasn't exactly helpful either. I can't wait for part two!
I understand that you’re a very busy person with real responsibilities and such but I am BEGGING you for the part two to this. This exhibit scared me so bad as a kid but it is one that I can look back on and remember so vividly and it’s so interesting to me now to see all of the story and such and I just will not be complete until I know everything. Thank you.
As a kid who went to COSI every summer growing up, I love this video essay!! My mom got SO into the different languages and we would go every time we could! I love seeing a Defunctland-esque video on such a niche little part of my childhood! COSI is the best!! This video needs so much more love!
Adventure was amazing, it's a shame they got rid of it. Also camp Cosi was awesome, getting to be in adventure without a huge crowd of people was unbelievable
I remember begging my mom to buy the tickets to this experience every time we’d go. Man I miss it! I remember a Karen and her family tried to skip all the steps and just sneak in the observatory. They got stuck and had to get the door open with the code to get them out so my family could enter the proper way.
I loved this exhibit as a kid. I remember finishing level 1, discovering level 2 with my brother and feeling like we discovered something thay very few people knew about. Unfortunatly we never finished level 2 and the exhibit is gone. Can't wait for part 2! This was definitely the best part of new Cosi, not sure why they closed it.
My personal theory on why they closed it was that it was just a LOT of maintenance. In the last song you could tell that every time plunk's (their) left arm went up, it squeaked. A big problem was that all the animatronic were completely out in the open for anyone to touch or climb on. While, when I was there all I saw were a bunch of kids who didn't want to touch the characters, I'm sure there were a BUNCH of awful teenagers who tried to break the animatronics. The attraction was just SO ahead of it's time that the people who made it didn't use the best mechanics for the animatronics themselves. So they'd just break all the time. And be hard to fix. (Plus, I'm not sure how good the maintenance team was, or if they had enough people) I'm guessing it just got to a point were it got so bad and expensive to keep up that they decided to shut it down. It's so sad... and with the technology we have today, I think we could easily make something more easy to keep up with, and doesn't break down as often. I hope they bring it back. All they need is a big enough room, and some money and I think it could be pretty easy for them to make the rest.
Just got back from COSI. Was told it was too expensive to operate AND that they had determined (rightfully so) that it was a bit culturally insensitive. I'd love to see it return in a modern way.
I found some hidden code for one of the animatronics, causing it to play a secret message. I remember me and my sister were so stoked about finding that out. We decrypted a ton of the writings on the walls too. I wish we could go back and finish level 2 but it's gone unfortunately.
Dang, yo. This is super thorough. I worked in the Design and Production Studio which became COSI Studio which became Roto Studio which became Roto. I helped to build Kidspace and Life, but I only went out drinking with the folks who designed and built Adventure. I've got the Adventure soundtrack. And a bunch of lore and translated code, like: Pass the Trials of B’Ra-Zoa, prove your worth, learn the Words of Reason. For only the one who speaks these Words of Reason Shall be granted the Key of Knowledge.
My brain just went way back in time. I read through the comments and I'm glad you're still working on this. I remember going through this a few times and wondering about all the level 2 stuff. Even if I didn't know it was level 2 stuff at the time. Have a follow, have a like, hope to see the next update whenever you get around to it!
My family visited when I was young from Canada, and this was the coolest thing my sister and I had seen in our lives. The next time we went back to COSI it was gone. I never got to know there was a level two, and now I really need to know about it. This was an amazing exhibit that stuck with us for a lifetime.
OH I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS! my cousins, my brother, and i (with some help from our parents) finished part two of adventure in two days in a total of 10/11 hours i believe, since my cousins were leaving to go home after that weekend. it's one of my favorite experiences ever and i think about it all the time, but there is so little about it online. and i lost all my notebooks with the solved codes :( i'm delighted there's finally a video about it
i found your video trying to find what this was called/ if it still existed! thank you so much. i wish i had more time at this attraction as a kid. i remember going three times and loved it so much and i never got far in the game. I feel like this game is what made me such a fan of ARG and things like that as an adult.
What an amazing video! This exhibit has felt like a fever dream for 20+ years and I'm so glad to see that it had the same impact on other people as it had on 6 year old me. I remember doing level 1 multiple times in the late 90s and being dazzled and enchanted by it every time. Seeing footage of it really hit me hard with nostalgia
For awhile, they replaced it with a random room you could rent out. I was FURIOUS when I found out that a random party room replaced my favorite attraction. But, when i went back recently and saw it was a dinosaur thing now, I was at least happy the room wasn't basically a random room, and was being used for something. I'm still not happy it's gone, tho...
I can't express how happy this makes me. This was the exhibit that taught me not only that I loved science (about to finish a degree in astro+physics), but interactive art as well. Thank you for putting in so much time and effort to preserve this imaginative piece of joy. I am definitely not crying a little bit nope.
I've actually been coming back to this exhibit I remember from my childhood as a DnD DM now. I honestly think this would make a cool adventure, even if the real thing is no longer around. This was honestly a revolutionary exhibit for its time (as it existed in the days before escape rooms became popular). However, I do think one of its drawbacks was that it was a harder exhibit for younger audiences to really process. It wasn't until I started looking this up again that I learned about Level 2 existing. Plus, it now makes some of the weirder parts of this exhibit make sense. So, it definitely was more of an older student exhibit, but I loved it all the same. Thanks for this breakdown!
Oh my goodness! I just had my memories of this exhibit unlocked after seeing a mention of COSI online. I’m pretty sure I was there twice, but I have a couple of little anecdotes from my visit on a 2001 junior high school trip: I somehow managed to slip in through the observatory door as someone else was coming out, which meant that I hadn’t entered the code and nothing was activated…including the door to get back out! As I remember it, I ended up forcing my way back out the door (luckily not damaging it as far as I know). I also didn’t know how much time had passed while I was exploring, which led to my whole 8th grade class being delayed in leaving COSI until I made it back to the buses. (To be fair, this was about 6 or 7 years before I got my first cell phone, so I didn’t have that way to check the time like I would now). Anyway, thank you so much for documenting this, and I am now genuinely excited to see Part 2 when you’re able to complete it! Oh, one more thing: as I was typing this, I just managed to find my old Explorers Society map from the exhibit! I also might possibly still have the shiny rock that I picked up in the exhibit, although I unfortunately have no idea where to look for that right now.
@@SeanSkyhawkHi, I just saw a mention elsewhere about COSI, and then started thinking about this again, so I wanted to follow up about how to find your Discord server. I have a couple of photos I can share of my Adventure artifacts!
Tysm for making this! I grew up an hour away from COSI & now live in Columbus and have been through the exhibit (level one only) about 15 times. I woke up today with an unexplainable nostalgia for it and this video is perfect. EDIT: I had no idea the backstory was so dark and detailed!
Just got back to COSI today after... idk... 10-15 years? I have so many fond memories of this exhibit... asked at the desk if it was still here and was I gutted in an unexpected way when I heard no. But they explained it was expensive to run & it was pretty culturally insensitive. We learn, we grow, and I agree - looking back... It's definitely not appropriate in 2023. I would love to see something similar return because those really were some of the best memories of my childhood.
I miss adventures much. I grew uo going to cost and my family would go to adventure every weekend to work on the second and third hidden languages and I still have the token you get at the end for completing them. I was devastated when it was gone.
Adventure was something my sister and parents would talk to me about and say how cool it was but when we eventually went they told me you could only go if you were in a school group so I never experienced it when I could have. I used to spend hours staring at the map of the exhibit and imagining what it could be like I’m so sad to find out it’s closed.
I just took my kids to COSI for the first time and they totally loved it! I'm super jealous you were able to attend COSI Camp! subscribed, can't wait to see the next chapter
Best exhibit ever, I remember going there every day for like 2.5 weeks to work on level two. I still have a notebook somewhere in my house with all the languages and I still have the coin I got for solving it on display in my room. Such a shame it got shut down, it really was an 11/10 experience
Oh man, I remember this from a field trip from my primary school! It was for both elementary and middle schoolers, and I was the only middle schooler there. The tour included Adventure, and they took us through Level 1. As a young teen I thought it was pretty cheesy, but I remember it fondly now. I'm really sad to hear it got torn down, in 2016 no less! I think I went around 2014 or 2015, so not too long before it was closed. I didn't know there were multiple levels too! Would love to hear more. Thanks for digging up some fond memories!
I did this as a kid multiple times and I remember hearing about the advanced adventure on the last time I went before they closed it. Never got to do part 2 or 3. I have such great memories with my family at this attraction. What I would do to have 1 more day in there
....that is not the T'em Poah's song I remember. It used to be "Maybe me not read to many books, but me be smarter, than me may look!" I do remember when it first opened, they had left P'lunk's little statues with the symbols used to awaken her in the Well of Questions, since that is where she had been found before being moved to Outpost 41. But, no one could ever figure out the snake clue from L'lala. Ever. So they would try and try to put P'lunk's into L'lala's shrine and get extremely frustrated. A few years in, it seems an executive decision was made to remove all traces of P'lunk from the Well of Questions to make the experience smoother, and they (occasionally) would place a docent in the center of the area, coincidentally near L'lala, who could offer hints about the "looking from a different angle". The tilted King's Throne Room was also closed fairly early on. Kids would run through the room and smack straight into the wall at the bottom of the steep incline. They tried sticking in the net safety fence you see in the picture for a while, but eventually just closed it. COSI did have the ability to reprogram the spirits and Observatory. I remember they had done a special COSI after Dark for adults to go through without children, and they had put in temporary new puzzles just for the event, and there was a different song/ response once you got into the Observatory.
Something that I didn’t bring up- because I didn’t know at the time- Is that every Spirit, sans P’lunk, had two songs that would cycle every few plays. Same melody, just slightly different lyrics. Why they did this, I have no clue, but it’s one of the lesser-known facts about the exhibit. Funny you bring up people using P’lunk’s symbols for L’lala, because that was my exact experience as a seven year old when I couldn’t find the snake. Glad to hear it wasn’t just me! Will be going into detail concerning the throne room in part two, as well. ;)
@@therabbitfollower5550 it was a while ago (like ten years), but I remember for Cosi after dark the puzzles and answers were all alcohol themed. They had put little temporary papers and clues up. I cannot remember if they had the spirits turned on at the time, but you just needed to find and solve enough to get into the observatory. So, for example, you'd need to go through the gates of doom and there would be a piece of paper at the end with a riddle about margaritas, which you'd fill in on your sheet, and know you needed the "g" from it. I believe "agave" was the clue to get into the observatory. I think they did have a different song in the observatory, but I don't remember what it was, except the voices sounded different, so I bet they just got some Cosi workers to record something quick.
We were season pass holders for years and used to just sneak in the back to avoid the intro. We never did figure out the whispered about "level 2". The furthest we got was translating the bit about the volcano erupting from the chamber of the unseen. But, you have to remember that for the majority of Adventure's life, people did not have cell phones, and kids usually don't have smart phones, even after those became ubiquitous. So it was incredibly difficult to even SEE some of the writings, as the place was kept really dark, and you couldn't take pictures of the journal entries in one area to use on a puzzle in another. As kids, we'd try to bring a flashlight and little notebook, but it was super difficult and you would always lose your notes and have to start over.
I think they also eventually put a literal circle on the ground underneath the snake clue. Which oddly solved a lot of issues, because people will naturally stand on a circle they see on the ground. If they happen to look up, bonus. Early on, there had been an activity where you built a stone archway out of foam blocks, which had writing on them in the maze language we never figured out how to read, but that didn't survive long, either, likely due to upkeep from hundreds/ thousands of kids being rough with them. I hope you include whatever that sand pendulum thing they had near the observatory was for, because we never figured that out.
Thank you for making this video. Adventure was so special, and I am glad to see it better documented. In my undergrad, my friends and I spent two separate days, open to close, cracking level 2. I have not experienced anything like it, especially not in a similar format. The closest experiences have come from games - in descending order of urgency, I recommend TUNIC, Outer Wilds, and Chants of Sennaar. I think there's an inherent value to injecting curiosity into the world, and putting the fulfilment of exploration within reach of modern people.
i only went through twice (when i was 8 and 9 respectively) and as an adult i still feel compelled to go back and learn all the lore. i’m so sad it’s gone. are you still working on a part two?
I've just started watching this, but I love that you made a video on it! I'm definitely showing my age here, but I went around when it first opened (1999/2000?), so I was 6-7 years old. It was an AMAZING experience, and I still have the map from it. I'm honestly super giddy typing this, knowing that others were just as touched by the ride. It's definitely an obscure ride, and I agree that there hasn't been much information available on it until, well, probably this video. Thanks for this!
This was my favorite thing EVER as a kid. My best friend and I got all the way to level three but felt like we were too old to finish -- genuinely one of my biggest regrets.
Oh, it’s most definitely coming, don’t worry! Before I even finished this video, the script for part two was already written and the voiceover audio was recorded. Because of my job as an illustrator, I don’t have too much time to edit, but I’m hoping it’ll be done before this video is a year old.
Are there any pictures of the long bridge? I have such a vague memory of a long bridge you’d need to cross to enter the Adventure exhibit. To be honest until I saw this video I believed my 6 year old mind made up the exhibit, but I still have distant memories of a bridge into a land like a Lost Temple.
To the best of my memory, there’s a bridge from the Temple of Inspiration to the doors of the observatory. It was over the well of questions! Other than that, I can’t recall any other bridges or suspended platforms other than that. The entrance to the exhibit itself didn’t have a bridge, but there was a dark hallway illuminated by lights made to look like old lamps. Footage from this area can be found towards the start of the video where I describe my adventure experience. All the same, I’ll check in with other sources to see if there may have been something else like a bridge in the attraction that you might be remembering. Cheers, mate!
I think I know what you're talking about- from the entrance you go past the Maze of Reason, forward and up a ramp that kind of looks and feels like a bridge. To the left is the observatory and the Well of Questions, straight up ahead leads you to the Temple of Inspiration! Could that be what you're thinking of?
Oh, most definitely. My part two to this video was already scripted and had all the audio recorded before this one was even finished. It’s just a matter of making time to edit in between my regular job as an illustrator.
Yeah COSI really screwed up by replacing adventure. This was the greatest attraction that the new location had to offer. The water world is still around thank god.
Oh my goodness! I think I remember this from Ohio, I think??? I was scared of the sliding doors that I thought would slam shut as I walked past? It was such a long time ago and I wish I could remember it more clearly. :(
She's a VERY busy artist who needs to pay rent, I've been closely following her on dA for years and I guess we never really had time to get this handled? Believe me, if anyone it should be ME who asks this question, I might have to redo that videocall interview we did in 2021 that was intended for part 2
Short answer: Work. As a small business owner, I spend 40+ hours a week on illustrations in order to pay rent, and when I’m done doing that, I don’t immediately want to sit down at my laptop again to work on a side project. That said though, this is absolutely still a series I wanna finish. It’s gonna happen one way or another, it’s a matter of just getting the time and energy to do so. I certainly appreciate all the love I’ve gotten for this video alone, and I haven’t forgotten about you lot or this project. Much love, mate, and thanks for your support and interest. 💖
@@therabbitfollower5550 I visited this place so much as a kid and even now go to cosi a ton with my kids. I miss the exhibit and never got to fully finish the whole thing. So the fact that it’s not completely forgotten and you actually made a video has made me so happy! Thank you for this, I needed a bit of dopamine today!!
holy shit finally someone else talking about this i genuinely convinced myself that this wasnt real and just some weird shared dream that me my mom and a bunch of my friends had
me and my mom had a membership and would literally spend hours in there
I went there once with my brothers a million years ago and it was the coolest thing in the world. We came back some time later and we're so sad it was gone - then, like maybe a decade after, we came back and it had returned. Best exhibit and theme park whatever ever and now, like maybe 15 years later, we still bring it up.
My older brother was one of the actors at Adventure in the early 2000's
Woah, what?? Which one? I’d love to ask him some questions!
@@therabbitfollower5550 he was a volunteer and I think he was a played British guy he was there the same time as another guy who played a character called Jonny the Spoons which was like this comical failed mobster that spoke with a New York accent. I will see if I can get him to touch base with you since he got really far into the different levels of the puzzle and had some behind the scenes knowledge. I still haven't been able to finish the video because my Internet being bad today so I am not sure what all you have been able to find out.
@@therabbitfollower5550 apparently my comment reply disappeared but I let my brother know and told him to leave a comment so hopefully he does so you can reach out to him. Also as further clarification he was a volunteer actor and was in middle school when was was doing it. My brother played some type of British explorer and I do remember one of the other characters there though at the same time was named Johnny the Spoons and he was like this comedic failed new York gangster mobster whose boss sent him to the valley of the unknown to keep him out of his hair. I haven't been able to finish the video because my internet here has been pretty poor so I'm not sure of what information you have been able to uncover. I remember I made it through level one and almost all of level 2 of the puzzle and my brother at the time was working on level 3 not sure how much of that he remembers.
So excited for part 2 ❤
Well let me tell you about the original COSI in downtown Columbus. It was magical. It had a coal mine in the basement with a simulated mine elevator. And it had a "village of yesteryear" with an old main street and operational old timey movie theatre that had silent movies playing. And much more; plus it was built into an old theatre which added to the mystique.
Pinning this because I've got a lot of questions about part 2-- YES, it's still gonna happen.
I'm not a lad who likes leaving things unfinished. The only thing standing between me and finishing it is that I work full-time as a freelancer. My job takes up a majority of my time, and I often work over 40 hours a week in order to get projects done. On top of that, the second part is going to be way more editing-heavy because there's very little relevant footage of level two, so I'm mostly working with photographs and Sean's walkthrough. Because of that, I can't really give a window of time for when it will be done, but it's gonna happen.
To put things in perspective, I had the audio for video #2 recorded before this one was even uploaded, so it's never been a question of if it was going to happen. These were actually meant to be one single video, but that would make it at least an hour long.
All this said, I don't mind giving you a taste of whats up ahead: In part two, "The Best ARG You Never Finished", I'll be going into the full walkthrough of level 2, the supposed level 3 and 4, the full story of the lost civilization, what happened to adventure, what's left of it today, and the future of the exhibit, which, yes, there is some interesting info I got from cosi and a few anonymous sources thats worth mentioning on that front!
Thanks so much for all of your suportive comments, and I hope to talk to you all again very soon!
If there is ANY chance that this exhibit may be making a return I will immediately drop everything and get a membership to COSI and donate to the cause, this exhibit was my childhood!
Oh good! I only encountered the exhibit once, at an age where I was sadly embarrassed to be sung to by animatronics. The aesthetics of the attraction have ALWAYS been up my alley though, I enjoyed getting the animal symbols, and I never knew there was a level 2! I did remember things and puzzles that I couldn't solve that seemed to be there for no reason, thinking they were just there for flavor. I would LOVE to hear about it!!!
@@inedanap6253 part of me wants to bring a sign to cosi that says something like:"if you would like, please donate to bring back this attraction! And please cosi, bring back the amazing attraction, adventure! We're all on the same page about wanting it back!"
And sitting in front of plunk at the museum in the history of cosi section, with a jar for others to donate to. And I will only agree to give to cosi is they promise to use it for adventure, and adventure only. (And do it very nicely cuz I dont wanna start a riot, and I want to let the museum know that I'm on their side!)
(And part of me also wants to host an event at cosi celebrating the attraction, and to donate money to bring it back. And we could sell plushies, stickers, figures, and buttons and stuff of the characters, and all the money will go to the attraction! While also having an adventure musical thats pretty much the same story and stuff, but as a musical and not an attraction! I dunno, but I've tot a LOT of ideas on how to bring that thing back!
Heck, I might just start an etsy account to sell merch of the attraction! Cuz why didn't cosi have merch of adventure??? I wanna plunk plushie, among other things!!!!!)
@@lalabell666 If you start an Etsy link it because I've been dying for some adventure merch!
@@inedanap6253 ill tell ya when I do start an etsy account! (First I have to figure out how to make the merch, but once I figure that out, I'll be good as gold!)
Update time! My laptop’s hard drive gave out! Why? I don’t know! I suspect it had something to do with the motherboard being replaced!
I was told That my files are safe, BUT I need to reinstall all of my programs. I’m pretty sure this means the project files themselves are safe, but I’m not sure. I’ll cry if I have to redo everything, but nevertheless, I’m still determined to finish this doc. Not just for myself, but for you lot! Thank you so much for your continued interest and support! I wish I had something more to offer, but I swear to you this is gonna happen!
Thank you so much for making a thorough and substantial video about this exhibit. THIS EXHIBIT HAS BEEN HAUNTING ME FOR YEARS!! I happened to go to Cosi while visiting family in Ohio and my family did this adventure! I could hardly remember it however and no one ever knew what I was talking about when I tried bringing it up. Not to mention researching "Ohio singing rocks exhibit" wasn't exactly helpful either. I can't wait for part two!
I understand that you’re a very busy person with real responsibilities and such but I am BEGGING you for the part two to this. This exhibit scared me so bad as a kid but it is one that I can look back on and remember so vividly and it’s so interesting to me now to see all of the story and such and I just will not be complete until I know everything. Thank you.
As a kid who went to COSI every summer growing up, I love this video essay!! My mom got SO into the different languages and we would go every time we could! I love seeing a Defunctland-esque video on such a niche little part of my childhood! COSI is the best!! This video needs so much more love!
Im begging for part two
Adventure was amazing, it's a shame they got rid of it. Also camp Cosi was awesome, getting to be in adventure without a huge crowd of people was unbelievable
Thank you so much for making this
I remember begging my mom to buy the tickets to this experience every time we’d go. Man I miss it! I remember a Karen and her family tried to skip all the steps and just sneak in the observatory. They got stuck and had to get the door open with the code to get them out so my family could enter the proper way.
I loved this exhibit as a kid. I remember finishing level 1, discovering level 2 with my brother and feeling like we discovered something thay very few people knew about. Unfortunatly we never finished level 2 and the exhibit is gone. Can't wait for part 2! This was definitely the best part of new Cosi, not sure why they closed it.
My personal theory on why they closed it was that it was just a LOT of maintenance. In the last song you could tell that every time plunk's (their) left arm went up, it squeaked.
A big problem was that all the animatronic were completely out in the open for anyone to touch or climb on. While, when I was there all I saw were a bunch of kids who didn't want to touch the characters, I'm sure there were a BUNCH of awful teenagers who tried to break the animatronics.
The attraction was just SO ahead of it's time that the people who made it didn't use the best mechanics for the animatronics themselves. So they'd just break all the time. And be hard to fix. (Plus, I'm not sure how good the maintenance team was, or if they had enough people)
I'm guessing it just got to a point were it got so bad and expensive to keep up that they decided to shut it down.
It's so sad... and with the technology we have today, I think we could easily make something more easy to keep up with, and doesn't break down as often. I hope they bring it back. All they need is a big enough room, and some money and I think it could be pretty easy for them to make the rest.
Just got back from COSI. Was told it was too expensive to operate AND that they had determined (rightfully so) that it was a bit culturally insensitive. I'd love to see it return in a modern way.
@@GraveyardRomance Culturally insensitive to who? I get the expensive bit but I am skeptical about the other part.
I found some hidden code for one of the animatronics, causing it to play a secret message. I remember me and my sister were so stoked about finding that out. We decrypted a ton of the writings on the walls too. I wish we could go back and finish level 2 but it's gone unfortunately.
@@gabrielkay3454 Could be considered culturally appropriating cultures like the Aztecs
Dang, yo. This is super thorough. I worked in the Design and Production Studio which became COSI Studio which became Roto Studio which became Roto. I helped to build Kidspace and Life, but I only went out drinking with the folks who designed and built Adventure. I've got the Adventure soundtrack. And a bunch of lore and translated code, like:
Pass the Trials of B’Ra-Zoa, prove your worth,
learn the Words of Reason.
For only the one who speaks these Words of Reason
Shall be granted the Key of Knowledge.
I sent you email, your experience will be incalculably invaluable
You should totally see if you can upload the soundtrack!! It would be so amazing for people who grew up going there!
My brain just went way back in time. I read through the comments and I'm glad you're still working on this. I remember going through this a few times and wondering about all the level 2 stuff. Even if I didn't know it was level 2 stuff at the time. Have a follow, have a like, hope to see the next update whenever you get around to it!
god this makes me wanna head back to an interactive museum...
i think I went in Adventure as a kid but I don't remember it at all, i was too little 😭 so sad it's gone now
This was the greatest mystery of my childhood since i was old enough to remember it vividly but not old enough to solve it 😭
My family visited when I was young from Canada, and this was the coolest thing my sister and I had seen in our lives. The next time we went back to COSI it was gone. I never got to know there was a level two, and now I really need to know about it. This was an amazing exhibit that stuck with us for a lifetime.
OH I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS! my cousins, my brother, and i (with some help from our parents) finished part two of adventure in two days in a total of 10/11 hours i believe, since my cousins were leaving to go home after that weekend. it's one of my favorite experiences ever and i think about it all the time, but there is so little about it online. and i lost all my notebooks with the solved codes :( i'm delighted there's finally a video about it
you should see the guide I wrote
@@SeanSkyhawkdo you still have the guide somewhere? Where can i access the server you mention?
@@MrW101P101 I do. I sent you email, I'd like to discuss this somewhere else.
@@SeanSkyhawk sent you an email, thanks!
i found your video trying to find what this was called/ if it still existed! thank you so much. i wish i had more time at this attraction as a kid. i remember going three times and loved it so much and i never got far in the game. I feel like this game is what made me such a fan of ARG and things like that as an adult.
What an amazing video! This exhibit has felt like a fever dream for 20+ years and I'm so glad to see that it had the same impact on other people as it had on 6 year old me. I remember doing level 1 multiple times in the late 90s and being dazzled and enchanted by it every time. Seeing footage of it really hit me hard with nostalgia
We miss Adventure! 🥲
then bring it back
please please bring it back
i just turned 19 years old. i am a legal adult. i have outgrown cosi. but if you bring back adventure…. i will go back JUST FOR THAT.
@@quinnsmith2454 You're never too old for COSI!!!
I am dying for part 2. I'm begging you!!!!
Dawg, I loved this exhibit as a kid, was super invested into the lore. I got so upset when it got replaced with the dinosaur thing…
For awhile, they replaced it with a random room you could rent out. I was FURIOUS when I found out that a random party room replaced my favorite attraction. But, when i went back recently and saw it was a dinosaur thing now, I was at least happy the room wasn't basically a random room, and was being used for something.
I'm still not happy it's gone, tho...
I can't express how happy this makes me. This was the exhibit that taught me not only that I loved science (about to finish a degree in astro+physics), but interactive art as well. Thank you for putting in so much time and effort to preserve this imaginative piece of joy. I am definitely not crying a little bit nope.
I love seeing how these sorts of things can impact a person's life so much! Its beautiful, and all of the spirits would be so proud of you!! :')
I've actually been coming back to this exhibit I remember from my childhood as a DnD DM now. I honestly think this would make a cool adventure, even if the real thing is no longer around. This was honestly a revolutionary exhibit for its time (as it existed in the days before escape rooms became popular). However, I do think one of its drawbacks was that it was a harder exhibit for younger audiences to really process. It wasn't until I started looking this up again that I learned about Level 2 existing. Plus, it now makes some of the weirder parts of this exhibit make sense. So, it definitely was more of an older student exhibit, but I loved it all the same. Thanks for this breakdown!
Oh my goodness! I just had my memories of this exhibit unlocked after seeing a mention of COSI online. I’m pretty sure I was there twice, but I have a couple of little anecdotes from my visit on a 2001 junior high school trip:
I somehow managed to slip in through the observatory door as someone else was coming out, which meant that I hadn’t entered the code and nothing was activated…including the door to get back out! As I remember it, I ended up forcing my way back out the door (luckily not damaging it as far as I know).
I also didn’t know how much time had passed while I was exploring, which led to my whole 8th grade class being delayed in leaving COSI until I made it back to the buses. (To be fair, this was about 6 or 7 years before I got my first cell phone, so I didn’t have that way to check the time like I would now).
Anyway, thank you so much for documenting this, and I am now genuinely excited to see Part 2 when you’re able to complete it!
Oh, one more thing: as I was typing this, I just managed to find my old Explorers Society map from the exhibit! I also might possibly still have the shiny rock that I picked up in the exhibit, although I unfortunately have no idea where to look for that right now.
Update: I found the rock now too!
@@Kefrith We have a server, I'd like to see your artifacts!
@@SeanSkyhawk When you say “server” do you mean on Discord? If so, I’d be happy to join if you can send me an invite link
@@SeanSkyhawkHi, I just saw a mention elsewhere about COSI, and then started thinking about this again, so I wanted to follow up about how to find your Discord server. I have a couple of photos I can share of my Adventure artifacts!
@@Kefrith I sent a note on deviantart
Tysm for making this! I grew up an hour away from COSI & now live in Columbus and have been through the exhibit (level one only) about 15 times. I woke up today with an unexplainable nostalgia for it and this video is perfect.
EDIT: I had no idea the backstory was so dark and detailed!
This was amazing i already miss Adventure and this made me miss it 1,000 times more but great job!!
i used to see l’lala on my wall at night after going to adventure and i could not sleep
Just got back to COSI today after... idk... 10-15 years? I have so many fond memories of this exhibit... asked at the desk if it was still here and was I gutted in an unexpected way when I heard no. But they explained it was expensive to run & it was pretty culturally insensitive. We learn, we grow, and I agree - looking back... It's definitely not appropriate in 2023. I would love to see something similar return because those really were some of the best memories of my childhood.
If I were a millionaire I'd open one for adults that's similar but adapted to our modern knowledge of That aesthetic & it's problems.
I miss adventures much. I grew uo going to cost and my family would go to adventure every weekend to work on the second and third hidden languages and I still have the token you get at the end for completing them. I was devastated when it was gone.
I have fond memories of being scared as fuck by this and crying on a bench and being cheered up when my family took me to the progress exhibit
I knew I didn't completely hallucinate the entire experience when I was but a child, surprised Defunctland didn't beat you to the punch
Sadly Kevin probably hasn't heard of COSI, I would KILL for him to cover it though. This is right up his alley
Adventure was something my sister and parents would talk to me about and say how cool it was but when we eventually went they told me you could only go if you were in a school group so I never experienced it when I could have. I used to spend hours staring at the map of the exhibit and imagining what it could be like I’m so sad to find out it’s closed.
I just took my kids to COSI for the first time and they totally loved it! I'm super jealous you were able to attend COSI Camp! subscribed, can't wait to see the next chapter
I'm happy to say i am a treasure holder. I completed the gauntlet that was Adventure when i was 15.
Best exhibit ever, I remember going there every day for like 2.5 weeks to work on level two. I still have a notebook somewhere in my house with all the languages and I still have the coin I got for solving it on display in my room. Such a shame it got shut down, it really was an 11/10 experience
I was super scared for no reason in that exhibit, I got separated in the door area and I was crying
this is incredible, I loved this exhibit as a kid and I want this back so badly
this exhibit is so awesome i love the adventure exhibit!!!!!!!
Great job covering this hidden gem! 👏
Oh man, I remember this from a field trip from my primary school! It was for both elementary and middle schoolers, and I was the only middle schooler there. The tour included Adventure, and they took us through Level 1. As a young teen I thought it was pretty cheesy, but I remember it fondly now. I'm really sad to hear it got torn down, in 2016 no less! I think I went around 2014 or 2015, so not too long before it was closed. I didn't know there were multiple levels too! Would love to hear more. Thanks for digging up some fond memories!
I did this as a kid multiple times and I remember hearing about the advanced adventure on the last time I went before they closed it. Never got to do part 2 or 3. I have such great memories with my family at this attraction. What I would do to have 1 more day in there
PART TWO?! 🥲🥲🥲🥲
🤞
I'm so glad this wasn't just a fever dream.
Glad to see It's finally finished
This exhibit is what sparked my love for escape rooms.
I feel that there was a missed opportunity
....that is not the T'em Poah's song I remember. It used to be "Maybe me not read to many books, but me be smarter, than me may look!"
I do remember when it first opened, they had left P'lunk's little statues with the symbols used to awaken her in the Well of Questions, since that is where she had been found before being moved to Outpost 41. But, no one could ever figure out the snake clue from L'lala. Ever. So they would try and try to put P'lunk's into L'lala's shrine and get extremely frustrated. A few years in, it seems an executive decision was made to remove all traces of P'lunk from the Well of Questions to make the experience smoother, and they (occasionally) would place a docent in the center of the area, coincidentally near L'lala, who could offer hints about the "looking from a different angle".
The tilted King's Throne Room was also closed fairly early on. Kids would run through the room and smack straight into the wall at the bottom of the steep incline. They tried sticking in the net safety fence you see in the picture for a while, but eventually just closed it.
COSI did have the ability to reprogram the spirits and Observatory. I remember they had done a special COSI after Dark for adults to go through without children, and they had put in temporary new puzzles just for the event, and there was a different song/ response once you got into the Observatory.
Something that I didn’t bring up- because I didn’t know at the time- Is that every Spirit, sans P’lunk, had two songs that would cycle every few plays. Same melody, just slightly different lyrics. Why they did this, I have no clue, but it’s one of the lesser-known facts about the exhibit.
Funny you bring up people using P’lunk’s symbols for L’lala, because that was my exact experience as a seven year old when I couldn’t find the snake. Glad to hear it wasn’t just me!
Will be going into detail concerning the throne room in part two, as well. ;)
Also, had no idea they did a new puzzle for Cosi after dark! Any chance you have more info?
@@therabbitfollower5550 it was a while ago (like ten years), but I remember for Cosi after dark the puzzles and answers were all alcohol themed. They had put little temporary papers and clues up. I cannot remember if they had the spirits turned on at the time, but you just needed to find and solve enough to get into the observatory. So, for example, you'd need to go through the gates of doom and there would be a piece of paper at the end with a riddle about margaritas, which you'd fill in on your sheet, and know you needed the "g" from it. I believe "agave" was the clue to get into the observatory. I think they did have a different song in the observatory, but I don't remember what it was, except the voices sounded different, so I bet they just got some Cosi workers to record something quick.
We were season pass holders for years and used to just sneak in the back to avoid the intro. We never did figure out the whispered about "level 2". The furthest we got was translating the bit about the volcano erupting from the chamber of the unseen. But, you have to remember that for the majority of Adventure's life, people did not have cell phones, and kids usually don't have smart phones, even after those became ubiquitous. So it was incredibly difficult to even SEE some of the writings, as the place was kept really dark, and you couldn't take pictures of the journal entries in one area to use on a puzzle in another. As kids, we'd try to bring a flashlight and little notebook, but it was super difficult and you would always lose your notes and have to start over.
I think they also eventually put a literal circle on the ground underneath the snake clue. Which oddly solved a lot of issues, because people will naturally stand on a circle they see on the ground. If they happen to look up, bonus. Early on, there had been an activity where you built a stone archway out of foam blocks, which had writing on them in the maze language we never figured out how to read, but that didn't survive long, either, likely due to upkeep from hundreds/ thousands of kids being rough with them.
I hope you include whatever that sand pendulum thing they had near the observatory was for, because we never figured that out.
Agh, right in the nostalgia
I remember going to this when I was around 6-10 and was terrified of the animatronics
Phobias often become... well...
Thank you for making this video. Adventure was so special, and I am glad to see it better documented. In my undergrad, my friends and I spent two separate days, open to close, cracking level 2. I have not experienced anything like it, especially not in a similar format.
The closest experiences have come from games - in descending order of urgency, I recommend TUNIC, Outer Wilds, and Chants of Sennaar. I think there's an inherent value to injecting curiosity into the world, and putting the fulfilment of exploration within reach of modern people.
i only went through twice (when i was 8 and 9 respectively) and as an adult i still feel compelled to go back and learn all the lore. i’m so sad it’s gone. are you still working on a part two?
Yep, yep! Part two is still happening! It’s just a matter of making time to edit when I’m not working.
This was the best exhibit they ever had and it's gone 😭
The best exhibit Cosi ever had!
I've just started watching this, but I love that you made a video on it! I'm definitely showing my age here, but I went around when it first opened (1999/2000?), so I was 6-7 years old. It was an AMAZING experience, and I still have the map from it. I'm honestly super giddy typing this, knowing that others were just as touched by the ride. It's definitely an obscure ride, and I agree that there hasn't been much information available on it until, well, probably this video. Thanks for this!
Was this the one with the row of random opening and closing doors? Because I had never been so scared as a kid.
This was my favorite thing EVER as a kid. My best friend and I got all the way to level three but felt like we were too old to finish -- genuinely one of my biggest regrets.
I’ve been looking all over the internet for what happened in part 2. I neeeeed and explanation on what happened in part 2.
I meant level 2 😅
@@nate5344 If you are referring to what it takes to solve it, I have a full walkthrough in our server
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought it was a dream at some point XD
This video is amazing! I never did level 2 before closing sadly. Can’t wait to see a part 2.
I was just at COSI and was sorely missing this exhibit! I hope that your part 2 is still coming in the future!
Oh, it’s most definitely coming, don’t worry! Before I even finished this video, the script for part two was already written and the voiceover audio was recorded. Because of my job as an illustrator, I don’t have too much time to edit, but I’m hoping it’ll be done before this video is a year old.
@@therabbitfollower5550 Oh no rush at all! I'm just happy that Adventure! is getting the love it deserves!
Are there any pictures of the long bridge? I have such a vague memory of a long bridge you’d need to cross to enter the Adventure exhibit. To be honest until I saw this video I believed my 6 year old mind made up the exhibit, but I still have distant memories of a bridge into a land like a Lost Temple.
To the best of my memory, there’s a bridge from the Temple of Inspiration to the doors of the observatory. It was over the well of questions! Other than that, I can’t recall any other bridges or suspended platforms other than that. The entrance to the exhibit itself didn’t have a bridge, but there was a dark hallway illuminated by lights made to look like old lamps. Footage from this area can be found towards the start of the video where I describe my adventure experience.
All the same, I’ll check in with other sources to see if there may have been something else like a bridge in the attraction that you might be remembering. Cheers, mate!
I think I know what you're talking about- from the entrance you go past the Maze of Reason, forward and up a ramp that kind of looks and feels like a bridge. To the left is the observatory and the Well of Questions, straight up ahead leads you to the Temple of Inspiration! Could that be what you're thinking of?
P’lunk was also my fave
19:03 why you gotta call me out like that smfh
Hope you still plan on posting part 2, I never knew about level 2 before watching this video!
Oh, most definitely. My part two to this video was already scripted and had all the audio recorded before this one was even finished. It’s just a matter of making time to edit in between my regular job as an illustrator.
@@therabbitfollower5550but.... You have a deadline... 4/29/24
Yeah COSI really screwed up by replacing adventure. This was the greatest attraction that the new location had to offer. The water world is still around thank god.
I went to COSI camp too! CSI and Animal camp!
Let's actually go!
LET'S FUCKING GOOOO
Such an awesome video!
I thought it was fake too until I overheard people in class
Isiahware: Explored!
Hi, in the off-chance you see this comment, can I ask how you accessed the secret language font? I think it's totally cool and I want to use it myself
I made it
Are you on discord?
Will part two still happen ?
We are working on it
Oh my goodness! I think I remember this from Ohio, I think??? I was scared of the sliding doors that I thought would slam shut as I walked past? It was such a long time ago and I wish I could remember it more clearly. :(
correct, Columbus Ohio
where part 2 at
She's a VERY busy artist who needs to pay rent, I've been closely following her on dA for years and I guess we never really had time to get this handled? Believe me, if anyone it should be ME who asks this question, I might have to redo that videocall interview we did in 2021 that was intended for part 2
Why did this traumatize me as a child
Wondering the same - I couldn't make it past P'Lunk at like 10 years old. Looking back at it now, I'm like "This scared me?"
Why is there only a part 1!!!!
Short answer: Work. As a small business owner, I spend 40+ hours a week on illustrations in order to pay rent, and when I’m done doing that, I don’t immediately want to sit down at my laptop again to work on a side project.
That said though, this is absolutely still a series I wanna finish. It’s gonna happen one way or another, it’s a matter of just getting the time and energy to do so. I certainly appreciate all the love I’ve gotten for this video alone, and I haven’t forgotten about you lot or this project.
Much love, mate, and thanks for your support and interest. 💖
@@therabbitfollower5550 I visited this place so much as a kid and even now go to cosi a ton with my kids. I miss the exhibit and never got to fully finish the whole thing. So the fact that it’s not completely forgotten and you actually made a video has made me so happy! Thank you for this, I needed a bit of dopamine today!!
Let’s compile a go fund me and have roto install it’s own park. #WhatInflation
I was beginning to this I had dreamt this. My parents don’t even remember it. Thank you 🥲