Resurrecting Space Age Playground Equipment

[@WesleyTreat]

Get your very own Bambu Lab printer! ➡️ tinyurl.com/4sdkcr5v

[@graffic13]

Build a catio next.. can't have murder mittens killing all the native animals in the area.

[@evilutionltd]

Congrats, you are now owned by a cat. He's very cute and incredibly shouty.

[@jfu5222]

The cat distribution system is working as planned.

[@doriglenn1358]

He has a lot to say… or complain about 😸

[@scrager4]

A Wesley Treat video with cats. life is complete.

[@mikebeacom4883]

Cats as models: works cheap, always available, refuses direction.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

sleeps all day...

[@mikebeacom4883]

@@xoxo2008oxox runs around all night…

[@tomsko863]

That cat will never appreciate what you did. No cat ever does.

[@EnUsUserScreenname]

They don't give a fuck that we even exist. I love them so much.

[@sallybanner]

depends on the cat!

[@ClaytonDowling]

I have a cat that I rescued four times (he became directionally challenged in middle age). He and I had a very solid understanding of exactly how much we meant to each other.

[@doriglenn1358]

He’ll appreciate it- he just won’t admit it 😸

[@personalwatching9312]

Damn, now I wanna build a full sized adult one. I loved those things

[@seanobrien7169]

The little merry-go-round spinning disc things are the ones I have nostalgia for. My first experience with g-force...😂😂😂

[@lotharbeck71]

KITTENS SQUEAKING WHILE EATING! One of my favorite things.

[@rebeccamyott7041]

Just like every cat.... precious.❤

[@joshwagner4368]

Magnificent work. However, as someone that lives with way too many cats, I would have to recommend some sort of velcro arrangement instead of glue for the carpet. It will be far easier to replace when it inevitably gets torn up or stained.

[@FishyCanada]

A 3D printed space helmet for Sputnik is now in order.

[@only1muppet]

I definitely remember climbing in and sliding down one in Watkins Park, Largo MD. That thing was a danger on sunny days, the reflective metal slide could fry an egg 😂

[@DigitalShepherd]

Wesley! We were neighbors! I'll see if I have pictures of the Vandergriff park Rocket. We LOVED that thing!

[@WesleyTreat]

@@DigitalShepherd I can't remember what model it was, either. Miracle, I think.

[@jedsudweeks6676]

@@WesleyTreat I know you've probably already thought of it, but I officially double-dog-dare you to 3D print a space helmet with LED "laser beam eyes" for Sputnik. Then dub in the Marvin the Martian voice for when you "make fun" of obnoxious comments. 🤪

[@tomcatfoolery]

Yay! You have a shop cat. Sputnik is adorable, and sassy. He's going to be an asset for your creativity. I'm so happy for you.

[@shirleyannconfer9651]

As long as you remember that the cat owns you, everything will be cool. You are the cat’s human, LOL. Welcome to the kitten distribution system! I had to laugh when you advised him to “enjoy those while you have them,” though.

[@PhalenPoint]

You should swing through St. Louis on your way back from Maker Camp and see the City Museum... if you're unfamiliar, it's a 10-story McDonalds-like playland built of architectural salvage materials by artists and craftspeople. And there's a bar, so it's not just for kids. There's also a 10-story metal curly slide.

[@WesleyTreat]

There's also a Jamison in there 🚀

[@wirelesmike73]

That place is amazing, and keeps getting better. I'd argue, it's the best thing about St Louis... or MO, for that matter. IMO

[@logandarklighter]

OMG... What fond memories that dug up! I hadn't thought about those rocket slides in literally DECADES!!!

[@oculusangelicus8978]

You should put a nice oversized, soft cushion in the bottom level for a place to sleep and you watch him fall in love with that thing! Or perhaps saw a nice soft cushion with a matching hole in it for the top level of the rocket, since cats love high places and he'll certainly fall in love with that spot too. My Father built a hanging cat house out of a wooded shipping crate, hung it from the joists of the main floor in our basement and put a hole in the top made a dividing shelf inside and put a hole in it as well, then used stand-off pieces of 2x4 as the hangers for the box. he also put a few smaller holes in the sides of it to be used as windows, and a ramp from the stairwell into the basement that acted as a catwalk for the cats to use to get to and into the box. My Mom then sawed some cushions for the inside with hook and loop fasteners so they could be taken out and washed when needed and it was a great little retreat for our kitties to go into when they had enough from our dogs. My Black Cat "Nibs" had her first litter of mittens in that box and it was a favorite place for the kittens until they were rehomed. Obviously, you are an animal lover and at this adolescent age cats are VERY aloof until it is something THEY want but they mellow out as they reach adulthood. If you didn't already know, that is. A very cool setup for a kitty to have, and the bars allow a much better view around them than a solid wall. Nice build! give Sputnik a bit of luvin' for me. and see you in your next video!

[@carpespasm]

A fluffy cushion that looks like an exhaust cloud.

[@sampull3541]

I have that same printer. It’s amazing. The AI spaghetti finder alerted the other day. It detected that my print was messing up… turns out there was a just a stray bit of filament on the print tray! I removed it, hit resume, and my print finished perfectly. Love my Bambu!

[@paulmanningremixes6408]

I don’t know if you had such things over there, but in the 60s, 70s and into the 80s over here in the UK, we had some seriously dodgy children’s playground furniture and contraptions. The deadliest of these we called the “Witches Hat Swing”, which was nothing more than a heavy, central steel pole concreted deep into the ground, upon which sat a huge conical, shuttlecock shaped swing, with wooden seats wreathing the bottom. We children would clamber onto this deadly contraption and swing and spin and pendulate in the most unnerving fashion. Bumped heads, grazed limbs and bruised egos abounded, but we always went back for more. Halcyon days!

[@mickspencer4171]

I remember those as well

[@forbol]

The submarine comment was a teeny bit morbid but hilarious. LOL

[@Senthiuz]

I thought he really crushed it with that joke.

[@AlanW]

@@Senthiuz Pulling off such a joke can be a lot of pressure.

[@almagill]

this has been one of the best most fun videos yet, Wesley! Growing up in the UK in the 60s and 70s, I don't think I ever saw a 'space rocket' but we had some deranged playground furniture by Wickstead of Kettering who, to this day, still operate a huge playpark showcasing their slides, rides and other... things. Well worth a visit if you're over this side of the pond

[@TrailRat2000]

We had a 'space rocket' slide here in North London, but the council took it down when they started noticing kids would climb up the outside so they would play 'king of the castle'. A friend of mine broke his arm falling from the top doing that!

[@claytonhanley12]

Resident in a town in northeast Texas and we still have one of these standing that can be played in, in our local park! It’s been voted on a few times and each time has been saved by the community as it’s a staple of everyone’s childhood! The image of the one at 13:02 is ours!

[@WesleyTreat]

I've been trying to figure out where that one is. Please submit the details at www.wesleytreat.com/rocketslides if you get a chance.

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

Yes! We still have one in a park near us. They just overhauled it a few years ago so it’s still being used. What an awesome project!

[@WesleyTreat]

Thanks! Be sure to check the map and send it in if it's not already listed!

[@blurboards1]

Turned out amazing. If you work some catnip into the carpet that will keep Sputnik entertained for at least 5 seconds. Lol

[@Nono-hk3is]

Yes this is guaranteed to work, unless you have one of those cats qho don't react to catnip for some reason.

[@mandoman5]

Nice 3D "printing" sound effect. I always enjoy your easter eggs.

[@MarkDonerSD]

Those deburring wheels are great, but this is the first time I've seen anyone use one on KZbin. Use them for all sorts of things, not just deburring... Shaping and polishing metal, wood, even plastic if you're careful. You can dress the wheel to different shapes for different projects, too, very handy

[@SeraphimKnight]

There was a rocket slide near my grandma's place in the center of Montreal as a kid. This was in the late 90s as I recall. It definitely was one of those things that had been there since the 60s. I'm pretty sure it was the moonrocket model too.

[@Ernzt8]

Cutest thing in the workshop! The cat is nice too.

[@Symplegades]

Didn't realize there was one of these at Vandergriff Park, but I remember well its twin at Randol Mill Park.

[@JockeSelin]

Cat shows up. Human becomes servant. Servant build rocket ship. Cat gets Treat. Purrrfect. 😊

[@ph0t0sh0pmast3r]

We had one of those slides at my local park growing up in Keokuk, Iowa! I loved that thing.

[@decoycreativedistractions]

Growing up in Australia, near the Blue Mountains, I’m excited to learn that I actually played on the Rocket featured in the plans. It was such a buzz each time we visited that playground. I remember visiting the area in my teens, and sadly the Rocket was in need of a little TLC. I have no idea if it’s still there.. but I hope so. Wesley… I always enjoy your videos/creations, but this one was a favourite for sure and brought a bunch of joy to my morning. If I was a wealthier fellow, I’d send you money, alas I hope that you may feast on “good feels” instead. 😅 😂 Thanks mate. 👍🏼

[@jasonjohnson785]

The Cat Distribution Network in action. You have been chosen.

[@BackYardAdventures77]

I stumbled upon your channel about 2 months ago and binged most of your videos in about 1 week. Thank you for posting a new video, Ive been checking and waiting for a new one! great stuff!

[@milescraig8793]

That's the cat distribution system at work. Cool project.

[@stuartkorte1642]

Brings back memories. Should have put a small box in the rocket. Automatic cat magnet. 😊

[@nstrubhart]

Kiwanis Park in Athens Texas still has a rocket ship, had many a birthday party there growing up in the 90's 🚀

[@moth.monster]

There's a point to be made that making playgrounds "safe" has made them worse, as they're now all boring and samey. Plus, kids inherently want risk, and a "safe" environment leads kids to make up their own risk in unexpectedly ways, while a playground designed with limited risk in mind can actually be safer overall. It's kind of like how making a road narrower can cause people to drive safely, reducing accidents overall.

[@doriglenn1358]

But like many adults, there are some that are totally inept- and they have the loudest parents that demand safer playground equipment. And just like adults- all the rest of us have to cater to the lowest denominator 🤷‍♀️

[@MaggieKeizai]

I DID grow up near one of those! It was f'n AWESOME. It was the Jamison moon rocket, and going up to the top and steering that wheel was the best part. It was at "Valley of the moon" park, and one time when I was a kid, me and another kid found these weird bags with hoses in the woods there, and started clubbing each other with them. Our parents were mortified to see us come screaming out of the trees wailing on each other with enema bags that a couple of perverts had hung up in the trees and used. At a kids' park. GOOD TIMES Edit: the rocket's not there anymore, but I see on your map, Wesley, that the rocket was moved across town. Valley of the moon still has a rockety thing, but now it's a safer one. That much I knew, but I didn't realize that the old one was saved! Hooray!

[@azlandpilotcar4450]

IMO Diresta needs a 30 ft rocket next to his horse barn. Or maybe next to the graveyard.

[@WesleyTreat]

Suggested that to him just this morning. He wasn't convinced. 😂

[@StaceNyourFace]

@@WesleyTreat lol. The last thing Jimmy needs right now is another project. 🤣

[@MichaelMakesMistakes]

Thank you for doing this! I grew up in Boulder and it was always a treat (heh heh) to go to the one at Scott Carpenter Park. I hadn't thought of it in years, but I'm so happy it's still there.

[@oculusangelicus8978]

I laughed my butt off at the Carbon fiber submarine joke!

[@davidhyson9910]

Reminds me of the day my RC Plane neighbor though he'd lay up a spinner out of carbon fiber. That did not go well.

[@killken]

Had a big silver one at Pallarenda beach, Townsville, QLD, Australia when I was a kid. Loved it.

[@tinom.2455]

Nice! I'd like to build it too, but as a long time cat owner, I gave up for building or buying things for my cat. It's almost everytime a one use item. A fresh, simple cardboard-box from time to time is everything he want. But I like it! Very refreshing idea.

[@sailormouthdotorg]

Excellent work! The brackets are a nice slick touch.

[@deziomakes]

Watkins Park just outside of D.C. had a Miracle rocket. Now I'm on a mission to find pictures. Also, I'd totally buy you a Bourbon at Rockets-N-Robots. Awesome content!

[@tomsko863]

15:48 - That's a good description of a romantic evening with the missus.

[@kidmystic8008]

There is one of these in Boulder, CO in Scott Carpenter Park. Scott Carpenter was an astronaut that was part of the Mercury 7 project and the second astronaut after John Glenn to orbit the Earth.

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

Clicked on this video motivated by nostalgia for the playground rocket installed at Spaceland Arcade in Salisbury, South Australia - and sure enough at 0:15 there it is! (I never played on it- it was locked by the time I was old enough, but I still thought it was cool.)

[@havokvladimirovichstalinov]

There was one in Burns Park in Little Rock Arkansas that looked exactly like that years ago. Its been remodeled since but the original design was always my favorite

[@WesleyTreat]

@havokvladimirovichstalinov Replaced in 2006 with plastic. 😒

[@itarry4]

In Britain we had the witches hat which made these rockets look like a safety idea. These things were huge, like 30 ft which hat shaped metal climbing frames with a couple of wooden 12 in wide shelves on the inside and outside the the whole thing rotated on a huge pole swinging madly around and around whilst swinging from side to side as well. These days parents would faint at the sight of it. We also had a spinning metal spiderweb thing you could lie underneath and propel around at extremely dizzying speeds whilst little kids hung on for dear life and tried not to get thrown 10 ft across the playground. Ahh the days of zero safety just fun.

[@awollangk]

We had an XS-1 in Neenah Wisconsin.

[@sfefsew]

It's great! Well done mate.

[@KarlBunker]

Beautiful, adorable cat! And the project is pretty nice too. 😁

[@JointerMark]

The nose cone would be a great place for a cat treat dispenser.

[@SpectraStarShooter]

I grew up with the Jamison Moon Rocket in Richardson, TX, that thing was ancient, wasn’t demolished until the mid-late 2000’s if I remember correctly. I adored that thing, many fond memories.

[@Chaedron1]

Yeah, there was one of these at Audubon park near where I grew up. I can see why they tore them down, you could get 3rd degree burns in Texas during the summer. But, they were fun in winter or on a cloudy day. If they could bring them back without the searing hot metal, I'd be totally down for that. But your model does bring back the nostalgia for thing like that.

[@voxel-loves-you]

I visited that rocket slide in Miami, OK many times while seeing relatives. Was telling my husband about it right before you showed the actual street view of it lol

[@WesleyTreat]

Visited it last week. A local kid confirmed my suspicion that the bars had been replaced, with horizontal ones added. It's why it looks too angular.

[@TheDarkPreacher65]

"Never work with children or animals" - W.C. Fields. That being said, congrats on recieving your allotment from the cat distribution system! Hopefully Sputnik is a good mouser and isn't like my cat and is deathly afraid of the damn things.

[@SmoothAlf]

You are such a nerd!!!! 😂😂😂😂 Love it! You're awesome, Wesley! Love the vid, love the idea, love Toe Beans!!!

[@jpalarchio]

Really great work, looks amazing! So thoughtful on the details with the inset for the carpet.

[@ColinMakesAllTheThings]

I love your love of rockets! Can't wait to see what you build next!

[@dannyberg4294]

The cat distribution system never fails! 😁 congratulations! Though I must say, he seems a bit bossy

[@lqqkout8214]

There was an operational slide in Des Moines and there's one in Minneapolis that was turned into sculpture - Great project!

[@WesleyTreat]

Thanks! Be sure to send them in if they aren't already on the map: www.wesleytreat.com/rocketslides

[@gedreillyhomestead6926]

I love cats, how easy they are to train and do exactly what you tell them to do. 😹 Yeah, right! 😼 People are pets to cats, they rule this planet and do exactly as they please. Give them treats, feed them and they might let you pet them or be a chair for them. Little B*******, cuties. 😹🐾

[@HyperactiveNeuron]

The cat distribution system is hard at work 😂 and oh yes I remember these fabulously dangerous slide towers. They were all over the US. The best part was the stainless steel slide that you burned your butt and thighs on in the summer sun unless you were lucky enough to have a park with lots of big trees by the slides but they usually seemed to cut down the trees by the slides but nothing compares to the decommissioned tanks they put in veterans memorial parks.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Just look at that handy Shopsmith! Neat project, Wesley.

[@captaincomet26]

I lived in a town called Kingaroy, which is in Queensland Australia, It was red and huge (maybe just to me as a kid, but I swear it was big even to an adult lol) and I was so interested When you mentioned the history of how the rocket got to Australia. It looked exactly like the design you showed too. Great vid

[@AlexMusayev]

What a cute cat :)

[@kevrasx]

I remember the original rocket in Hermann Park in Houston. Getting to the top was a sweaty ordeal... That I loved dearly.

[@allisonwerner567]

I absolutely love this project! ❤🐱🚀

[@james1214]

Todd Grove Park in Ukiah CA still has its ticket slide, and it's awesome, we have friends who live a few blocks away and my kiddo adores it, we have to go every time we visit.

[@stevepayne750]

I’m an Aussie and we certainly had one of those down the end of my street in the late 60’s. It was removed to outside a factory in the early 70’s and lived there for many years. I don’t know when it went away.we had the one with the control level at the top.

[@stevepayne750]

218 Chesterville Rd Moorabbin, Victoria Australia. Still there. maps.app.goo.gl/EgUg7mbYMAfuYpuBA?g_st=ic

[@JohnHenrySMH]

They have modern ones now, at least here in Australia and bigger than the old ones I remember. There seems to be a move back towards more "risky" outdoor play for children, at least from what i can tell from a lot of the modern playgrounds I've seen built in recent years. I find I'm quite jealous of my kids, some of these playgrounds are amazing compared to what we had in the eighties.

[@michaelmarusic8499]

👍🏻One of the most elaborate cat trees ever… nice job!

[@JustCallMeMeghan]

That dot matrix printer sound will forever be ingrained in my subconscious. Lol.

[@MFunkibut]

We had rocket monkey bars in 3rd grade in Findlay Ohio. The closest image I find is from Cities:Skylines although ours was painted red, white and blue. Also, no rocket has ever gone to space sans text. Put a number on the fins or maybe the WT logo on the next print of the nosecone!

[@timothystevenhoward]

this makes me sooo happy. enjoy your new shop boss/overlord. good luck!

[@DagrtOne]

They were so much fun!!!

[@garagemonkeysan]

Such an awesome build and video. CAD + 3DPrint feels like a super power. Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@kurtandlazanneilander724]

I think kid Wesley would be proud to know adult Wesley would be building one... and using robots to do it no less!

[@jtubach]

On the note of safety, I feel like your shop elevator has received its fair share of criticism. Maybe you should build an enclosure for it... Say, I don't know... With vertical metal strips and horizontal metal rings holding them together?

[@DavidLucas-hf1cx]

Very cool build! I’m still kind of bummed, I was second in line for a real Jamison.. It had to be out of the park by the end of the week and the guy that was first in the line lost his storage… I was getting ready to go get it at the last minute. He was able to find a place to store it… no idea whatever happened with it.. it sure would’ve looked cool on the old El Rancho…

[@johnritchie3889]

I grew up playing on the Jamison slide in St. Charles, Illinois. Very cool and great memories.

[@WesleyTreat]

Kehoe Park!

[@TheVgonman]

I grew up around the Jamison Rocket you showed at 12:52 (And I mean, that exact rocket.That picture was taken at Los Arboles Rocketship Park in Torrance, CA.)

[@rexthewarhorse]

Sputnik is really cute 🥰 And the rocket turned out amazing

[@DavidBarwick-hb7eo]

We hD a rocket in the park near my home in Central West New South Wales Australia. Not sure when it was removed but in the early 2000s it reapeared in the park fully restored. It was removed a month later and i have no idea where it is now. Had so much fun in it as a kid.

[@JamieBliss]

Wesley has discovered the great irony of cat projects

[@DirtyFacedKid]

“People who romanticize the notion of their own children being injured are F-ing weird” NEEDS to be on a t-shirt . . . Loved the video!

[@shawnpgorman]

We had one of the Jameson models at Hermann Memorial Park in Houston, TX when I was a kid. I loved going there just play on it.

[@13DLight]

Yes! We had a rocket slide in the town where I went to high school in northeast IA. Apparently was still there in 2010. Stairs and landings. No large holes in the floors like your version. Painted red, white and blue.

[@13DLight]

And maybe a little catnip incentive...

[@robertjohnson7877]

I recall the Moon Rocket model in the park I went to as a kid in Los Angeles. I believe it was the park in Bell (not Bell Gardens but the township of Bell). I believe there was one in McArthur Park, which was another park I lived near at one point.

[@andrewowens5653]

Just rub some catnip into that carpet!

[@davestinyworkshop]

I love it, well done!

[@jackbrown3689]

Fabulous build, our disappearing playground item of this ilk was the witches hat a big conical climbing frame that rotated around a pillar from its tip and severed fingers almost like it was designed to!

[@fleurdelune5240]

There is a Rocket slide at Union Park in Des Moines, Iowa. 🚀 ❤ Great job with your 🐈 Rocket.

[@JonAtLarge]

It's like buying a cat toy at the pet store, they still prefer a piece of string or the wrapper the toy came in!

[@jfu5222]

I grew up with a fantastic Rocket Slide/Jungle Gym/Rope Bridge in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was taken down somewhere in the mid-80s, but that was after I had moved on to even more dangerous past times! Edit: I guess I was lucky enough to have the Miracle Astro City as seen at 12:15 in this video.

[@paulbyerlee2529]

I work for a company in Australia that makes playground equipment and actually has a rocket style playground in it's inventory. The photo you showed is not one that I have worked on but the design is identical.

[@SamGreenMaker]

Had no idea about these rockets. Looks like PA doesn’t have them. Thanks for sharing!!

[@ivanheffner2587]

0:17 This one looks like it could have been taken in my home town. I know it wasn’t because our “Astro Park” didn’t have that hill, but this looks like the exact type of rocket slide we had.