I went to Chicago to visit family, but while I was there I also made a few TV-inspired detours along the way. One involved drinking, the other involved melty plastic figurines – you know, normal touristy stuff. I don’t generally travel with the intent of seeing famous TV landmarks or locations, but you know, “when in Rome.”
The first stop was Lottie’s Pub, otherwise known as Molly’s in the One Chicago universe. I’ve been watching Chicago Fire since the beginning, so a trip to their local watering hole has been on my wishlist for some time. While the TV show now shoots interior shots on a set, the bar still pretty much looks as it does on screen minus our favorite Firehouse 51 people serving up the drinks.
It’s definitely a neighborhood haunt, but based on my experience, and the menu, they’re used to seeing Chi-Hards come through the doors on a somewhat regular basis. They’ve got a burger named after each of the three shows, including a healthier turkey burger for the Chicago Med crowd. There’s also a beer on tap called “Molly’s by Day IPA” that was made in collaboration with Spiteful Brewing, a Chicago-based brewery. And while I don’t always love IPAs, this one was incredibly drinkable. I may or may not have had more than one pint.
The entire experience felt a bit surreal, having spent years seeing this place on TV, but then to actually be sitting there eating and drinking. Overall, it was a nice night out in Chicago hanging at Lottie’s trying their various appetizers and drafts. All good by the way.
My second stop, The Field Museum, was always on my itinerary because I read The Devil in the White City a couple of years ago and have been fascinated with the 1893 World’s Fair ever since. But then, through a series of crazy random happenstances I had a new driving force for going – Mold-A-Rama machines!
You see, back in January of 2019 Bryan Fuller (of Pushing Daisies, Hannibal, and American Gods fame) posted a picture on Instagram of a Wonderfalls’ Jaye Tyler action figure surrounded by many of the iconic props from the show. One of which was the infamous smooshed-faced orange wax lion, which was created in a Mold-A-Rama machine.
View this post on InstagramCUSTOM JAYE ACTION FIGURE BY @dazzafield JOINS THE #WONDERFALLS MUSES @toddholland3
As a huge fan of the show, I of course liked the picture and then commented that I wished I could find an orange wax lion of my own. (If you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about check out the pilot episode here, the Mold-A-Rama machine and lion make their first appearance at the 5:38 mark.)
Fast forward to the week before my trip (a full 42 weeks after I commented on the post) and I received a notification on Instagram saying someone replied to my comment. A fellow Wonderfalls fan was visiting Chicago and had just found several Mold-A-Rama machines at The Field Museum. They were kind enough to let me know (sometimes the Internet and social media can be used for good). There wasn’t an orange lion, but still, it was good news!
So armed with this new found knowledge I divided my time at The Field Museum between perusing the exhibits, some of which featured items showcased at the 1893 World’s Fair and hunting down the Mold-A-Rama machines. In the end I came home with a white stegosaurus, a green apatosaurus, and an orange elephant. The latter of which currently sits next to my Wonderfalls replica monkey bookend.
According to the official Mold-A-Rama website, you can still get a lion figurine at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, the Como Park Zoo in Minnesota, and the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. However, none of them are orange and assuming the machines are working correctly, they probably aren’t smooshed faced either.
So while a replica of the show’s orange lion remains elusive, I still got a kick out of these old school machines (most of which were made in the 60s). I happily handed over three bucks a pop for freshly molded plastic animals. Lion or not, the experience was well worth it.
