I think of the expression “make-believe” and Disney comes to mind. I am sure it does for many people.
Words come to use through long journeys: This one has its first documented use in a 1773 children’s talk. The hyphen came later to make the expression a noun. There’s a sense of “forcing oneself to believe” in some of the definitions. It is the sense of pretend that seems to me more creative and given to fiction.
That sense of pretending reflects my 20th century childhood where Walt Disney reigned supreme and the expression was central to his brand.
It is interesting that after the early 2000s the expression has been in much higher use. Articles posit that the rise of social media, gaming, and chatbots has led to the increased usage of the phrase. As well, the phrase has become part of the toolkit /methodology of the social sciences and philosophy for imagining and evaluating future possibilities.
Disney dominates the make-believe theme brand with its amusement parks and movies. Here’s another one - the Museum of Make Believe in Laguna Beach, California. It is here. It is an immersive experience around the theme of make-believe - storytelling and fairytales.
I consider this a great thing that there are happy and magical places for children. That leads me to compare and contrast with what we have for adults. I found this: the Museum of the Hard to Believe, part of the Jipner’s Joyland amusement park in Coolsville. You can find that one HERE. You can’t go visit it as it is part of the Scooby-Doo universe. There is a place in Ohio named Coolsville so we could go there are “make-believe.”
Every so often I come across the pictures from the polar vortex in 2015 when the greenhouse windows were covered in ice. Here’s a picture from then.
