05/27/2026
Spike here!
I decided to try my hand at AI today (I know, I'm late to the game).
I have to admit, it made me laugh out loud and realize this stuff is here to stay and we all better just get used to it and figure out how to allow it to make our lives easier and more entertaining.
I started a little clunky... with something I know pretty well (figuring I'd catch it in a lie. I didn't)
My first inquiry: THE IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE, NUCK
The response:
Nucked! Misadventures with the Idora Park Experience Ninjas is a humorous, "sort-of" memoir written by Jim and Toni Amey detailing their wild, cross-country journey to rescue artifacts from Idora Park, Youngstown, Ohio's legendary lost amusement park.
Who is Nuck?
• The Character: Nuck (short for Knucklehead) is a fictionalized, 3-foot-3-inch tall, broken-English-speaking "ninja" sidekick.
• The Role: He serves as a comedic catalyst in the books, causing constant havoc while helping the authors track down lost pieces of history.
• The Inspiration: He represents the chaotic, unpredictable, and downright absurd situations the authors encountered while building their massive collection.
The Book Series
The antics of the Ameys and their trusty sidekick span across two primary book releases.
1. Nucked! Misadventures with the IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE NINJAS (2021) – Explains how the collection started and answers the question of what possessed them to spend 30 years tracking down amusement park remnants..
2. NUCKED! 2: More Misadventures (2023) – Follows the trio on more far-fetched artifact hunts filled with outrageous new characters.
What is "The Idora Park Experience"?
Idora Park was a beloved Youngstown amusement park (1899–1984) that closed permanently following a devastating fire that destroyed its famous Wildcat roller coaster. Decades later, Jim and Toni Amey accumulated the world's most extensive private collection of its artifacts—including original coaster cars, rockets, and funhouse mirrors.
Originally housed in a private museum on their property in Canfield, Ohio, the collection is transitioning to a permanent exhibit at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, ensuring the park's legacy lives on downtown.
Feeling a little gutsy I decided to give a more specific request:
My second inquiry: Show me what Nuck from The Idora Park Experience looks like.
The response:
On the covers of The Idora Park Experience book series, Nuck is depicted as a miniature, stylized ninja silhouette clad entirely in black.
He is illustrated as a small, shadow-like figure wearing a classic ninja suit and hood, lacking distinct facial features.
• Book 1 Cover: He is shown riding on top of a classic amusement park rocket ride alongside author Jim Amey, manning a comical, oversized Gatling gun.
• Book 2 Cover: He is seen riding on the back of a large elephant, maintaining his signature all-black ninja disguise.
And lastly I decided to give it a question I was sure it wouldn't answer correctly. I was wrong:
My last inquiry: Show me the Idora Park Experience Big Uglies
The response:
In the lore of The Idora Park Experience, the "Big Uglies" do not refer to a physical ride or amusement park artifact. Instead, they are an army of angry grasshoppers encountered by authors Jim and Toni Amey. [1]
The story of these chaotic insects is detailed in a dedicated chapter titled “The Big Uglies” in their first memoir, NUCKED! Misadventures with the Idora Park Experience Ninjas. [1]
The Story Behind the "Big Uglies"
• The Context: While traveling across the country to track down, dig up, and rescue lost pieces of Idora Park history, the Ameys frequently found themselves in overgrown, abandoned, or rural areas where remaining artifacts were left to rot.
• The Encounter: During one of these salvaging missions, they were ambushed by an aggressive swarm of massive grasshoppers.
• The Comic Element: In the book, their 3-foot-tall fictionalized ninja sidekick, Nuck, tries to help them battle and survive the angry bugs, resulting in a hilarious and messy misadventure.
Real "Big" Artifacts in the Collection
If you visit the collection's new permanent home at downtown Youngstown's Tyler History Center, you won't see giant bugs, but you will see the actual heavy-duty artifacts the Ameys risked life and limb to find.
The only real correction is that the permanent home isn't at the Tyler History Center. It will be at 250 E. Federal Street. However there is currently an Idora Park Artifact display at the Tyler History Center.
If you haven't seen it yet you should.
And if you haven't read "Nucked! Misadventures with the IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE NINJAS" (2021) and "NUCKED! 2: More Misadventures with the IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE NINJAS"(2023), you should!
You can get both at www.theidoraparkexperience.com
