A few miles from Disneyland, a Fullerton grandfather engineers his own magic kingdom

All aboard the train and welcome to Disneyland.

Well, not exactly.

Welcome to engineering professor Steve Dobbs’ Fullerton backyard, where he has built what he calls Dobbsland, a backyard-size Disneyland replica.

Dobbs, a retired aerospace Boeing engineer who teaches at Cal Poly Pomona, wanted to create a magical experience for his five grandchildren and neighbors’ families. So he dug up old closet doors and other recycled wood and even cardboard and backs of puzzle boxes for the tunnel and constructed his own fantasy utopia in 1,600 square feet — about eight miles from The Happiest Place on Earth.

There in the backyard, in an otherwise quiet residential community, railroad tracks weave through the patio, down a brick path and through a tunnel built into in a pink fairytale castle. The structure’s “Frozen”-inspired interior features a stuffed replica of Olaf the Snowman mechanically spinning on a pedestal while snow queen Elsa sings “Let It Go” on a recording.

The train cruises by the wooden home of Winnie the Pooh and friends in Critter Country and passes by a Goofy-themed teeter-totter before ending up at a wooden cutout of “It’s a Small World.”

Dobbs started the construction three years ago when he learned that his wife was throwing out dolls owned by their two now-adult daughters.

To merge his love of all things Disney with his desire to utilize old toys and build something with his hands, Dobbs set off on creating “It’s a Small World.” He even repurposed an old pizza tin as the attraction’s clock.

Over three months, Dobbs built a passage that would fit a child riding on a toy train. To replicate the singing children from the around the world, he displayed his wife’s collection of Madame Alexander dolls on shelves — that he built.

“It started off small, but I got carried away,” Dobbs, 68, said as a recording played the attraction’s repetitive theme song. “My grandkids love Disneyland and they go there, so I have to compete. I can’t just have a swing set in my backyard.”

But the main attraction at Dobbsland, he said, is the adult-size roller coaster, which takes up about 480 square feet of his backyard.

For this project, Dobbs invited his two oldest grandsons, ages 12 and 15, to participate in the fun and put his students to work as well.

For the senior project in his mechanical engineering class, he commissioned nine students to try their hand at designing and building a roller coaster, including determining the height of the first hill, the shape, exit path and loop.

After pouring sand and shaping PVC piping, the crew added a padded seat with a harness. The ride, which spins fast on a turn and moves forward and backward, can hold one person weighing up to 185 pounds.

It’s certified by Diversified Technical Systems, a manufacturer that tests and measures systems and sensors for occupant safety, Dobbs said.

To kick off the attraction, the amusement park’s eighth, Dobbs invited the neighborhood to try the rides. More than 60 people showed up, he said.

Sunny Lee, a Fullerton resident who lives five minutes from Dobbs’ house, said her 4-year-old twins keep asking when they can return to Dobbsland.

“When he opened his first ride, I loved it and I loved watching my kids enjoy it,” Lee said. “It’s like a dream.”

On quiet days in the neighborhood, she can hear “Let It Go” playing from the castle, but it doesn’t bother her, she said.

Dobbs’ wife might be another matter. She could be seen inside the house, standing at a window shaking her head, as if to say, “That’s my husband for you.”

“I love it, the kids love it, but I don’t know if my wife is excited,” Dobbs said with a laugh. “No, no, she has been very supportive.”

He’s already planning a miniature Main Street and train station alongside the house, but before embarking on that component, he’ll have to restock the concession stand’s candy.

“The grandkids love selling food and earning money,” he said. “They probably enjoy that the most.”

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Kathleen Luppi, [email protected]

Twitter: @KathleenLuppi

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