Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on August 12, 2013

The Autistry Model Employment Program launched in June. The program is designed to give hands-on, real-world job experience to Autistry students who have completed at least one semester of the Core Workshop Program.

We began with two students, Connor and Ian and a teeny tiny budget. But even at this small size we are seeing a huge impact – the products are amazing and we have a long line of students who want to get into this program. The students are learning many new skills including how to work as a team and how to build customer-driven designs.

The first commissioned piece was a 4’x 4′ garden shed. This order was very special as it came from Dr. Bryna Siegel who 15 years ago diagnosed Ian with autism. She was delighted to be our first customer. Ian and Connor worked very hard and were proud of their first project.

We have several in-house projects lined up and we are accepting orders for commissioned pieces. If you would like to discuss a project email Dan: dan@autistry.com.

We are all very excited about the upcoming 2nd Annual Autistry Faire: Cardboard Carnival on Sunday, October 27th. The Faire is our main fundraiser and supports the Opportunity Fund which provides scholarships and sliding scale fees to moderate/low income students. The Faire also supports the expansion of Autistry programs and the new Model Employment Program. For this year’s Faire we are really rocking the house.

The centerpiece of the Faire is a 40-foot-long racetrack for remote-controlled cars. The giant racetrack is being built by Autistry staff and students with help from the artists of The Cardboard Institute of Technology. One of the sponsorship opportunities is to sponsor a 30-40 mph 21-inch long RC racecar. Your car will be customized by Autistry students to your specifications to promote your support of Autistry Studios. We will host a VIP Racetrack Social the night before the Faire where you can race head-to-head against other sponsors while enjoying cocktails and a special tour of our 10,000 sq. ft. facility. We are happy to have a car sponsored by a group of businesses, organizations, or families – we will make room for all the names and logos. This is fundraising at its most fun. Check out the other Racetrack sponsorship opportunities on our Sponsorship Page!

The Autistry Activity Booths are back! This year’s haunted extravaganza will be The Little Auto Shop of Horrors! Sara and Jeremy have retooled the Haunted Hospital into an automotive nightmare guaranteed to scare your lug-nuts off.

Courtenay returns to paint her fabulous One-of-a-Kind Face Art Creations. There will also be an all new Shooting Gallery, the Fishing Wall, Plinko Board, Bean Bag Toss and much, much more. You can support Autistry by sponsoring an Activity Booth – see our Booth Sponsorship page.

And…special live performances by amazing local bands.

Beso Negro has an all-star lineup of internationally experienced musicians who have brought drive and passion to Gypsy Swing. The love for tradition has collided with a modern sensibility and has transformed the genre into a vibrant new beast.

Marble Party is part indie rock, part power pop, and a hint of psychedelia. Their debut album Lyle has garnered rave reviews. “..unique sound that displays both precise musical acumen and a laid-back Northern California vibe all at once. The music satisfies on so many levels.”
 
 
 

We will also be joined by the Raks Rosa Dance Company.

This is a fundraiser but it is also a celebration of the wonderful world of autism!

Viva la difference! 
Put this on your calendars:
Sunday, Oct 27th, 2013
12-4pm
Autistry Studios,
37 Duffy Place, San Rafael

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Posted By Janet Miller on July 21, 2013

Everything I write about is my opinion and based on lots of interaction with other parents/specialists.  I have been very active in this community and wanted to share with others what I have learned as many parents have reached out to me for advice. Again you need to thoughtfully consider what I outline as you know your son/daughter.  I am strongly urging you to start your own transition and consider this as you read what I write. Transition is as much for the parent as for the your adolescent.

I wanted to respond to a few questions I received following my last blog. Districts can put pressure on families sometimes to select a track:  diploma or services.  I have a friend who was asked to make this decision in middle school.  Sometimes you know but many times there is still so much growth going on that you want to be sure you do not box your child so that there are not options when you get to high school. If the student can handle the academics then you should work towards a diploma at least the first year of high school as will be an indication of what they can handle.  You can clearly also word this in an IEP under comments.  If you are considering a diploma you should also transition your son/ daughter to some type of regular high school if you really are preparing them for college or even independent employment. This is more real world and will force them to integrate into situations that will prepare them post high school.  This may not always be the case but something you should seriously evaluate. This all goes to what you are considering post high school.  This may not be until the junior year when you have a better sense of what type of learning and social environment they can tolerate.  If they still need a lot of support in later high school years then services may be more appropriate.

This leads me to the topic I want to talk about today.  As parents we want to protect and shield our kids from disappointment. Truthfully though we all face disappointment and so better to expose our kids to this when we can be around to help them navigate and also just appreciate that all part of life.  This is particularly true as we want to transition them to more independence.   We have to let them do things that we may not know whether they can manage but know that a critical skill that may be needed for independence.   We can also be strategic with how we introduce them to new skills and situations. More often than not we do not want to do this as we do not want them to fail. Failure is only negative if there is no learning going on and if there is no understanding of how to move forward. What I am speaking to is true for all kids not just those with special needs. As parents though we just tend to shield and protect our kids with special needs more.

My son wants to do more on his own. He is doing things and not always successfully.  He now phones in his medication refill to the pharmacy. The first couple times we did together.  He then did on his own and pressed the wrong numbers. He got frustrated but he also learned that not a big deal and is now doing correctly. When attempting to take a bus to Autistry he was tasked with figuring out the schedule and route. He got confused and did not understand that there was a to and from route. He showed up at the wrong time and again got a little frustrated but worked through this and the next day got the right location and departure time.  He also learned a lot about bus schedules. These may not seem significant risks but they were situations he needed to manage on his own and was not successful at first. When my son worked for me several summers ago I gained a lot of insight.  His first day of work I had a meeting. I was worried as he was on his own but created very structured schedule and told him to ask my assistant if he had any questions.  I did not want to go to my meeting as my son had never been left alone in a work situation. My meeting ended up being 2 hours long and when I got back to his desk he had not only completed the work I had given him but had sought out my assistant when he needed help, identified a few problems that had never been brought to my attention and even had limited his break to 15 minutes on the computer accessing the internet.  He was successful but it took everything in me to walk away and go to my meeting.

As we move our kids toward employment there will be skills that will be a challenge and we need to be sure that if they are not always successful initially at a task that they are able to manage their frustrations and approach in a different way.

C and I are through 3 weeks of the employment program at Autistry.  They had to understand how to complete a W9, importance of personal identification for employment. They both need to complete timecards to record hours and then deposit their paycheck into checking account. Both C& I are learning team work and together successfully built a trailer which will be needed to transport wood for a shed that they are just starting to put together.  They are focused and respectful to each other and Dan. They are learning how to take direction and constructive feedback from their boss Dan. These are skills many young college graduates struggle with, taking direction and being open to feedback for improvement.

 

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Posted By Janet Miller on July 10, 2013

I appreciate the feedback from my first blog. I really hope that others will post comments so that this can be interactive. Please share your experiences as we can all learn from each other. Ask questions too. This is probably the most difficult transition as there are a lot of decisions and choices but resources and options can be more limited. There continues to be a lot of focus on early intervention and while I have read a lot of articles about the need for services and support as our kids’ transition out of high school, I have not found many practical options.  Janet and Dan are truly visionary and in my experience parents are the ones that have to create the opportunities.

I did touch briefly on the topic of diploma vs. certificate of completion and services. A diploma just terminates the school district’s responsibility but there are many students who get a diploma and then can access Golden Gate Regional Center Services if they have qualified or perhaps another agency depending on diagnosis.  I believe the most important factor in this decision is really about goals and expectations post high school.  The transition IEP and planning should really start at age 16 if not sooner. Very important that you have an awareness of not just cognitive functioning but level of independence. I really encourage you to also seek out employment opportunities or non paid internships while your adolescent is in high school so you can evaluate level of independence and what type of support if any will be needed.   Determine your son/daughter’s interest and seek out an opportunity. I found an internship for my son at a local record/CD store as he knows a lot about music. The owner was a friend of a friend and at first was not sure but now 2 years later really appreciates our son.  C also worked for my company which although was not optimal was a great way for me to assess his skills and determine structure for him to be successful.  C worked very hard and was a lot more independent then I thought he would be and got along with everyone.  My staff asked for him to come back the next summer. I chose instead to have him participate in Autistry Employment Program which is much better for C to gain his own independence.  He and Ian have completed building a trailer and are now working on a shed commissioned by a customer.  I will share more in my next blog on the critical employment skills being developed there.

The most important take away for you when evaluating a diploma is really just to be sure you have an appropriate plan after high school.  If they are no longer eligible for services after high school can they attend a community college or any university on their own? Or can you afford to privately pay for some of the programs that are out there to help our kids’ transition? Golden Gate Regional Services will assist with some of these programs if the school district is no longer providing services.

I have talked to too many parents who are not looking beyond graduation from high school as working so hard to help son/daughter earn the diploma.  I am really encouraging you to have a balanced look at your son/daughter’s overall skill and what will be needed post high school to continue to develop and be successful.   A diploma is great and a worthy goal if it makes sense for the student.  Be sure you are working with your school district on an appropriate transition IEP. You need to be strategic with your future planning.

 

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Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on July 5, 2013

It’s a hot July and the creativity at Autistry is sizzling. We are busy with new student projects and new Autistry programs.

We are over halfway to meeting the Summer 2:1 donation challenge to raise $10,000. When we raise the $10k we will receive an additional $20,000 from a very generous foundation. That $30,000 will go toward the Autistry Opportunity Fund which supports sliding scale fees and toward the new Autistry Model Employment Program. To donate on line go to the Donate Page or, send a check to Autistry Studios, 37 Duffy Place, San Rafael, CA 94925.

Autistry News: We are very happy to announce that Sarah Horowitz is joining us as Autistry’s first Director of Development. Sarah will work closely with Janet, Dan, and the Autistry board to develop and execute our fundraising efforts as well as coordinating media coverage. Sarah has worked for several years with Matrix Parent Network as their media and publications coordinator. She is a skilled graphic designer and she also knows a lot about trains!

Janet Miller, Autistry Board member and longtime autism community leader has launched the first weekly Autistry Blog: Transitions. Janet M. will be writing on topics relating to the many transitions from youth to adulthood: leaving home, diploma vs certificate, employment, housing, SSI, and many other issues that affect the lives of families with ASD children.

And we are delighted to announce that Sara Gardner has received her MS in Counseling Psychology from Dominican University. Sara will be continuing at Autistry as an MFT-Intern working under Janet’s supervision (MFT#44746). She will help facilitate several Core Workshops and meet with clients for 1:1 counseling. Sara’s strong background in ASD issues makes her a very important part of the Autistry Team.

New faces at Autistry: Well, Dayna has actually been with us for awhile! Dayna Camden was our first high school intern and is now on staff as an Autistry Mentor. She is a wonderful addition – patient, funny, and she creates a strong peer relationship with the Autistry students. She is a student at Redwood High School and when she graduates in 2014 Dayna would like to go to UC Davis to study psychology. And, we hope she will continue to work with ASD individuals.

Danny Waite is our second high school intern. Danny goes to San Rafael High and isn’t quite sure where he will go on to college when he graduates in 2014. Danny works on Saturdays and the lessons he learned in his SRHS wood shop classes are coming in very handy.

We are in the early planning stages for the fall Autistry Faire. This year we will be teaming up with the amazing artists of the Cardboard Institute of Technology. They create stunning works of art from this most mundane of materials. So, get out your cardboard and your box knifes – this is going to be a fabulous event!

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Posted By Janet Miller on June 30, 2013

I am asked frequently about my choices and decisions about my son ( referred to as C in this blog) who is now approaching 20.  I do not want this blog to be about him but more about what I have learned that might help others as they start to think about post high school options.  I will speak about C  in this first blog but will then transition to just general topics on transition.

Another goal of this blog is to follow C’s development and growth as a participant in Autistry Model Employment Program. Focus will not so much be on C but more specific to the goals of the program and the important skills that are developed.

I always believed that a diploma was the most important goal for him. He was on that track until at 17 I realized that he would be better served with school services until he reaches 21. I truly believed that a diploma would give him more credibility and recognition and provide more options. In reality C will always need support.  A diploma would not give him access to what he really would need to become independent. While we can get focused on cognitive abilities there are many things to truly consider when evaluating options post high school. Pushing further academics was also creating a lot of anxiety which interfered with overall growth for C.  There is a lot to  consider as well with services such as supplemental social security, golden gate regional center and how to ensure that our kids get the right support to move toward independence

Although C is 20 I am not so focused on his chronological age as he is still developing and may reach milestones at different times. Our goal is to work toward employment and Independent living. He changes every year and I have always tried to emphasize this to other families when considering options for their own kids.  Unfortunately we are forced to make many decisions when they reach 18 because that is the legal age that they are considered adults.

Conservatorship, partial conservatorship are definitely things to start considering long before our kids turn 18.  C is very self aware of what he can and cannot do and knows that he needs assistance.  You need to determine whether or not your son or daughter’s decision making at 18 is safe and whether they will involve you or be susceptible to others. I can offer more on this topic at a later date.

Transitions are as much about the family as about the child. As parents we need to work on fostering independence.  This does mean taking safe risks . For C this is allowing him to walk home from local venues, riding the bus  and purchasing items at a store on his own.  He is also letting us know that he “knows what he is doing” and we are working on listening and allowing him to make these decisions. For so long he did what we all asked him to do as we structured his day and had him learn what we knew was important for him. Now we are allowing him to tell us more about who he wants to be  which means not always wanting to please us or others when given a choice.

So this is my first entry on this blog.  I will post weekly and each blog will cover a different topic.

Autistry Model Employment Program has started and is going really well.  The 2 employees are really understanding collaboration and how important it is to work as a team.

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Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on June 10, 2013

This has been an amazing spring semester. The Autistry families, including our new friends from Oak Hill School and Star Academy celebrated all the cool projects with a warm and wonderful Open House. These end-of-semester gatherings bring us together to share our work and admire the work of our fellow students.

So much to share with you all. But first the big news: a generous donor has pledged $20,000 to Autistry. This is a matching 2:1 donation so for every $1 donated we receive an additional $2. These funds will go toward the launch of the Autistry Model Employment Program and the Opportunity Fund which supports sliding scale fees and scholarships. This is a great time to donate to Autistry – a lot of bang for the buck. Donations can be made online, on the Autistry Donate Page or sent to Autistry Studios, 37 Duffy Place, San Rafael, CA 94925.

Last week Ken Pontac, writer and animator of childrens shows ToddWorld and LazyTown and the darker cartoon Happy Tree Friends visited Autistry. He regaled us with behind-the-scenes stories and shared his wisdom and experience of the world of animated storytelling. And the students shared their creations with Ken. It was a love fest and we hope he will visit again soon.

Highlights from the Thursday workshop:

  
Owen’s book, Ketinga the Cat is now available on Amazon.com! Owen is on a roll. Birthday Surprise, his tale of a birthday party gone awry will appear on Amazon next. And then follows several more in the Ketinga series. He is also working on the Ketinga Clock, perfect companion to the book, which will be available for purchase soon.

   

Rinny rocks the power tools. She made a beautiful napkin holder with a flower pattern engraving. This could be the prototype for new line of Autistry products. She is now working on a spice rack for the Autistry kitchen and she takes care of the new Autistry garden.
  

Julia has finished her stellar box lovingly decorated with galaxies, stars, and the Aurora Borealis. This has been a project of patience, detail, research, experiment and dedication. Julia made several tests to develop the application technique that gave her just the right look. A stunning piece!
  

April, also known as Tank Girl, has completed four tank models – a US M3 Stuart, a Russian T-34/76 1943, a US M4A1 Sherman, a US M1 Abrams, and finally she’s currently building a WWII 6×6 cargo truck. April has created several different diorama environments – winter snow-scape, desert sands, and lush European hedges. Perfect homes for her tanks.

Jon is working on the The Making of…. book for a film existing only in his wild and wonderful imagination. He has created a film poster and drawn several pages of illustrations documenting this imaginary world. Jon’s work is original, funny, and filled with twisted phrases and perfect descriptions of highly improbable realities.

We are looking forward to a summer filled with new projects and the launch of the Autistry Model Employment Program. Stay tuned….

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Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on April 23, 2013

Ah, the best laid plans of mice, men …and Janet often go astray. I had planned to write a newsletter every week during the month of April but somehow didn’t get to it.

April has been an amazing month so far. A group of program mangers from AspIT in Denmark visited Autistry. AspIT is a vocational program for ASD individuals focused on training IT professionals. They came to the Bay Area to visit Silicon Valley companies (specifically Google and Apple) and kept hearing people mention Autistry. We spent a great afternoon sharing ideas and teaching strategies. They were very interested in the wide range of projects our students produce and they loved the Studio. We have been invited to visit Denmark and we would love to put that trip on our calendar!

We also met with Stacy Frauwirth, Professor at Dominican University in the department of Occupational Therapy. Over the next year Stacy and a team of grad students will be working with Autistry to develop a battery of assessment instruments to log and track student development toward the goal of independence. This will involve the creation of assessment tools and the testing of these tools. At the end of the process Autistry will have a sophisticated set of assessment tools, a revamped intake process, and the ability to collect important data. This will be very, very important for us going forward as we develop our training program and apply for larger grants.

Several of our Autistry students and families were interviewed by LabZero to gather information on the creation of a new app specifically designed for ASD individuals. The LabZero software engineers spent two days at Autistry asking detailed questions about how our students use technology, what types of reminders or prompts would they find helpful, what difficulties do they have organizing their days, etc. We will continue to meet with the design team as the app is being developed. From all accounts the team learned a lot about the ASD mind!

Highlighting the Sunday Workshops:

Nathaniel’s dragons are getting more and more sophisticated. He is now scanning his drawings into the computer and adding color and texture in the Paint Shop program. He has learned to use the tablet and stylus which has given him a new range of expression in his drawings. Nathaniel continues to work on his Spore World diorama of mushroom forests, dragon nests and a river running through it.

George finished the jump ramp for his bike and is now hobbling around on a broken ankle! Do those two things go together – not necessarily. But he still gets around the Studio on a very cool 4-wheel scooter and is helping others with their projects. He helped Ashley with her chair and Noah with his parcour obstacle. We hope he is back on both feet soon.

Daniel S., the man-of-many-projects is working on another chest armor piece – this time in hard plastic. This is based on his earlier design which he fashioned out of floor mats. This new model he is making out of a large plastic bucket. How’s that for recycling. Daniel has also finished a guitar, refinished a Nerf rifle, made various launching gadgets, and …I have lost track now!

Devon has taken on a wonderful sewing project – Captain Jack Harkness’ jacket (from Dr. Who). Under the expert guidance of Amelia, she is first making a mockup out of muslin that she will use to make size and shape adjustments. The muslin version will then become the pattern for the real thing. Her hard work and attention to detail will pay off!

We are very happy to announce the completion of Marina’s Dr. Who Tardis. This has been a true labor of love. Marina used the band saw, the ShopBot, the router, the nail gun, all sorts of hand tools and paint brushes. In fact I think she used just about every tool in the shop. And the finished product looks great – let’s all go back in time.
   

Ben L. is just about finished with a shield to accompany the two swords he made earlier. The shield has a silhouette of a grey howling wolf on a black background – very dramatic. Ben has learned to sew as well as use the band saw and the hot knife. Oh, and the iron. All skills that will come in very handy one day.

REMINDER: Thursday, April 25th is the last day to purchase Stella & Dot jewelry through Suzi’s Trunk Show page to support Autistry Studios. Here is the link to use to start your shopping: http://www.stelladot.com/ts/qojo5.

Enjoy!

Janet and the Autistry Team

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Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on April 1, 2013

Happy April Fools Day! As with any day at Autistry we are working hard, playing hard, and letting our inner-tricksters roam wild. It is one of our fundamental tenants that each of us creates our life given the materials available. And great lives, not just great projects are being created at Autistry!

Highlighting the Saturday Workshops:

After months of hard work, Chris is finishing up his Star Wars helmet. Chris has shown amazing tenacity, overcoming lots of production obstacles but sticking with it. Amelia is researching how to create a mold so that more helmets can be made using Chris’s as a prototype.

 
Connor E. wrote a comic book story about a family picnic. He staged the action using adorable mouse figures. This type of photo-novella is the perfect introduction to stop action film making. It also a good way to practice the art of storytelling – sequencing disparate events to create a narrative flow.

Connor B. finished his angel-winged mirror and is now hard at work on a model BatBoat. Connor used several different tools to create the wings – the bandsaw, the router, chisels, etc. And he learned new painting techniques – highlighting, dark wash, etc. And it all came together beautifully.
 

 
Peter is making a very difficult Crow T. Robot to accompany his Tom Servo. You may remember these characters from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tom Servo was difficult to build but Crow is proving to be an even greater challenge. Allison and Peter have spent hours deciphering the instructions and creating their own designs to make this project work. Learning to overcome obstacles is all part of the process.

Andrew is making a Box World Diorama of an historic bedroom – complete with carpet, bookcases, and a pillow case for the bed pillow! They used several tools including the bandsaw and the sewing machine (rather similar those two machines!) Andrew and Allison make a great working pair. He has great concentration and she has infinite patience.
 

 
Maya is working very independently creating plushies of characters from Homestuck. She has drawn her favorite characters and cut out fabric pieces ready to assemble. Homestuck is a web comic that combines different techniques to tell a story. Traditional drawings are augmented with animated gifs, Flash animation, and instant message logs. So cool!

The trains are running for Josh! He finished detailing his Amtrak engine which included painstaking work carefully placing decals on the train. He also had to spray paint the engine first with a flat black, then with silver, and after the decals were attached he sprayed it again with a clear coat. Focus and attention to detail can come in handy when doing model work. When he was finished he set up the track to take it for a spin.

 
And, there is Lauren, ShopBot Queen. Lauren has certainly tamed this machine. She runs it independently, with just a little help from Dan. She has really taken ownership of the entire process of running the ShopBot from setting up the cutting bits to programming the cut files. Lauren has created several signs, a wooden box, and a cool set of gears. There is much more to come.
 

The Autistry staff also creates projects! Ashley, who claimed not to be creative when she arrived, has become quite a talented artist. This week she finished her Majora mask. Ashley works with several of the students and is happy to learn right along with them. This is a trait we cherish.

We are so fortunate to have the very talented and creative Amelia as our Workshop Lead. She is multi-talented, at home on the ShopBot, the bandsaw, the sewing machine and in the kitchen! Ameila recently finished a ShopBot project that is worthy of auction at Sotherbys – a fold-up stool with an antique finish.

All our mentors are encouraged to create – to try, fail, and to try again. How we handle the stress and frustration of making something real serves as a model for our students. We are not flawless and we make mistakes. Those too are learning opportunities.

We’ll be highlighting different workshops throughout April and May so stay tuned for more cool project news. You can also follow us on Facebook and see fabulous photos on our Autistry Instagram page.

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Posted By Janet Lawson, MFT on February 25, 2013

This new year has been moving so fast we haven’t had time to get a newsletter out. There is so much to say and so many things that keep happening that if we don’t write this up now our next newsletter would keep you scrolling for days.

For those of you have not heard Dan speak about his experience living with Asperger’s, having a son with Autism, and creating Autistry Studios you will not want to miss the College Internship Program event: Understanding Your Diagnosis on March 14th. Dan will be speaking along with Michael McManmon, founder of CIP and Barbara Large, Berkeley CIP Clinician. More information can be found on the CIP website

The Autistry School Partnership Program has really taken off. We are currently working with students from Star Academy and Oak Hill School. Each student is creating a unique project in the studio and we are all excited about these very cool creations. We plan to expand the program next year adding more workshops, more students, and more fun!

Every day at Autistry we discover new ways to use the ShopBot. This incredible piece of equipment has made many new projects possible. We are now making complex wooden mechanical counters based on the designs of Matthias Wandel. Matthias has graciously given us permission to build and sell these unique counters. Look for purchasing information later this spring!

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Posted By Dan Swearingen on February 17, 2013

You read that right. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Here’s why Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (hereafter CCBB) is the first Bond film.

1. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, wrote the book “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car” published in 1964.

2. The film CCBB was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, one of the producers of all the Bond films.

3. As in most Bond films, in CCBB the first love interest of the main character dies. Caractacus Pott’s wife dies previous to this story.

4. In Bond films the woman of the hour has a suggestive name. In CCBB Caractacus Pott’s female counterpart is Truly Scrumptious.

5. James Bond and Caractacus Pott both held the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy.

6. Bond movies often feature a car with gadgets and special features. CCBB: the car has a few tricks.

7. Bond films usually have a megalomaniac villain. In CCBB we have Baron Bomburst played by actor Gert Fröbe who previously appeared in the Bond movie Goldfinger as the titular villain Auric Goldfinger.

8. In Bond movies the above mentioned villain usually has an awesome lair with huge interior space.  In CCBB we have Baron Bomburst’s castle set in the closest thing in existence to a Disney Princess castle – Neuschwanstein Castle.

having got this bit of movie trivia off my chest I leave you with the main song of the movie (Bond movies always have catchy title songs!)

 

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