EDMONTON—Matthew Dutczak has fond childhood memories of West Edmonton Mall, but people used to call him a liar when he talked about them.

Some of his favourite mall features — like the animatronic dragon that breathed literal fire, and the submarine that shoppers could ride underwater — are long gone and could sound far-fetched to anyone who wasn’t there.

“Some people were like, ‘They never had any of that, you’re full of crap,’” Dutczak said.

He started digging for information online, and decided there was a need for a central database to educate young mall-goers and feed the nostalgia in those who remember its early days.

Dutczak, 34, set up the Best Edmonton Mall website about two years ago with a comprehensive history of the building, a gallery of archived photos, and details about current and past attractions.

But it really picked up when he started making videos.

Almost 8,000 people now subscribe to Dutczak’s Best Edmonton Mall YouTube channel, which features dozens of five- to 10-minute clips telling stories about the mall’s history and offering his takes on its many changes over the years.

“I was doing it more so as a hobby for myself,” he said. “When it took off, I realized there was a lot of people who seem to look back fondly on the mall as I do.”

The videos use a mix of anecdotal stories, news articles, internet research, and old promotional videos, spliced with clips from popular movies and TV shows and wrapped in a kitschy 1980s esthetic.

In one episode, Dutczak explores a Marvel comic Alpha Flight issue in which a team of Canadian superheroes defeats an evil robot and saves the mall.

Looking back, it's hard to believe that some of the decor included in West Edmonton Mall actually existed - but it did, and we miss it more than anything.

Some of his deep dives include, “What happened to the Bronze Whale” and “What Happened to the Dragon at Silver City Theatre.” Spoiler: after Famous Players sold the theatre to Cineplex Odeon, the new owners decided maintenance costs and software complications made the dragon too hard to maintain, so it became a stationary decorative piece. But it got so gross collecting dirt and grime that they had to take it down.

Dutczak said the dragon couldn’t be reassembled, but he’s heard rumours that someone purchased one of its claws.

“It’s kind of ridiculous to think about being such a big fan of a mall. But for me, it’s not really a mall,” Dutczak said.

“Today, shopping isn’t really a big draw as much as it used to be with everything online. But when it opened, it really was this thing that people would travel to come to see. It was a tourist attraction.”

When the mall was built in 1981, it was the biggest in the world. Additions like the indoor waterpark that opened in 1986 bolstered its status as an international attraction.

West Edmonton Mall general manager Danielle Woo is well aware of the strong appetite for mall nostalgia.

Woo said in an email that whenever the mall makes a request for guests to share their favourite “WEMories,” the response is overwhelming.

“West Edmonton Mall really enjoys the work done by Best Edmonton Mall and we love his passion for all things WEM,” Woo said.

“There was a whole generation that grew up coming to the mall and now their children are following in their footsteps.”

CORRECTION: Betty and Veronica visited in 1991, NOT 1988. Oops!

Dutczak said people often think he works for the mall, which is not the case.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Some of his videos are critical of its changes, like his recent “What Happened to Bourbon Street” clip, which reminisces about the colourful, New Orleans-themed indoor street from the ’80s that was designed to make mall patrons feel like they were outside.

“I miss a lot of the things that it used to be. I love the old Bourbon Street, with the old statues (of) the jazz musicians and the ladies of the night and the beat cops. It had so much character,” he said.

“Today it’s super nice and clean, it’s sure nicer than anything you’ll see in any other mall in Edmonton. But I like the themes. I guess I’m a little bit cheesy. I also admit I have rose-coloured glasses and maybe it’s not quite as good as I remember, but I’m a very nostalgic person.”

On occasion, he has used his channel to break news.

When Galaxyland announced plans for a new ride early this year, he saw an outline on its “Coming Soon” sign and a few construction pieces. Using those hints, he scoured amusement ride websites and chatted with people on web forums until he found a similar design.

Confident he’d figured it out, he posted a video stating it was a ride called Havoc.

It turned out he was right.

“When I released that video, I had three different people from Galaxyland send me a message on Reddit saying, ‘You got it, I can’t believe you got it,’” Dutczak said.

He works from home as a freelance contractor and developer, so he makes his WEM videos when he has lulls from work.

We're now on Twitter! https://twitter.com/BestEdMall

As their popularity has grown, he’s started getting requests from fans who have their own questions about changes to the mall.

Dutczak said it’s hard to keep up, but he does have new videos coming down the pipes, like one set for release Friday about the mall’s role in the 2007 film Christmas in Wonderland.

He’s also made videos exploring other Edmonton topics, like K-Days and the funicular.

Despite his distaste for some of the mall’s changes, his passion for the building has not wavered since his early childhood memories of his dad taking him to the now-defunct Lazer Maze.

Today, he has his own kids, who he brings to the mall at least once a month.

“I have the multi-play pass and I have young kids now, so we’re always going to the waterpark or Fantasyland or mini golf or bowling or what have you, especially in the winter,” he said.

“It’s definitely been a part of my life, pretty much my whole life.”

Read more about: