Chapter 23 has many tie-ins, perhaps as Crichton continues to follow the use of the Famous, Famous, Fictional trope to make the world real for the reader. We find electric Toyota Land Cruisers specially made for the park – and those still aren’t real now thirty six years after the book was first published in 1990.

We encounter here an overlap between the film and the book – noted actor and narrator of National Geographic documentaries, Richard Kiley, is referenced as the narrator – a part he also played in the movie (YouTube). Kiley was also the narrator on the Universal Studios theme ride (YouTube).

Best Writing, Quotes

“Pretty Boring,” Lex said. “They’re not doing anything.”

Lex is Already Bored, So the Land Cruiser Fakes a Mating Call Page 158

For the future to be real, for us to believe this can happen – we need tie-ins. The cars are immediately identified as special Toyota Land Cruisers – not the iconic Ford Explorers that would be featured in the movie and resulting Lego sets. In to them our tourists put their pith-helmet-covered heads, with those helmets featuring a Jurassic Park logo, of course.

Page by Page Highlights, Quotes

“By his side, a woman was passing out pith helmets with “Jurassic Park” labeeld on the headband, adn a little blue dinosaur logo.” – Page 155

“A line of Toyota Land Cruisers…” Page 155

Note that the vehicles in the book are not what appear in the movie – “The iconic vehicles in the original Jurassic Park (1993) are the red, yellow, and green striped 1992 Ford Explorer XLT tour vehicles and the khaki-colored 1992 Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara staff vehicles.” (Google)

Ed Regis pressed the intercom button and said, “In keeping with the nonpolluting policies of Jurassic Park, these lightweight electric Land Cruisers have been specially built for us by Toyota in Osaka.” – Page 156, Toyota has gone electric, early, for a special customer

“The Land Cruiser passed through a grove of low, stumpy palm trees. Richard Kiley was saying, “Notice, first of all, the remarkable plant life that surrounds you. …”” – Page 157

Richard Kiley was a well known American singer whose beautiful voice led him to be a narrator for many National Geographic nature specials.

“Pretty Boring,” Lex said. “They’re not doing anything.” – Page 158

This recalls the Louis CK bit on Conan O’Brien about airplane wifi – bored with a thing that only just came into being. (YouTube)

“We can rouse them with a simple mating call.” – Page 158

The kids are bored even as they see dinosaurs for the first time. To get the animals to be ‘not boring’ the car imitates the animals mating call.

“If you see them scratching, that is because they have skin problems. The veterinary scientists here at Jurassic Park think it may be a fungus, or an allergy.” – Page 159