Cline said he uses old photographs -- including some from his own childhood trips to the park -- and a video shot just before the Enchanted Forest closed to make his refurbished and re-created pieces match the originals.
That care makes a big difference, said Linda Gardner, whose family owned and ran the Enchanted Forest for more than 30 years.
"I could not believe the things he brought up [to the farm]," she said. "They were exact. ... It's just the most wonderful thing. There are no words to express what it feels like to go over there."
Gardner said it is particularly rewarding to hear other people say the pieces are just the way they remember from their childhood.
There are, in fact, a few differences. Cline uses light and resilient fiberglass in place of concrete over metal frames. And occasionally, when a clear image is not available, he improvises. Cinderella's new prince, for example, is based on actor Christopher Reeve, while Rapunzel was made with a mold of the face of Cline's 8-year-old daughter.
He said fiberglass crafting is a career that came to him by luck or, perhaps by a bit of providence.
Cline said he was a struggling student and a class clown in Waynesboro, Va., who started making props to entertain his friends at a young age. After he graduated from high school, "I became a bum," he said.
A trip to an employment agency led him to a factory where fiberglass figurines were made. The owner took Cline under his wing and helped him develop the expertise to make original figures.
Cline, who works with his wife and has two daughters, has made figures for Six Flags theme parks, Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania, numerous haunted hayrides and a few restaurant chains.
He also built and owns Professor Cline's Haunted Monster Museum and Escape from Dinosaur Kingdom, both in Natural Bridge, and offers tours of his studios there.
"The only reason I get up in the morning is to spread some happiness in the world," he said. "I believe all humans are here to alleviate the suffering in the world ... I do it by making funny little characters."
In the future, he plans to start a school to teach his techniques to others.
Occasionally, there are pitfalls. Last month, Cline pretty much destroyed the original green dragon that looks over the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center at the park's original location.
