theme parks. amusement parks are a multi-billion dollar segment of the tourism industry. design a theme park yourself! ..................................................
......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary
the theme park virus - january 2002 the theme park experience is intended to certify a fanciful idealized vision of ourselves. theme parks do not intend to explain the rational and irrational in our lives, nor to inform us of the differences of thought, expression, and beliefs of others - except as they reinforce stereotypes. the dominant view of our culture and its ways must come to be understood as the only acceptable interpretation. in many ways theme park culture is much like a secular religious culture that insists that all real-life events be fit to its own theology. to do this, theme parks must take our historical events, environments, conditions and lifestyles and sanitize them while they synthesize them. a simplified history and other realities are turned into neat pleasant packages that can be swallowed in dainty morsels with very little 'indigestion.' american theme parks and the landscapes of mass culture http://www.americansc.org.uk/disney.htm#Origins design ------------- 'reality to fantasy: the evolution of theme park design' 'theme park attractions begin with a mythology, or established story, and are designed around that theme, with enhancements that involve theatrical design; graphics; interior and architectural design; mechanical engineering; even marketing and advertising. the varied disciplines all need to mesh for a successful attraction, so designers must work on many levels and parameters-striving to retain as much of the original concept as possible.' says paul m. newitt. as a student of theme park design, and having worked with walt disney imagineers, newitt has learned about the disney approach to designing theme park attractions. in 1999, newitt designed and installed a science fiction museum in old sacramento, called 'travels through time', which featured a jules verne room, an h.g. wells laboratory, and science fiction television memorabilia. in the show newitt has recreated a theme park inside the design museum that sends visitors through a series of rooms that graphically show how commercial theme parks are created. 'reality to fantasy: the evolution of theme park design' 2002-01-13 until 2002-02-15 design museum, at university of california, davis, california, usa http://design.ucdavis.edu so, you want to be a theme park designer, do you? this industry is volatile and most work is done on a project basis. when the project ends - you lose your job. see a sampling of the type of people needed to produce a theme park. http://www.themedattraction.com/theme_design.htm the cranky journal of themed entertainment and design 'descope' has published a funny questionnaire: 1.) despite being a long-time worker in the field of themed entertainment, I was fired: A.) recently (within last month) B.) sort-of recently (within last six months) C.) not very recently (over a year) D.) quite a while ago (during reagan administration) 2.) I would describe the current state of the themed entertainment business as: A.) horrible B.) abysmal C.) catastrophic D.) oh the HUMANITY! ... http://www.descope.com science --------------- how do physics laws affect amusement park ride design? http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics nostalgia ----------------- amusement park history this type of park started years ago around the year 1550. they were called 'pleasure gardens' and were first built in europe. these gardens were filled with games, music, and the first amusement rides. the world's oldest amusement park is 'bakken', located north of copenhagen, denmark. the roller coaster history begins on coney island, new york, usa. railway companies, in search of ways to keep passenger usage up on the weekends, set up parks at the end of the rail lines and introduced weekend and summer activities. the first rides at these parks were carousels, but in 1884, the first gravity switchback train was introduced. it was the first true roller coaster in america. http://ar.essortment.com/amusementparks_rlst.htm http://www.themeparkcity.com defunct amusement parks ------------------------------------- remember theme parks that are no longer around? http://www.yesterland.com http://www.defunctparks.com brochures and maps ----------------------------- amusement and theme parks from the 1950's through today http://www.themeparkbrochures.com free desktop wallpapers ---------------------------------- http://www.mouseplanet.com trend ---------- confusing park many parks will make the mistake of abandoning their traditional identity, making a reflex grab for the hottest new sensation without considering how it affects their image. the eventual result will be a confusing park and a confused public. telling a story is the most important element. the story of a park is its identity, it is vital to marketing of any park - for how can you sell something if the customer is having trouble understanding what it is? long term winners will be those who protect, preserve and grow established story identities until they become bankable brands. larger markets for bigger, better and fewer attractions european parks have traditionally had much lower rates than the american, but according to speculation this may be changing. public expectations and standards will be raised and the public will no longer be satisfied with the traditional attractions currently offered by many theme parks. this has already sparked a construction boom as competing parks rush to add more top quality attractions to keep up. parks which grow and upgrade will prosper and those that stagnate will die. in some cases smaller parks with outstanding management will grow, while larger parks, either over-leveraged and lacking borrowing power, or those limited by non-profit ownership or less adaptive management, will be unable to meet the challenge and disappear. --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? ------- ------ Dear Designboom, Thanks for putting me on your site. I would like to add a few words to your article. Amusement Parks – Not just for thrills Millions of people go to theme and amusement parks every year to experience the excitement of high-speed, towering hills and loops. Others go to relax and escape reality. Regardless, most later reminiscence about that rickety wooden coaster or the time their children laughed or cried on the carousel. Old theme and amusement park brochures from the 1950’s to the present are featured in a web site dedicated to theme parks, both those still open as well as those of yesterday. These bright and colorful brochures and maps allow people to go back to their childhood and remember the fun things they did as kids. It is not only an escape from reality, but it is an escape from the present. Childhood is a time people cannot go back to. Some childhood memories are all that are left as some rides and parks, gone forever with the exception of brochures and family photos. The web site, http://www.themeparkbrochures.com, features amusement and theme park brochures and maps from the past and the present. Take a trip down memory lane and see what memories it brings back for you. Mike Zimmermann, February 2002 -----	disneyland sign, 1958-1989 © werner w. weiss courtesy yesterland.com hollywood backlot sign courtesy mouseplanet.com memories of hanson’s amusement park © hanson looker courtesy defunctparks.com images from the 'weeki wachee' brochure, brooksville, florida, 1950's/1960's courtesy themeparkbrochures.com a nostalgic shark attack coverdesign of descope.com