Funworld August 2010

by Keith Miller

Amusement parks are making kids’ and family rides more prominent in their capital budgets and marketing campaigns than they used to—but why?

When asked why they’re making these additions at this time, many operators give generalized responses, such as they want to “promote their brand to families” or they want to “be a good place for kids.” But Angus Jenkins, director of theme park sales for Chance Morgan Rides in Wichita, Kansas (www.chancemorgan.com), thinks there are some industry wide factors at play in this trend.

Though he acknowledges some of the current marketing emphasis on kids’ rides may simply be the result of a lack of competition from new, high-dollar, high-profile attractions, he adds, “Parks have been pinched by the economy. It’s been a tough couple of years, yet they can’t be stagnant— they have to keep investing in their operations. They are re-looking at some of their attractions and their capital budgets, and typically the family attractions have been more affordable than, say, a hyper coaster or something of that magnitude. They can get a lot of product for a lot less money. ”He also points out that thrill coasters and other “big unit pieces” may change parks’ skylines and provide attendance boosts, but they attract teenagers who generally don’t spend as much in the parks as families.

In these attractions, parks say they’re looking for more than rides that are simply sized correctly for a child. Ideally,they want them to be unique, have low-intensity thrills, be heavily themed on a widely recognized brand or icon, and, if possible, be interactive.

That’s what Nickelodeon Universe (www.nickelodeonuniverse.com), located at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, believes it found with “Brain Surge,” a new Chance Morgan ride it opened in March. “It’s a small ride with impact,” says Jennifer Lauerman, marketing director of Nickelodeon Universe. “Our general manager saw it at IAAPA [Attractions Expo] and liked it. It has a small footprint, it’s themed on the Nickelodeon game show ‘Brain- Surge’—that definitely adds to its appeal—it goes upside down, and the riders can control how much [the car] spins.” Lauerman notes.

Working with prototype ride developer Bill Kitchen, Chance Morgan adapted his Unicoaster design to create “Brain Surge,” a flat ride Lauerman thinks is an ideal family attraction because it has branded theming kids recognized from TV, and it’s exciting without being terrifying, which is what she says preteens and many adults want. “Brain Surge’s” bright green color scheme, LED lighting, and giant green brain at the center of the ride definitely grab attention.

Lauerman contends theming is important to kids—not just generic decorations but, rather, branded or iconic theming that displays the images and characters children know from television, video games, the Internet, and merchandise.

Dave Phillips, sales and marketing manager for Canada’s Wonderland outside Toronto (www.canadaswonderland.com), agrees on the importance of theming: “When Snoopy comes up and gives them a big hug, it puts them at ease. The bright colors, characters, and theming they recognize are all part of their experience. With thrill rides, you have to create a visual of an edge-of-the-seat thrill, but with kids’ rides, you associate the characters and the colorful aspects to it.”

‘Pink-Knuckle’ Rides: Themed Thrills Without the Worry
Canada’s Wonderland is touting the new Camp Snoopy kids’ section of its park this year; it came about when park owner Cedar Fair decided to retheme and refurbish its Nickelodeon Central area. The park is taking this opportunity to add a trio of new kids’ rides this season (all by Zamperla): “Peanuts 500” allows children to ride around in pint-sized stock cars; “Snoopy’s Revolution” is a small Ferris wheel; and “Lucy’s Tugboat” lets kids brave the waves with Lucy.

Phillips believes young kids want thrilling rides, just like their older teenage counterparts. “I have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old, and I see what they like,” says Phillips. “Little kids come for thrills and excitement—it’s just on a different level.”

Crealy Adventure Park in Cornwall, England (www.crealy.com)—a park geared especially for kids—says it was responding to guest requests when it installed a new family coaster this year. “We have listened to our guest and staff requests at Cornwall Crealy, and the addition of a roller coaster is often at the top of [their] wish lists,” Managing Director Angela Wright tells FUNWORLD. “Morgawr the Sea Monster” keeps with the idea of generating low-intensity thrills without being terrifying, traveling 25 miles per hour along a two-minute journey. The ride was originally manufactured by Soquet of Amberieu-en-Bugy, France, then re- engineered by Garmandale of Derbyshire, England.

Morgawr is a legendary Cornish sea monster often reportedly sighted in Falmouth Bay on the coast of Cornwall. Crealy took advantage of its iconic stature with kids in creating the ride’s theming, which was done by Space Leisure of Colchester, England. Wright echoes the comments of other parks in asserting today’s children’s rides need to have some thrills. “We believe children are looking for the same thrills and speed, just perhaps on a smaller scale,” she says. “Children who visit Crealy are often enjoying these rides for the first time, and we provide ‘pink-knuckle’ experiences.”

Interactivity Key Here, Too
More thrills and more heavy theming are two current trends in kids’ rides, but Chance Morgan’s Jenkins sees a third: “Interactivity is what children are looking for on these rides—they want a way to control their experience.” As an example, he points to the handle in between the seats in each car of “Brain Surge” that lets riders control their spinning.

Julia Kemp, public relations manager at Phantasialand in Bruehl, Germany (www.phantasialand.de), agrees this is a crucial element of the new generation of kids’ rides. “Adventures for kids have to be funny and colorful,” she says. “But it’s important that they can do something [interactive] and that it isn’t boring.”

Interactivity extends beyond the ride itself to the family. Park officials say the new generation of kids’ rides allow parents to join in on the fun, rather than simply wait by the exit gate. In June, Six Flags America in Largo, Maryland, opened North America’s largest Thomas Town themed land, which features eight kids’ attractions based on Thomas the Tank Engine—all accessible by kids and their parents.

“Our research showed us families like to do things together,” says John Winkler, president of Six Flags America. “[Parents] don’t want to experience it from a distance; they want to be right there to see their child smile; they want to hear the laughter. You can’t do that from 20 or 30 feet. The parents may not want to go up to the third floor of the climbing structure, but when they do they’ll have a lot of fun.”

Targeted Marketing
There also seems to be a change recently in the marketing of kids’ rides. In the past, they would barely get a mention in parks’ seasonal campaigns; now, they’re often the hook for the year.

“That’s the easiest thing in the world to do today,” Winkler says. “We already have enough for teens to do. When you add something like Thomas Town, you now have something for everybody, and the whole family can stay and play. From the moment we announced Thomas Town, our season pass sales have been through the roof.”

“‘Morgawr’ is central to this year’s marketing campaign and appears on all of our communications and advertising,” adds Wright, “from being the centerpiece of our new brochure to having its own radio ads.”

As to whether to market these new rides to kids or their parents, Lauerman responds, “That’s something we struggle with. So we market to the moms, and we market to the kids in [different] ways.” Nickelodeon Universe appealed to both when it held a big grand opening event for “Brain Surge” by featuring 16 of the nation’s smartest kids in Mensa, also known as “the high-IQ society.”

According to Phillips, Canada’s Wonderland targets moms: “We go after moms because, sorry dad, but moms are the decision makers.”

But in the end, it’s about the kids. “When moms come out with 3- or 4-year-olds, we’re developing our future park users,” Phillips explains. “They’re going to experience the Snoopy rides, and then before you know it, they’re going on the other rides. They’re aspiring ‘Behemoth’ riders!”

Contact News Editor Keith Miller at kmiller@IAAPA.org. Senior Editor Jeremy Schoolfield contributed to this report.