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by Marion Hixon
 Bill Vollbrecht was sitting in a board meeting with sketches of a jungle-themed waterpark for Legoland California in March 2008, ready to make a presentation to the park CEO as well as Merlin Entertainments Group’s creative director. After polling guests at Legoland theme park, conducting market research, and testing different themes—another centered on an ancient lost city—a jungle theme won out, and Vollbrecht, waterpark designer for the now-open, 5.5-acre Legoland Water Park in Carlsbad, California, had concept drawings at the ready.
But a swift “no” came from the creative director, who made reference to the iconic characteristics of the Lego brand: Bright colors! Giant blocks! So Vollbrecht quickly drew up a tower constructed of Lego bricks— which is now the center of “Imagination Station”—and it received an immediate green light.
 Stick to Your Brand
What was affirmed in that boardroom was an intentional focus on the Lego brand— one that’s only brought success to Merlin’s Legoland theme park properties in the United States, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This focus on identity, theming, and building an active persona for a facility is commonly seen at theme parks with the integration of characters and branded rides, but is just now catching on in the waterpark industry.
“No one should shy away from creating a brand or theme that’s their own,” saysMark Weston, president of Funtraptions, which produced the “Imagination Station” aquatic play area at Legoland Water Park. He says due to the fairly young nature of the waterpark industry, there was a tendency for many years to ignore theming and focus on the products as themain attraction. “With the proliferation of parks, that’s not going to work anymore,” he says, “because you’ll find spray play attractions or dumping buckets or a slide tower at your community pool. And if you own a waterpark or resort, the expectations are going to be much higher for what you offer.” Many aspects of Legoland remain uncompromised in its expansion into the waterpark industry. For one, Legoland Water Park, like its sister theme park in Carlsbad, caters primarily to guests 42 inches or shorter (essentially children between ages 2 and 12). While all rides are capable of holding adults—“Orange Rush” raft ride fits four guests of any size—the most important thing is that each attraction is fully accessible to that niche group of kids, says Julie Estrada, media relations specialist at the park.
“Our rides let kids feel like grownups,” she says. “They provide a first taste of the thrill rides—a jolt of excitement but nothing that will scare kids.” For instance, Duplo Splash Safari play area features an orange slide similar to a tube geared toward teenagers or adults, yet the enclosed area is shorter and the speed less intense for younger, more timid guests.
Most important, the company’s representation of brand and product is consistent throughout all decisions and attractions. Unlike brands with a separate company name and sub-branded or licensed attraction, Lego’s brand, product, and even park name are one and the same, Weston points out. “The purity to it is that all they do is make things that are Lego,” Weston says. “They’ve taken a toy and brought it to life. To a kid who loves Legos—and there’s a huge part of the world that does— it’s like going to a fantasy world.”
Build What You Know
In many creative endeavors, artists mine their personal experiences for inspiration. The same goes, apparently, for designing and building a waterpark—even when it’s with large, interlocking Lego blocks. Not only does Vollbrecht appreciate Lego toys, he’s been a Lego Model Maker in the past, making him intimately familiar with the pieces and possibilities, and a perfect candidate to design a life size version of the structures. “It’s in my DNA; it’s something I eat, breathe, drink, and sleep,” he says.
Similarly, the team at Funtraptions took the hands-on approach literally during the research and conceptualization phases of the project. “We bought boxes of Legos and Duplos [the larger Legos], assembled them on our desks, watched some cartoons, and studied and got to know it,” Weston says.
The results of such familiarization manifest in attractions like the “Joker Soaker,” an irreverent character positioned at the “Imagination Station” which counts down every five to seven minutes to a bucket tip of 400 gallons of water, dumped from the top of the “Super Splash Tower.” The Joker also delivers sly jokes throughout the day, an audible cue Weston says is a nod to parents and a more cheeky sense of humor adults can appreciate.
“We try to build in multiple layers of cues because they make the attraction a little more interesting,” he says, crediting Disney as one of the companies that originally built in “winks” valued by guests who can feel like they’re “in on the joke.”
Also the result of strong product familiarity is the vibrant entrance sign to Legoland Water Park—effectively setting the tone for the park’s theme— constructed by Storyland Studios, a theming company based in Lake Elsinore, California. The entryway features columns constructed from Lego blocks, the brand’s signature primary colors, oversized Lego characters, and a wave at the bottom left column that swooshes up to create a seat for kids passing by, furthering the park’s message of welcomed interactivity.
“We’ve had a really good relationship with Legoland and have worked on several other projects for the theme park,” says Jeff Harrington, head of marketing at Storyland Studios. He adds that by working closely with the manufacturer, building an open rapport, and determining construction materials, it’s easy to work within a budget.
 Expand the Brand with Theming
“My advice to others is to just know your brand, your DNA, and what makes you different from everyone else,” says Vollbrecht, reflecting on how attractions can take cues from Legoland Water Park in creating a theme and persona for themselves. “Take that and magnify it, and you can’t go wrong.”
Harrington says potential customers are bombarded with impressive visual effects in movies and entertainment, so theming is integral to hold guests’ attention: “Theming enhances the experience; and it’s not just for the kids. They go to a waterpark and just want to ride the ride, but as adults, we want to experience nice aesthetics— not just boring plastic. It gives guests a more memorable experience and helps bring them back.”
With slides from WhiteWater West, an entrance from Storyland, and aquatic play structure from Funtraptions, the recurring theme is the art of touch. Practically everything at Legoland can be gripped or played with by someone 42 inches or shorter, a fact that speaks to its customer focus.
“Without spending millions of dollars, you can offer a theme and story at your park, and that equals brand,” says Weston from Funtraptions, adding that theming selective spaces like characters or signage can make just as much of a difference as big-budget items.
“Legoland is good about being price sensitive and planning budget-driven projects, but they always seem to make room for the things that are really important— what guests end up seeing, touching, and playing on,” he says.
More important, any attraction can develop its own reputation- infused brand regardless of its size or the lack of a pre-existing brand. “We think about brands as having name recognition and retail and media presence, but some brands are on a much smaller scale,” Weston says. “You just have to ask, ‘What do we do here, and is there a character to it?’”
The Making of ‘Build-A-Raft River’
Making it possible to build with Legos in the water, Legoland Water Park and WhiteWater West created “Build-A-Raft River,” complete with customizable innertubes on which guests can add their own Legos, building shapes and structures on top. “There were definitely some challenges,” says Bill Vollbrecht, waterpark designer at Legoland Water Park. “We had the early idea of making the raft out of Lego bricks, and when that wouldn’t work, we just added Lego blocks to existing innertubes. Kids can make it into a rocket ship, a dragon, a rubber duckie— whatever they want. There’s nothing more interactive or personal than that.” |
 Materials and Cost
Multiple materials can be used to create custom theming. In all decisions, the amount of guest traffic in the area is important; the number of hands touching or feet walking on the structure will determine the wear-and-tear timeline.
When covering a structure, make sure a solid base—like a lamp post or pole—sits underneath the cladding (a structure’s themed covering) to provide stability. Here are a few commonly used materials and the associated expenses (one dollar sign being the cheapest option, three dollar signs representing the most costly).
$ Paint: Paint is the least expensive option for theming an attraction, with exterior paint costing a bit more than interior paint. However, it may chip or fade more quickly.
 $$ Foam: Foam offers a soft touch to the structure, but must always be covered with a protective coating—most likely urethane.
$$$ Urethane: In developments from recent years, urethane products have grown to be more impact- resistant and able to withstand a lot of abuse. It serves as a sturdy cover for structures.
$$$$ Fiberglass: Vibrant and firm to the touch, fiberglass is the most common material used in cladding. While sometimes the most costly, it is also a durable and lasting material.
Source: Jeff Harrington, Storyland Studios |
Make It Fair
One lesson Funtraptions’ Mark Weston learned in the waterplay industry is that interactive elements must mimic real-life childplay situations. For instance, when you position three water guns on the handrail in “Imagination Station,” it’s important to have three water guns positioned in the pool to shoot back. “People usually put water guns on a structure but don’t focus on where they are shooting,” he says. “If you give a water gun to one child and not another, the game is no fun. So you want to replicate the patterns of play that are normal in childhood. It’s a simple concept, but it makes a huge difference.” |
The Process of a Theming Project
Mark Weston of Funtraptions says clients looking to create themed environments should be immersed in the project from the get-go. “When you author something, you stand behind it more, and it’s easier to present to your guests,” he says. Here are the four steps Funtraptions takes to complete theming projects:
1. Handle the Brand: Actually handling models of the product—in this case, Legos— and reading through style guides from the clients allows the company to better understand the possibilities.
2. Sketch and Visualize: Both Funtraptions and Storyland Studios, which produced the themed Legoland Water Park entrance, produced sketches of the product for the design team at the waterpark. This starts a dialogue and designs can be integrated.
3. Consider the Budget: Depending on the size and scale of the project, Funtraptions assigns estimated costs to the product so the budget conversation and design process are concurrent.
4. Bring It to Life: “Once we know we’re on target with the project, we’ll dive into the interactive show elements and ask ‘What does it do?’” says Weston.
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