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Indoor Playgrounds - Part 2

There are many attractions for indoor playgrounds, from bouncy castles to trampolines, electric go-carts or small carousels. Yet most indoor facilities have one thing in common: colourful plastic play systems, also called "soft play," which typically have a huge labyrinth with slides, obstacles, and ball pools. Such self-contained labyrinths are nearly small fun parks all in themselves. But they cannot denote a USP or any sort of competitive edge when every facility has them.

With wood, the most natural material of all, companies such as Kinderlandschap, Künstlerische Holzgestaltung Bergmann or Eibe are not only creative in outdoor areas, but also indoors. Toverland is one of the largest indoor amusement parks in Europe that now has a number of halls. Apart from various rides, great value has been placed here on playful entertainment from the very beginning. There is also a large, colourful, soft play castle located in the first hall, but at the same time, an equally large wooden playground by the Halle-based firm Eibe was also installed. And at the centre of the second Toverland hall is the "Magic Forest," a spacious playground facility Kaiser & Kühne constructed from natural materials.

The company Bergmann is also active indoors. German tree house experts have added Fabulas Zauberwelt in Michelstadt to their list of indoor references this year. As so often the case with indoor playgrounds, an old tennis courts was converted here. Bergmann's team developed the overall concept geared to the target group of one to twelve year-olds, and also integrated classical elements such as a trampoline, electric go-carts, and a football field. Another newly opened facility this year is the Märchenpark Isartal, an adventure-play house with labyrinth-like themed rooms sprawled out over two floors. Different approaches to adventure were taken in the various rooms: there is a mirrored hall, a climbing room, a mystical experimental laboratory, and much more. The objective was to offer visitors an exciting, high-value attraction they can visit during poor weather conditions, in order to bridge the rainy season at the park.

In the Netherlands, an entirely new indoor adventure world called "Wesenland" is currently being built. A conceptual two-level underwater and surface world was developed, which thematically sets itself apart from the other halls. At the Wildpark Frankenhof, where a large outdoor playground from Bergmann can already be found, this year's new project will be a play-barn designed like an attic for little mice. All of the play elements are oversized, which lets visitors feel like they're mice themselves.

The previously mentioned Dutch firm Kinderlandschap played a major role in the collaboration on the Plopsaland Indoor project, which opened for Christmas 2005 directly near the Aachen border in Hasselt, Belgium. Studio 100, the Belgian children's TV production company that already operates the Plopsaland park (formally known as Melipark), wanted to attract visitors from the eastern part of Benelux and the western region of Germany with this project. 12.5 million euros were invested, creating a magically themed adventure landscape. Apart from the Zierer roller coaster, a family free-fall and Kontiki from the same manufacturer can also be found here, as well as a wave swinger and a few small children's carousels. General Manager Steve van den Kerkhof places great value in elements that motivate kids to play: in the pirates' bay there is a large ship that compels children to get in on the fun. A large pirate canon from Hofmann, the same company that was contracted for the animatronics, provides the appropriate banging and shooting effects. ...

You can read the complete article in the print edition of EAP - issue 3/2006.