When most people hear the words, “climate change,” their brains shut off. Even though it’s one of the most important issues that all of us Earth-dwellers need to learn about, most of us are bored stiff by it, or overwhelmed by the problems it entails. The Chabot Space and Science Center sees climate change a little differently: for them it’s an approachable issue with tangible and even fun solutions. [caption id="attachment_5901" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Kids crowd around a retired spacecraft at Chabot's "Beyond Blastoff" exhibit"][/caption] Chabot has historically been a space-centric science museum, but it recently started focusing on earth sciences to cater ...
Stuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play When I drove up to the headquarters of the National Institute for Play, it seemed entirely fitting to me that there should be a treehouse and swinging rope adjacent to Stuart Brown’s office-in-the-woods. When he is not traipsing the continent spreading wisdom about the importance of play, Stuart works in an intimate, clubhouse-like room amongst the trees, running the NIFP and finishing his second book. [caption id="attachment_5671" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Swinging rope under his treehouse"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5630" align="alignnone" width="168" caption="Stuart's first book"][/caption] Having already written the book on play (literally), Stuart shares his findings ...
Sitting on a park bench is usually a simple activity, consisting of people watching, relaxing, and perhaps some sandwich eating – but not much personal meaning. For Richard Ford, however, sitting on a park bench in the center of San Francisco’s Presidio felt like a walk down memory lane. Within a turn of his head were three major entertainment companies that played an important role in defining his career: Lucasfilm, The Exploratorium, and Disney (represented by the Walt Disney Family Museum). [caption id="attachment_5328" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Richard Ford rides with his sons across the SF bay with the Giant's Stadium coke bottle"][/caption] Starting ...
Ever wanted to go to a museum where touching the exhibits is actually allowed? At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, children and adults alike are not only allowed to play, create, and interact with exhibits, they are encouraged to do so. With a name like “Exploratorium,” one would expect nothing less. Far from a traditional science museum, the Exploratorium has “explainers” rather than docents, a “tinkering studio” rather than a special exhibits gallery, QR codes for Internet and Smartphone interaction instead of just explanatory placards, and a consortium of artists and scientists instead of traditional curators. At a place where ...
Christopher Stapleton calls himself a Creative Venture Catalyst. His goal: to help shape the next generation of experiential learning. In our information-packed interview with Chris, we got a chance to understand his vision for the future of education. Chris currently runs Simiosys Real World Laboratory, a creative think tank that aims to transform education into compelling entertainment. His work combines story structure, play primitives, and game mechanics with learning theories. [caption id="attachment_4886" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Simiosys Real World Laboratory: Dmitriy Dryagin, Sam Neblett, and Dana Mott"][/caption] Highlights of Chris’s career include the design and production of Broadway shows, feature films, and theme park rides ...
EntertainmentDesigner.com recently had the opportunity to sit down with Nils-Erik Winther, an executive at Bakken, which is thought to be the world's oldest theme park. Bakken has been around as a tourist draw since as early as the 1500's, and we were curious to hear what the park is like today. Here is what Nils-Erik had to say: **** EntertainmentDesigner: What is your role at Bakken? Nils-Erik Winther: I am the CEO of A/S Dyrehavsbakken – the facility company owned by the “tent-holders” from Bakken. My role is to facilitate the amusement park from marketing, security, and renovation. Our main objective is to ...
When one hears the word “conference,” what comes to mind is a stuffy auditorium full of briefcase toting, suit-clad people viewing Powerpoint slides of charts and graphs. At the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo in Orlando, this stereotype was far from true. The first thing one sees when descending the escalator into the city-sized Orange County Convention Center is the glimmering top of a working carousel, a giant lizard atop an inflatable slide, and the flashing lights of hundreds of games. The convention floor is a hubbub of dings, wooshes, buzzes, and other playful noises. Exhibitor booths ...
Nestled in the trees on the edge of Lake Merritt and hidden amongst the drab, cement buildings of downtown Oakland sits an enchanting world where fairytales come to life and kids are the ones in charge: Children’s Fairyland. EntertainmentDesigner.com had the unique opportunity to tour the 10-acre park and see dozens of storybook attractions, including the “Wonder-Go-Round,” a carousel with Alice in Wonderland characters, “Peter Rabbit’s Village,” where live bunnies reside in storybook houses, and a life-sized pirate ship turned playground. Fairyland is not only a fun and imaginative place for young kids; it is also a historically significant park because ...
EntertainmentDesigner.com recently had a chance to sit down with Andrew Gartner, founder and creative director of Gartner Design Company, which does everything from creating brand identities and film sets to designing hotel interiors and interactive museum exhibits. Just as Gartner Design Company’s repertoire is diverse and extensive, its founder’s background is equally varied. After studying architecture at UC Berkeley, Andrew designed interiors on both coasts, including California, where he was part of a team that designed a movie studio for George Lucas. He then started Gartner Design Company in New Mexico, but not before he designed museum exhibits, film sets, ...
Visit The Totally Fun Company website. If you’ve ever been to Universal Studios, you’ve seen the work of our latest interviewee. While you may not know Peter Alexander or The Totally Fun Company, you are guaranteed to know the rides E.T., Back to the Future, Jaws, and Earthquake. These entertainment experiences, along with many others, highlight the work of The Totally Fun Company, which does everything from designing rides to master planning of theme parks to producing shows and building family entertainment centers. We had the privilege of spending some time with Peter Alexander, president of The Totally Fun Company, ...
Written by: admin Friday, May 18th, 2012 .
When you think of SeaWorld Orlando you don’t usually think of hi-tech shows; instead, you probably picture an orca hurling itself through the air or sea lions performing synchronized swimming shows. Attractions like these will always be the core of ... Read More
Written by: admin Friday, May 18th, 2012 .
Taking a cue from Disney, Paramount Pictures has decided to go into the hotel business. The recently formed Paramount Hotels and Resorts has announced plans to develop up to 50 hotels and resorts in popular destinations such as Brazil, the ... Read More
Written by: Sasha Rosen Thursday, May 17th, 2012 .
When most people hear the words, “climate change,” their brains shut off. Even though it’s one of the most important issues that all of us Earth-dwellers need to learn about, most of us are bored stiff by it, or overwhelmed ... Read More
Written by: admin Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 .
While this underwater hotel in Dubai is still a long ways off from taking reservations, the concept art alone has been enough to create quite a buzz throughout the blogosphere. This is not too surprising as underwater projects never fail ... Read More
Written by: admin Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 .
While Walt Disney World may claim to be the happiest place on earth, it is currently under attack by a team of the most notorious villains in animation history. Jafar, Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Scar, and many others are on ... Read More
Written by: admin Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 .
We’ve been seeing a lot of really cool playgrounds popping up all over the world recently and thought that it was about time we put together a list of some of our favorites. Below we’ve ranked our Top 10 playgrounds ... Read More
Written by: admin Saturday, May 12th, 2012 .
Even though airplane food has a reputation as some of the most unpalatable fare out there, this doesn’t stop people from getting excited about airplane-themed restaurants. We’ve already seen restaurants and bars built inside of actual airplanes (the DC-6 Diner ... Read More
Written by: admin Friday, May 11th, 2012 .
We all know that social media is changing the way we read the news and learn about world events; but have you been to a museum exhibit on the subject yet? Not unless you’ve been to the recently opened HP ... Read More
Written by: admin Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 .
Most of us think that we have a pretty good idea of what the world of espionage is like. There is certainly no shortage of literature and film on the subject, but how much do these books and movies really ... Read More
Written by: admin Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 .
This miniature Main Street Electrical Parade is exactly the type of project we love to discover. It’s not only the Disney theme that excites us, but the creative energy and enthusiasm of the miniature’s creator, Alex George. The American artist ... Read More
