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Park News
www.parkworld-online.com
ParkHoppin’
by Paul Ruben
MAYA TAL
Heide Park revamps ‘Huss Land’
Mad About Monsters
This was to be a special day for me. Earlier in my park-going
career, in March of 1981, I attended the media preview of a
quirky new dark boat ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, Monster
Plantation. It was Disneyesque in quality, the first dark ride of this
calibre outside of a Disney park.
It was there I first met a young, curly-haired designer, Gary
Goddard. Since creating Monster Plantation, Gary has gone on to
enjoy a long and distinguished career in the outdoor amusement
industry, while I have gone on to, well, annoy a lot of people.
This day, in mid-May, was to be the re-introduction of a
refurbished and enhanced Monster Plantation with the new name
of Monster Mansion. Goddard had been hired to do the upgrade,
and he was to be in attendance. I was looking forward to seeing
him again. It would be as if he and I had gone full circle.
Oh, and I wanted a favour before the beginning of the media
event. I wanted a photo of myself inside the attraction, which I
know would be impossible once it began operating for the event. If
anyone could make this happen, it would be Gary.
Since the powers that be at Park World insist I now carry a
TAA (Theming and Animatronics) Industries recently completed a large
mobile phone (it's like being on a long leash, I prefer travelling
installation at Heide Park in Soltau, Germany, where it rethemed the Maya Tal
unencumbered), I used it to call Gary before arriving at the park.
(Maya Valley) area. The area was previously known informally as “Huss Land”
He assured me I could come early and had arranged access
thanks to the large concentration of rides by the German manufacturer.
through park security.
TAA worked closely together with a park team lead by Thomas Berwald
He was standing outside Monster Mansion as I walked up, and
in order to turn the conceptual drawings into a visually and economically
before I could even say hello he said, "You know who you look
attractive package. Many of the decorative elements were crafted by hand
like? Big Al!" Big Al is one of the animated characters inside the
in Romania. A highlight is the Mayan Pyramid, which acts as the entrance
Mansion. "You have the hat, and you have the sunglasses. Look,"
to the new look land, with fibreglass ornaments integrated into the walls.
he asked his friend Phil Mendez seated nearby, "doesn't he look
The company used over 100 tons of cement to recreate a Mesoamerican
like Big Al?" Mendez quickly agreed.
civilisation in this little corner of Lower Saxony, as Heide Park strives to offers its
"I'd like to get a photo inside," I explained. "Can you help me?"
guests a more highly themed experience. But installation wasn’t easy. During
"Sure," smiled Gary. "But you have to take it with Big Al. It'll be
one of the coldest winters many people could remember, TAA’s Udo
perfect. Perfect."
Weisenburger and his team braved heavy rain showers, snow and sub zero
With that we walked into the darkened interior of the Monster
temperatures to redesign the themed area.
Mansion, I was introduced to Big Al, and gave Gary my camera.
“It was a huge challenge to work artistically work under those
Here is the result, Big Paul. Now I ask you, do I look like Big Al?
circumstances,“ confirms Weisenburger. Thanks to the use of a new high
(Al is on the right.)
performance cement machine, they got through it.
The new
The area groups together six rides in a clock-like formation, with a brand-
Monster Mansion
new Wave Swinger from Zierer in the centre. All except the latter were existing
was such a
pleasure, a joy to
experience. Years
ago every
MOREY’S MOVES RIDES
traditional park
had one or more
dark rides, but
now many parks
do not, especially
in North America.
It's a shame. They
add character to a
park, and provide an attraction that everyone in the family can
enjoy together. There should be more dark rides like Monster
Mansion. I'm now hoping another park will add a dark ride filled
with monsters. Big monsters, little monsters, or even scary monsters
like Big Paul.
6
AUGUST 2009
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