Industry Insider
www.parkworld-online.com
Marc Theermann, Co-founder and CEO
Marc Theermann
Park World’s Matt Broughton caught up with Marc Theermann, CEO and Co-Founder of Dynamic Creatures.
Matt: Thanks for your time, Marc. For the uninitiated, please give us the elevator pitch for Dynamic Creatures Marc: Dynamic Creatures designs and builds mobile, interactive character robots for entertainment and hospitality brands. We combine advanced robotics, AI, animation, storytelling and character design to create characters that move naturally through guest environments, understand the context of an encounter and respond in real time.
We see this as a new category between traditional animatronics, which generally perform a predetermined sequence for a crowd, and service robots designed to complete functional tasks. Our characters are built for face-to-face engagement. The goal is not simply to make a robot move; it is to create the illusion of life and deliver personal moments that guests remember.
Matt: Can you give us a few practical examples of the kinds of characters you’re creating and how they’ll operate? Marc: One example is Danielle, a friendly poodle character we built on Boston Dynamics’ Spot platform. Rather than looking like an industrial robot, Danielle has an expressive, approachable identity designed to make people want to engage with her. She can move through a space, recognize
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what is happening around her and respond through movement, gesture and interaction. We can also create characters for a particular brand, story or environment. That might mean a roaming character that welcomes guests at a resort, a brand ambassador that interacts with visitors at an attraction or a fully original creature designed for a theme park. We are already working with a large theme park and a retailer on guest-facing experiences, although we cannot yet share those project details.
Matt: Many people will be familiar with the name Boston Dynamics; as an official partner, how does what you’re creating work alongside their projects? Marc: Boston Dynamics has built some of the world’s most advanced and recognizable robotic platforms. As its official hospitality and entertainment partner, we can take that proven robotic foundation and build character-based experiences around it.
Our focus is the layer that turns an advanced machine into a compelling character: how it looks, moves, perceives people, expresses emotion and responds in a way that fits the story and setting. We can build experiences on Boston Dynamics systems, other robotic platforms or design a fully original robot for a customer. Boston Dynamics remains focused on its broader robotics work, while we bring
this technology specifically into entertainment and hospitality environments.
Matt: What are the key positives about deploying these kinds of products? Marc: The biggest benefit is the ability to create an experience that feels personal rather than purely programmed. A fixed animatronic performs the same sequence regardless of who is watching. An interactive character can respond differently depending on the guest, the activity around it and the moment.
Mobility also allows characters to meet guests throughout a venue instead of requiring guests to visit one fixed attraction. For operators, platform- based characters can be deployed in months rather than the years often associated with complex custom builds. Leasing models can also provide a more flexible way to introduce or refresh an experience without requiring the same level of upfront capital investment.
Matt: I’m assuming some people are sceptical about this proposition; what are the key objections you’re having to work against? Marc: The questions tend to center on safety, reliability and whether the experience will feel genuinely engaging rather than gimmicky. Those are fair concerns. A great demonstration is very
OCTOBER 2026
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