Peppa Pig Theme Park coming to Legoland resort
The attraction based on an animated British TV series for preschoolers will be adjacent to existing property.
A “Peppa Pig” theme park will open in Florida next year. The attraction, based on an animated British TV series for preschoolers, will be part of Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven, but it will be a separate gate from the Legoland theme park.
The park, operated by Merlin Entertainments Group in a partnership with Hasbro, will feature rides, live shows, character interactions, themed play areas and waterplay areas with “muddy puddles,” a mainstay of Peppa’s world. Ride and attraction details are expected to be announced this summer.
Peppa Pig Theme Park will be adjacent to the existing Legoland theme park. It is under construction in the resort’s parking lot.
“A second-gate attraction was something that we’ve been looking to add to the resort experience as we continue to look to enhance our multiday visitation,” Legoland general manager Rex Jackson said Thursday. The company opted not to incorporate it into the original park, he said.
“When you’re looking at the number of attractions and shows and rides that are going to be part of this theme park, it warrants a separate theme-park experience,” Jackson said. Peppa Pig park will include food and retail establishments and be larger than their most recent “land” expansions, he said.
Merlin filed plans with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to clear 4.5 acres of its parking lot last year. Conceptual plans showed at least a halfdozen rides and attractions, as well as a new 11,850-square-foot building, play areas and picnic tables.
The TV show has been broadcast in about 200 countries and is seen in the U.S. on Nick Jr. Over six seasons, there have been more than 300 episodes produced, each lasting about five minutes. The everyday action centers on Peppa, a perky pink young female pig, her friends and family. Other characters include Peppa’s younger brother George, Rebecca Rabbit, Suzy Sheep, Candy Cat, Danny Dog, Pedro Pony and Zoe Zebra along with assorted members of the Elephant, Fox, Kangaroo, Wolf, Goat and Giraffe families.
“‘Peppa Pig’ is an extremely popular television show that has morphed into an entertainment property,” Jackson said. “It’s a show that certainly families with young kids know . ... Kids and their parents can come in and actually step into this world.”
It was the most-streamed kids show last year and Hasbro’s No. 1 licensed franchise, selling more than $1 billion in merchandise, CNBC reported.
Legoland Florida’s target audience is the 2- to 12-year-old set, and Peppa Pig aims at the younger end of that group, Jackson said.
“Everything within Peppa Pig Theme Park has been designed to appeal to families with kids up to age 6, the families with preschool kids,” he said.
No design changes were made because of the coronavirus pandemic, he said, but there are operational guidelines instituted at Legoland that can be adapted to the Peppa Pig park if needed in 2021.
A Peppa Pig section of Paultons Park, an amusement park in Hampshire, England, opened in 2011. It includes flat rides such as Grandpa Pig’s Little Train and Grampy Rabbit’s Sailing Club, which is described as a “gentle spinning boat ride.” There are Peppa Pig World of Play outlets, indoor entertainment centers, in Michigan, Texas and Illinois.
Florida’s Peppa Pig Theme Park will be open year-round and offer annual passes. There will be combo passes that include the new attraction as well as Legoland theme park. Merlin also operates Madame Tussauds Orlando and Sea Life Aquarium Orlando on International Drive’s Icon Park as well as theme parks in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Japan and Malaysia.
Legoland Florida is marking its 10th year after taking over the old Cypress Gardens property in Polk County. The resort has been in expansion mode since then, adding lands, the Legoland Water Park and three hotels. The theme park debuted “Brickbeard’s Watersports Stunt Show,” a ski show on Lake Eloise, this month.
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