Kidzania
Encyclopedia
KidZania is a Mexican chain of family entertainment center
s currently operating in 10 locations allowing children to work in adult jobs and earn currency.
s moving along its streets. In this city, children aged 2 through 14, work in branded activities from bottling Coca-Cola
, working in a Crest-sponsored dentist office, working at a McDonalds restaurant,, painting with Corporação Industrial do Norte
, washing hands with P&G's Safeguard
soap, and using airline tickets from American Airlines
and Emirates. The children earn KidZos currency while performing the tasks, and the money is kept in the KidZania bank for children to spend at the gift shop and on non-free KidZania activities. The blending of marketing has led The Morning News
to dub KidZania as "advertainment", stating "there is little that's pretend, and the play revolves around following instructions from the adult Zupervisors."
Children also make up the governance of KidZania, with a 14-member group.
Corporate sponsors funded 55% of the initial investment.
In 2004, KidZania purchased Wannado City, a similar park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
. It was closed in January 2011, never having been profitable.
In 2007, KidZania engaged veteran entertainment strategist and dealmaker Andrew Darrow as Executive Vice President to expand the operation.
Cammie Dunaway
joined in late 2010 as the global chief marketing officer.
, Santiago
, Malaysia, India
, Egypt
, China
, Philippines
, Brazil
, Thailand
, Saudi Arabia
, Kuwait
, and Turkey
in the near future. The Kuwait location contains the fuselage of a DC-8 aircraft for activities and a Chevrolet
-sponsored area. Also, KidZania Cuicuilco is scheduled to open as the third corporate owned center, and the third location in Mexico
; second in Mexico City
. Franchises are expected to open in the United States in 2013.
Family entertainment center
A family entertainment center , often abbreviated FEC in the entertainment industry, is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small children to teenagers, and often entirely indoors or associated with a larger operation such as a theme park...
s currently operating in 10 locations allowing children to work in adult jobs and earn currency.
Overview
Every KidZania is themed as a child-sized replica of a real city, including buildings, shops and theaters, as well as vehicles and pedestrianPedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s moving along its streets. In this city, children aged 2 through 14, work in branded activities from bottling Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, working in a Crest-sponsored dentist office, working at a McDonalds restaurant,, painting with Corporação Industrial do Norte
Corporação Industrial do Norte
CIN - Corporação Industrial do Norte S.A. is a Portuguese company that is the Iberian market leader for paint & coating products. The company was established in 1926 and is headquartered in Maia, Norte Region....
, washing hands with P&G's Safeguard
Safeguard (Soap)
Safeguard is an antibacterial soap of P&G registered with the Food and Drug Administration and is sold in the United States, Mexico, Ukraine, Latvia, Canada, Egypt, China, Pakistan, India and the Philippines.-Advertising History:...
soap, and using airline tickets from American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
and Emirates. The children earn KidZos currency while performing the tasks, and the money is kept in the KidZania bank for children to spend at the gift shop and on non-free KidZania activities. The blending of marketing has led The Morning News
The Morning News (online magazine)
The Morning News is a U.S.-based daily online magazine founded in 1999 by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack. It began as an email newsletter and in the fall of 2000 evolved into a news-oriented weblog with a New York focus...
to dub KidZania as "advertainment", stating "there is little that's pretend, and the play revolves around following instructions from the adult Zupervisors."
Children also make up the governance of KidZania, with a 14-member group.
History
KidZania was created and developed by Mexican entrepreneur Xavier López Ancona, current KidZania CEO. The first KidZania opened in September 1999 in Santa Fe Shopping Mall in Mexico City, and was named La Ciudad de los Niños ("The City of the Children").Corporate sponsors funded 55% of the initial investment.
In 2004, KidZania purchased Wannado City, a similar park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. It was closed in January 2011, never having been profitable.
In 2007, KidZania engaged veteran entertainment strategist and dealmaker Andrew Darrow as Executive Vice President to expand the operation.
Cammie Dunaway
Cammie Dunaway
Cammie Dunaway is an American marketer. She was the chief marketing officer for Yahoo! before joining Nintendo of America in 2007 as the company's executive vice president of sales & marketing, replacing Reggie Fils-Aime in the role after he was promoted to his current position as president and COO...
joined in late 2010 as the global chief marketing officer.
Locations
- KidZania Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, opened in September 1999 as La Ciudad de los Niños, rebranded KidZania La Ciudad de los Niños - KidZania Monterrey, opened in May 2006
- Kidzania TokyoKidzania TokyoKidzania Tokyo is a family edutainment center amusement park, in the LaLaport Toyosu, Tokyo, Japan opened in October 2006. A part of the Kidzania franchise, Kidzania Tokyo is the third ever Kidzania theme park ever built, preceded by Mexico City and Monterrey, and succeeded by Kidzania Jakarta...
, opened in October 2006 (franchise) - Kidzania JakartaKidzania JakartaKidzania Jakarta is an educational indoor theme park located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Opened in November 2007 at the Pacific Place Jakarta, Kidzania Jakarta is the first of the Kidzanian franchises to open in Southeast Asia and somewhat larger than its Monterrey equivalent. It was the fourth ever...
, opened in November 2007 (franchise) - Kidzania KoshienKidzania KoshienKidzania Koshien is the fifth ever Kidzania theme park, opened in early 2009 at the LaLaport Koshien, Japan. It is also declared as the second Kidzania theme park in Japan, after Kidzania Tokyo, and the third in Asia, after Kidzania Jakarta. Over 80 occupations are currently offered in this...
, opened in March 2009 (franchise) - KidZania LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, opened June 2009 (franchise) - KidZania DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, opened January 2010 (franchise) - KidZania SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, opened February 2010 (franchise) - KidZania Malaysia, opening January 2012 (franchise)
Future Expansion
There are several centers scheduled to open under the same franchise structure in DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Malaysia, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in the near future. The Kuwait location contains the fuselage of a DC-8 aircraft for activities and a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
-sponsored area. Also, KidZania Cuicuilco is scheduled to open as the third corporate owned center, and the third location in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
; second in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Franchises are expected to open in the United States in 2013.
External links
- Corporate Official website
- An article about KidZania in the Japanese Metropolis magazine
- New Kidzania theme park to be developed - The Brunei TimesThe Brunei TimesThe Brunei Times is an independent English-language daily compact broadsheet newspaper published in Brunei Darussalam. It owned by Brunei Times PLC....
- Photos from KidZania visits by Jeffrey FriedlJeffrey FriedlJeffrey Friedl is a software engineer known for his book on regular expressions, ....