MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS AND HASBRO REVEAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS FOR PEPPA PIG THEME PARK DALLAS-FORT WORTH
Peppa Pig Theme Park in North Richland Hills, Texas will open in 2024, offering exciting rides, themed playscapes, water play, and character experiences for preschoolers.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Five rides, seven themed playscapes, a water play area and even more oinktastic experiences have been revealed for the PEPPA PIG Theme Park in North Texas, now under construction. Following the successful launch of the PEPPA PIG Theme Park in Florida in 2022, North Richland Hills will host the second standalone theme park in the United States based on the beloved Hasbro preschool franchise. These attractions will create an unforgettable adventure at the new PEPPA PIG Theme Park, opening in 2024.
Meet Peppa and her friends for a fairground adventure full of free games and rides, including Miss Rabbit’s hot air balloon and Mr. Bull’s High Striker ride which take you up into the sky for a bird’s eye view of the theme park.
As many preschoolers’ first best friend, Peppa encourages kids to explore the world with confidence, treating every first step as a new adventure, from the everyday to the epic. Centrally located in the heart of North Texas, the park will be just a few miles away from the beloved PEPPA PIG World of Play, an indoor attraction which features free roaming play spaces perfectly suited for preschoolers.
Designed to be the ultimate experience for little ones, the new theme park combines interactive rides and themed playgrounds with character shows and an indoor cinema for climate-controlled entertainment. Every corner of the charming new park is crafted with preschoolers in mind, from their first roller coaster rides and fairground games with the whole family, to a pedal path adventure built just for kids, and a colorful splash pad that celebrates “muddy puddles” jumping fun! Through every experience, families will snort, giggle and create their first theme park memories together with Peppa and her friends.
FUN RIDES Families will ride, soar, and set sail together on five new rides:
Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster – Take a ride with Daddy Pig in his iconic red car and go on an unexpected adventure when Mr. Bull’s “digging up the road” sends you on a curvy exploration of Daddy Pig’s new shortcut. This family-friendly thrill ride is the perfect first roller coaster for brave little visitors.
Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride – Hold on tight as you soar into the sky and enjoy amazing views of PEPPA PIG Theme Park on this family-friendly aerial carousel ride.
Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride – Anchors away! Sail with Grandad Dog on this family boat ride to find his hidden treasure.
Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure – Take a ride on a friendly dinosaur and discover prehistoric surprises around every corner of Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Park. Parents can ride along with their little explorers on this epic dino quest.
Mr. Bull’s High Striker – Once the hammer hits the bell on Mr. Bull’s High Striker, your family will bounce up to the sky. Hold on tight and be prepared for a surprise because, after all, what goes up, must come down!
PLAY SPACES + ADDITIONAL ATTRACTIONS Splash, climb and crawl! The fun keeps coming with water play, games and just-my-size playscapes.
Muddy Puddles Splash Pad – Have an oinktastic time with Peppa and George doing their favorite thing: jumping up and down in “muddy puddles.” This lively play area has spouting fountains, slides and other watery surprises to keep the play experiences super fun, splashy and cool on hot days.
Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour and George’s Tricycle Trail – Little ones will pedal their way through a camping adventure in the woods, through the icy mountains to see the sights and sounds of the great outdoors. Smaller cyclists can enjoy George’s shorter pedal path adventure on tricycles built just for them.
Fun Fair – Meet Peppa and her friends for a fairground adventure full of free games and rides, including Miss Rabbit’s hot air balloon and Mr. Bull’s High Striker ride which take you up into the sky for a bird’s eye view of the theme park.
George’s Fort – Make your way through a maze in Granny Pig’s Garden and discover George’s Fort, just waiting to be explored.
Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse – Discover what Grandpa Pig is growing – could it be something red and squishy? Or green and round? Slide around his greenhouse and find out.
Peppa Pig’s Treehouse – Climb into Peppa’s not-so-high treehouse, then slide down to the bottom for even more free play fun.
Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground – Get active and find all the ways to play around the rabbit burrows, as you jump, crawl or hop over to explore Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground.
Madame Gazelle’s Nature Trail – Discover what has left mysterious footprints on the ground as you explore the nature trail with Madame Gazelle.
Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena – Join Peppa and her friends under the canopy at Mr. Potato’s stage with live shows packed full of songs, games, snorts and giggles throughout the day.
The Cinema – Take a break from the sunny fun by watching some of your favorite episodes of PEPPA PIG on the big screen in our indoor cinema.
PEPPA PIG is a British preschool animated television series that has been airing for almost 20 years, across nine seasons in over 180 territories as of 2023. The series follows Peppa Pig, a cheeky little piggy who lives with her family – younger brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig – as well as her diverse community of friends. Globally successful, the brand connects with consumers across every touchpoint, from TV to theme parks to retail. As a lifelong friend, Peppa Pig encourages kids to jump in together and explore the world around them, while giving kids the confidence to treat every first step as a new adventure, from the everyday to the epic.
About Hasbro
Hasbro is a leading toy and game company whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers engaging brand experiences for global audiences through toys, consumer products, gaming and entertainment, with a portfolio of iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands. Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com.
Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in location-based, family entertainment. As Europe’s number one and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin operates more than 140 attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 24 countries spanning four continents. Merlin’s purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its millions of guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its employees.
Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks.
Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks.
Join us at Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks.
Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks. Join us at our Entertainment Section and let your entertainment journey begin! https://stmdailynews.com/category/entertainment/
The Substitute Teacher Who Wanted Blueprints of Our House
A fifth-grade assignment took a strange turn when a substitute teacher asked students to draw schematics of their homes. What followed — a wildly fictional floor plan and a priceless reaction from my mom — turned into one of my funniest childhood memories.
The Substitute Teacher Who Wanted Blueprints of Our House
Elementary school memories tend to blend together — cafeteria pizza, playground arguments, the eternal struggle of times tables — but every once in a while, something happens that sticks with you for life. For me, that moment came in the fifth grade during a week when our regular teacher was out, and we cycled through substitute teachers like we were testing models for durability. By midweek, in walked a substitute with a mysterious, slightly intense energy — the kind of vibe that suggested he either meditated at dawn or worked a graveyard shift doing something he couldn’t talk about. We settled into our seats, expecting worksheets or quiet reading time. But nope. He had other plans. “Today,” he announced, “we’re going to draw schematics of our houses.” Schematics. Not drawings. Not little houses with smoke coming out of the chimney. Actual blueprint-style schematics. He wanted the layout of our bedrooms, our parents’ rooms, and where the pets slept. Every detail. Now, to be fair, Highlights Magazine did have a feature that month teaching kids how to draw floor plans. So maybe he was just a bit overenthusiastic about cross-curricular learning. Or maybe — and this is my completely rhetorical adult theory — he worked the graveyard shift as a cat burglar gathering intel between heists. Just moonlighting between blueprints. While the rest of the class tried their best to recreate their actual homes, my imagination sprinted in a totally different direction. The house I drew had:
A massive master bedroom with an oversized bathroom for my parents
Separate bedrooms for us kids on the opposite side of the house
A kitchen placed right in the center like a command center
And the dog — the true VIP — had a luxurious two-story doghouse
I had basically created a dream home designed by a 10-year-old watching too much Fantasy Homes by the Yard. Later that day, my mom asked the usual question: “So, what did you guys do today?” “We drew schematics of our house,” I said casually. The look on her face was instant and intense. She wasn’t panicked, but there was definitely a “Why does a substitute teacher need to know the exact layout of my home?” expression happening. Parental instincts activated. But then I showed her my diagram. She stared at it. Blinked. Then sighed with massive relief. “This isn’t our house,” she said. “Nope! I made it up,” I replied proudly. Her shoulders relaxed so much she probably lost five pounds of tension in one instant. If the substitute was secretly planning a heist, my masterpiece of misinformation would have sent him to the wrong house entirely. Looking back, the whole moment feels like a sitcom setup — a mysterious substitute collecting “house schematics,” me creating a completely fictional piece of architecture, and my mom going on a full emotional journey in under 30 seconds. Maybe he was just excited about the Highlights Magazine floor-plan activity. Or maybe — just maybe — he moonlighted in cat burglary. We’ll never know. But if he was, I like to think I threw him completely off the scent.
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How China cleaned up its air pollution – and what that meant for the climate
How China cleaned up its air pollution: Beijing’s air quality went from hazardous to good while Delhi and Lahore still struggle. Discover how China dramatically reduced pollution since 2013—and why cleaner air may have unintended consequences for global warming and climate change.
Delhi: 442. Lahore: 334. Beijing: 16. These are the levels of PM 2.5, one of the principle measures for air pollution, on November 19. As Pakistanis and Indians struggle with hazardous air quality, in Beijing – a city once notorious for its smog – the air quality is currently rated as good. Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government was so concerned about pollution that it introduced temporary restrictions on cars, shut down factories and stopped work on some construction sites. The measures worked and one study later found that levels of air pollution were down 30% during the period when the temporary Olympic restrictions were in place. It would take a few more years before the Chinese government implemented a clean air action plan in 2013. Since then, China has achieved a dramatic improvement in its air quality. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to Laura Wilcox, a professor at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading in the UK, to understand how China managed to clean up its air pollution. But Wilcox’s recent research uncovered some unintended consequences from this cleaner air for the global climate: the pollution was actually helping to cool the atmosphere and by taking it away, it may have accelerated global warming. Wilcox explains:
What we’re seeing is a removing of cooling that’s revealing warming that’s already there. So the air pollution isn’t the cause of the warming. It’s just letting us see stuff that we’ve already done.
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What makes a true Santa is inside – and comes with the red suit
Research on 849 professional Santas reveals three types: prototypical, semi-prototypical, and nonprototypical. Discover how diverse Santas navigate stereotypes and why many see the red suit as a calling, not just a job.
Members of the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas meet at Pink’s restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm before the holiday rush in 2009. Business Wire via AP
What makes a true Santa is inside – and comes with the red suit
Christina Hymer, University of Tennessee When you picture Santa Claus, a white, bearded, overweight and jolly man who dashes around delivering gifts to children during the Christmas season probably comes to mind. Yet, not everyone who dons the red suit fits this stereotype. That’s what Bethany Cockburn, Borbala Csillag and I learned when we teamed up to study professional Santas. For our study, we looked into how these professional Santas were able to “be” Santa, even if they didn’t fully fit the image. As we explained in a forthcoming article in the Academy of Management Journal, many who do this work don’t see it as just a job – it’s a calling. For some professional Santas, it’s especially important that they look and feel like Santa to experience that sense of purpose in their work. We surveyed 849 professional Santas who live across the U.S. and interviewed 53 of them, collecting data between 2018 and 2021. We identified three types of professional Santas: prototypical (64%), semi-prototypical (23%) and nonprototypical (13%). Prototypical Santas look the part. They are white and overweight, have real beards and express confidence that they are the right fit. Semi-prototypical Santas looked the part, too, but felt like they weren’t quite suitable for a range of reasons. They might be introverted or use a fake beard. Nonprototypical Santas had characteristics at odds with the stereotype. They might be nonwhite, female or gay, or have a physical disability.Many Santas see their work, whether paid or volunteer, as a calling.Photo by Gwyn Sussman Whereas prototypical Santas could easily slide into the Santa role, the process was more complex for the others. Semi-prototypical Santas did things like come up with stories they’d tell themselves or share with children to explain away their fake beards. Nonprototypical Santas had values aligned with the Santa image, such as being peaceful, loving and kind. But they still made a big effort to look like what people expect when they visit a Santa. “Should it be a difference if you’re a Jewish Santa Claus or a Catholic Santa Claus?” asked an atheist professional Santa we called “Santa Aquila.” “No. You’re Santa Claus. What do you do? You’re not even supposed to preach anything.” Another Santa whom we called “Santa Lynx” hid that she was female in part by flattening her chest.
Why it matters
While anyone can take a turn being their neighborhood potluck’s Santa, the one you meet at the mall probably attended some combination of Santa schools, webinars and training. For instance, the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School was founded in 1937 and conducts an annual Santa training each year. National networks also exist, such as the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas, which says it has 1,000 members, – and the IBRBS, formerly known as the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, offering meetups and professional support.Actor B.J. Averell, dressed as Santa Claus, attends a toy drive for struggling Bay Area families in Burlingame, Calif., in December 2024.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images There are also local organizations, such as the Lone Star Santas network in Texas. Although most professional Santas are paid for their work, many do this voluntarily. It’s not uncommon for there to be some sort of expectation around who should have a particular occupation. Pilots tend to be male, most schoolteachers are female, and salespeople are often seen as extroverted. But that doesn’t mean that women can’t be pilots, men can’t be teachers or that introverts can’t work in sales.
What’s next
I’m now looking at how broader institutional environments, current events and social movements can shape how people experience their callings and find meaning at work. The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.Christina Hymer, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Tennessee This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter. https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/
Later that day, my mom asked the usual question: “So, what did you guys do today?” “We drew schematics of our house,” I said casually. The look on her face was instant and intense. She wasn’t panicked, but there was definitely a “Why does a substitute teacher need to know the exact layout of my home?” expression happening. Parental instincts activated. But then I showed her my diagram. She stared at it. Blinked. Then sighed with massive relief. “This isn’t our house,” she said. “Nope! I made it up,” I replied proudly. Her shoulders relaxed so much she probably lost five pounds of tension in one instant. If the substitute was secretly planning a heist, my masterpiece of misinformation would have sent him to the wrong house entirely. Looking back, the whole moment feels like a sitcom setup — a mysterious substitute collecting “house schematics,” me creating a completely fictional piece of architecture, and my mom going on a full emotional journey in under 30 seconds. Maybe he was just excited about the Highlights Magazine floor-plan activity. Or maybe — just maybe — he moonlighted in cat burglary. We’ll never know. But if he was, I like to think I threw him completely off the scent.
Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
