Volume 1, No. 6. April 20, 2001
It’s a kiddie area!
Universal Studios Hollywood in California announces the arrival of Nickelodeon Blast Zone, April 5, 2001 (30,000 square feet, 25,000 soft foam balls, nearly 50 interactive elements). Delivered by SCS Interactive and Nassal Company.
It was the most suitable christening Universal Studios officials could have thought of for their new themed interactive play area. A giant water balloon, 12 feet in diameter and capable of holding 6,700 gallons of water (but actually containing much less) was raised 40 feet up by a crane and dropped on the new attraction.
Time to get wet. About 100 Los Angeles-area school kids, covered in park ponchos, rushed into the Nickelodeon Splash! area featuring towers with water blasters and an orange Nickelodeon icon rocket ship that goes through a launch sequence concluding with water spewing out of its engines. Kids could also run the gauntlet of water elements, manipulated by other guests, in a maze. In the center stands a 15-foot volcano that occasionally erupts in a 40-foot geyser. Adjoining the wet play area is the "Wild Thornberry’s Adventure Temple," an extensively themed Foam Factory-type activity center.
The water balloon christening had yet another ironic touch: for a change, the water dropping from the sky was welcome. Massive rains throughout the spring hampered construction, but despite the lost time Universal’s crews scampered to get the Zone open on time. Now the structure can get as deluged as it pleases.
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