Volume 3, No. 13. July 11, 2003
Eric's Turn
Announcing
the Pinkies
We’re
now into the heart of the summer, and it’s time to take stock of the new
arrivals of this year. I don’t necessarily mean the New Arrivals as in
the birth of rides, exhibits, attractions and theme parks we feature in every
issue of THE LOOP but the arrivals to our post box associated with the New Arrivals
we write about.
Yes,
we’re talking about the promotional gifts parks send us to announce their
new attractions. We’re talking what we in the journalism trade affectionately
call graft.
While
I appreciate the gesture of affection from the parks who give to get my attention,
few of the many gifts I receive end up in my office. Some I turn over to needy
children, like the Scooby-Doo-idolizing teen-age daughter of my ad manager,
Lynne. Some I do donate to various charity organizations. A few do end up as
decorations in my office, and one—an oversized pair of Hanes underpants
bearing the Paramount Kings Island Delirium logo—I don’t know
what to do with because Salvation Army does not accept underwear.
Then
there is the utility pouch—something like that—containing a little
Swiss army knife that Six Flags Belgium sent to commemorate the opening of Curse
of Tutankhamon. Sounds like a really nice item, but I never saw it; my wife,
Sarah, laid claim to it while I was on my most recent trip. So, sorry, Six Flags
Belgium, I cannot judge your offering against those I’m about to laud below,
many of which are pictured above.
In
what might become an annual honor, I hereby extend THE LOOP’s Best New
Arrival Gift Awards. (In the tradition of the industry’s more famous Golden
and Silver honors, we’ll call ours the “Pinkies” for short).
Kudos
to Paramount’s Kings Island for the Scooby-Doo hula bank and mousepad (they
lost credit for those underpants, though), to Stone Mountain for the stadium
seat cushion, to Paramount’s Great America for the SpongeBob SquarePants
plastic backpack containing beach toys and Rugrats video, and Indiana Beach
for the I.B. Crow bobblehead doll. The last would have been my top pick except
that I haven’t purchased the watch battery needed to make Crow sing.
Honorable
mention goes to Universal Studios Orlando for the Gingerbread Man, a promotional
announcement for the opening of its Shrek 4D attraction. Not only was
this an effective promotional gift for the attraction, it looked mighty tasty,
and it automatically induced a smile for those of us who regard the Gingerbread
Man’s interrogation scene as one of the highlights of the original Shrek
movie.
Runner-up
goes to Legoland California for its spinning top commemorating the new Bionicle
Blaster ride. Not only does it spin, it plays an electronic tune and displays
a sequence of light patterns (the star patterns are particularly fascinating).
What a tie-in to a flat ride that features spinning cups themed to the robot-like
action toys of LEGO’s Bionicles. Extra credit goes to any toy that inspires
my 14 year-old son, Ian, to say, “It’s really fun!” and mean
it.
Winning
the first-ever Best New Arrival Gift “Pinkie” is Universal Orlando
for its promotion of the Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, a full-scale
model of Jimmy Neutron’s robotic dog Goddard. Operated by remote control,
the dog barks, whines, wags and shakes. It puzzles cats and neighbors alike,
the latter wondering just what is it I do exactly (the former wondering why
I do it)? It was enough that this is the most elaborate gift I’ve ever
received from a park or zoo, but Universal Orlando’s marketing team is
to be further lauded for attention to a particularly important detail. Not only
did the dog come with batteries installed, the remote control had batteries,
too.
We truly appreciate all the gifts, but you park operators should know you don’t have to send such things to get your New Arrival in THE LOOP. We just need a call (toll-free 888-902-LOOP in North America or 520-514-2254) or an e-mail (eric@gettheloop.com) with the news that you are about to open a new attraction at your park, zoo or FEC. Suppliers can take advantage of one of the two New Arrival advertising packages (for details, click here), including the Enhanced New Arrival package with an additional jump page of information and photos, (see the Parrot Jungle Island story above).
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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