Children’s brands in the location-based entertainment (LBE) industry aren’t new.
Just look at Disney and Universal parks. Nevertheless, the children’s and family attractions market is in an interesting phase, with operators increasingly using IPs as the foundation for entire lands and permanent destinations, aiming to provide innovative brand experiences for young visitors.
At the same time, museums are collaborating with children’s brands on pop-up experiences and retail outlets, and theme parks already home to myriad homegrown IPs are introducing new ones to attract different guests and drive revenue.
Children’s IP driving growth
Children’s IP has become a key growth driver in recent years. Perhaps the biggest shift is that successful kids brands are viewed not only as isolated licensing opportunities, but as long-term visitor ecosystems.
In the LBE industry, there is major investment in brands such as Bluey, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Minecraft and more. Instead of appearing as meet-and-greets or small-scale exhibits, these brands are becoming entire theme parks, dedicated lands, retail experiences and immersive attractions.
Universal Destinations & Experiences is getting ahead in this area, recently launching the $550 million Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas – its first-ever regional theme park and its first created for children aged between 3 and 8 years old.
Universal Kids Resort is a regional theme park specifically designed for kids in Frisco, Texas
Three years in the making, Universal Kids Resort houses a 300-room hotel and a 20-acre theme park. This features seven themed areas inspired by some of Universal’s most popular family franchises, offering attractions tailored to younger children.
Guests can explore Jurassic World Adventure Camp, home to rides including the Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster; visit Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom for rides such as Jellyfish Fields Jamboree; and step inside DreamWorks’ Shrek's Swamp, featuring the Shrek & Fiona's Happily Ogre After attraction and interactive play areas.
Other lands include Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club, home to family rides and splash play; DreamWorks' TrollsFest, offering rides, a live stage show and play experiences; and DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots' Del Mar, with a family swing ride and puppet show.
There's also The Isle of Curiosity featuring DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse, which serves as the resort's central hub with character encounters, entertainment, dining and shopping.
"Universal Kids Resort offers a completely unique experience to what we have at our other destinations, introducing a younger generation to Universal fun crafted just for them,” said Molly Murphy, president of Universal Creative.
And, like Universal Kids Resort, Mattel’s iconic brands are getting destinations of their own with the planned Mattel Adventure Park and Mattel Wonder water park concepts.
Starting with the theme parks, these are launching in Glendale, Arizona and Kansas City. Highlights include Hot Wheels-themed coasters, a Barbie Beach House, and Thomas & Friends attractions.
The new Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks are being developed in five US cities, with Mattel’s IPs featuring across the water parks in multiple attractions, from lazy rivers to thrilling waterslides.
The parks are being developed in partnership with Martin Aquatic, American Resort Management, and I-dentity Group, as well as WhiteWater.
Theme parks become IP-first
Historically, many theme parks developed original stories and themed environments, with the exception of parks owned by media conglomerates like Disney and Universal, which draw on vast IP portfolios.
While some parks, including Efteling, continue to create original stories, others, such as Chessington World of Adventures and Alton Towers, have started introducing themed areas based on well-known entertainment brands.
Chessington's new Paw Patrol land, World of Paw Patrol, opened in May 2026. The £15m, 1.4-acre attraction is the UK's first and only Paw Patrol-themed land, based on the leading pre-school brand.
As well as playscapes and themed F&B, World of Paw Patrol includes four thrilling rides, each inspired by a member of the pack.
Chessington World of Adventures' new Paw Patrol land, World of Paw Patrol, opened in May 2026
"Bringing World of Paw Patrol to life is a true labour of love," said Sian Hooper, creative director at Merlin Magic Making.
"From the very first sketches to seeing the iconic Lookout Tower rise above Chessington, our goal has been to capture the magic, energy and teamwork that millions of families know and adore from the show.”
Across the pond at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, the former kids' area has been replaced with a new land themed after Looney Tunes, a nostalgic brand that connects parents and children.
The land includes four areas, inspired by Bugs Bunny, Taz, Road Runner and Daffy Duck. Road Runner Ridge, for example, is a New Mexico-themed area with ACME traps, rock formations and desert terrain, as well as Wile E. Coyote's iconic painted tunnel.
It is designed to "evoke the warm, nostalgic feelings of the Chuck Jones era of Looney Tunes".
From single attractions to immersive worlds
Another trend in the attractions business is the expansion of the guest experience from rides to immersive worlds, which deepens fan engagement and drives revenue at the same time.
Rather than offering a single branded ride, operators are providing themed areas surrounding attractions where guests can meet characters, buy themed products and enjoy themed F&B.
At Alton Towers in England, the world’s first coaster themed to hit animated preschool brand Bluey has opened.
Located in the park’s CBeebies Land, Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! is inspired by a fan-favourite episode where Bluey and Bingo dress up as grannies named Janet and Rita.
At Alton Towers, the world’s first coaster themed to hit animated preschool brand Bluey has opened
Guests are greeted by a huge recreation of the Heelers' home, and the queue line is part of the attraction, with thoughtfully designed play equipment, Easter eggs and photo opportunities found throughout, accompanied by audio playing catchy tunes from the show.
“We wanted families to feel like they’d stepped inside an episode,” said Merlin Magic Making designer Beth Clarke, who led the creative work on the attraction. “Kids can play, parents can join in, and suddenly you’re all part of the story.”
Alton Towers' existing Bluey experiences include the Heeler family meet-and-greet and live stage show, and in addition to the new coaster, the park is introducing more Bluey-themed rooms at the CBeebies Land Hotel to provide a fully immersive experience.
Kids IPs in unexpected places
Even Disney is jumping on the Bluey bandwagon, with new experiences set to drive attendance to Disneyland and Disney World.
At Disneyland in California, Bluey's Best Day Ever includes an on-stage experience, as well as storytelling, games and dance-alongs, a real-life fairy garden and gnome village, Barky Boats and Bluey's helicopter stump.
It is accompanied by new merchandise and themed F&B, like the Pizza Girls Baked Potato and the Mud Cake Cold Brew.
The new Bluey-themed attraction at Florida’s Animal Kingdom, called Bluey's Wild World at Conservation Station, is a playful and immersive experience where guests can take part in games including Keepy Uppy and meet Bluey and her sister Bingo.
Elsewhere in Animal Kingdom, guests can purchase Bluey-themed merchandise and F&B.
Demand for screen-free experiences
Driving the trend for kids' IP in LBE is growing demand for screen-free experiences, with the very brands that parents are trying to get their kids to take a break from providing settings for active, imaginative, creative, and social experiences.
Rather than competing with screens, successful attractions are complementing children's favourite digital brands while encouraging physical play.
Minecraft is now the absolute best-selling standalone video game of all time, surpassing 350 to 400 million copies sold worldwide, but it’s gaining momentum beyond screens, too.
Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios are developing the first-ever theme park land inspired by Minecraft blooloop.com
At Chessington, Merlin Entertainments has partnered with Minecraft creator Mojang Studios to develop the first-ever theme park land inspired by the game.
The £50 million project is opening in 2027 and includes a world-first Minecraft coaster, interactive experiences, and block-built playscapes.
Torfi Frans Ólafsson, senior creative director of entertainment at Minecraft, says guests will “literally be in the Minecraft Overworld and have an adventure of your own with your family and friends”.
Expanding the collaboration, Merlin is introducing a new Minecraft pop-up experience to Alton Towers this summer.
The 'Minecraft Meet the Mobs' event is the first of its kind in the UK where guests can meet Minecraft's new baby mobs – the moving, living creatures and monsters in the video game.
Brands performing well
As above, brands that are performing well in the preschool age of 2 to 6 include Bluey, Paw Patrol and Gabby’s Dollhouse, while Peppa Pig continues to lead the market.
These days, Peppa’s LBE presence is global, with three Peppa Pig theme parks in Florida, Texas and Günzburg, Germany, and Peppa Pig World of Play indoor locations across the US, Europe, and China.
Additionally, there are Peppa Pig lands at Gardaland in Italy and Heide Park in Germany.
Elsewhere, Paultons Park is home to Peppa Pig World, the UK’s only Peppa Pig-themed land.
There are three Peppa Pig theme parks, located in Florida, Texas and Günzburg, Germany
Owned and operated by Merlin Entertainments, Peppa Pig theme parks are designed for children aged 6 and under.
The first park opened in Winter Haven, Florida in 2022 and was followed by a second in Günzburg, Germany in 2024. The third park debuted in North Richland Hills, Texas in 2025.
And, with an investment of approximately $330 million, a huge new Peppa Pig theme park is coming to China’s Changxing Island in Chongming, Shanghai.
Once finished, it will be the largest outdoor theme park in the world at 48 acres, and the first Peppa Pig-themed outdoor park in Asia. Plus, it will include the world’s first Peppa Pig-themed hotel with over 400 rooms.
Strong cross-generational brands in the LBE sector already include the Jurassic World and Harry Potter brands seen at Universal parks, as well as Merlin’s global Legoland resorts. A new contender is the recently opened PokéPark Kanto theme park in Tokyo, Japan.
The new PokéPark Kanto in Japan is the world's first permanent outdoor Pokémon attraction
The brand clearly resonates with guests, as Universal parks will also be getting new Pokémon experiences, starting with Universal Studios Japan.
"The Pokémon Company is one of the most beloved interactive franchises in the world, and through our ongoing partnership, we will continue bringing its vibrant world to life in new and innovative ways for years to come," said Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences.
Museums follow the same trend
Although cultural institutions, science centres and children's museums are generally unable to create permanent attractions centred on brands, they are tapping into the growing demand for children's IPs through immersive exhibitions, themed learning experiences, and IP-led retail.
The Franklin Institute, for example, is hosting a new exhibition that immerses visitors in the innovative world of Universal theme parks. Guests can build coasters, design monster masks, experiment with projection mapping, and programme animated figures using real theme park tools and technology.
Its next blockbuster exhibition will be the largest and most comprehensive behind-the-scenes exhibition celebrating the Star Wars galaxy.
The Franklin Institute's new exhibition immerses visitors in the innovative world of Universal theme parks
Pokémon are also popping up in museums. Recent experiences include the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition and the Pokémon x Natural History Museum shop, which generated explosive demand and resulted in completely sold-out tickets and a crashed website on opening day.
Now, the Natural History Museum is offering a Paw Patrol pop-up shop and themed activity space for the summer in collaboration with Paramount.
Visitors can explore and purchase Paw Patrol and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie products, including Spin Master toys, games, books, clothing and homeware.
The pop-up also features several interactive elements, like a themed activity table, a Lava Lounge corner for viewing Paw Patrol, photo opportunities, and a Roar-O-Meter.
The next five to 10 years
Several trends appear set to continue in the coming years, including a rise in attractions built around preschool and family brands, and increased investment in immersive, story-led environments as opposed to standalone rides or exhibits.
Also expected are more brand-driven experiences in museums to generate buzz and revenue.
Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! is inspired by a fan-favourite episode of the animated TV series
In addition, there will likely be more attractions created specifically for families with children under the age of 10, with operators recognising this demographic as a major growth market.
Whether it's a theme park, museum or immersive experience, success now depends on creating memorable experiences that deepen visitors’ emotional connection to the characters and stories that they already know and love.
