Sweden’s Kolmården Zoo has revealed it will open a new area in May 2015 dedicated to the popular Swedish character Bamse.
In 2015 Sweden’s Kolmården Zoo will be 50 years old and to celebrate this event, Parks and Resorts Scandinavia is set to expand the zoo by 20, 000sqm by creating Bamses Värld (Bamse’s World).
Here visitors will be able to experience the world of the famous bear Bamse and his friends. Bringing a little Dutch magic to a distinctly Swedish environment the Jora Group has been charged with bringing Bamses Värld into reality.
The pastoral nature of Kolmården’s surroundings will provide an ideal location for this immersive new world and the themed environment will allow visitors to experience fully themed rides and play areas. Jora Vision, the theming and design company which originally worked on the design and build of the Kolmården’s Safari ride in 2011, was asked to help combine the strong Bamse brand with the zoo’s aim to enhance the visitor experience.
Sjors van Roosmalen, Creative Director at Jora Vision said, “Bringing Bamse’s world to life, including his friends and their adventures made sense. The Bamse IP was already in use by Kolmården Zoo. Expanding it to an entire area seemed very natural: the character from the comic books, recently brought to life in a movie, not only lives in a Swedish forest which looks similar to Kolmården’s scenery, he also reflects timeless values that visitors, young and old, can relate to.”
The World of Bamse
Kolmården Zoo recently revealed the first concept art of the new area. Working with Jora Vision, the master plan is being fine-tuned. Bamses Värld will include four rides and an amphitheater featuring a Bamse show, a restaurant, shops and a water playground. Jora Entertainment, Jora Vision’s sister company, is developing the shows to create a wholly immersive and entertaining experience in line with the iconic brand and famous cartoon character.
Jora Group’s Marjolein van de Stolpe, Managing Director at Leisure Expert Group, formally Jora Entertainment, said, “Bamses Värld is really a fantastic project. To help develop such a strong IP in Kolmården Zoo is a great opportunity. It creates such an extra value for people to visit, to actually be part of the experience. We are very proud to be part of this amazing project and to work for a client determined to create an experience of the highest quality. ”
