At the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, amid the construction bringing Nickelodeon Universe to life, a 30-foot SpongeBob SquarePants sculpture was installed at the entrance to the new ride, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge. Local Minnesota manufacture TivoliToo Inc. created the giant 3-D sculpture.
Only three weeks away, the grand opening of Nickelodeon Universe promises to offer family fun and excitement as 20 new rides whirl in motion. Among the new Nickelodeon-themed rides being added to the seven-acre, indoor theme park include: the Avatar Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge roller coasters; Splat-O-Sphere vertical drop; Rugrats Raptarmobiles bumper cars; and Blue’s Skidoo, based on the preschool hit Blue’s Clues, where kids can fly through the air in character-themed planes. The two new thrill rides, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge and Avatar Airbender, are the first rides of their kind to be built inside a mall.
Nickelodeon Universe marks the first-ever, stand-alone Nickelodeon theme park in the world. More than 4, 400 hours of labor from PCL Construction has gone into Nickelodeon Universe to install the new, branded rides. Construction on Nickelodeon Universe is environmentally conscious, with nearly 85 percent of the construction demolition being recycled; totaling 2, 179 tons of material or 5, 000 cubic yards.
Nickelodeon Universe will feature new rides, live shows, attractions, retail, games and entertainment based on the network’s top-ranking network properties including: SpongeBob SquarePants; Dora the Explorer; Go, Diego, Go!; Avatar: The Last Airbender; Danny Phantom; Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius; The Backyardigans; and many more. Daily meet-and-greets with Nick costumed characters will also be a highlight when visiting Nickelodeon Universe. Nickelodeon will also establish its largest retail presence in the world at Mall of America, with a Nick store occupying more than 4, 000 square foot space, offering consumers items such as branded tee-shirts, souvenirs, novelties and more.
The Grand Opening of Nickelodeon Universe takes place at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, March 15, 2008. For more information, visit https://www.theparkatmoa.com.
About Mall of America
Mall of America is the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex. The 4.2 million square foot complex is home to more than 520 world-class shops; the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park; Underwater Adventures, a 1.2 million gallon walk-though aquarium; a 14-screen movie theater and more. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. For more information visit https://www.mallofamerica.com.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon Recreation began in 1990 and since has grown to include a diverse range of complex and specialized business segments including hotel resorts, touring family theatricals and theme park attractions.
Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years.
