Company type | Private company |
---|---|
Industry | Family entertainment centers |
Founded | 2013 |
Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria |
Number of locations | 11 |
Key people |
|
Owner | Walltopia |
Parent | Adventure Facility Concepts & Management |
Website | www |
Funtopia is an international chain of family entertainment centers headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, owned by Adventure Facility Concepts & Management, a subsidiary of Bulgarian climbing wall and active entertainment manufacturer Walltopia. [2] Funtopia centers feature amusement climbing walls, trampoline parks, ropes courses, and obstacle courses.
The first Funtopia location opened in 2013 in Sofia, [3] and the chain currently has 11 locations in 5 countries, including both corporate-owned and franchised sites.
Following Walltopia's entry into the manufacturing of active entertainment products in 2012, the company founded Adventure Facility Concepts & Management (AFCM), its family entertainment center operation and franchising arm. [3] The first Funtopia center run by AFCM opened in June, 2013 in Paradise Center in Sofia, Bulgaria. It featured mainly amusement climbing walls targeting children and teenagers. [4]
In 2014, the chain expanded into the United States with its first franchised location in Lehi in Utah, with two corporate locations following in the years after, both in Chicago, Illinois. [5] [6] The following year, Funtopia centers opened in Canada and Israel, [7] [8] with the chain expanding into Australia and Malaysia in 2016. [9] [10] The company most recently opened its first location in Oman in 2022, after finishing it in 2020 but facing delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. [11]
After starting with a focus almost exclusively on themed amusement climbing walls, the selection of attractions at Funtopia locations has grown over time to include trampoline parks, ropes courses, and obstacle courses, among others. [2] [1]
Funtopia is headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, with 11 centers currently operational in five markets, including Bulgaria, the United States, Australia, Israel, and Oman. It is owned by Adventure Facility Concepts & Management, itself a subsidiary of Walltopia. [2] The chain previously had locations in Canada and Malaysia. [1]
A swing is a seat, often found at playgrounds for children, at a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing, although they may also be items of indoor furniture, such as the Latin American hammock or the Indian oonjal. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion, it continues to oscillate like a pendulum until external interference or drag brings it to a halt. Swing sets are very popular with children.
Discovery Zone (DZ) was an American chain of entertainment facilities featuring games and elaborate indoor mazes designed for young children, including roller slides, climbing play structures, and ball pits. It also featured arcade games. A talking robot character named Z-Bop served as mascot to the chain. Ronald Matsch, Jim Jorgensen and Dr. David Schoenstadt founded Discovery Zone in 1989, with the first location opening in Kansas City, Missouri, in October 1989. An early investor in and vocal supporter of the company was tennis player Billie Jean King.
A family entertainment center (FEC) in the entertainment industry, also known as an indoor amusement park, family amusement center, family fun center, soft play, or simply fun center, is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small children to teenagers, often entirely indoors. They usually cater to "sub-regional markets of larger metropolitan areas." FECs are generally small compared to full-scale amusement parks, with fewer attractions, a lower per-person per-hour cost to consumers than a traditional amusement park, and not usually major tourist attractions, but sustained by an area customer base. Many are locally owned and operated, although there are a number of chains and franchises in the field. Some, operated by non-profit organizations as children's museums or science museums, tend to be geared toward edutainment experiences rather than simply amusement.
Belmont Park is an oceanfront historic amusement park located in the Mission Beach area of San Diego, California. The park was developed by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels and opened on July 4, 1925 as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. In addition to providing recreation and amusement, it also was intended as a way to help Spreckels sell land in Mission Beach. Located on the beach, it attracts millions of people each year.
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed, endurance and agility. Sometimes a course involves mental tests. The idea has been adapted into TV shows and video games.
Legoland Deutschland Resort is a Legoland park located in Günzburg in southern Germany, roughly halfway from Munich to Stuttgart, which opened in 2002. It is 43.5 hectares in area, and it is one of the four most popular theme parks in Germany. The Miniland contains Lego reproductions of various German cities and rural landscapes.
Huntington is home to eleven parks located in the neighborhoods of Huntington. An amusement park is also adjacent to the city.
Adventure Landing is a group of amusement parks located in Florida, New York, North Carolina and Texas. The first park was opened in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in 1995 by Adventure Entertainment Company. It was a success and nine other Adventure Landing parks were constructed.
Daytona Lagoon is a waterpark and family entertainment center located in Daytona Beach, which is owned by a subsidiary of national amusement park operator United Parks. Daytona Lagoon is open year-round for its dry attractions, while its waterpark operates from March through September. The park consists of 12 rides and an 18-hole miniature golf course.
An animal theme park, also known as a zoological theme park, is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertainment, amusement, and commercial purposes. Many animal theme parks combine classic theme park elements, such as themed entertainment and amusement rides, with classic zoo elements such as live animals confined within enclosures for display. Many times, live animals are utilized and featured as part of amusement rides and attractions found at animal theme parks.
Sky Zone is a Provo, UT–based company that operates indoor trampoline parks. The company is often erroneously credited with opening the first indoor trampoline park in 2004, and is controversial for the number of injuries that have occurred in its parks.
WonderWorks is an entertainment center focused on science exhibits with six locations in the United States. Its buildings are commonly built as if they are upside down.
Ride Entertainment is a firm based in the United States specializing in the construction, sales, service, and operation of amusement rides and attractions.
The Shoppes at Trexler, formerly Trexler Mall, is an open-air shopping center and former enclosed community shopping mall in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.
Ivaylo Penchev is the co- founder and CEO of Walltopia, the largest climbing wall manufacturer in the world. He, along with Metin Musov, founded the company in 1996 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Infiniti Mall is a chain of shopping malls in India. It is a subsidiary of K Raheja Realty, which has been in the business of construction and property development since the 1960s. The first Infiniti Mall opened in 2004, in Andheri, Mumbai. This is the third oldest shopping mall in Mumbai. Infiniti Mall launched their second property in Mumbai, at Malad, in May 2011.
The warped wall is an obstacle on many obstacle courses for obstacle racing.
Adventure Park USA is a small amusement park and arcade in Monrovia, Maryland, east of Frederick, Maryland, which opened in 2005.
Walltopia AD is a Bulgarian climbing wall and active entertainment manufacturer. It was founded in 1998 by Ivaylo Penchev and Metin Musov. Originally exclusively a climbing wall and other artificial rock surfaces manufacturer, since 2012 the company portfolio expanded into adventure park concepts and management.
The McDonald's PlayPlace is an amusement commercial playground attached to a McDonald's restaurant. It features play areas such as tube mazes, slides, ball pits, and video games, as well as tables for eating. First established in 1971 at the Chula Vista, California location, they are usually rainbow colored and themed after McDonaldland.