Amusement parks wear their influences pretty clearly \u2013 Coney Island and all the other far-end-of-commuter-rail parks, EPCOT as permanent World’s Fair/Expo, the Universal parks adapted from Hollywood backlots\u2026
And then there’s just like, “Germany”. Alpine themes, Bavarian architecture, references to Grimm’s tales. I guess you could think Oktoberfest in particular, that would explain why I’ve seen so many parks with multiple semienclosed auditoriums full of scores of rows of picnic tables and like four people eating a hot dog.
But even the weird indie kiddie parks I’ve seen - Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania, Enchanted Forest in Oregon, it’s like these guys sat down in the 60s and were like “What do kids like? Germany.”
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