Japan in the late 80s<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/p>\r\nWon here. I had always wanted to learn about Sanrio Puroland, an indoor theme park in Tokyo opened in 1990.<\/p>\r\n
In recent years multiple Hello Kitty theme parks, cafes, and other branded attractions have opened. But Puroland was the first.<\/p>\r\n
The attraction has always loomed large in my imagination. It was built during Japan\u2019s boom era and in per square foot terms, might be the most expensive theme park in history. By a long shot.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
When I had the opportunity to interview legendary designer Gary Goddard, whose firm designed and project managed Puroland\u2019s construction, I jumped at the chance.<\/p>\r\n
What follows below is the transcript of a wide-ranging interview with Gary: a firsthand account of Puroland\u2019s design and development, thoughts on what it takes to be a good theme park designer, some comments on working in Japan during the era, and more. Enjoy.<\/p>\r\n
As background, by the time Mr. Tsuji, chairman of Sanrio Company, Ltd., called on Gary to design the theme park, Landmark Entertainment (Gary\u2019s firm) had already completed a range of classic works, from the King Kong Attraction and Conan the Barbarian Show at Universal Studios Hollywood, Monster Mansion at Six Flags over Georgia, the Radio City Musical, and the Great Savannah Exposition at the Savannah History Museum.<\/p>\r\n
Gary further went on to design more legendary rides and pioneer the use of 3D, like in The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man at Universal\u2019s Islands of Adventure, and Terminator 2-3D at Universal Studios Florida.<\/p>\r\n