Professor S. Pangborn Perry’s roadside theme park, The Gale Farm and OZitorium, is based on his favorite childhood story, The Wizard of Oz. The property is located in Kansas, where Dorothy’s wind-swept, fictional adventure begins. The driveway into the park is surrounded by a maze of corn (114). From the entrance, a yellow brick path leads visitors to the “Authentic Gale Farmhouse” at one end of the park and the “OZitorium” at the other (115). The park is filled with Wizard of Oz themed merchandise and boasts multiple daily showings of Oz, a staged musical version of the story (117-18). If the park weren’t run by a would-be villain, it would be a totally fun place for Oz lovers to visit!
Imagine you have been awarded unlimited funds and time to design and build your own theme park based on a favorite book. How would you do it? Here are some questions to jumpstart your brainstorming process:
- Upon which book would you base your theme park?
- Where would you build it?
- How would you describe the weather and landscape at this location?
- What features, characters, rides, merchandise, and/or activities would you include to help visitors feel like they have stepped into the book upon which your theme park is based?
- What name would you give your park?
Once you have a clear mental picture of the park you’d like to design, create a 3D diorama, using cardboard, construction paper, scissors, and glue. This multi-dimensional prototype will help you visualize how the various components you have envisioned will fit together. And share your ideas ideas for your park with other TIPsters at the “Drive” into a Good Book post.
When your diorama is complete, share it with family and friends, especially ones who are also fans of the book world you are re-creating! What are their favorite features of your proposed theme park? Do they foresee any potential problems with your design or suggest something else from the book they wish you would include? Use the feedback you collect to improve your diorama and make your plan for the book-based theme park even more attractive to potential visitors. Who knows? Maybe someday you will actually get the chance to build it!