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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Sanrio Puroland" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Sanrio Puroland
LocationTama New Town, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°37′28″N 139°25′45″E / 35.62444°N 139.42917°E / 35.62444; 139.42917
StatusOperating
OpenedDecember 7, 1990 (1990-12-07)
OwnerSanrio
Operated bySanrio Entertainment Co., Ltd.
ThemeSanrio characters
Attendance1,500,000
Area45,900 square metres (494,000 sq ft)
Attractions
Total2
Websitepuroland.jp

Sanrio Puroland (サンリオピューロランド, Sanrio Pyūrorando), also known as Hello Kitty Land,[1] is an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan. Opened on December 7, 1990, it hosts attractions, live shows, shopping outlets, and restaurants dedicated to Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Gudetama, and Aggretsuko, in a manner akin to Disney theme parks.

Sanrio Puroland attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year, and is ranked among the major theme parks in Japan, along with both Tokyo Disney Resort parks and Fuji-Q Highland. Sanrio also operates Harmonyland, an outdoor theme park in Oita Prefecture.

History

Origins

During its conceptual phase, Sanrio Puroland[a] was known by many names - first as Sanrio Communication World,[2] as well as Sanrio Heart Park and Sanrio Piero Land[b]. The original theme was going to be "communication", as opposed to Sanrio's existing works, including its characters. Sanrio Puroland was a "bald attempt" to challenge the Walt Disney company and its theme parks.[4] To build the theme park, Shintaro Tsuji (then the president of Sanrio) worked with Landmark Entertainment Group[2] and established a subsidiary called Sanrio Communication World Co., Ltd.[5] (now merged into its current incarnation, Sanrio Entertainment Co. Ltd.). The initial design phase began in 1987,[2] and Sanrio Puroland broke ground in November 16, 1988. It took a team of 2,500 workers[c] approximately two years to complete, at a cost of around JPY 60-70 million.

Early days

Sanrio Puroland opened on December 7, 1990, and would operate at a loss for the first few years of operation, due to factors such as the aftereffects of the Japanese asset price bubble burst and complaints from city locals.

Modern times

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021)

Notable temporary closures

Sanrio Puroland was temporarily closed from February 22 to July 20, 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] On February 24, 2024, the park was closed after staff received an email saying that a "hazardous" object had been placed on the premises. A subsequent police search found no such items.[7][8]

Points of interest

Interior of the theme park

Attractions

Rides

Sanrio Puroland offers visitors two dark rides. The Sanrio Characters Boat Ride[d], which tells the story of various Sanrio characters preparing for a party held by Hello Kitty,[9] was the park's only ride until the opening of SANRIOTOWN in 2013, and with it the introduction of Mymeroad Drive, where riders are taken to a tour of Mariland (My Melody's homeland) via a rental car designed by Kuromi, My Melody's rival.[10] Both rides offer commemorative photographs which can be separately purchased.

Walkthrough attractions

Sanrio Puroland has two walkthrough attractions, both found at SANRIOTOWN (second floor), as follows:

Other attractions

Visitors can ring Hello Kitty's Bell of Happiness, located inside the Tree of Wisdom.[13]

Other attractions inside Sanrio Puroland include five food factory displays (candy, juice, chocolate, bread, and ice cream), and a game corner with kids' rides, purikura booths, and UFO catchers.[14]

Live entertainment

Main parades

The main parades of Sanrio Puroland take place around the Tree of Wisdom in Puro Village (first floor). The current main parade is "Miracle Gift Parade" (performances are currently suspended since 2020), which debuted in late 2015 to commemorate Sanrio Puroland's 25th anniversary. Past parades and seasonal parades are as follows:[15]

Past parades

Seasonal parades

Stage shows

Sanrio Puroland hosts a variety of stage shows (both regular and seasional) in various areas. Selected past and present shows are as follows:

Märchen Theater

Fairyland Theater

Discovery Theater

Other shows

Sanrio Puroland also hosts a daily fireworks show (during the summer) and various illumination shows.

Incidents

In 2015, a 5-year-old boy of foreign nationality fractured one of his fingers in the Sanrio Characters Boat Ride after reaching one of his hands out into the waterway and jamming it into one of the boats' metal stopper.[16]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ The word "Puroland" is a combination of the words piero (clown) and pure.
  2. ^ At that time, "Piero" was already registered as a food and clothing trademark.[3]
  3. ^ Of the 2,500 involved in Puroland's construction, 300 of them are hired from Landmark Entertainment, and also included workers from Disney and Universal Studios.[5]
  4. ^ Was known as "Fantastic Puro Adventure" until November 1999.

Citations

  1. ^ "Sanrio Entertainment Co. Ltd. Factbook" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b c Connor, Patricia. "Landmark Gives Direction To Design Process". Design Management. Vol. 15, no. 12. p. 12.
  3. ^ Nishizawa 1990.
  4. ^ Belson & Bremner 2004, p. 46.
  5. ^ a b Belson & Bremner 2004, p. 47.
  6. ^ "After months of closure, Sanrio Puroland stages for re-opening in mid-July". SoraNews24. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  7. ^ "Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo closed after 'terrorist threat'". CNN. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo closes Feb. 24 after "terrorist threat"". Kyodo News. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  9. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  10. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  11. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  12. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  13. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  14. ^ "サンリオピューロランド". puroland.jp. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  15. ^ "沿革 ｜ 株式会社サンリオエンターテイメント". 沿革 ｜ 株式会社サンリオエンターテイメント (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  16. ^ "アトラクションで男児が指骨折 サンリオピューロランド". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2022-01-17.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sanrio Puroland.
Theme parks in Greater Tokyo
Sanrio
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