Europe Invaded by Furry Monsters

Posted: April 6th, 2009 | By: Steve Mullen | Filed under: PR Opinion, Rants | 4 Comments

Ever walk into a situation that screams “this company is making a big mistake!” Okay … well, maybe not, but I did this weekend. My family and I visited Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA on Sunday, and I found that it has been invaded by furry little monsters and giant birds. While fun, I think it’s a Big Bird-sized strategic error.

Allow me to give you a little background, in case you’ve never been to this theme park. There are two versions of Busch Gardens. One is in Tampa and is a theme park based around Africa. The other is in Williamsburg, and is based around Europe. In Williamsburg, the park is broken into a handful of pieces — England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, and France. Each “country” has its own architecture and feel, with attractions that are based on things that might be found there. I can’t speak for Busch Gardens Tampa (never been there), but I think Busch Gardens Williamsburg has done a very, very good job keeping “on message” with the Europe theme. It’s also generally regarded as one of the most beautiful theme parks in the world.

Given all of this, imagine my surprise when I find that Busch Gardens Williamsburg has added a new section between Italy and England called Sesame Street Forest of Fun.

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