How has the dominance of Merlin shaped the UK public’s perception of theme parks?

[Bowser]

I'm certain that 100% of Paultons Parks visitors are buying tickets for Paultons Park, being emailed e-tickets for Paultons Park, are typing Paultons Park into their mapping service to drive to Paultons Park and are indeed visiting Paultons Park.

Paultons Park may be the home of Peppa Pig World, but it's blindingly obvious (even to the most casual of visitors) that they are visiting Paultons Park. Much in the same way that Thomas Land guests are visiting Drayton Manor Park and Zoo, and CBeebies guests are visiting Alton Towers.

I purchase all our theme park tickets, put the address in a satnav and essentially organise every aspect. My thoroughly non enthusiast wife absolutely thought it was called Peppa Pig World as I remember correcting her. You’d perhaps be surprised in how little interest casual visitors take in what is our passion!

Admittedly I could be to blame as it’s what I initially referred to it as to garner my son’s interest.

We do still call it Peppa Pig World though and I think the point is that is how it’s colloquially known to many. I expect it’s where many children request to return to!

 

[Enter Valhalla]

I purchase all our theme park tickets, put the address in a satnav and essentially organise every aspect. My thoroughly non enthusiast wife absolutely thought it was called Peppa Pig World as I remember correcting her. You’d perhaps be surprised in how little interest casual visitors take in what is our passion!

Admittedly I could be to blame as it’s what I initially referred to it as to garner my son’s interest.

We do still call it Peppa Pig World though and I think the point is that is how it’s colloquially known to many. I expect it’s where many children request to return to!

I hear so many people, even some northern enthusiasts, refer to Paultons as Peppa Pig World. There are loads of people who don’t know it’s called Paultons Park until they research it in a bit more detail.

I’m not too sure if this is a good or bad thing for Paultons to be honest. On the one hand it shows they have a good IP, but on the other hand if we’re talking about how Merlin’s competitors stand up against them, then it could be argued that Paultons isn’t a big enough presence in the UK theme park market to provide Merlin with serious competition.

If many people only know Paultons as Peppa Pig World, which anecdotally I’ve heard many, many people refer to it as, then parents of kids too old for the Peppa IP won’t give it any consideration against the Merlin parks when deciding where to take their kids for a day out. The same applies to groups of teenagers.

 

[owenstreet7]

I hear so many people, even some northern enthusiasts, refer to Paultons as Peppa Pig World. There are loads of people who don’t know it’s called Paultons Park until they research it in a bit more detail.

I’m not too sure if this is a good or bad thing for Paultons to be honest. On the one hand it shows they have a good IP, but on the other hand if we’re talking about how Merlin’s competitors stand up against them, then it could be argued that Paultons isn’t a big enough presence in the UK theme park market to provide Merlin with serious competition.

If many people only know Paultons as Peppa Pig World, which anecdotally I’ve heard many, many people refer to it as, then parents of kids too old for the Peppa IP won’t give it any consideration against the Merlin parks when deciding where to take their kids for a day out. The same applies to groups of teenagers.

Exactly the point I'm bringing up about Paultons

Whilst Drakon and Valgard will go a long way towards balancing this out a bit like Drayton Manor, I think it could take more than a Eurofighter to have people think about Paultons Park as more than Peppa and her world.

One logical way they could go about it is to include an IP for a wider audience where the children, teenagers and adults will enjoy it. Something like Jumanji or Minecraft at Chessington. This would do wonders for the marketing of the park whilst still letting Peppa shine.

 

[Matt N]

I absolutely agree with what everyone is saying above.

I live in the South West, and only around 2 hours from Paultons by car, so I'm on the relatively closer side to the park as Britain goes, and pretty much every non-enthusiast I know around here knows it as "Peppa Pig World" if they know it at all. When I first went in 2021, loads of people said to me "Why are you going? Isn't it just full of toddler rides?".

I think Peppa Pig is both a blessing and a curse to Paultons in this sense. It has absolutely kickstarted the park's success, but on the flip side, I think the heavy emphasis on Peppa is potentially putting off older groups. And as others have said, I think they perhaps needed something more ambitious than a Euro-Fighter to allay that.