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Nickelodeon Universe (MOA) Discussion Thread


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  • 3 weeks later...

Absolutely. Definitely not blaming tenants for wanting to be close to the park, but I am blaming Mall of America for lack of foresight for park expansion. They have lost two of the large anchor spaces and the hollow Central Parkway expansion that desperately need tenants. Adding more retail space inside the landlocked park just does not make sense. Additionally, the original iteration of Camp Snoopy itself was more of a self contained well-rounded experience: rides, attractions, park-specific (especially Knott's brand) shops, quick service and sit down restaurants, and a food court. A lot of that has been lost over time.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/1/2007 at 9:23 AM, knottytree39 said:

Even before Nickelodeon came in I always thought that the Kite Eating Tree looked like a jellyfish. They could have painted a detailed jellyfish top and the swings would be all the rays and spongebob would be riding the top...but it looks like it will be just another swing...and it seems they have there heart set on striclty themed areas, if they didn't GB could be a Danny Phantom ride.

I was reading through the beginning of this thread and thought this was funny - this actually came true at Nickelodeon Universe: American Dream 12 years later! Their swing ride was themed as SpongeBob's Jellyfish Jam (photos from Theme Park Archive🤣

Does beg the question though, it seems Nickelodeon was more willing to dig into their library at American Dream than when Nickelodeon Universe opened at Mall of America in 2008, (Hey Arnold!, Ren & Stimpy, Invader Zim (I know there was a lot of hope for him at Mall of America a decade ago!)) ours seems to have aged more quickly because of this. Our Park (Backyardigans Swing-Along especially) is stuck in 2008 rather than using some more classic IP like American Dream has. Wondering what budget there is for future refreshes or we're stuck waiting for complete ride replacements as we've seen the last few years...

Also wondering after all this time if @Looty could give us more insight into that initial thought process and what never came to be (i.e. the Mall really seems to celebrate and embrace Paul Bunyan now with all his seasonal costumes!) now that we're over a decade removed!

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  • 4 months later...

A group here in the Twin Cities that uses drones to film just released a video for the Mall of America and it has a heavy presence of NU in the piece with some really cool shots and angles of the park so thought I would share.  Let me know what you think.  

If you like that you can check out another one they did last month for a local bowling alley to get them some business during COVID. This one was done in ten takes and the directory said the hardest part was flying the drone in through the front door.  All the people involved were in on the filming and if you listen closely you can hear them utter lines from the Big Lewboski.  

Enjoy.

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On 4/29/2021 at 9:19 AM, RCjunkie said:

A group here in the Twin Cities that uses drones to film just released a video for the Mall of America and it has a heavy presence of NU in the piece with some really cool shots and angles of the park so thought I would share.  Let me know what you think.  

Thank you for sharing this! This is amazing and beautiful footage.  love how they have one of the skaters in a Mighty Ducks jersey as an homage to the scene in D2: The Mighty Ducks where they're skating through Camp Snoopy! That was always one of my favorite parts in the whole movie. This is so timely as The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is currently streaming its first season on Disney+. I'm bummed they didn't film this one in Minnesota though like the previous movies :(. Would have been cool for a Mall of America/Nickelodeon Universe cameo like the old times!

https://www.battleofcali.com/2013/9/27/4777810/the-d2-the-mighty-ducks-rollerblading-sequence-analyzed

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Also, M&M's Mall of America is now open!

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mms-expands-retail-business-with-the-opening-of-its-new-store-at-mall-of-america-301280876.html

https://www.mms.com/mall-of-america

And they have a virtual tour of the remodeled space:

https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=Au4XrMzbGmN

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Definitely fits the theme of Nickelodeon Universe better than what was there, but still wish it could have been an actual ride/attraction given the high vacancy in the rest of the Mall :(

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  • 5 months later...

It wouldn't be the first park to have two different Gerstlauer models.  Its a long shot but NU at MOA has been rumored to get a new coaster for a few years now.  2008 was their last new one.  And there is a large area above the arcade that could hold a station and transfer track area.  I guess we will find out soon enough.

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I'd love for that to happen if true, and hey, maybe it would put some pressure on CF/Valleyfair to add a new coaster!

The flume and supreme convenience of Minneapolis' public transportation make a MOA visit so easy, a new coaster would be awesome! 

Isn't there a huge water park being built too? Or did that not survive covid?

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13 hours ago, garyman6 said:

It wouldn't be the first park to have two different Gerstlauer models.  Its a long shot but NU at MOA has been rumored to get a new coaster for a few years now.  2008 was their last new one.  And there is a large area above the arcade that could hold a station and transfer track area.  I guess we will find out soon enough.

Your comment made no sense to me until I realized I was in the Minnesota theme park/mall thread and not the American Dream/nightmare mall thread. How is the mall itself doing these days? I know a lot of malls are dead, but most cities have one or two left that are thriving. Is MoA one of them? 

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10 hours ago, CP_RULES said:

 

Your comment made no sense to me until I realized I was in the Minnesota theme park/mall thread and not the American Dream/nightmare mall thread. How is the mall itself doing these days? I know a lot of malls are dead, but most cities have one or two left that are thriving. Is MoA one of them? 

MOA is beginning to thrive again!  Nick U has been busy!  MOA is like a city within a city, it's always evolving to be fresh and current.

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22 hours ago, PKI Jizzman said:

I'd love for that to happen if true, and hey, maybe it would put some pressure on CF/Valleyfair to add a new coaster!

The flume and supreme convenience of Minneapolis' public transportation make a MOA visit so easy, a new coaster would be awesome! 

Isn't there a huge water park being built too? Or did that not survive covid?

Actually, I just read a few weeks ago that the city of Bloomington and MOA are back in talks about moving this project forward.  It was stalled during covid but I'm pretty sure its going to happen. To my knowledge it has not been scaled back either, which is good news!  A massive indoor waterpark in this region will be incredibly popular, especially during the winter months. 

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2 hours ago, garyman6 said:

Actually, I just read a few weeks ago that the city of Bloomington and MOA are back in talks about moving this project forward.  It was stalled during covid but I'm pretty sure its going to happen. To my knowledge it has not been scaled back either, which is good news!  A massive indoor waterpark in this region will be incredibly popular, especially during the winter months. 

it will most likely be the best waterpark in the region as well 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

Just read recently in the local paper that the Water Park project is back on!!  I'll keep an eye out and report back when I hear something but the local government still wants this to happen and they did approve some tax incentives for the water park project.  No timeline yet but stay tuned.

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  • 1 month later...

I just read an update on the Waterpark Project.  This is from the City of Bloomington dated Jan. 4th 2022.

The proposed South Loop water park project is in motion once again. In September, the City Council and Port Authority directed staff to investigate a private financing model allowed by new 2021 legislation. If the financing markets “like” the private model, we could see a closing on the project in 2022, with an opening in 2024.  Of course, no real estate deal is done until the financing closes, which is still months away. 

The water park would be open to the general public. The new 330,000-square-foot water park would bring an estimated $1 million in new admissions and lodging taxes to the City. No Bloomington property taxes are at risk for the project debt. A discount on admission to the water park for Bloomington residents is planned. 

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  • 4 months later...

So I want to ask for opinions.  There is a very real, very good possibility that Bloomington, MN. may host the 2027 Worlds Fair.  They are one of 5 global finalist.  The winner will be announced next summer.

What I would like input on is what do you all think Nick U. would do to capitalize on this?  The Worlds fair grounds will literally encircle and include MOA.  The fair will run from end of May to early August and bring 10's of millions of visitors to the area.  Does Nick U. add another coaster, attraction, etc. or do they do nothing and just take money.  With the increased attendance and spending at the park during this time they could literally pay off a brand new coaster in one summer.  

So what kind of coaster do they add?  What are you thoughts?

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4 hours ago, garyman6 said:

So I want to ask for opinions.  There is a very real, very good possibility that Bloomington, MN. may host the 2027 Worlds Fair.  They are one of 5 global finalist.  The winner will be announced next summer.

What I would like input on is what do you all think Nick U. would do to capitalize on this?  The Worlds fair grounds will literally encircle and include MOA.  The fair will run from end of May to early August and bring 10's of millions of visitors to the area.  Does Nick U. add another coaster, attraction, etc. or do they do nothing and just take money.  With the increased attendance and spending at the park during this time they could literally pay off a brand new coaster in one summer.  

So what kind of coaster do they add?  What are you thoughts?

I think a 4D freespin could fit in here 

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