Characters from the UK’s number one bestselling children’s author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are set to make a new home on Blackpool’s famous seafront this May in a partnership with Merlin Entertainments and Magic Light Pictures that will create the world’s first The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse.
The Clubhouse will bring together six stories to create an indoor play adventure ‘like no other’, with the £2.3 million investment having been 18 months in the making.
Developed in partnership with Magic Light and Blackpool Council, the attraction is set to open next door to Sea Life Blackpool in May 2023.
The new experience will join Merlin’s seven other attractions in Blackpool including The Blackpool Tower, SEA LIFE Blackpool and Peter Rabbit: Explore and Play.
The experience will feature distinct play zones inspired by The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Zog, The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom and The Highway Rat.
The attraction will include play suitable for children under 10, with a toddler play area specifically for those under three.
“We are incredibly excited to bring some of the UK’s best loved children’s characters to Blackpool,” commented Kate Shane, regional director at Merlin Entertainments. “Blackpool is the UK’s number one family seaside resort and this latest partnership with a globally recognised brand will provide compelling new reasons for visitors to come to Blackpool. The Gruffalo and other characters from the world of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler will be among brilliant company alongside our already strong cluster of family attractions on the resort, delivered with Merlin’s world-class guest experience.
“This significant investment further supports Merlin’s strategic growth plans, bringing further jobs and economic benefit to the local community and wider region.”
Alex Sanson, senior brand manager at Magic Light Pictures, continued: “The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse will be the first of its kind and we can’t wait to see this amazing space, full of play and adventure, come to life. Merlin Entertainments have done brilliant work with The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom at Chessington; as well as with Zog at Warwick Castle. We can’t wait to see what the Clubhouse will bring to Blackpool, and to the stories that we love.”
