Kidzania

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A Kidzania booth
A Kidzania courtroom

Kidzania ( proper spelling KidZania ; Portmanteau word , English : "Kid" for child and the suffix " -mania ") is a Mexican amusement park company that offers commercial children's cities as a franchisee . 27 theme parks have been launched worldwide since 1999 (as of June 2019).

The facilities consist of a scaled-down replica of a city, in which children can get to know various professions at sponsored stands and thus earn credit in a fictitious currency.

concept

Children between 4 and 14 years should get to know “the life of adults ”.

The children are introduced to the world of work in a role play , for example in the production of fast food , in the fire department , as a model or dentist . The performance of the activities is remunerated with the currency "KidZos", which can then be spent on site for leisure activities . Kidzania also has a house bank in which the children can save their income - with interest . If there is sufficient liquidity, career counseling is possible and the amusement park university , which is also available, can be visited for a fee.

A fast food stand

Kidzania cooperates with various corporations , for example Procter & Gamble is represented with a mascot and its own pavilion in the amusement park in Mexico City, Sony offers the opportunity to learn to take photos of the group's products , Coca-Cola is a partner in five different parks. According to the company's founder, the franchising company generates around 1/3 of its sales, but the group does not see itself as an advertising medium . In addition to this income, parents pay admission for their children, the prices are designed so that the most expensive ticket is even cheaper than conventional childcare .

While Coca-Cola denies an advertising message to children under the age of 12 and claims to only want to convey the production process - “We do not target children under the age of 12 with any of our brands' marketing messages. [Instead children can learn] what it is like to be in charge of the production line. [T] o ensure consumers get the best experience through Coca-Cola products. ”( We are not targeting children under the age of 12 with any of our Group's marketing messages; instead, children can learn what it is like to run an assembly line to make the best possible Achieving customer experience while consuming Coca-Cola products. ) - Procter & Gamble, for example, regards their presence as an investment in future customers. A spokesman for Kidzania justified the cooperation with brands with the need for authenticity , but describes the information material for journalists Kidzania as a "new and innovative way to build your brand" ( new and innovative way to develop your own brand ).

history

The founder of the company is Xavier López Ancona, who was asked by a friend about an investment in his child day care idea - in which children should be employed through age-appropriate role-plays.

The first Kidzania opened in 1999 as “La Ciudad de los Niños” ( Mexican for The City of Children ) in Santa Fe ( Mexico City ). The company was successful from the very first year, and with 800,000 visitors, expectations were doubled.

reception

“If there were capitalism as a subject, Kidzania would be the classroom. [...] The companies and real companies with which Kidzania cooperates attract their customers of tomorrow and want to get their products and logos in their children's heads [.] [...] The companies act as sponsors and pay for their presence, of course, how much, Kidzania does not reveal. "

- Nina Marie Bust Bartels

"Children: not so much little dudes as money-making opportunities."

"Children: Fewer little buddies than opportunities to siphon off money."

- Stuart Jeffris

Web links

Commons : Kidzania  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Nina Marie Bust Bartels: We'll get you small , Der Freitag - website / issue 5015, December 23, 2015. Accessed on January 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b Playing Grown-Up at KidZania , Bloomberg website, May 19, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c d Stuart Jeffries: KidZania: the mini-city where children are in charge , The Guardian website, October 26, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ Rebecca Mead: When I Grow Up - The theme-park chain where children pretend to be adults. , The New Yorker website, January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2016.