A new Universal theme park aimed at families with young children will boast lands dedicated to Shrek, SpongeBob, Jurassic World, Minions, Puss in Boots, Trolls and Gabby’s Dollhouse when the Texas kiddieland opens in July.
The Universal Kids theme park will officially debut on July 1 in the North Texas city of Frisco in the suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. A soft opening preview will run June 24-29 when some of the park’s attractions, entertainment and experiences will be open.
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The 97-acre Universal Kids resort will be home to a theme park and themed hotel with space set aside for future expansion.
Universal Kids tickets and annual passes are now on sale with one-day tickets costing $55 to $80 and annual passes running $130 to $165. Tickets are already sold out for the grand opening on July 1.
Universal Studios is taking aim at Legoland’s core demographic of young children with the new kid-centric theme park that also puts the Hollywood movie studio squarely in the crosshairs of the Six Flags and SeaWorld parks that call Texas home.
A new 30-second fly-through video offers a sneak peek at preview animation of the Shrek outdoor ride, Sponge Bob water play area, Minions river rapids ride, Troll coaster, Jurassic Park tower ride and Puss in Boots wave swing.
Universal Kids will feature seven themed lands: Shrek’s Swamp, Jurassic World Adventure Camp, SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom, Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club, TrollsFest, Puss in Boots Del Mar and the Isle of Curiosity.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the seven themed lands at the 20-acre Universal Kids theme park in Frisco, Texas.
Jurassic World Adventure Camp
The Jurassic World Adventure Camp themed land will feature the Pteranodrop junior drop tower and Lookout Towers ropes course along with the Jurassic World Canteen restaurant and Jurassic World Outfitters shop.
The marquee attraction will be the Cretaceous coaster by Germany-based Mack Rides that will be similar to the Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin will be a novel Flying Wheels attraction by Germany-based ridemaker Metallbau Emmeln that combines Ferris wheel and spinning teacup ride elements on a rotating tower.
SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom
The Bikini Bottom land themed to SpongeBob SquarePants will feature the Jellyfish Fields Jamboree aerial carousel and Barnacle Bus flying carpet ride along with the Goofy Goober’s restaurant and Barg N Mart gift shop.
Mrs. Puff’s Boating School will let kids get their Bikini Bottom boating license on a specially designed course.
The Bobbing Barrels water ride will let riders spin their barrels using water cannon blasts while onlookers also fire away from the sidelines with their own water cannons.
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Kids can burn off energy in the Pineapple Paradise water play area or find a quiet place to pause, decompress and reset in the Mussel Beach rest area.
SpongeBob, Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks characters will make appearances for meet-and-greet photo ops in the Bikini Bottom themed land.
Shrek’s Swamp
The Shrek’s Swamp themed land recreates the fairy tale world of the bad-tempered but good-hearted ogre at the heart of the animated film franchise.
The main attraction will be the Happily Ogre After outdoor ride that tells the story of how Shrek met Fiona.
Shrek and Fiona will also make meet-and-greet appearances and visitors can take photos in the onion carriage.
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Two play areas will let kids choose between dry (Rompin’ Stomp) or wet fun (Splash & Smash).
Swamp Snacks will serve Shrekzel pretzels and the Triplets Treasures shop will sell Shrek-themed souvenirs.
Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club
The Minions from the Despicable Me computer-animated franchise get their own themed land that’s bound to leave you and your kids soaking wet.
The two key attractions include the Bello Bay Cruise river rapids ride where yellow minions face off against purple minions and the Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby teacups ride.
The Minions will make appearances throughout the land for meet-and-greet photo ops.
Minion-themed snacks and merchandise can be found at the Bello Bay Bites food stand and Bello Bay Boutique gift shop.
TrollsFest
The TrollsFest themed land based on the Trolls animated franchise will feature the King Trollex Techno Dance Party stage show and the Hair in the Clouds balloon tower ride along with the Trolls Critter Crawl and Poppy’s Playland play areas.
The marquee attraction will be Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express family roller coaster made by Germany-based ridemaker Zierer.
The Trolls Eatz food stand will serve BroZone Cones themed to the Trolls boy band.
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Sparkle Shine Glitter Glow will offer Troll makeovers for kids and their parents.
Mr. Dinkles Market will sell Trolls concert t-shirts.
Poppy, Branch and other Trolls characters will make meet-and-greet appearances throughout the land.
Puss in Boots Del Mar
The Puss in Boots Del Mar themed land will feature the Swings Over Del Mar wave swinger ride and Mama Luna’s Adopt a Kitty Day puppet show along with the Comidas y Leche eatery, Mercado de Perrito gift shop and Tienda de Dulces candy shop.
Families can play the Barriles de Leche and El Gato’s Meow carnival games along the midway.
The Puss in Boots, Mama Luna and Perrito characters will make meet-and-greet photo op appearances.
Isle of Curiosity
The Isle of Curiosity land will be themed to the Gabby’s Dollhouse live action/animation preschool TV show from DreamWorks Animation.
Gabby’s Cat-Tastic Dance Party from Universal Studios Florida will bring a song-and-dance promenade with show stops to the Isle of Curiosity at Universal Kids theme park in Texas.
The Isle of Curiosity will serve as a gateway to all the other lands in the Universal Kids theme park with the flagship Universal Kids store, Universal Kids Cafe, Cakey’s Cupcakes bakery truck and direct access to the Universal Kids Hotel.
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The 300-room Universal Kids Hotel will feature family-friendly bunk bed set-ups to allow for five to six guests in each room. Other hotel amenities include the Curiosity Cafe, full-service bar, outdoor pool, fitness room and game room.
The new park will be open daily through October, according to Screamscape. A seasonal schedule will begin in November with the park closed on some weekdays. An extended closure will run Jan. 19 through Feb. 10 in 2027.