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Sally Dark Rides, The Land of Legends Theme Park, Paramount Global and Nickelodeon Announce SpongeBob SquarePants Dark Ride to Open in Antalya, Türkiye
Live from IAAPA Expo 2023, Global Dark Ride Creator and Beloved Turkish Theme Park Sign Contract to Build the First-Ever SpongeBob SquarePants-Themed Dark Ride outside of the United States
Jumping jellyfish! Sally Dark Rides, a globally recognized leader in creating family dark rides and attractions, announced its continued collaboration with Paramount Global and Nickelodeon to develop and install the first-ever SpongeBob SquarePants dark ride outside of the United States at The Land of Legends Theme Park in Türkiye. The project was formalized as the companies gathered in the Sally Dark Rides exhibit booth at IAAPA Expo 2023 to officially sign the contract.
Sally has quickly become immersed into the nonsensical nautical world of SpongeBob SquarePants with its current work on the first-ever “SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride” family dark ride, which will debut at Circus Circus Las Vegas in early 2024. The successful partnership Sally has built with Paramount has inspired both to seek additional opportunities for SpongeBob-themed dark rides.
The Land of Legends, the popular entertainment theme park located near the coast of Turkey, approached Paramount at the right time, and the idea to bring a SpongeBob SquarePants experience to Eastern Europe will soon be a reality. The popular family destination welcomes almost two million guests each year, and features a collection of over 20 rides and over 40 water slides.
“As we worked with Sally Dark Rides on this dark ride attraction for SpongeBob SquarePants at Circus Circus Las Vegas, we knew we wanted to do more – create more opportunities to bring this delightful, unique ride to other markets across the globe. After all, SpongeBob fans are everywhere,” said Ty Granaroli, executive vice president, Themed Entertainment, Paramount. “This opportunity with The Land of Legends is perfect. It’s a beautiful park, perfectly fit for a SpongeBob dark ride.”
“The Land of Legends is an integrated resort with a family theme park, retail area and hotels, welcoming guests from all over the world,” continued Fettah Tamince, Chairman of The Land of Legends. “For a long time we have wanted to collaborate with Paramount Global on Nickelodeon properties. This new dark ride is part of that collaboration. Sally is the leader in this field, creating rides that can be enjoyed by the whole family and experienced again and again. We are ready to bring the world of SpongeBob SquarePants and his wacky friends from Bikini Bottom to Turkey!”
The Land of Legends dark ride will have a similar storyline to the already announced “SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride”. It will feature the same vibrant sets, special effects, interactive multimedia components and animatronics, including a Mr. Krabs, like the one Sally unveiled on the IAAPA Expo tradeshow floor yesterday. Mr. Krabs starts the zany adventure by inviting ride guests to explore his new carnival on Bikini Bottom’s ocean floor. His lovable assistants, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick are helping the carnival by stocking each game with supplies for the guests. In classic SpongeBob style, the pair of friends make a mistake and instead insert buns, patties, sea tomatoes and other ingredients that make the famous “Krabby Patty.” Hilarious gameplay and memorable family fun quickly ensues.
“What a week this has been for all of us at Sally,” Rolf Paegert, chief executive officer, Sally Dark Rides, finished. “Yesterday we unveiled a first look at our first SpongeBob SquarePants-themed dark ride and today, we are announcing a second will open in 2024. Sally has proudly brought beloved intellectual properties to life through interactive dark rides for more than 45 years. We are so honored that Paramount, Nickelodeon, and The Land of Legends are trusting us to continue to bring SpongeBob and his friends to life for guests of all ages.”
