Fairyland’s unique approach continues to set it apart

Image: Trisha Fawver, Flickr (license)

Walt may have poached a few ideas and employees from the little Bay Area park, but Children’s Fairyland remains a one-of-a-kind treasure among theme parks. Now spanning 10 acres along Lake Merritt, Fairyland showcases nearly five dozen attractions, including Peter Rabbit’s Village, Jack & Jill Hill, Aesop’s Playhouse, Alice’s Reading Room, the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship and Rapunzel’s Castle. The Storybook Puppet Theater is still the longest-running puppet theater in the United States, and its seasonal rotation of shows draws from fairy tales, folk tales and holiday classics alike.

Unlike Disneyland, Fairyland’s rides, play places and theater productions are still intended to appeal exclusively to its youngest demographic. The gargantuan Dragon Slide, neon-painted Flecto Carousel, Wonder-Go-Round and miniature Anansi’s Magic Web Ferris wheel are strictly off-limits to adults, though young children can’t ride the rickety Jolly Trolly train without supervision.

Among the gardens and playgrounds of Fairyland’s various storybook-themed areas, imaginative play is encouraged as frequently as built-in entertainment. Children stage their own theater shows during summer-long camps, while park guests are invited to utilize Fairyland’s library of children’s books, slide down an AstroTurf hill on makeshift cardboard sleds and gawk at the variety of ducks, miniature ponies, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, donkeys, chickens and sheep that populate some of the park’s fairy tale sets. Visitors can even use shiny, plastic “Magic Keys” to unlock special Storybook Boxes concealed around the park, which play music and tell stories in both English and Spanish.

There are still remnants of Walt Disney’s creations scattered throughout Fairyland today, from the tiny Mickey Mouse painted in the Alice in Wonderland tunnel to the familiar-sounding story of Pinocchio at Pinocchio’s castle and donkey pen. Snow White continues to grace the cottage next to the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship, where Peter Pan and Captain Hook are locked in a duel that is far more reminiscent of J.M. Barrie’s original source material than the 1953 Disney film adaptation.

Sixty-seven years after its initial opening in 1950, Children’s Fairyland may not be as well-known as the Southern California theme park it inspired, but it was – and is – far more than fodder for Walt’s Disneyland. It’s a testament to the enduring power of imagination and creativity, delightfully old-fashioned in its belief that children don’t need the bells, whistles and high-speed attractions of modern amusement parks to feel entertained or inspired. All they need is a safe, quiet place that unlocks the simple wonder of a fairy tale world: a place created just for them.