Old MacDonald threw open a rather unusual part of his farm for the enjoyment of guests with There’s Something in the Dung Heap – a playground which featured everything guests would expect from a ‘dung’ experience and more, with attractions aimed at all members of the family.
Fact File
- Location: Old MacDonald’s Farmyard
- Cost: £370,000
- Opening Year: 2007
- Closing Year: 2013
The play area was split into four different areas aimed at different heights and age groups, connected by a central plaza in which parents could relax while their youngsters enjoyed themselves.
- The Soil Albug Hall had flies buzzing around this palace of poop which formed the entrance to the Dung Heap. What was the only undercover part of the playground featured Creepy Crawly Basharound, an interactive bug floor where kids (young or old) could chase a multitude of bugs, which reacted to their every movement.
- Mr Mushroom’s Magic Maze sat just outside the Soil Albug Hall. Mr Mushroom had hidden himself at the heart of this labyrinth of fences. Dare guests venture in and see if they could find this jolly character? If they did find him they could press his buttons to see what jewels of wisdom he might dispense. All were welcome to have a go at the maze, although taller guests might have found they had a slight advantage.
- The Toxic Bog was the area aimed at younger guests, with a height restriction of 0.9 metres – 1.1 metres excluding the Wobbly Walk, a rotating beam which had a height restriction of 1.1 metres – 1.4 metres. The area was perfect for those that loved to slip and slide or bounce and balance featuring a bunch of Teetering Toadstool Boingupons, Jumping Gerberas as well as a slide into the bog itself.
- Cobweb Capers was the final area of the Dung Heap and aimed at slightly older children, with a height restriction of 1.1 metres – 1.4 metres. A spider’s Springy Cobweb Climbing zone could be found at the heart of this area, or alternatively kids could test their airborne agility with a ride along a silken zip wire.
This attraction was one of the last additions to the park by Tussauds, which many cite as the reason for it ultimately being an underwhelming investment.
What was eventually installed wasn’t as adventurous or elaborate as had been intended, with it opening at the start of 2007 somewhat unfinished requiring the final decoration and paintwork to be finished off over the first half of the season.
As a result, the attraction was met with a mixed response and was eventually closed in October 2013 as the park prepared to retheme the area to become CBeebies Land. The majority of The Dung Heap was removed to make way for Tree Fu Tom Training Camp, however Cobweb Capers’ zip wire and climbing frame could still be enjoyed in the new attraction.
