1. IntroductionWe have followed the course Imagineering at the Fontys

Academy. With this course we had the assignment to make a concept for one of the rides in Europa-Park. Henk Groe-

nen who is responsible for Europa-park in the Benelux, held a great pitch in one of the first classes. He told us about what Europa-Park is and explained us the assignment.

The assignment is to create a new concept for the already existing‘’Dschungel-Flossfahrt’’. In this ride you make a small trip straight through Africa. But that was the big

problem, Africa is not part of Europe and the ride also was pretty old and out-dated. So they gave us the opportunity to create a new concept for this ride and pitch it for our

teachers and Henk Groenen. The idea of this new concept is that it fits in with the Dutch themed area Europa-park has. One of the requirements was that we used as much as pos-

sible of the old ride (underwater mechanic parts). We have created a family ride based on a few things we

kept in mind: typical Dutch, freedom and fun.

2

3

2. Table of contents1. Introduction

2. Table of Content3. Analysis

4. Target group5. Concept

6. Story7. Ride

4

3. AnalysisEuropa-park

Europa-Park opened in 1975 and is run by the Mack family. The park is located in Rust, in south-western Germany. It is the largest theme park in Germany and was in 2013 the second most

popular theme park in Europe with almost 5 million customers per year.

The first country-themed section was “Italy”, opened 1982. Austria and Switzerland followed in 1984 and 1985 and the “Europe” theme was pursued further with the opening of “Hol-

land”(1984), “England”(1988), “France”(1990), “Scandinavia”(1992) and “Spain”(1994) sections.

The park nowadays has 13 European themed areas and offers more than one hundred attrac-tions and shows. It can accommodate up to approx. 50,000 guests per day due to its very high capacity rollercoasters and attractions. It has an ongoing program of events that include music, dance, performance, football and national festivals. Europa Park also has 5 different top class hotels and a camp resort near their theme park. Their first themed hotel opened in 1995, no-

wadays Europa-Park is one of the biggest hotel-resorts in Europe.

Vision‘ Europa-park wants to put Europe on the map in a way full of excitement and fun.’

Core valuesfun, happiness, care for the family and safety

5

Typical DutchTo create a ride for the Dutch area in Europa-Park it is required to know what is typical Dutch. We did some research and we also asked some people what came up in their minds when they thought of typical Dutch things. The answers that we found the most are written down in a small list below.

Wooden clogsThe traditional wooden clogs are known by everyone since they are one of the most popular souvenirs from The Netherlands. In the early years this were the shoes where the farmers walked on. Nowadays you barely see them being worn but they can be found in big numbers in the souvenir shops. WindmillsThe famous windmill is typically Dutch. They can be found in the smaller cities and in for example Kinderdijk with its unique collection of 19 authentic wind-mills.

Biking With more bicycles than people in our country the bicycle is the favourite mean of transportation that the Dutch people have. It is perfect to use in the big cities and it is most of the time faster then

Delfts blueDelfts Blue is world-famous earthenware that has been produced since the 17th century in the city Delft. It is a type of handcrafted earthenware with hand painted blue patterns or Dutch landscapes.

CheeseThe Netherlands is also famous for their cheese. Maybe you heard of Gouda, one of the biggest cheese cities in the Netherlands. Their cheese is sold all over the world.

Ice skatingIce skating is very popular in the Netherlands. We have one of the toughest ice skating competition which is the “elfstedentocht’’. This “eleven city tour” leads past all eleven historical cities of the province Friesland. Also long distance skating is a national sport in the Netherlands where they are pretty good at.

CowsCows are something that you can’t miss in the Dutch landscape. When you are outside of the city you will see plenty of them.

TulipsMany tourists also visit the country to see the bright coloured fields filled with the popular tulips. The tulip is a well-loved symbol of the Netherlands.

FreedomIn terms of living , in The Netherlands freedom is seen as an important as-pect . People in The Netherlands are free to choose their life partners, their religion, their sexuality and can pretty much say anything they like. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to grant same-sex mar-riages. Also equality between man and woman is promoted by The Dutch government which strives to achieve equality in education, employment, salaries and private life.

The city canalIn some Dutch cities like Groningen and Amsterdam you can find the city canals called ‘’Grachten’’. It is a waterway in the city witch streets on both sides of the water and often little bridges over it.

StroopwafelA typical Dutch cookie is the stroopwafel (syrup waffle). It consists of two thin baked waffles with a syrop filling in between and can be eaten cold or a bit warmed up. The stroopwafel was first made during the late 18th century in Gouda.

6

7

4. Target groupThe target group of the ride is families. Since, compa-red to e.g. thrill rides, it is a slow ride it already is easy accessible for all ages and we would like to keep it that

way. The concept includes the story of Tom the little duck that because of a little accident is making a trip by himself through The Netherlands. Passengers will

8

5. Concept VisionThe feeling of being free is very important. Everyone should have the chance to experience freedom by making its own journey of discovery.

VogelvluchtThere are a lot of products that are seen as typically Dutch and that directly pop up in people’s heads when they think of The Netherlands. But next to the typical products there is also a way of living that makes The Netherlands The Netherlands, and make the Dutch people really Dutch. The way of living and norms and values that define Dutch culture also have to do with the freedom of The Dutch. In The Netherlands freedom is seen as important. Personal choice is key. People in The Netherlands are free to choose their life partners, their religion, their sexuality and can pretty much say anything they like. They choose their own journey and the paths they would like to follow.

Since we think the way of living is an important part of the Dutch culture we chose our freedom as main point of the concept. To symbolize freedom, often a bird is used since birds are the only creatures who can soar up high into the sky, and still have the freedom to return to earth again. The family of birds also contains the duck. A duck can experience not only the ground and the sky but also can literally dive into the beautiful city canals The Netherlands is known for. Therefor in this concept we chose duck Tom as the main character, who will take you on his journey of discovery to experience his freedom. Duck Tom will show the passengers of the ride the beautiful parts of The Netherlands through the eyes of a free duck on his discovery trip through the Netherlands. By swimming or flying we want to give them the possibility to experience the Netherlands.

9

6. The storyOnce upon a time there was a little duck named Tom. Tom was born in a farm on the countryside in The Nether-lands and grew up as a happy and very curious little duck. He grew up in a quiet village near the lake where he made a lot of friends and at school he was the class clown. His history teacher told him about all these beautiful places outside of the village. The Netherlands has such a rich history! Tom was very curious about all these other places.

While growing up, his mother and father thought Tom should see more of his own country. Therefor they decided to leave the town and show him some more. Since this was Tom’s first time out of town he was really excited! He packed his bags because they would stay away for a few days. In his excitement he almost forgot to pack his raincoat and his umbrella.

The day before the weekend he went to school and told all his friends about the great adventure that was ahead of him that particular weekend. That next day Tom was ready to go and explore other sides of the country.

The first place his parents wanted to take him was Amsterdam. While leaving his town, he saw the most beautiful tulip fields he could imagine. They were more beautiful than his history teacher could describe. After a long trip, they finally made it to Amsterdam. For the first time in his life he swam in a city canal. While swimming there underneath all the little bridges he was enchanted by Amsterdam. All those high buildings and beautiful mansions alongside the water. The many boats, people and bicycles! It opened up a whole new world for Tom which he im-mediately fell in love with.

While staring at all the beautiful surroundings Tom forgot to pay attention to his parents who were swimming right in front of him. When he turned back his head he suddenly did not see his parents anymore. He was lost! Poor Tom, he felt sad. But as a courageous and curious duck he decided to make the best of the situation and went on to discover more of the Netherlands.

10

After swimming for a while he saw a sign-board with: Gouda. He knew from the history lessons that there was a famous cheese market. So Tom set his mind on Gouda. When he almost wanted to give up he finally arrived in Gouda. The merchant was very crowded. Tom saw some cheese-porters and they were bringing cheese to the other side of the market but while walking, the man tripped over a little rock and the cheese rolled over the streets. Another man tried to catch the cheese, but he almost fell into the water which made Tom laugh a bit since it looked quite funny. The sellers used a ritual called ‘handjeklap’ in which buyers and sellers clap in each other’s hand and shout prices. Tom was overwhelmed by all these noises he could hear. Not only the sellers and buyers where making noise, but also the girls in traditional clothing where shouting their cheese prices. Horses and carriages where carrying cheese to the market and in the distraction of everything that was going on Tom almost got hit by the horse.

While being outside for a while he got a bit cold and he knew it was about to go dark in not too long. He wanted to find his parents again and go home. Even though he never had flown very long distances yet he decided to try and fly home. Up in the air he was way faster and maybe from up there he could recognize the way and fly home. Flying through the clouds he was excited and nervous if he could last a long time and would find his home. When he just was up in the air he suddenly noticed a delicious smell that also came from somewhere in Gouda. He flew a bit lower and through the clouds Tom noticed a big stroopwafel factory. Now he knew where is favourite cookies were made! It made him a little bit hungry but he flew further. After a while through the clouds Tom saw people ice skating. He noticed they were practising for the elfstedentocht. Again a bit further on he saw a big field with cows and windmills. He was amazed by the beautiful views. He had never seen The Netherlands from this high! Flying further and looking for his home he finally saw something he recognized. What a relief to arrive home again.

He finally found his parents who were worried and waiting for him. When his mother saw him, she hugged him and said in tears: ‘now you’re all grown up’. She smiled and was glad he was back home. After a long day they sat together at the dinner table and discussed the adventures of Tom. The next day Tom had a lot of stories to tell to his friends and he lived happily ever after.

11

Story

board

12

1. In AmsterdamWith the boat you go passing by typical houses you see in

Amsterdam. If you are quick enough with your phone you can make a picture in the boat with the houses on the background, so it looks like you actually have been in the Netherlands. Also

the boat goes underneath a bridge. The bridge looks typical Dutch with bicycles standing and locked on the bridge. You

hear bell sounds, because the Netherlands is a country where we bike a lot. On the platform left, there will be small gras-

sland with tulips.

7. The rideThe waiting line will be in a farm. Outside of the farm, before you enter there are wooden clogs standing

next to the door. On the walls you see paintings of Dutch landscapes and some Delfts blue tiles to get into that Dutch feeling. On the platform, you step into a boat shaped in a duck. Here your journey through the

Netherlands starts!

13

2. GoudaAfter you lost your way, wandering through the Netherlands you follow your journey to Gouda. In Gouda you’ll explore the typical

Dutch Cheese Market. One of the most famous markets in the world!

You see the cheese carriers, cheese rolling on the ground and the traditional Dutch clothing. You see cheese stands and people standing at the market stands. It is crowded and there’s a lot to

see.

3. Back home againIt was nice to visit Amsterdam and Gouda, but it is getting late and time to go back. While you’re in the boat, you are going to

fly home. The boat will go into the tunnel covered in clouds. Tom spreads his wings and they will go back automatically at

the points where there is something to see down on the Dutch ground. A button gives you the freedom to move up and down

in the tunnel. While seated you can watch the Netherlands from above.

The first opening in the clouds will show the Stroopwafel fac-tory in Gouda. A nice smell of stroopwafels is spread as soon as you pass. The second opening will show people ice skating and training for competitions like de the famous elfstedentocht. The third opening shows the beautiful Dutch countryside from up in

the sky with its windmills and cows. Finally at the end of the tun-nel the farm is at sight again! You will get down from the clouds

into the water to swim the last part home to the farm again.

14

15

The End16