The Issue of "Theme Parks Not Being Enjoyable for Children": What About Puroland? Initiatives Aimed at Families and "Future Fans"

The Issue of "Theme Parks Not Being Enjoyable for Children": What About Puroland? Initiatives Aimed at Families and "Future Fans"

2025年07月09日 16:35

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction

  2. The Issue of "Children Not Enjoying"

  3. Current State of Domestic and International Theme Parks

  4. Sanrio Puroland's Reform Points

  5. Innovations to Enhance Experiential Value

  6. Measures for Visiting Foreigners and Multicultural Support

  7. Experts Discuss Family Marketing

  8. Comparison with Other Facilities and Best Practices

  9. Future Outlook and Recommendations

  10. Conclusion



1. Introduction

The Japanese theme park market is estimated to recover to about 1.4 trillion yen in fiscal year 2024, with families with preschool children accounting for 30% of visitors. However, dissatisfaction persists on social media with complaints such as "children get bored waiting for attractions," "it's awkward when they cry," and "there are too few spaces for toddlers."oricon.co.jp



2. The Issue of "Children Not Enjoying"

2-1. Main Factors

  • Content Age Group Gap: IP parks often have performances aimed at adult fans, making it difficult for young children to understand.

  • Lack of Facility Infrastructure: Insufficient nursing rooms and children's toilets, with complex stroller routes.

  • Cost and Psychological Barriers: The feeling of "wastefulness" if children get tired and leave early.

  • Safety and Hygiene Concerns: Insufficient allergen labeling and baby food options.


2-2. Voices of Parents

A feature by ORICON NEWS introduced numerous posts such as "my child cried in the middle of the line, and we couldn't watch the parade until the end."oricon.co.jp



3. Current State of Domestic and International Theme Parks

Disney and Universal have long established baby centers and play areas. Meanwhile, Japan's urban small-scale parks lag behind due to limited disposable space. According to a Kids Rurubu survey, facilities with higher "child satisfaction" had an average of 1.7 times more nursing rooms per floor area.kids.rurubu.jp



4. Sanrio Puroland's Reform Points

4-1. Facility Renovation

  • Complete renovation of the baby center (October 2024): Expanded baby food kitchen, crawling space, and nursing rooms to accommodate up to 60 groups with guardians.puroland.jp

  • Optimization of Stroller Routes: On crowded days, stroller use is restricted on the 1st and 2nd floors, with new locker-equipped parking areas established.puroland.jp


4-2. Participatory Attraction "Challenge Puroland"

A program where children can perform dances in character costumes on a real stage, with parents able to film, is held regularly. Within three months of launch, the number of participants exceeded 40,000.oricon.co.jp


4-3. Food Accessibility

Each restaurant offers at least one menu item free of the seven major allergens, with kids' plates featuring world cuisine changing monthly. Halal-certified menu items are also being trialed.


4-4. Multilingual Support

The park app features UI in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese, and pictograms are introduced in in-park announcements. This has increased the ratio of visiting foreigners by 18% year-on-year.sanyonews.jp



5. Innovations to Enhance Experiential Value

  • Educational Shows: Character shows themed around the environment and SDGs are held daily.

  • Workshops: The popular Sanrio Fest 2025 project is made permanent, with spaces for parents and children to create goods together.fes.sanrio.co.jp

  • Queue Entertainment: Mini-games are projected in waiting lines, reducing the average perceived waiting time by 20%.



6. Measures for Visiting Foreigners and Multicultural Support

6-1. Inbound Strategy

In response to the post-COVID surge, UnionPay payment is implemented in the app. Live streaming on foreign language SNS expands experiential tours.


6-2. Cultural Accessibility

  • Religious Accommodation: Trial installation of prayer spaces.

  • Allergy Policy: Disclosure of ingredient origin and process via QR code.



7. Experts Discuss Family Marketing

Marketer Yuka Sato points out that "the first theme park experience for preschoolers coincides with their identity formation period, contributing to long-term fan engagement through emotional bonds with characters." It is estimated that the customer lifetime value (LTV) is about 3.4 times that of the average adult.



8. Comparison with Other Facilities and Best Practices

  • Kidzania: Specializes in job experiences, with strong educational ties.

  • Moominvalley Park: Nature coexisting model with longer parent-child stay times.

    Puroland stands out with its indoor integrated weather resistance and IP popularity, but the narrowness of its circulation routes is a challenge. Kids-specialized media Yes-FunTrip evaluates "stroller restrictions as a symbolic decision prioritizing safety over convenience."yes-funtrip.com



9. Future Outlook and Recommendations

  • DX for Crowd Mitigation: Admission control using AI predictions.

  • Regional Collaboration: Promoting stay-type tourism with coupon linkage with Tama City shopping streets.

  • Sustainable Education: Expansion of craft experiences using recycled materials.



10. Conclusion

The voices of "children not enjoying" pose a challenge to the foundational value of theme parks. By combining facility renovations and participatory experiences, Puroland has presented a "child-centric" entertainment model, resulting in over 90% family satisfaction and a 1.8 times increase in repeat intentions. Moving forward, advancing DX and regional co-creation will likely allow the depiction of a more inclusive "dreamland" for diverse families both domestically and internationally.

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