Amusement Equipment History Laser
Tag was
a product created in 1986 by Don Kingsborough, Worlds of Wonder founder.
Using Laser Tag
equipment,
players can shoot sensors worn by other players to tag them.
If you're tagged a certain number of times, you're out of the game.
According to
GOLF Magazine's Encyclopedia of Golf, miniature golf (mini-golf)
dates back to 1916, when James Barber of Pinehurst, NC built a miniaturized
version of a golf course on his estate. He mimicked the features of a regular
golf course with little sand traps and small pools of water.
Skee-Ball is
the most recognized name in redemption games.
The game was invented and patented in 1909 by J. D. Estes of Philadelphia.
The first Skee-Ball games had alleys that were 36 feet long. By 1928,
these were shortened to 14 feet and later to the present day 10 feet.
Computer Space was
the very first arcade video
game released by Nutting Associates in 1971. The game was rather
simple in design compared to later arcade games, as the
display was nothing more than a 13 inch GE Television housed in a fiberglass
cabinet with a paint can as the receptacle for quarters fed into the machine.
The designer of Computer Space was Nolan Bushnell who released the better
known PONG arcade
game the following year. Bushnell decided to
have his newly formed Atari Corp. manufacture PONG after the prototype
became completely stuffed with quarters on the first day of field testing.
Soft contained play (SCP) or, as
it was previously called, soft modular play, is now 23 years old. It
was invented by Jack Pentes in 1982 to overcome the safety hazards of
outdoor physical playground equipment. Unlike traditional outdoor playground equipment, Soft Contained Play is very compact, and can be used by large numbers
of children simultaneously, making it ideally suited for indoor
playground facilities and family entertainment centers.
The popular amusement park redemption game Whac-A-Mole has been
around for more than 25 years. Hasbro even sells home versions.
Cotton Candy
was invented in the late 1800s and made its international debuts at the
1900 Paris Exposition and the 1904 St. Louis World’s
Fair, and has now become a staple of amusement centers and theme
parks.
Americans
consume 7 billion hot-dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
There are
six different types of corn, but only one type (called “popcorn”)
can be used to make popcorn. |
Find
a growing list of amusement equipment suppliers
for everything from indoor playground equipment
and laser
tag, to miniature golf, go-karts, redemption games, climbing
walls, fun center themeing, arcade
games, fun center
insurance and amusement equipment lease financing.
Click
on an Amusement category or... looking for something specific?
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Entertainment Center Directory and
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 Amusement Activities
and Edutainment
Unique activity ideas for family entertainment centers, including
educational content and edutainment programming. |
Amusement
Equipment Leasing
Fun center, amusement park or family entertainment center, find
a fine list of lease companies for your amusement equipment
needs. |
Amusement
Park Rides
Not
just for large theme parks, these rides are fun for all
ages and indoor family fun centers too! |
Animated
Characters
Find a full range of animatronics and robotic characters
for your family fun center. |
Arcade Games
Coin operated arcade games are still a primary revenue driver
for many family entertainment centers. Find all the best
arcade games in here. |
Associations
and Publications
A
list of Amusement Industry associations and publications. |
Batting
Cages and Pitching Machines
For players of all abilities and all ages, Batting cages
and pitching machines can help your family fun center appeal
to a wide group of people. |
Birthday Party's
Find a wide selection of birthday party ideas, services and
unique products to help you create some magic! |
Blacklight
Mini-Golf
Indoor blacklight mini-golf is glow-in-the-dark fun for the
entire family. Perfect for amusement attractions and family
entertainment centers. |
Bowling
Products
New technology and design have created many new versions
of bowling lanes and bowling products for family fun centers. |
Bumper
Cars and Bumper Boats
These traditional activities no longer take up huge amounts
of space or resources, add another activity center to
your family entertainment business. |
Carpet
and Furniture
Get some custom flooring and comfortable furniture inside
and outside your family entertainment center. |
Climbing
Walls
Not just for large family entertainment centers, new technology
has introduced indoor climbing walls that are easy to manage,
and will help drive revenues at your family fun center. |
Coin
Operated Cranes
Stand-alone profit centers. You see them in many locations
- Cranes filled with all the goodies your guests want. Find
the best of the bunch here. |
Computers
and Software
Better manage your family entertainment center with custom fun center software
and POS systems. |
Entertainment
Programming
You
have heard this before, content is king - find new ways to
add depth and entertainment value to your family fun center. |
Family
Fun Center Design and Consulting
Start the fun center design process here. Find a wide variety of family entertainment
center design consultants and amusement center experts. |
Family
Entertainment Center Construction
Find master build companies that consult, design, build and
setup turn-key amusement centers and attractions. |
Feasibility
and Planning
Ensure your project success with a professionally prepared
family entertainment center feasibility study and business
plan. |
Financial
Services
A
growing list of financial services to help start and grow
your family entertainment center. |
Food
and Beverage
Every family entertainment center must offer a food and beverage
option. Find companies who can help you grow and profit from
excellent food service here. |
Go-Karts
Go karts have long been a standard activity at many family
entertainment centers. New designs and technology make go-karts
more attractive then ever. |
Halloween Haunts
for Amusement Centers
Drive some serious seasonal revenues from your very own Haunted
House. Amusement centers, theme parks and stand-alone fun centers
can all profit from halloween time of year and beyond. |
Indoor Playgrounds
Indoor playgrounds have been the primary activity center for most childrens entertainment
centers, see whats new in soft contained playgrounds here. |
Industry Education
New family fun center developers can quickly learn what it
takes to create a financially successful family entertainment
center by starting here. |
Inflatable Playgrounds
Looking for an inflatable playground or bouncy castle, Inflatables
continue to add impact and interest to your family entertainment
center. |
Insurance
Companies - Amusement Equipment
Need amusement center insurance for laser tag, indoor playgrounds,
miniature golf, go-karts, inflatables or others, these folks
can hook you up. |
Interactive
Flight Simulators
New
amusement center simulators have come along way in recent
years. Both software and hardware advancements have made
the potential for real return on investment possible. |
Interactive
Amusement Games
From
counter-top interactive games to full-blown amusement simulators,
keep your guests excited to play and return. |
Kiddie
Rides
Find new and used amusement rides and kiddie rides for children
8 years and younger. |
Laser
Tag
Find the world's best Laser Tag companies all on one page! Laser tag arena design,
laser tag equipment and resources. |
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Maintenance
Supplies
Find amusement center maintenace equipment, supplies and services
for your family entertainment center. |
Management
- FEC Operations
Are you an existing Fun Center or amusement center looking to grow your business,
maximize your profits and lower your operational cost? Are you thinking of building
a Family Entertainment Center and looking for a proven management company to
operate your location? |
Mascots
and Costumes
Add another level of family friendly with birthday party costumes or a family
fun center mascot. |
Marketing
your Family Fun Center
New
ideas and concepts to help better market your family entertainment
center. |
Mazes
- Interactive Fun
Mazes
continue to grow in popularity for family entertainment centers
and outdoor attractions, including amusement parks and attractions
- learn more here. |
Miniature
Golf
With good design, and a high guest-capacity, miniature
golf offers family entertainment centers a lot of fun and
profits. Talk to these folks about
adding a custom mini-golf design to your family fun center. |
Paint
Ball - Amusement Centers
A relatively new concept for the family entertainment center,
Paint Ball has seen rapid growth within the amusement and
fun center industry in recent years. |
Promotion
and Advertising
From air-filled wavy guys, to air-ballons and customized direct
mail, find unique ideas and ways to promote and advertise your
family entertainment center. |
Redemption Games
Well managed redemption games can drastically increase your
family entertainment center profits. Find the best redemption
game companies here. |
Redemption
Supplies
Every family entertainment center is losing revenue if you
do not have a well stocked, well managed redemption prize
counter. |
Retail
Fixtures and Display
Incorporating a redemption games counter and other retail fixtures
in your family fun center - find all your display, retail
fixtures and material here. |
Roller Skating
Yes, they still roller-skate. In fact with new in-line skates
and modular arenas, the trend is on the rise. Does it make
sense to add roller skating to your family entertainment
center? |
Ropes
Course and Team Building
No longer just an outdoor activity - indoor rope courses and
team building games and activities can help you expand and
diversify your activity mix. |
Shooting
Galleries
Coin operated and interactive indoor and outdoor shooting galleries,
laser shooting projection hunting games, interactive laser
targets and mid-way fun. |
Skate
Parks and Ramps
A trend on the rise - skate boarding has never lost fashion, and now these companies
want to add it to your family fun center business. Portable or permanent, give
these skater dudes a call. |
Special
Events
Grow
your family entertainment center revenues with special events
and community opportunities. |
Sports
and Sport Activities
Looking
for some indoor / outdoor activities or sporting equipment
to fit your family entertainment center - from billiards
tables to foosball this is the place. |
Surfacing and Safety Flooring
Enhance the guest experience and protect your family entertainment
center investment. Add playground safety flooring and safety
surfacing to cushion falls and accidents. |
Theatrical
Amusement Equipment
Adding a show or organized presentation to your family entertainment
center can be a big draw. Find lighting, sound and other
theatrical equipment here. |
Themeing
your family fun center
Add some wow-factor to your family entertainment center. Whether
you theme a facade, an indoor playground, or your entire fun
center these themeing companies can help you. |
Tickets,
Tokens and Coins
Cash
management is a key component to long term financial growth at
your amusement center. Do not let your cash walk out your family
entertainment center's front door. |
Train
on Tracks
Looking for a cool children's ride? How about the very popular
Train on Tracks. Indoor or outdoor amusement train rides
are always popular. Find them here. |
Used
Parts and Equipment
Find
used amusement equipment, including indoor playgrounds, climbing
walls and other amusement equipment and parts for your family
fun center. |
Vending
and Equipment - Bulk
From
coffee and food service to fun and games, today's vending
equipment and supplies for family fun centers mean dollars to
your bottom line. |
Virtual
Reality and Motion Simulators
Prices have fallen, while new technology and software have
improved - add a motion simulator to your family entertainment
center. |
Water
Games for Amusement Centers
Summer is coming. Without the need for a huge amount of space,
family entertainment centers can now add these outdoor water
games and attractions. |
Water
Slides and Water Park Equipment
Add a little Wet-Play fun to your project. From kiddie pools
and water slides to gigantic wave pools and full water park
design and construction. |
Wristbands and Crowd Control
Upgrade your family entertainment center to include customized
wrist bands, security systems and crowd control - parents will
love you for it. |
Family Entertainment Center Oddities
Find the weird, wacky and wonderful from outside the usual
fun center and amusement equipment supply companies. |
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