Worst theme park in the world...and related matters

I must confess that I love this story- not because I don't feel sorry for all the poor folk who were ripped off by these scoundrels but because there's something of the bungling Trotter clan about it:

There's more on Lapland New Forest in the old ATU's "Has anyone here ever worked as a costumed character in Disneyland?" thread:

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Replication of the above material before the link to the old ATU cached material expires:

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Brothers Convicted Over Lapland Deception Share

Michael Burgess, Sky News Online

Two brothers have been convicted of misleading thousands of customers into visiting a Lapland-style theme park.


Victor and Henry Mears appear in court

Victor and Henry Mears offered visitors to their park a winter wonderland with snow-covered log cabins, a nativity scene, polar bears, and a Christmas market.

Instead, customers were greeted with fairy lights hung from trees and a broken ice rink.

The brothers were found guilty following a two-month trial of five charges of engaging in a commercial practice which was a misleading action and three counts of engaging in a commercial practice which is a misleading omission.

Within days of the attraction opening in November 2008, hundreds of visitors to the park on the Hampshire-Dorset border complained to Dorset Trading Standards.


A polar bear statue at the Lapland-style theme park

Less than a week later, the attraction closed.

One customer, Thomas Parham, spent £150 on tickets to take his family to Lapland on the first weekend it opened.

He said: "We asked members of the public the way to the attraction, which was not
marked at all, apart from one handwritten 'Lapland' sign on a traffic cone.

Mr Parham also described the log cabins as "sheds" with "white polystyrene slabs with a dusting of snow on the top".

Another witness, Angela Barnes, described the nativity scene as an "advertising hoarding" and added: "It was across a muddy, ploughed field. It was painted with sandy mountains, three camels and a star."

Victor Mears was the company's sole director but was receiving help from his younger brother, Henry, who was managing the park and who was responsible for promotion.

During the trial, Victor Mears admitted he took a "bit of a gamble", believing the money would come in as people bought tickets.


The entrance to the attraction

Mears also claimed that, because of illness, he had handed over the running of the theme park to his son, Victor Junior, and his brother Henry.

Henry Mears told jurors his role was to organise the advertising and co-ordinate the theme park's website, but soon took on more of a managerial role.

He added that, in his opinion, the attraction was everything they promised customers it would be.

Henry Mears added: "Whatever you do, you will find the public complain about something."


Husky dogs were also part of the animals said to be on show

Victor and Henry Mears outside Bristol Crown Court.

One of the many complaints about the brothers' Winter Wonderland attraction was that Santa's elfs kept taking a fag break.

It is not recorded whether the brothers played the elfs.

Lapland New Forest Nativity scene.

Nash wrote:

I can't believe this went to court, it's quite clear they were taking the piss and therefore GUILTY.

I wonder what the sentence next week will be?

Lapland New Forest "Tunnel of Light", described by one visitor as "a line of trees with some fairy lights hanging off them".

Nash wrote:



Nativity scene reached via a field of mud.

Nash wrote:



It looked so promising. ^^

Has anyone here ever worked as a custumed character in Disneyland...?

...OR as a costumed role-playing character in one of those interactive Museum exhibits?

...OR as a serving wench or spit-turner, say, at a reconstruction of a medieval banquest?

...OR as a uniformed soldier in a cinematic/theatrical reconstruction of a battle scene?

...OR in any other kind of comparable activity?

If so, I'd be interested to hear about the experience.

Harry Truman wrote:

I dated a girl who worked at Six Flags as a costume person. I can't remember which character she played.

A company I worked for rented a Snoopy costume from Met Life. It was that foulest thing ever. It's vent system wasn't working so the thing smelled like an army of sick hobos took turns relieving themselves in it.

Dharma Wheel wrote:



Eddie, you've got to meet David Sedaris. Grab hold of anything he's written...you'll love it. In "Holidays on Ice" is the essay "The Santaland Diaries" about Sedaris' experience playing an elf in the Macy's Department Store Christmas/Santa exhibit.

Sedaris has written about 4 collections of essays, all of them superb.

Eddie wrote:

^

Thanks Harry and Dharma: my worst suspicions confirmed.

I wonder just how long I'd last as a merry little elf before I dumped some ghastly brat head-first into the nearest litter-bin.

Not very long, I suspect.

Merry Christmas elf outside the Lapland New Forest toilet blocks.

The cringing elf looks worried; the baffled customers look...baffled.

See "Worst theme park in the world" in this section.

Merry Christmas elf sticks close to the big security geezer at the Lapland New Forest leisure attraction.

See "Worst theme park in the world" thread in this section.

Merry Christmas elf makes quick getaway at the Lapland New Forest leisure attraction.

See "Worst theme park in the world" thread in this section.

This thread merits a seasonal bump, I think.