KidZania: Education vs. Consumerism

KidZania - the theme park chain where kids can experience the adult world and get independency – is coming to London in 2015. This theme park is based on sponsoring, so do we have to worry about the omnipresence of brands?

The Tokyo KidZania Photograph: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty

KidZania is an indoor theme park, which recreates real life to kid scale. It is like going to a common city. All the buildings are present - the bank, the fire station, the police station, the hospital, the university and so on. All kind of cars are also driven by the kids. The park is designed for kids between 4 and 14 years old. The main objective is to enable them to test the profession they want and manage their time for 4 hours. The reception is the check-in of an airport. There, the kids receive a boarding pass, a check, a city map and a security bracelet. The adventure can begin!

Just like in the adult world

Kids are now Kidzanians. They get a passport and are citizens of the city KidZania. They go then to the bank in order to cash their check for Kidzos – the official currency of KidZania. As is in real life, they have to manage their money. They can spend their Kidzos anywhere in the city or go to the bank and save it in their bank account and even earn interest. ATMs are accessible in the city to withdraw Kidzos. They can shop in stores, eat a meal, or go to a show for instance. When they have no more money, they have to work. The ones who graduate at the university will earn more. Around 60 different jobs are available. For example, they can be a steward for British Airways, a stylist at H&M, a mechanic at Renault. At the Dorsett Hotel they can be managers, front-desk staff or even housekeepers.

A new way to learn about life

Each role-playing activity lasts 25 minutes and is conceived by educators in order to suit the age of the participants. It always begins the same way: listening to the adult tutors demonstrating how to perform a job, getting dressed up in suitable outfits or costumes, and finally following instructions. Their objectives are to communicate the value of work and money, team work and cooperation but also –according to the slogan of KidZania – to get ready to make a better world. Kids are encouraged to make their own decisions. Thanks to this unique approach of education-based entertainment, the kids will learn life lessons and about economic fundamentals. They will get the opportunity to build their self-esteem and to develop their creativity. This experience will be useful for them in the future.

Better than a Babysitter

“The most expensive ticket will be £28,” says Joel Cadbury – the Chairman of KidZania London,“so it’s cheaper than childcare.” The parents purchase the ticket and let their children attend activities. They can then go to the “Parents’ Clubhouse” to watch their children acting or go shopping – KidZania parks are generally built inside a shopping centre. In London KidZania is currently being built above the Marks & Spencer in west London’s vast Westfield shopping mall.

Playing at corporate-sponsored employment

The business of the park is based on corporate consumerism. The parks are sponsored by global and local firms. There, all the companies’ buildings are kid-sized, full reproductions of their actual equivalents, which supply the expertise needed. Parents pay for their children to take on the role of the mature customer and employee, but is it a necessity to use brand names? “We’re opening children’s eyes to the realities of life,” states Cadbury “If you have a bank called The Bank, it’s not very authentic. You need the real names to authenticate the content.” In this way the children are considered as “customers of the future” but it is more likely they are the instruments of the big companies to make even more profits.

Anne-Sophie N.