Plopsaland De Panne is a theme park located in Adinkerke, Belgium, in the municipality of De Panne, and owned and operated by Plopsa. The park was originally known as Meli Park from 1935 to 1999, before reopening as Plopsaland on 20 April 2000.
| Previously known as Meli Park | |
 | |
| Location | Adinkerke, De Panne, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°04′47″N 2°35′49″E / 51.07972°N 2.59694°E |
| Opened | April 21, 1935 (as Meli Park) April 20, 2000 (as Plopsaland) |
| Owner | Plopsa/Studio 100 |
| Operating season | April to January |
| Attendance | 1.3 million in 2017[1] |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 37 |
| Roller coasters | 7 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | official website |
History
editMeli Park
editIn 1935, Alberic-Joseph Florizoone opened Meli Park as a place where he could sell his home-produced honey and also teach visitors about the process and the honey bee itself. To keep up with competition, over the years the park opened several attractions, turning it into a theme park.[2]
Plopsaland
editThe Florizoone family sold the park in 1999 to Studio 100 and VMMa. The park received a makeover during the following winter season, to reopen as Plopsaland on 20 April 2000. During the renovation several characters from Studio 100, such as Samson en Gert and Kabouter Plop, were used to theme new and old attractions.[3] The new park had some issues at reopening with parking capacity and catering, though these were corrected in the following years.[4]
Studio 100/Plopsa bought out the shares of VVMa in 2005 and became sole owner of the park, with plans to turn it into a multi-day, all-weather resort. In that same year, Plopsa opened Plopsa Indoor Hasselt and bought Telecoo, to avoid confusion with the other parks Plopsaland was renamed to Plopsaland De Panne.[5]
Besides expanding the site into a resort, Plopsa also kept expanding the theme park with Anubis the Ride (2009), Vic the Vicking-land (2013), Heidi the Ride (2017) , The Ride to Happiness (2021) and Circus Bumba (2023) in order to appeal to a wider demographic and become a destination not just for families with younger children.[6][7]
Attractions
editThe park consists of 55 attractions, including 7 rollercoasters.[8]
Rollercoasters
edit| Name | Official English name[9] | Type | Manufacturer | Description and additional information | Opened | Specifications | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland | The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland | Extreme Spinning Coaster | Mack Rides | This is the first Mack Extreme Spinning Coaster in Europe. | 2021 | Speed: 90km/h
Length: 920m Height: 35m |
.JPG) |
| Anubis The Ride | Anubis The Ride | Launched coaster | Gerstlauer | 2009 | Speed: 90km/h
Length: 600m Height: 34m |
 | |
| Heidi The Ride | Heidi The Ride | Wooden coaster | Great Coasters International | 2017 | Speed: 71km/h
Length: 618m Height: 22m |
 | |
| De Draak | The Dragon | Powered coaster | Mack Rides | 2004 | Speed: 36km/h
Length: 450m Height: 14m |
.jpg) | |
| SuperSplash | SuperSplash | Super Splash | Mack Rides | 2006 | Speed: 70km/h
Height: 30m |
.JPG) | |
| K3 Roller Skater | K3 Roller Skater | Junior coaster | Vekoma | 1991 | Speed: 46km/h
Length: 335m Height: 13m |
.jpg) | |
| #LikeMe Coaster | #LikeMe Coaster | Tivoli Large | Zierer | Renovated in 2022 after the youth series #LikeMe. The station is now designed as a school from the series. | 1976 | Speed: 34km/h
Length: 360m Height: 8m |
 |
Darkrides
edit| Name | Official English name[9] | Type | Manufacturer | Description and additional information | Opened | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Op Reis Met Bumba | Bumba's World Trip | Darkride | Metallbau Emmeln | Based on the popular Belgian children's tv show "Bumba". Part of the new for 2023 "Circus Bumba" indoor area. | 2023 |  |
| Het Bos van Plop | Plop's Woods | Darkride | Metallbau Emmeln | Boat trip through a forest full of gnomes. | 1979 (Apirama)
2000 (Bos van Plop) |
 |
Other attractions
edit| Name | Official English name[9] | Type | Manufacturer | Description and additional information | Opened | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumballoon | Bumballoon | Samba Balloon | Zamperla | Part of the new for 2023 "Circus Bumba" indoor area. | 2023 | |
| De Dolle Busrit | The Crazy Bus | Crazy Bus | Zamperla | Part of the new for 2023 "Circus Bumba" indoor area. | 2023 | |
| Tumbi's Ballenbad | Tumbi's Ball Pool | Ball pool | Part of the new for 2023 "Circus Bumba" indoor area. | 2023 | ||
| Poppa's Klimtoren | Poppa's Climbing Tower | Playground | Part of the new for 2023 "Circus Bumba" indoor area. | 2023 | ||
| Bumba's Speeltuin | Bumba's Playground | Playground | 2008 | |||
| Tik Tak | Tik Tak | Free flow boat ride | Mack Rides | Renovated in 2022. Previously known as "De Vaat" and "Kaatje zoekt Eendje". | 2000 |  |
| Balloon Race | Balloon Race | Balloon Race | Zamperla | 2001 | .jpg) | |
| De Tuin van Big | Big's Garden | Playground | 2005 | |||
| DinoSplash | DinoSplash | Log flume | Mack Rides | Renovated in 2019 to a dinosaur theme. | 1989 |  |
| Mega Mindy Jetski | Mega Mindy Jet-ski | Jet Skis | Zierer | 2008 | _-_Jet_Skis_de_Zierer.jpg) | |
| Nachtwacht-Flyer | Nachtwacht-Flyer | Starflyer | Funtime | 2006 |  | |
| De Ploptuin | Plop's Garden | Playground | Renovated in 2010. | 1984 | ||
| Plopsa Express | Plopsa Express | Train ride | Chance Rides | Has 2 trains and 4 stations around the park. | 1983 | .jpg) |
| Safari | Safari | Car ride | Sartori Montagnana | 1992 |  | |
| Storm op Zee | Storm At Sea | Music Express | Mack Rides | 2001 | .jpg)
| |
| De Dierenmolen | The Animal Carousel | Farm Animals Carrousel | Wooddesign | 2017 |  | |
| De Doorloopweide | The Animal Farm | Petting zoo | 2007 | |||
| Het Ballenbad | The Ball Bath | Ball pool | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | ||
| Big & Betsy Hoeve | The Big & Betsy Farm | Farm / zoo | Meli Park bought the farm in 1986. | Unknown |  | |
| De Grote Golf | The Big Wave | Disk'O Coaster | Zamperla | Part of "Wickieland", based on Vic the Viking. | 2013 |  |
| De Emmer | The Bucket | Splash pad | 2007 | |||
| Scooter | The Bumper Cars | Bumper cars | Bertazzon | Unknown |  | |
| De Glijbaan | The Chute | Slide | Metallbau Emmeln | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | |
| De Klimboom | The Climbing Tree | Playground | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | ||
| De Koffiekopjes | The Coffee Cups | Teacups ride | Mack Rides | Renovated in 2015. During this renovation, the attraction was completely covered by a castle. | 2003 |  |
| De Dansende Fonteinen | The Dancing Fountains | Splash pad | 2001 | .jpg) | ||
| De Eenden | The Ducks | Duck Roundabout | Metallbau Emmeln | 2000 | .jpg) | |
| De Valtoren | The Falling Tower | Family free fall tower | Zierer | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | |
| De Bloemenmolen | The Flowery Merry-go-Round | Flying Fish | Zierer | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. A special song was written for this attraction. | 2011 | |
| De Vliegende Fietsen | The Flying Bikes | Magic Bikes | Zamperla | 2008 |  | |
| De Kikkers | The Frogs | Jump Around | Zamperla | 2007 | .jpg) | |
| Carrousel | The Merry-go-Round | Carrousel | Wooddesign | 2004 |  | |
| Waterfietsen | The Pedal Boats | Pedal Boats | In 2012, the standard boats were replaced by pedal boats in the shape of swans. | 1995 |  | |
| De Piratenboot | The Pirate Ship | Pirate Ship | HUSS Park Attractions | 1981 | .jpg) | |
| De Piratenspeeltuin | The Pirates' Playground | Playground | 2006 | |||
| De konijntjes | The Rabbits | Ponytrekking | Metallbau Emmeln | 2007 | ||
| Het Vlot | The Raft | Raft | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | ||
| Het Spinnenweb | The Spider's Web | Playground | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | ||
| De Hangbrug | The Suspension Bridge | Suspension bridge | Kaiser & Kuhne | 1995 | ||
| De Swingboom | The Swinging Tree | Kontiki | Zierer | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | |
| De Tractors | The Tractors | Car ride | Metallbau Emmeln | 2002 |  | |
| Het Verkeerspark | The Traffic Park | Driving school | 2000 |  | ||
| De Waterlelies | The Water Lilies | Demolition Derby | Zamperla | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 | |
| Wickie The Battle | Wickie The Battle | Splash Battle | Mack Rides | Part of "Wickieland", based on Vic the Viking. | 2013 |  |
| Wienerwalz | Wienerwalz | Wave swing | Wooddesign | 2015 | .jpg) | |
| Willies Speeltuin | Willy's Playground | Playground | Part of the indoor area "Mayaland", based on Maya the Bee. | 2011 |
De Panne resort
edit.JPG)
The theme park is part of the larger Plopsa resort that consist of an indoor theme park (2011), the Proximus Theater (2013), Plopsaqua De Panne (2015), a hotel (2021) and a camping (2021/2022). The resort also houses the headquarters of the Plopsa-group.
Visitor numbers
editBelow is an overview of the development of Plopsaland visitor numbers, as stated in the annual report.[10]
| Year | Visitors |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 1.221.108 
|
| 2012 | 1.176.639 
|
| 2013 | 1.222.169
|
| 2014 | 1.280.947
|
| 2015 | 1.276.302
|
| 2016 | 1.353.162
|
| 2017 | 1.398.172
|
| 2018 | 1.209.512
|
Trivia
edit
- The name Plopsaland is an aggregation of the first two Studio 100 characters Plop and Samson. Another name that the new owners thought of was Pannadine after the town De Panne, this name was abandoned after the new owners discovered it was a medical creme.[11]
- From 2000 until 2012 the park - and the other parks of the group - had Koning Plopsa as icon. In recent years the character was taken out of the logo's, parkshows and as a walk-around character. At various places around the resort the icon can still be found.[12]
References
edit- ^ Antoine Dié (May 15, 2018). "Plopsaland entre dans l'ère des grands parcs européens". La Voix du Nord. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Steen, Gudrun (2016-07-15). "Meli-park herleeft weer (even)". Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Meli-park wordt thuishaven van Samson en Plop". De Morgen. 1999-06-10. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ Steen, Gudren (2020-07-24). "Gert Verhulst blikt terug op 20 jaar Plopsaland in 20 vragen: "Op eerste dag vergaten we tank van treintje te vullen, waardoor het na 50 meter stilviel... gênant!"". Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Plop heerst alleen over zijn land". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 2 February 2005. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ "The Ride to Happiness coming to Plopsa De Panne in 2021". Thrill Nation. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Als de kinderen gaan slapen, ontwaken de griezels in Plopsaland De Panne". Het Laatste Nieuws. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Attractions". Plopsaland De Panne. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c English names as found on the official park website.
- ^ "PLOPSA NV STAATSBLAD PUBLICATIES en JAARREKENINGEN (BE0466400051)". www.staatsbladmonitor.be. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ Decker, Karen De (2017-06-14). "AHA: daar komt de naam Plopsaland vandaan". Flair.be (in Flemish). Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ "Nieuws / Koning Plopsa verdwijnt uit Plopsa-logo's / PlopsaFansite". PlopsaFansite. Retrieved 2021-04-16.