By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Crayola has entered a licensing agreement with BrightColors to open new Crayola Experience venues over the next five years.
“Today Crayola embarks on an expansion effort with a best-in-class partner who shares our ideals, and is equally dedicated to high-quality guest experiences,” said Warren Schorr, Crayola Senior Vice President Business Development, Global Licensing & Experiences.
“BrightColors’ management have a proven track record not only in creating memorable attractions, but also in providing guests the highest level of service in operations. They are the perfect complement to the standards already established for Crayola Experience.”
Photo by Preston Mack / Crayola
BrightColors is an operating subsidiary of Good Vibrations Holding Co., which owns, operates and finances family entertainment attractions across the United States.
The principals of BrightColors have close to 50 years of experience in the leisure, attraction and retail industries. They have also co-founded, developed and operated numerous high-profile attractions and retail outlets across the country.
Last November, Crayola began actively seeking partners to extend its Location-Based Entertainment branch both domestically and internationally. This multi-venue licensing agreement with BrightColors is the first step in Crayola Experience’s global expansion, with plans to double the attraction brand’s presence in the U.S.
The partnership will begin with a joint evaluation of potential mall venues, with a focus on family-friendly markets with a strong tourism and residential draw.
“We have been providing guests with engaging, people-pleasing experiences for decades. As we researched potential existing concepts with our colleagues at Kingsmen, all other attractions paled in comparison to the guest offering at Crayola Experience,” said Robin Turner, President & Managing Director of BrightColors LLC, and founder of the WonderWorks chain. “In discussions with Crayola, we recognized we held a shared vision and we are excited by the potential this partnership has in the expansion of Crayola Experience.”
BrightColors will work with its partner, Kingsmen Xperience to source real estate opportunities, manage licensor relations, and provide production and marketing support.
Kingsmen Xperience is known for creating interactive experiences based on iconic brands. The Kingsmen team has considerable experience in licensing and managing global intellectual property, raising capital, as well as working with commercial real estate companies worldwide.
In addition, the company provides oversight in the management of the design, production, and operations of experiential attractions. Kingsmen Xperience’s past projects include museum quality travelling exhibitions, pop-ups, and permanent installations.
Crayola Experience has been a family destination for creative play for over 25 years. It currently has five successful operations located in Pennsylvania, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Arizona. These attractions entertain guests with activities inspired by Crayola’s proprietary products and technologies.
Crayola LLC is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Incorporated. The Crayola brand is a global leader in children’s creative expression products such as art tools, crafting activities and creativity toys.