STORY IDEAS

Here are a Few Idea Generators

There are a great many stories that have never been told about the various companies within Ripley Entertainment Inc.  From a huge indoor waterpark resort to interactive miniature golf to world class aquariums to two headed cows – we offer up a diverse range of story opportunities.

The Ripley family consists of more than 80 attractions incorporating 11 different family-oriented brands in 12 countries, a publishing arm that still produces books and sells more than a million copies a year, and our original Ripley’s Believe It or Not! cartoon that still runs daily in nearly 200 newspapers in 42 countries. With our abundance of diverse content we can provide you with a wealth of unusual story leads that will amaze and enlighten not only your readers, but your editors as well.

Here are several  general story generators about our company.  If you want to go deeper into our quirky business for a specialized, unique angle, contact Tim O’Brien at obrien@ripleys.com (615-646-7465) and he’ll brainstorm with you and help come up with an idea for an award winning story – and who couldn’t use one of those once in a while!

SUMMER 2010

Our Flagship – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums: We are the largest, fastest growing and most successful chain of amusement museum-type attractions in the world! There are now 31 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums with three more to come on line in 2010. The attractions feature exhibits that one must see to believe – exhibits that are so bizarre, so odd, so strange, that even the most worldly and knowledgeable guests will be awestruck! Each attraction appeals to man’s basic curiosity and desire to know more about this world. They challenge and tease the guest to wonder if something so totally strange could really be true. Guests will only find authentic, original and unbelievable exhibits in each of the museums. While many other popular attractions are forced to display reproductions and simulations, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums show original, true items, many of which were collected by Robert Ripley himself during his worldwide travels in the 1920s and 1930s.

Ripley’s is 92 Years Old, Believe It or Not! On a cold December night in 1918, a young Robert Ripley pondered how to fill the space assigned to him as an illustrator for the New York Globe. Little could he know, the choice he was about to make would be the start of an amazing adventure that lives on today. He created a panel made up of nine dubious sports feats he had been collecting. The result was an instant hit and his creation soon had fans worldwide. He partnered with William Randolph Hearst in 1929 to syndicate the strip globally and by the mid 1930s it was being published in more than 350 newspapers with a daily readership of 80 million. Today, it is the longest continuously published cartoon panel on the planet. Believe it!

Number One ranking for Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies: This beautiful aquarium, located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains is being recognized by TripAdvisor.com’s travelers and editors  as the most popular aquarium in the U.S. The Gatlinburg aquarium’s sister attraction, Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, ranked #4 on the same TripAdvisor.com’s list. www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com

“Lethal Weapons” at Ripley’s Aquarium  Myrtle Beach: This innovative and fascinating new exhibit features dozens of the most shocking and deadly creatures of the sea along with a host of hands-on interactive displays. “Lethal Weapons” takes visitors beyond the traditional jaws and maws survival story to discover some of the most dangerous animals on earth, exploring their daily struggle for survival in the deadly environment that exists in the sea. For millenniums the sea has evoked the serene harmony of nature, but beneath this placid exterior, there’s a war going on. The sea is a battlefield. To survive, every living creature is engaged in an ever-escalating arms race. The stakes are huge for each critter: life or death; survival or extinction.  The show, created specifically for Ripley’s Aquarium, is free with admission and will be on display throughout 2010. www.ripleysquarium.com

The best for families in Canada: TripAdvisor has named Niagara Falls’ Great Wolf Lodge as the #1 place to stay in Canada in the category of “Best for Families.” The Travelers’ Choice Awards are the only awards for accommodation that are based on the reviews and opinions collected from millions of travelers. This award adds to a growing collection of accolades recognizing Great Wolf Lodge as a leader in family travel in Canada’s Tourism Industry. In November, the 406-room, all suites Great Wolf Lodge also received the Delta Hotels & Resorts New Business of the Year Award presented by the Tourism Industry of Canada. Great Wolf Lodge, wholly owned by Ripley Entertainment Inc., goes above and beyond family expectations by providing exceptional service and endless event options. With the waterpark’s 13 slides, wave pool and lazy river, themed kids’ suites, an Aveda Spa,  Scooops Kid Spa, Northern Lights Arcade, two restaurants, miniature golf and a world class gift shop, guests can choose from a variety of fun-filled activities to enjoy as individuals or as a family. http://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/waterpark

These are not your grandfather’s mirror mazes! The Marvelous Mirror Maze is a totally new concept in amusement design that provides a different experience every time you enter. Featuring nearly 2,000 square feet of mirrored paths, surprising corners, dead ends and continuous circles, the sound and lighting effects make the experience even more daunting. Unlike mazes of the past, this one offers multiple paths throughout and adventurers can begin at the end and work their way through backward if they wish. Made entirely of highly reflective mirrors, guests can take their time as they explore endless hallways and hundreds of mirrors as they journey through the adventure. Ripley’s Marvelous Mazes can be found in: Grand Prairie, Texas; Gatlinburg, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, SC; London, England; Bangalore, India; Ocean City, Md.; El Paso, Texas; and San Francisco, Calif.

Playing INSIDE a video game: At Ripley’s new Impossible LaseRace, players step inside a laser-filled chamber and become part of the game as they jump, crawl, and straddle a gauntlet of laser lights.  The player’s mission is to beat the clock and reach the end without breaking a single laser beam. Imagine you’re a player. You walk up, scan your pre-paid ticket and head to the entrance. You enter the mysterious room through a revolving door that allows no light in with you. As you enter, the dark chamber pops to life, filled with brilliant green lasers streaming from the walls. Game time! You begin your journey, expertly navigating through the web of lasers, going over and under and avoiding them as quickly as possible to reach the end. There appears to be no way to get through without breaking a beam. With so many choices ahead of you- it is never the same experience twice. Impossible LaseRace games are in Grand Prairie, Texas; New York City; and Ocean City, Md.

Mysterious Fertility Statues on Tour: Ripley’s world famous Fertility Statues are now on a world tour, stopping at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums throughout the world. Since 1995, more than 2,000 women have told us they have gotten pregnant shortly after touching the beautiful carved statues from the Ivory Coast of Africa.

License to Scare – Year-Round: Ripley’s high-tech Haunted Adventures takes haunting to a new level. Live actors in multi-million dollar environments are trained to scare the bejeebees out of everyone! Each facility has several highly themed rooms, an extensive storyline, props and themes. The first one opened in Gatlinburg in 1999 and Myrtle Beach opened its creaky doors in 2001. San Antonio premiered in 2002, across from the Alamo.

 WOW architecture? No matter what you call it – eclectic, bizarre, vernacular, or just plain downright amusing – there’s a building in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! family that fits the bill. Whether it’s a sinking ship in Panama City Beach, Fla. with 4-story tall smoking smokestack, a toppled skyscraper (with gorilla and hovering helicopter) in Niagara Falls, a sinkhole eating the building in Orlando, a boardwalk building with a shark slicing through it or a building falling apart due to the largest earthquake on record in Branson, Mo., the quirkiness of Ripley shines through even BEFORE one enters the odditoriums.