"This is where reality ends," intones an artful codger togged up as old Father Time. Indeed, for the visitors he greets, the mundane is exorcised for a few hours by a free-form fantasia of mummers, monsters and midgets, pirouetting puppets and Barnum spoofery. All this is encased in The World of Sid & Marty Krofft, a spectacular amusement center that opened last week in Atlanta.
In the 20 years since Walt begat Disneyland, "theme parks" have become a staple of the American family vacation. Their diversions range from reconstituted Old World Gemütlichkeit (as in the six European hamlets at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.) to a simulated parachute jump (Six Flags over Texas, Dallas). Attractive as many of them are, the parks are generally located a long way from anywhere, take at least a day to "do," and can cost a prince's purse for tickets, meals and a room at the inn. The Krofft brothers' answer: bring the theme park downtown and put a roof on it. Their World, built for $14 million (v. $300 million for Disney World), occupies eight stories inside Atlanta's new $70 million Omni International "mega-structure." It takes only three to four hours to savor, costs $4.25 per kid ($5.75 for adults) and, thanks to an advance reservation system, involves a minimum of waiting in lines, the bane of most theme parks. Since it is indoors, it will be open year round, days and evenings.
Renaissance Midway. With Omni's 470-room hotel, a skating rink, six movie theaters, two office buildings, worthy restaurants and elegant stores, all adjoining a sports coliseum and a convention center—Kroffts' World will go far toward revitalizing a once decrepit section Atlantans remember as Railroad Gulch. One million visitors are expected its first year.
Their park, the brothers insist, is "no substitute baby sitter"—it was designed to amuse adults as much as children.
At the entrance, 14 floors up a 205-ft. escalator to the World's glass roof, the visitor is greeted by two huge sculptured mimes and two living counterparts who bow a welcome. Next comes a "Renaissance Midway," lined with circus wagons exhibiting such Krofftian put-ons as the Fat Lady, who turns out to be a performer garbed as a super-porker, and the Tattooed Lady, who is costumed as the world's only sexy rhino. Melody pours from a marvel designed by one Nick O'Lodeon, which features 29 instruments. A belly dancer gyrates, jugglers toss balls, and minstrels stroll. On the next level is a nonstop vaudeville show and a sparkling crystal carousel filled with dolphins, Pegasi, centaurs, griffins and a 3,500-lb. whale.