A Themed Attraction for Thomas & Friends or Fireman Sam? - Finnish Lappset to Design & Build Branded Activity Attractions for HIT Entertainment

ROVANIEMI, Finland, September 30, 2014/PRNewswire/ - Lappset has been appointed by HIT Entertainment, one of the world's leading entertainment companies and subsidiary of Mattel Inc., as its preferred partner for the design and build of branded activity attractions. For Lappset, this is in line with its vision to expand its brand experiences and activate children to move and learn in a playful way.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140930/708986-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140930/708986-b)

The agreement encompasses HIT Entertainment brands; Thomas & Friends, Mike the Knight, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Barney and Pingu, and allows Lappset to work with HIT's attractions partners to design and build branded activity attractions based on the characters, throughout Europe, Middle East and North Africa regions.

David King, Group Director EMEA, Hit Entertainment;

"We are very pleased to be working with Lappset, as we believe that together we can build much more exciting and engaging play environments for our customers. Lappset understands the importance of active-play, and their skillset in bringing brands to life in physical environments means that they are a strong partner for us."

For Lappset Group this opens a huge opportunity to design and build new interactive activity attractions for the best known classic children's brands, such as Thomas & Friends, which has been much loved for decades.

Johan Granholm, Director of Lappset Creative, confirms;

"Today, parents in many countries are worried about the physical health of children. Children play and learn through physical experiences and we believe that with branded  activity attractions, especially where children are interacting with and are inspired by characters that they recognize from their favourite TV shows or books, this really has an impact. In contrast to traditional amusement parks, interactive activity attractions focus on physical activity which the children actively participate in themselves and which is fun for all the family.

"Our track record of designing and delivering branded attractions for children and youth audiences is already strong, but together with HIT Entertainment we believe we can now take this to new levels."

Lappset Group Ltd

Lappset Group Ltd is a family-owned private company and one of the world's leading enterprises of design and manufacture of themed attractions. During the past years, Lappset Creative has designed, manufactured and installed several large indoor and outdoor themed attraction facilities in a variety of countries. Established in 1970, the Group has an extensive experience in creating and providing playful learning, play and exercise environments to people of all ages. Located in the north of Finland, Finnish Lapland, the Group has manufacturing facilities in three different countries, an international network of subsidiaries in 7 different countries and a distributor network extending to more than 50 countries worldwide. Lappset Group Ltd has been awarded with several international design recognitions during its existence. For more information visit: http://www.lappsetcreative.fi

HIT Entertainment

HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading pre-school entertainment companies, specialising in building powerful brands based on engaging stories. HIT Entertainment's world-class portfolio includes Thomas & Friends®, Mike the Knight™, Fireman Sam®, Bob the Builder™, Barney®, Angelina Ballerina®, Pingu® and Rainbow Magic®.

HIT Entertainment excels at creating and building globally successful brands, which capture the hearts and imaginations of pre-schoolers and their families. This is achieved through exceptional storytelling in multiple formats, enhanced by creating high quality character-based products and experiences with best-in-class partners. HIT Entertainment's lines of business span television and home entertainment production, content distribution, digital media and live events and attractions.  HIT Entertainment, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. For more information visit http://www.hitentertainment.com.

Source: Lappset

CONTACT:

Johan Granholm

Director of Lappset Creative

phone: +358-40-532-4183

e-mail: johan.granholm@lappset.com