Nickelodeon and Mall of America Set Date for Nickelodeon Universe's Grand Opening

Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' entertainment brand, and Mall of America, the country's largest shopping and entertainment destination, will officially welcome guests into the grand opening of Nickelodeon Universe, the Mall of America's new, re-branded theme park, on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Construction is well underway on several of the new Nickelodeon-themed rides that will be added to the seven-acre indoor theme park including: the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge; Avatar Airbender; and Splat-O-Sphere. Nickelodeon Universe marks the first-ever Nickelodeon theme park in the world.

The two new roller coasters, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge and Avatar Airbender, are the first of their kind to be built inside a mall and completely indoors. SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge will offer unique vertical lifts, spirals and 90-degree turns screeching to a halt at the Bikini Bottom Bus Stop. The Avatar Airbender ride will reach heights of up to 70 feet. The new roller coasters consist of 45-tons of reinforcement steel, 8-tons of structural steel and 4,000 cubic yards of concrete.

Construction on the Splat-O-Sphere, a radical thrill ride that launches riders almost 60 feet high and then sends them down again at rocket speed, is also nearing completion.

During the construction period, the amusement park, current attractions and rides are currently open so Nickelodeon and The Park at MOA have launched a new visitor loyalty rewards program to those that visit through February: the "Nickelodeon Kids Construction Crew." Each ticket booth at the Park will distribute a yellow construction hat with the purchase of an unlimited wristband. Every time a guest returns to The Park through February, and purchases an unlimited wristband, he or she will receive a sticker to add to the hat. After collecting five stickers the guest will earn a certificate for a free, unlimited wristband good at Nickelodeon Universe when it opens on March 15.

More than 4,400 hours of labor from PCL Construction are already being put into Nickelodeon Universe to install the new, branded rides. Construction on Nickelodeon Universe is environmentally conscious, with nearly 85 percent of the construction demolition being recycled; totaling 2,179 tons of material or 5,000 cubic yards.

Nickelodeon Universe will feature new rides, live shows, attractions, retail, games and entertainment themed with top-ranking network properties including: SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Danny Phantom, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Backyardigans and many more. Daily meet-and-greets with Nick characters will also be a highlight when visiting Nickelodeon Universe. Nickelodeon will also establish its largest retail presence in the world at Mall of America, with a brand new Nick store occupying more than 4,000 square foot space, offering consumers items such as branded tee-shirts, souvenirs, novelties and more.

For more information, visit www.theparkatmoa.com.

SOURCE Nickelodeon