Gifts and souvenirs from a visit to a park have always been a big part
of the fun, with parks offering an array of souvenirs from cheap
trinkets to more expensive collectibles. Often the same shop sells a
wide variety of these kinds of gifts together to try and appeal to the
widest variety of guests.
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When Great
Adventure's main entrance was relocated to the Fountain area in 1976,
new gift shops were constructed as part of the current entry plaza. The
original Four Tents shops along with almost all of the other
stores in the park were all located on one side of the park, leaving no real shopping
opportunities on
the opposite end of the park with the Big Wheel. This area was becoming the focus of
new development with additions like Lightnin' Loops and Roaring Rapids.
To help balance the availability of merchandise in the park, Enchanted
Forest Gifts was
constructed in 1979. |
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ENCHANTED FOREST GIFTS
NAMES THROUGH THE YEARS
1979-1984 Enchanted Forest Gifts
1985-1993 Tweety Twadin' Post
1994-1998 Fantasy Gifts & Apparel
1999-2004 Totally Tweety
2005-2006 Totally Toddler
2007 Tweety and Friends
2008 Six Flags Friends
2009-2010 Big Wheel Deals
2011-Present
(Standing but not open)
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Over the ensuing seasons
Enchanted Forest Gifts often changed names as well as the selection of
merchandise available. Stock ran the gamut from high end gifts, to teen
oriented items, to kids clothing and toys. Eventually, the shop
would become a clearance store for
discontinued styles of merchandise.
When the Looney Tunes characters were incorporated into the parks in the
mid-80s, the store
became one of the prime locations for Looney Tunes items taking on the
name Tweety Twadin' Post in 1985. |
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During the era of Time Warner's
ownership of Six Flags Theme Parks, great efforts were taken to bring
thematic elements into the parks, as well as cross promoting the Time
Warner family of companies and brands. In the mid '90s Enchanted
Forest Gifts was once to be rebranded as Six Flags Gifts, but instead
the number of stores at the park's entrance was expanded. As a
result, the Enchanted Forest Gifts shop was converted into an upscale
locale known as Fantasy Forest Gifts and Apparel. |
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The exterior and
interior of the store were remodeled to reflect the style of the
neighboring Gingerbread Fancy Restaurant which was also being rethemed as Granny Fried Chicken. The
colors and the window details were direct reflections of the style of
the existing building.
A 1999 makeover of the
store resulted in another complete remodel of the interior bringing with
it Sylvester
and Tweety themed elements and fixtures as the shop became Totally
Tweety. Six years later the shop would once again be renamed and
rebranded, this time to Totally Todder. |
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In 2007, Tweety
returned and took up residence in the store as it became Tweety &
Friends
broadening the selection of merchandise sold.
Next in 2008 the store took
on the name Six Flags Friends as new
Six Flags management looked to
rebrand the company trying to revitalize the park and turn around the
companies fortunes. Six Flags Friends was the name of the charitable
foundation created by the company. |
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One year later in
2009, the store changed its
name again as it was repainted and became Big
Wheel Deals which was a clearance outlet for old and discontinued
merchandise. Things that had been sold in the Super Teepee shop and
other shops around the park were brought here to sell at discounted
prices. Merchandise for removed rides often ended up here being sold
after the ride was relegated to history.
After the 2010
season, Big Wheel Deals was closed and the shop has remained closed since, serving as a
storage facility and a place to mount billboards in the newly revamped
Adventure Alley section of the park. Hopefully someday this
quaint little store located on one of the park's most traveled walkways
will reopen and offer guests an opportunity to once again take in some
shopping near the base of the Big Wheel. |
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