New carpets give Fudazzle a new look (and fresher smell)
Fundazzle, the indoor play warehouse that has anchored the southeast corner of Gongti for over a decade, has undergone a bit of a facelift, with a new coat of paint, new carpets and a general sprucing up for 2011.
One can only hope they’ve attempted to wash a decade of toddler slobber off the plastic orbs in the ball pool
With more distractions than a toddler can handle, Fundazzle is a great default option for the 2- to 10-year-old set on the myriad days in the capital city that are plagued by excessive heat, numbing cold, apocalyptic dust storms or lung-fouling air pollution.
Warning to overprotective parents: children are known to disappear for extended periods into the massive jungle gym
A massive jungle gym anchors the area, with perhaps the largest plastic ball pool in China in the back and a segregated area filled with play equipment for those under 1 meter tall in front.
Stools line the mezzanine for laid-back parents to relax and observe from afar
Private rooms for birthday parties line the edges of the room, and perhaps the biggest stroke of genius for a place like this is a line of stools for parents to sit and observe their little ones without needing to be part of the action. Mats on the lower floor allow for parents to rest out of the way but a little closer to fragile or thirsty little ones.
Xiyangyang awaits atop the inflatable climbing wall
For additional charges there are video games, an inflatable climbing wall, a sand pit and a fishing pool.
A sea of balls: endless fun
The new paint and carpet are a much-needed refreshed look for this worn-out warehouse, though they’ve really only gone halfway to making the place a world-class attraction. Irritations remain — some of the equipment remains run-down and the reeking, the Mao-era bathrooms are a real detraction. Some of the staff have that state-owned enterprise attitude more suited to labor camp than fun center.
Plenty of fun away from roughhousing older kids can be had in the under 1 meter only area
Kudos to Fundazzle for not being rife with intellectual property rights violations by covering their walls with maudlin Mickey Mouses and distorted Donald Ducks; however they could do well to search out some mural painters that don’t appear to specialize in art for nightmare-inducing freakshow carnival attractions. To boot, I introduce you to some of the characters (names are my own) that peer down upon the frolicking masses:
Bobo, the clown with an anxiety disorder
Tranny, the banana-nosed monkey
Lucky, the dragon with irritable bowel syndrome
Hojo-tep, the cynical, overweight pharaoh
Darrel the assymetrical boy
Jitters, the horse that’s scared of children
Charles, the monkey with premature aging disorder
Brian, the cross-dressing caveman
Dali, the manic-depressive mutt
Plucky, the panic-attack prone duck
