Discovery Zone
Family entertainment center chain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Discovery Zone (DZ) was an American chain of entertainment facilities featuring games and elaborate indoor mazes designed for young children, including roller slides, climbing play structures, and ball pits. It also featured arcade games. A talking robot character named Z-Bop served as mascot to the chain. Ronald Matsch, Jim Jorgensen and Dr. David Schoenstadt founded Discovery Zone in 1989, with the first location opening in Kansas City, Missouri, in October 1989. An early investor in and vocal supporter of the company was tennis player Billie Jean King.[1]
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) |
Company type | Public (1993-1997) Private (1997-2001) |
---|---|
Nasdaq: DZ | |
Industry | Fast food and entertainment |
Founded | October 1989; 34 years ago (1989-10) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Founder | Ronald Matsch Jim Jorgensen Dr. David Schoenstadt |
Defunct | December 2001; 22 years ago (December 2001) |
Fate | Bankruptcy and liquidation |
Successor | Chuck E. Cheese |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Family entertainment centers |
Owner | Independent (1989–1995) Blockbuster Video (1995–1997) Wellspring Associates LLC (1997-2001) |
Discovery Zone was also notable for being the first corporate sponsor of the PBS children’s program "Barney & Friends" and Sesame Street.
In 2020, a new center using the Discovery Zone name opened in the Cincinnati suburb of Union Township, Ohio at the Eastgate Mall; it is not affiliated with the original company, but is heavily inspired by it.[2] A second location was added in Florence, Kentucky, at the Florence Mall on July 23, 2021.