Miracle Workers

It all started in 1927.

It was the same year that Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs to set the Major League record for a season. It was the same year that the first movie to incorporate sound, The Jazz Singer, was released. It was the same year that Charles Lindbergh made the first solo transatlantic flight, from New York City to Paris.

It was also the year that the Miracle Whirl (was patented and the history of Miracle Recreation Equipment Company began.

Since that time, three different men have held the home run record Babe Ruth set in 1927, there have been thousands of movies made in full stereo and transatlantic flights happen every day, many times.

But one thing that hasn't changed is the dedication of Miracle to serve the children of the world. The same needs that drove the creation of the Miracle Whirl continue to drive the people at Miracle to create safe, innovative and fun play equipment for the children of the world.

Miracle actually became a company in 1949, as a division of Ahrens Manufacturing. In 1970, Miracle merged with the Los Angeles-based Jamison, Inc., and now Miracle is a division of PlayPower, Inc.

But although the face of the company may have changed, the principles behind the company have stayed intact for nearly 75 years.

"Miracle leads the playground industry with comprehensive manufacturing, design, and service, with a continuing philosophy of creating safe, fun, innovative playgrounds for children of all ages and abilities," said Mark Burgess, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Miracle Recreation.

As one of the oldest play equipment manufacturers in the industry, Miracle has been a leader in a variety of areas in the playground industry. From adding computer-assisted design innovations to finding ways to improve on raw materials that are used, Miracle is among the leaders in the entire playground process. From design to manufacturing to shipping, Miracle makes it possible to have a wonderful playground.

"Miracle's dedication to safety, quality, compliance, accessibility, and fun is reflected in the diligence of our worldwide network of Miracle consultants, who offer expert guidance and assistance of all kinds to our customers during the process of planning, designing, building, and maintaining playgrounds," Burgess said. "We exercise creativity and a commitment to the needs of children's development when we develop innovations in products and services every day."

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Having the right priorities is also a necessary key to success for the Missouri-based company. Miracle's number one focus in all areas is the child.

"Of course, we always have the kids' needs in mind, and from their point of view, fun is the element that makes going to the playground worthwhile," Burgess said. "Our designs and our attitude reflect that inherent need for children to enjoy play."

But creating a fun exciting, and challenging playground is often hard to balance when considering another key element in play-equipment design, manufacturing, and installation: safety.

Miracle's commitment to finding the right balance between exciting and challenging playgrounds and playgrounds that are safe for a child to play on is second to none.

"Safety always comes first, and our attention to this most important factor constitutes our most exhaustive efforts throughout our development and manufacturing process," Burgess said.

But Burgess admits that finding the right balance between safe playgrounds and challenging playgrounds that children will come to again and again is a challenge.

"Children have some very clear needs at different stages of development, and we set out to meet those needs- physical, social and psychological in every piece of play equipment we design," Burgess said. " Different ages require different challenges, so it's essential to keep the playground users' ages, skills, and needs in mind throughout the process.

" It's from that attention to developmental progress, as well as compliance with industry guidelines, that the appropriate balance between challenging fun and safety arises."

And those industry standards and guidelines are there much to the effort of the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) of which Miracle is one of the founding members. Membership in IPEMA is just one of many ways that Miracle is attempting to make a difference on playgrounds everywhere.

And as the playground industry continues to grow and evolve, Miracle will be there leading the way into the future.

"The public will continue to demand park and play equipment that is as safe, durable, and as accessible possible,” Burgess said. "The industry will respond with ever-better products and services to make that happen."

Burgess says that although the future will be full of continuing innovations and new design ideas, it will be the principles that Miracle was founded on that will enable the company to remain successful.

"Miracle will continue to serve the needs of our worldwide base of customers with park and play equipment that is safe, fun, innovative, durable, and accessible," he said. "And we'll keep letting our imaginations take us into the minds of children and the experiences they need in order to enjoy, learn from, and grow with the play equipment we provide.

"The way we do business will continue to evolve, but even at that, it's important to remember that kids will be kids. They're our reason for being. We must do everything in our power to make their play experiences safe and rewarding."