If You Can Dream It, We Can Theme It
That's not just a tagline at Wacky World Studios — it's a working description of what they actually do. Since 1997, this Florida-based studio has been turning ordinary spaces into immersive, imagination-fueled environments designed specifically for kids. And while their roots are in indoor play, the underlying truth they've built their business around is that anything can be themed — indoors or out.
The portfolio reads like proof of concept. They've transformed an MRI machine into a sandcastle (see photo's tab), turning a piece of intimidating medical equipment into something a kid actually wants to climb into. They've turned a children's church space into a fully realized spaceship. And that beach-themed MRI? It can tie seamlessly into the outdoor playground at the same children's hospital — because for Wacky World, the line between indoor and outdoor themed play is one they're happy to erase. The same imagination that builds a spaceship inside a church can send the playground outside it into orbit too.
What makes the work distinctive isn't just the creativity — it's that every project is built from scratch. Wacky World doesn't sell catalog packages. Their in-house team includes artists, scenic carpenters, welders, sculptors, and painters, and every environment is designed and fabricated together as a cohesive experience. Their four-phase process — Discover, Define, Fabricate, Experience — moves a project from concept to opening day with a designer involved at every step.
They also recognize that not every client has the budget for a full custom build. So alongside their flagship design-build work, they offer Express Murals (enter your dimensions, order online) and a separate DIY shop with mural kits, scrolls, banners, and posters. The Wacky World art, scaled to the project.
For Parks and Recreation professionals specifically, the studio has built out a dedicated learning track inside their educational hub. Wacky University is a deep library of articles on themed environment design, and the Parks and Recreation track zeroes in on what municipal recreation teams need to know about bringing immersive theming to outdoor playgrounds, splash pads, community centers, and parks.
In 2020, Wacky World Studios became part of the PlayCore family of brands — joining a network already familiar to readers of Playground Professionals, and giving the studio access to PlayCore's research arm, Center for Outreach, Research, and Education (CORE), to inform their work with evidence-based design.
The mission, in their own words, is simple: Create Joy. Whether that means turning an exam room into an undersea adventure or sending a children's ministry into deep space — or extending either of those themes out into the playground next door — Wacky World Studios is the team to call.
