Product Code Database
Theming is the use of an overarching theme to create a holistic and integrated spatial organization of a consumer venue. A theme is a unifying or dominant idea or motif on which any new construction idea, new style generation, any product is designed. It is the process of designing and constructing an object or space so that the particular subject or idea on which the style of something is based is made clear through the “synthesis of recognizable symbols with spatial forms.”
Theming is applied to an environment in order to create a memorable and meaningful experience for individuals or groups that visit the space, and can be expressed through the use of architecture, decor, signage, music and sound design, costuming, integrated technology, special effects, and other techniques. Theming is increasingly used to create physical spaces for "experiential marketing,” in which consumers can connect and interact with a brand. Experiential Marketing, Defined — and Examples to Inspire You. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
Historically, most large-scale themed environments were primarily designed for entertainment, so the industry that creates these venues is known as themed entertainment. Examples include theme parks, water parks, museums, zoos, visitor centers, casinos, theme restaurants, and resorts. About Us. Themed Entertainment Association. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Theming is also increasingly used on smaller scale projects, including parties and product launches, to make these events more impactful.
Common themes include holidays (such as Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day), historical eras (such as the medieval period and the American frontier), cultures (such as Ancient Greece and Polynesian culture), and literary genres (such as fantasy and science fiction).
Themed dining can also trace its roots to the late 1800s. In the 1890s, at least three different elaborately themed nightclubs were operating Paris, using themes of death, hell, and heaven. The awesomely insane Heaven and Hell nightclubs of 1890s Paris. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Soon after, in response to growing automobile usage, theming was applied to roadside architecture in the United States, and buildings themselves became advertisements aimed at passing motorists. The weird roadside architecture of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Beginning in the 1920s, a number of novelty architecture buildings were constructed in and around Hollywood, including the famous Brown Derby restaurants and Bulldog Cafe. Bulldog Café, 1153 West Washington Blvd, opened 1928. Retrieved 2018-03-02. At the same time, the popular Egyptian Revival movement saw a range of buildings themed to Ancient Egypt, including everything from apartments to Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. Dozens of so-called “programmatic” or “mimetic” style structures were built in the Los Angeles area in the interwar years of 1918–1941, many of them restaurants, including buildings shaped like animals, food, and vehicles. Early Los Angeles Programmatic-Style Buildings. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
The forerunners to today’s themed mega-resorts were the El Rancho Vegas, opened in 1941, and the Last Frontier, opened in 1942, the first two properties on the Las Vegas Strip, both with Wild West themes. They were followed by even more elaborately themed hotels, including Caesars Palace in 1966 and Circus Circus in 1968.
The term “theme park” came into use circa 1960, likely to describe the many parks built across the United States and around the world following the successful opening of Disneyland in 1955. Though arguably not the first theme park, Disneyland was the first amusement park to combine multiple named areas (“lands”) with different themes. Theme parks have followed this pattern ever since, including some that have explicitly copied Disneyland’s design. 5 Disneyland Knockoffs From Around the World. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
Theming has also been applied to retail environments. The advent of mass production led to the creation of large department stores in Europe in the late Nineteenth Century, and in an early example of theming, many used elaborate displays and windows to attract shoppers. The Origin and Development of Markets: A Business History Perspective. Retrieved 2018-03-02. In the 1980s, Banana Republic reinforced its brand as a travel and safari clothing company by theming its stores with Jeeps and jungle foliage. Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion, It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Beginning in 1987, the Disney Store chain used theming to popularize the idea of “retail-tainment,” creating a new category of entertainment stores, later copied by competitors. New Theme Player. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Today, as a response to the growth of online shopping, both individual stores and entire retail complexes like malls are turning to theming to attract customers to physical locations. Themed Retail: To Theme Or Not To Theme. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
Also in 1997, the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal presented The Architecture of Reassurance: Designing the Disney Theme Parks, the first exhibition of some 350 objects from the archives of Walt Disney Imagineering, including plans, drawings, paintings and models for the Disney theme parks and their attractions. Professor Karal Ann Marling curated the exhibit and wrote the principal essay for the accompanying 224 page book, which also included essays by Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar, historian Neil Harris, art historian Erika Doss, geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, and critic Greil Marcus, as well as an interview with architect Frank Gehry. CCA to Examine the Building of a Modern Myth, in The Architecture of Reassurance: Designing the Disney Theme Parks. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
Author Scott A. Lukas has written and edited numerous books and articles on themed entertainment, including his first, The Themed Space: Locating Culture, Nation, and Self, published in 2007. He teaches on the subject of theme parks and themed spaces, video games, popular film, and various forms of popular culture and remaking. Bio. Scott A. Lukas. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
In 2010, Dean Peter Weishar and Professor George Head began work on a themed entertainment design program at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia. In the fall of 2012, the SCAD School of Film, Digital Media and Performing Arts separated into two schools: the School of Digital Media and the School of Entertainment Arts, which began offering the nation’s first M.F.A. in themed entertainment design. Peter Weishar went on to create the Themed Experience Institute program at Florida State University. TEA Advantage: Peter Weishar, themed entertainment academic pioneer. Retrieved 2018-03-02. SCAD to offer the first M.F.A. in themed entertainment design. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
Noted author Ray Bradbury responded with a letter to the editor, published three years later, titled Not Child Enough:
Another notable criticism of theming, again targeting Disneyland and its guests, can be found in French sociologist Jean Baudrillard’s 1981 treatise Simulacra and Simulation:
Along with Baudrillard, the Italian writer Umberto Eco helped develop the idea of “hyperreality,” or the world of "the Absolute Fake," in which imitations don't merely reproduce reality, but try to improve on it. Traveling Through Hyperreality With Umberto Eco. Retrieved 2018-03-02. Eco traveled to tourist attractions across the United States and wrote frequently about "America's obsession with simulacra and counterfeit reality.”
More recently, concerns have been raised about theming’s role in influencing consumers, sometimes subconsciously, as part of experiential retailing or “shoppertainment.” Kim Einhorm, director of Theme Traders, points out that “theming becomes an invisible form of branding.” Indeed, because theming has become such a commonplace aspect of so many people’s everyday lives, the public is often unwilling or unable to effectively understand its consequences. Some have even argued that the growth of experiential marketing is contributing to a degraded quality of life by eliminating “contemplative time.” Antonella Carù and Bernard Cova, “A Critical Approach To Experiential Consumption: Fighting Against The Disappearance Of The Contemplative Time”. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
The Themed Entertainment Association was founded in 1991 to organize small businesses in the industry. Today it has some 1,300 members, and divisions around the world. It hosts annual conferences and presents awards to individuals, parks, attractions, exhibits, and experiences.
A number of former employees of Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney’s in-house design and construction subsidiary, went on to form their own themed entertainment companies, some of which later collaborated with Disney on theme park projects. Gary Goddard left Imagineering to start what became the Goddard Group, now known as Legacy | GGE. Bill Novey oversaw the special effects for Epcot Center and Tokyo Disneyland before leaving to start Art & Technology, Inc. Bob Rogers left to found BRC Imagination Arts. Bran Ferren founded Associates & Ferren, which was acquired by Disney in 1993. Ferren eventually left Disney to start another company, Applied Minds, LLC. Phil Hettema worked for both Disney and Universal Creative before starting The Hettema Group.
Other companies serve organizations and individuals looking to incorporate theming into offices, product launch events, and even parties. Theme Traders is a London-based event theming company that serves this niche.
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