Tampa Bay Devil Rays sponsor innovative indoor play area

May 4, 2011

"We have a Looney Tunes play area, sponsored by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in an incredibly vibrant marketplace."

Goldberg is referring to the new Looney Tunes play area at International Plaza and Bay Street in Tampa, FL. It generates a lot of excitement among children, parents, retailers, and even professional baseball players. The play area is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and looks like Tropicana Field where the team plays.

This is the third Looney Tunes play area that Taubman has installed since their alliance with Warner Bros. Consumer Products began in 2005. Goldberg says that the play area offers the ideal venue to attract the family audience that the Devil Rays seek.

"The visual excitement goes well beyond the play pieces," he explains. "It's exciting just to walk up and see a stadium in the middle of the mall! There's a full scoreboard with video motion and Devil Rays messaging."

He says that sound chips in the characters and other play pieces add to the "ambiance of a ball park," including cheering fans and the crack of a bat.

The play area was designed, manufactured and installed by PLAYTIME, LLC.
Goldberg says that he believes this is "the next generation of play areas."

"Increasingly more companies are looking for sponsorship opportunities in malls," he says. "We took existing space and made it more desirable to the customer."

"We hit the ball out of the park on this one!"

LOONEY TUNES and all related characters and elements are trademarks of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.