WATCH: Man builds backyard Disney-style theme park for grandkids
Children and amusement parks go hand in hand, and for five lucky youngsters, they get to experience all the excitement whenever they please—minus the long lines.
A 68-year-old man from Fullerton, California, was inspired to create his own theme park from scratch so that his grandchildren would always want to pay him a visit.
Steve Dobbs came up with the idea to build his own version of “Disneyland” in his backyard, after seeing his grandkids get easily bored with a train toy that he got them to play with during their visits.
“My younger grandkids are nuts about Disneyland,” Hobbs, a former aerospace engineer, was quoted as saying in a report in The Huffington Post. “I wanted to give them a reason to come over to my house to spend time with me, and Disneyland is tough to compete with.”
His first attraction was the iconic “Small World” ride, which eventually grew over time.
The miniature theme park, named “Dobbsland,” has princesses, castles, trains and tunnels similar to those in Disneyland Park, which just happens to be not too far from the Fullerton home.
Now that his grandchildren are getting older, Dobbs made sure to provide them with the ultimate theme park experience—a miniature roller coaster.
He also recently added two new attractions, inspired by Disney movie favorites “Finding Nemo” and “Frozen.”
Meanwhile, the grandfather of five, who is a professor at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, admitted that he needed help from some of his students to build the place.
All in all, the theme park reportedly set him back a total of $6,500 (P305,795), but Dobbs said each penny was well spent.
“It’s an old man’s hobby,” he said.
Dobbs’ daughter Cory Linder also expressed her delight with her pop’s backyard project.
“Dobbsland might be miniature in size, but it’s huge in the hearts of our family and friends,” she wrote in her personal blog. “The best part about Dobbsland? Admission is absolutely free.” Khristian Ibarrola
