Bankrupt - Discovery Zone

Standing as a multi franchise icon of so many children of the 90’s, Discovery Zone quickly grew from its humble beginning in 1989. Soon, the entertainment centres with a fitness twist expanded across North America with will over 300 locations. They took on McDonalds and the giant, Chuck E Cheese with success. However it was short lived as their fall from grace was almost just as quick as their rise. Join me as I found out why this was and how Discovery Zone ultimately went Bankrupt.

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BrightSunFilms 2021

Presented in 4K

[larrywt]

It never ceases to amaze me how companies can come up with really solid ideas and then mis-manage them right into the ground.

[NikateeN]

I grew up poor as dirt and rarely got to experience places like this, but I did have a friend who’s family was well off and every time I spent the night at his house his parents would take us to DZ. it was always incredible!

[seanmcmanus]

Audience: "say the line, jake"
Jake: "chapter 11 bankruptcy"

[driley]

My local DZ was in a strip mall, and I drove by in my teenage years roughly ten years after it closed. Through some tears in the paper covering the inside of the windows, you could see glimpses of the playground and other architecture still in there. Like it was frozen in 1999. It made me want to cry.

[AntoineMalveaux]

I can't put into words how much I loved going to Discovery Zone back in the day. It was fantastic, you got to eat pizza/have an awesome adventure. Man, I miss the 90s.

[Jarekthegamingdragon]

Man, I remember discovery zone and thought about it all the time but I never knew the name! I was a kid in the 90's so I just remember how fun the place was then never knew why we suddenly stopped going.

[d.e.belton]

I was a huge fan of Discovery Zone when I was a kid. Something about their play areas seemed far more vast and engaging than the ones as competitors. As a kid it felt like you could get lost in there like it was it's own little world and I really dug that. Me and my cousin have lasting marks on our bodies from an outing at one when we were kids, where we both were running around opposite sides of one outer corner of the main play structure, didn't see each other, and cracked heads. I have a scar in the middle of my left eyebrow and he has one right the edge of his hairline. Hair doesn't grow on either of them so we both have these little cosmetic marks tied to each other and the memory of that place. Fun stuff.

[patrickconrad]

People can debate which decade was best to be a teen/young adult.. but there is just no question that the 90s was the best decade to be a kid

[trisaratops]

I continued to be devastated by this as an adult. This place was my absolute favorite when I was a kid. I miss it so much 😭😭

[izzatihassan]

I love how Bright Sun went from "failing theme parks" to "bankrupt big brands". I look forward to the next one!

[travisbost]

I miss DZ when I was a kid I used to pretend that the playground is my version of Legends of the Hidden Temple.

[Reiderreiter]

As a 90’s kid, this cuts so deep into my nostalgia for that time. If you or one of your friends were having a party at DZ (where kids wanna be!), there was nothing better. It was a Top 5 day of the year no matter what.

[Jazzy_Waffles]

This one hits home. Growing up in St. Louis, and Discovery Zone was THEE place to go. Almost every kid in my 1st grade class wanted to hold their birthday there. My dad brought him giant cam corder there and I love watching old footage of that place. Lots of memories.

Thanks for making this video!

[Christopher-N]

I've always wondered about businesses like Discovery Zone. Idealistically, everyone has a great time. Realistically, I wonder what the staff must go through to nightly sanitize the play area, and what a nightmare cleaning up a bio contamination must have been. I'm surprised these businesses got off the ground at all.

[RyokoAsakuraLastFan]

I think this was the first closer to ever effect me, I remember it so clearly.

Our Discovery Zone was massive, The Play area stood atleast 3 stories tale, if not four with a Rope area connecting the two sides (One side was multiple slides, tubes and ball pits, the other was a multi story maze with revolving walls). All my friends, and my niece had there birthdays here....

...Then my parents finally could afford it for my birthday when I was only in 1st grade. Then when we arrived early, we saw a note on the door, about it being permanently closed...

[jackiegraham]

One of the best days of my childhood was spent at Discovery zone. Man! The memories

[menarenotwomen]

4:32 that blue pyramid was called the “mountain climb”. I am not lying it exaggerating in any way. In 1994 when I was 4 years old, I was at my friend’s birthday party at DZ and on the mountain climb I had my left index finger ripped off from the second knuckle up due to faulty equipment. My dad told me all that follows, as I was only 4 and only remember a few bits and pieces. DZ refused to let my dad use the phone to call 911 due to no manager being present. They also didn’t have a first aid kit for use. Luckily one person had a cell phone (as it was 1994) and they called 911 and Dallas FD showed up and said without the other half of my finger, they couldn’t transport me, but only bandage it and my dad take me himself.

[KMO]

Discovery Zone was such a big part of my childhood—amazing how short a time they actually lasted.

[jestucker]

The Jorgeson's house, in Leawood, Kansas was amazing. His Discovery Zone concept was really done for his love for his family.
I worked for the company that serviced their swimming pool and hot tub. There were tunnels, roller slides, ball pits... all throughout the house. Secret walls that moved, you could go from the kids bedrooms upstairs, through a tunnel through the attic, down a slide, and end up in a ball pit in the basement, it was freaking awesome and they loved showing it off to people.

[cheesecakexmod]

My local Discovery Zone is still a indoor children’s entertainment center, has most if not all of the original DZ playground, some decor etc. It’s branded as an Dandy Bear, it’s a one of one, locally own, located here in Miami FL.