There are a couple of new attractions coming to the Fairy Tale Forest soon!
Firstly, a new talking tree (Babbelboom) will be installed in the forest between the Little Match Girl and the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Art by Robert-Jaap Jansen
This tree will speak directly to visitors in a similar way to the existing fairy tale tree, but the messages will be more personal. This works from the Efteling app, so visitors wishing to communicate with the tree will have to give permission on there first. I can’t wait to see it!
Another addition will be a whole new fairy tale! In fact, it will be the 30th fairy tale to be represented in the forest, with work starting on the construction this October, and the opening being in Autumn 2019. The Six Swans by the Brothers Grimm is what we have to look forward to, and it will be located between Snow White and Cinderella. A moat will surround the building, and small children will be able to take a ride on one of the six swans around the attraction, whilst larger guests can view a scene inside of the castle.
The Bridal Dress of Genoveva is not a fairy tale that springs to mind straight away when you think of Efteling, as you cannot always see it. That is because this fairy tale lives, in the form of a flock of multi-coloured birds.
Image from vijfzintuigen.nl
Well, not any more.
As from today, the birds will remain their natural white colour. The fairy tale is actually one of the original tales told in the park, opening back in 1952, when they decided to spray the pigeons in different colours. Part of the story includes the tower where the birds live, which is located behind the Snow White building. This could not always be clearly seen due to ivy, but after the recent renovation of Snow White, the ivy has been removed and it is much easier to see the birds flying in and out of their home.
Efteling have said in a Facebook comment that this change has nothing to do with how the birds were coloured, as that has always been done in a cruelty-free manner, but that they think that the white birds better represent the natural theme of the park. There have been comments online however, that questioned the dying of the birds for entertainment purposes.
To me, it isn’t necessarily a change for the better, as it was always fun to see the coloured birds, however I’m sure we can all learn to appreciate them in their natural form too!
Don’t know the story? Here it is:
Prince Arthur would marry the beautiful princess Genoveva.
Often the couple went out walking and then the prince said: “Look, the yellow of the buttercups and the blue of the cornflowers and ooh … That red of the poppies … All those beautiful colors should be in your wedding dress, dear Genoveva.” An old weaver lived in the land of Prince Arthur. Only she could make the princess’s wedding dress. Unfortunately, the old woman had become blind. “I can not help you prince, my hands can do it”, she said, “But … I can not see the colors anymore.”
The prince returned sadly to the palace and the old woman went to feed her pigeons. She cried with grief.
A wise owl heard of the story and said to the birds: “You know the colors right? Can not you do something back for the old woman? “The next day the old weaver was mourning at her loom. “Now I knew what green was,” she sighed, and immediately she felt that a little bit of hair pushed a strand of silk between her fingers. “And now the blue of the sky.” Together with all the birds, the woman worked on the carpet and shone with happiness. When the dress was ready, she let the prince come. He too was happy. “My bride will be the most beautiful in the country.” And the birds? They had been so busy with all the colors that their feathers had been colored.
After a lengthy refurbishment, the Flying Fakir has recently returned from his well earned rest, looking better than ever! Everything looks clean and new, and all of his tulips seem to be functioning correctly, unlike in past years. You have to just love Efteling for taking good care of what they have; after all, now you’d never know that the Fakir is 60 years old!
Another delightful piece of news (well I got excited about it!) is that there is a new Efteling CD available. New tracks include ‘welcome’ and ‘goodbye’, Efteling 65th anniversary (not sure how that one goes), and the music from Symbolica, which is a welcome addition. Add this one to the shopping list!
Little Red Riding Hood recently reopened after a very long refurbishment. In fact, it was more of a total rebuild! The new building is now up to modern safety standards, and looks refreshed and wonderful!
Roodkapje is getting a makeover! Well, her Grandmother’s house is.
The cottage which has stood in the forest since 1960 was constructed using wood, stone, cement and gauze, the same materials used to build the original Sleeping Beauty’s castle. In the 1980s, Sleeping Beauty’s castle was completely replaced, in the same way as Red Riding Hood’s cottage will be now. At the time it was reconstructed, Ton van de Ven took the opportunity to add the wicked fairy with her spinning wheel, as well as a few other details, thus ‘plussing’ the attraction.
The time has come for the Roodkapje building to comply with today’s standards, and it is being completely replaced using modern materials and techniques. Who knows, maybe there will be a little something added to it when it reopens?
Efteling has stated that fairy tales ‘remain the core’ of Efteling, and renovating these attractions which are already well established and loved shows the dedication that Efteling has to the oldest part of its park.
Hopefully Red Riding Hood is in a safe place while building work is carried out, since she is a favourite of local kidnappers!
Today was the day we’ve all been waiting for since…well, we’ve been waiting for what feels like a long time! Pinocchio finally opened to the public, yay! In true Efteling fashion, it’s looking good, and definitely has the ‘wow’ factor.
Located in the Fairy Tale Forest, Pinokkio can be found next to the Red Shoes fairy tale, where you could previously find Buccaneer Gijs. In fact, Buccaneer Gijs’ old home has been incorporated into this new story, housing the Fox and the Cat hiding in barrels, oh, and a seagull. To the right of these two characters you’ll find a very intimidating monster, Efteling’s version of Monstro!
Visitors are encouraged to make Monstro sneeze by pulling on a pole which has a feather attached to the other end. Then, he will open his mouth and you can see where Pinocchio and Gepetto are, since they are not anywhere to be seen in Gepetto’s workshop. Inside this ‘monster-fish’ you will find a very impressive animatronic of the hero of the story, Pinocchio. Behind him you will find a forced-perspective Gepetto, trapped inside the monster.
There is a warning for anyone brave enough to irritate the monster:
Maar pas op!
Anders word jij zijn volgende maaltijd…
(But beware! Otherwise you become his next meal…)
The building itself fits in perfectly of course with all of the other Pieck-esque buildings in the forest, although it is a little brighter, with blue/green wooden sections which include the doors and windows. Inside Gepetto’s there is a lot going on! Mice have taken over and are playing with all of the toys. Pinocchio is one of those stories in the forest where you will likely see something new every time you visit.
Efteling, you’ve done it again, we love it! Although we weren’t sure about Pinokkio at first because he looked a little creepy, he definitely looks better now and fits perfectly into the forest 🙂
Psst…does the fox in the barrel remind anybody of anything? Maybe this?
Whilst looking through old photos of Efteling, you can really see how things have changed, even if it is just small changes. Check out Mr Long Neck from 20 years ago! He looks quite bleached, and is definitely being taken over by nature. The most recent picture is from the last Winter Efteling. There’s a bit of a difference!
The Efteling website has been through a few reincarnations in its time, but this has to be the best one yet.
First off, it automatically took us to the English site, which it never did before unless we typed in co.uk or changed the language when we got there, hooray!
Images belong to Efteling
The coolest thing, however, is that the icons for each attraction or restaurant actually have a 3D effect to them, meaning that they move when you roll your cursor over them! Something else which admittedly could have been there before and we hadn’t noticed it, is a guide to the areas surrounding Efteling, in the event that you want to leave the park (really?!) and explore elsewhere. Another important feature is the calendar, which now shows busy days, and days when events are happening so that you can plan around them.
All in all, it’s the refresh that has been needed for a long time, and there doesn’t seem to be any of the really old site left, which can only be a good thing! Efteling are moving forward, as they even have a section on some pages for fan Instagram photos, and there’s also a list of WiFi locations for the park.
Also known as ‘Pirate Gijs’, ‘Captain Gijs’ and ‘Buccaneer Captain’, you may remember that good old Buccaneer Gijs (or whatever you want to call him today!) was turfed out of his home recently due to Pinokkio moving into his place in the fairy tale forest. For months we have wondered, ‘where will Buccaneer Gijs be moved to?!’, and today, we needn’t wonder any more! Kapitein Gijs will be moved to just outside the Flying Dutchman, and will be surrounded by new decorations, which he clearly deserves, after standing there for so long pointing at his cannon (since 1973!). He fits very well into this nautical location, probably a lot better than where he was situated before, and the artwork showing his new crib looks even better than ever!
The Captain is Moving House
It has appeared for years that nobody is 100% sure who or what (tale) this little Captain is supposed to represent, however, he diligently stands there year after year, pointing the way to dispose of your trash. He is indeed, a helpful captain, and is now going to put himself to good use elsewhere, and I’m sure he’s glad of the change of scene after 43 years!
We’ve been quiet for almost a month now, did you miss us?!
Of course, there have been a few pieces of news trickling out of Efteling in this time, including more recently, an overhaul of the Indian Water Lilies. It was in need of a dust, as you can imagine, and there was also a new ‘witch‘ added. There is a new narration which is actually an old narration from several years ago, which fans are very happy to hear! You may also notice a clearer sound, and a difference in the soundtrack at the very end. Oh, and those geese, have definitely been through the wash!
In other news, somebody burned the fries at a cart behind the Efteling Theater. When we say ‘burned’, they caught fire, along with the whole cart by the look of things. Oops!
Pinokkio continues to progress, however there is no exact date for it’s opening yet.
Finally, we now know when Efteling’s new nature park will welcome it’s first guests. In early 2017, construction should finish on the site which is located next to Efteling and Efteling Golf Park, which will cost a mere €30m to build. This is one phase in Efteling’s plan to become a more international destination by 2020, when they hope to welcome 5 million visitors per year.
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