Category Archives: Sprookjesbos

Pinokkio Finally Opens!

24 Thursday Mar 2016

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Image copyright Efteling

Image copyright Efteling

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?

Pinokkio video by looopings.nl

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Before and After: Langnek

18 Friday Mar 2016

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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!img068 SAM_2712

Efteling’s Newest Website Design; We Love It!

02 Wednesday Mar 2016

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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

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.

Kapitein Gijs Gets a New Home!

06 Saturday Feb 2016

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Image Copyright Efteling

Image Copyright Efteling

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

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!

He’s moving up in the world, onto better things!

 

While We Were Gone…

19 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in Accommodation, All Updates and News, Sprookjesbos, Updates from 2015

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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.

Remember to catch up with us on Facebook, where we post more news and photos!

 

Pagode and Indian Waterlilies Take a Break

06 Tuesday Oct 2015

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The intentional break:

Dancing every day can really take its toll on you, so you can imagine how the little ladies in the Indian Waterlilies feel after dancing for months upon months at a time.  For this reason, (and maybe also because the whole place could do with a really good dust and a scrub) the attraction is closed until the beginning of November.

Indi

The unintentional break:

Speaking of closures, the flying Pagode is down again, literally.  Since last month, the Chinese Pagode has been grounded after experiencing technical difficulties, which it is no stranger to; the attraction was closed only a few months ago for the same reason.  According to Efteling’s website, it is unknown when it will fly again 😦

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Pinokkio Construction is Underway!

03 Saturday Oct 2015

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A sign outside the area of construction reads:

‘You’ll never see me here!’  Don’t lie Pinocchio, we will welcome you in Spring 2016.

The ‘In de Noordpool’ food counter is now gone, and the little admiral and his cannon are gone too, ready to be moved to a new location (or so we believe) while the area is completely cleared, ready for Pinokkio.

Concept art of the new attraction has also been released, and as expected, it looks fantastic!  It fits in perfectly with all of the other buildings in the fairy tale forest; as we know, Efteling are the masters at making these buildings look as if they’ve been there for many years, and this one continues that trend.  Another thing it has in common with many of the other fairy tale buildings is that it looks to be quite petit!  Obviously it is hard to be certain on that from the artwork, but it looks a little larger than Repelsteeltje’s house and maybe a bit smaller than the Roodkapje building.

La Bottega di Geppetto

La Bottega di Geppetto

Here is a video from eftel1ngfan which shows the current state of construction in the area:

Finally, for those of you feeling artistic, Efteling have provided some crafts to do while you wait for the new fairy tale!  Including cupcakes, and a make-your-own Pinocchio puppet; click here!

Pinokkio Fairy Tale Coming in Spring 2016

20 Thursday Aug 2015

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As if anyone needed another reason to go to Efteling, but here’s one regardless.  We’ve mentioned this recently, however now there is more indication of when the new Efteling resident will arrive.  Efteling are opening their 29th Fairy Tale in the Fairy Tale Forest in Spring 2016.  Around €2,000,000 has been allocated for this attraction, and it is the newest since The Emperor’s New Clothes opened in November 2012.

It seemed like a strange choice in one way, because we seem to expect something from the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen in Efteling; in fact, the CEO of Efteling has mentioned that he would like to see an Ugly Duckling fairy tale in the forest.  However, we have faith that Efteling will make a beautiful job of this fairy tale, as they do with everything else!  The only worrying thing is this:Pinokkio

Does anybody else feel uneasy about this little wooden head?  He looks a little like a toffee apple that has been dipped in chocolate.  That is a promotional image from the Pinokkio musical, taking place in September, so of course, who’s to say that that is the Pinokkio that will be installed into the Fairy Tale Forest? (Fingers crossed that whatever he looks like, he looks a little less creepy than this guy!).

The new attraction will be built between the Red Shoes and Little Red Riding Hood, where ‘In de Noordpool’ currently stands.  This little food shack hasn’t really been used for decades, so it isn’t such a great loss.  Something else that is most likely being turfed out to make way for Pinokkio is this:

P1000451

Out with the old, in with the new!  Although we do hear that this gentleman is going to be receiving lodgings elsewhere in the park, so he doesn’t have to pack his bags just yet.

From here, we can still wonder, hope and dream about what the 30th fairy tale will be when it arrives.  Maybe the Ugly Duckling?  There are so very many to choose from, but until then, we have Pinokkio to look forward to.

New Fairy Tale Coming in 2016!

01 Monday Jun 2015

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P1000452

Next year we will see the addition of a new fairy tale to Efteling’s fairy tale forest… Pinocchio!  The Efteling Theatre’s newest production also happens to be Pinocchio, showing later this year.  The new fairy tale will be placed between the Red Shoes and Little Red Riding Hood, where an old food counter stands which hasn’t been used for some time (In de Noordpool).

We look forward to it!