Amusement park puts kids to work

Pretending to be all grown up may never have been as much fun as it is at Kidzania—an amusement park that gives children ages 2 through 15 the chance to try on up to 70 different career options and get a taste for real-world commerce in a pint-sized replica city. Kidzania offers all the hustle and bustle of big city life, with buildings and shops and pedestrian-filled streets. Under the supervision of adult instructors, kids can try their hand at police work, firefighting, medicine, banking, pizza and fast-food joints, utilities and public services, fashion and retail, TV and radio, newspaper journalism. The role-playing list goes on and on. To reward them for their hard work, children earn salaries in Kidzos—the official currency of Kidzania—which they can spend on goods and services throughout the park. And since a penny saved is a penny earned, they’re encouraged to put their Kidzos into bank accounts which they can access through special ATMs. With parks already open in Mexico and Japan and new locations slated to open in Jakarta and Dubai, Kidzania’s blend of edutainment is quickly becoming a worldwide success. It’s a hit among sponsors, too, who get the opportunity to introduce their brands—and their trades—to the younger set through a unique interactive experience. Entrepreneurs looking to invest big in a hot franchise may want to take a look! Same goes for any food or toy brands looking for alternative marketing avenues. (Related: Dutch bank facilitates kidpreneurs.) Spotted by: Giulia Cuccolini