An experiential destination built by WowWee just suffered a major setback.
Months of work went up in flames as fire destroyed WowWee‘s Playhouse LA. The hands-on play experience at 454 North Robertson Blvd. in West Hollywood was nearing completion when the accident occurred. According to Sydney Wiseman, vice president of creative development and brand strategy at WowWee, the incident took place around 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 11, just as WowWee staff was about to wrap up for the day.
“Playhouse was supposed to be a place where kids could come experience the magic of making toys and interact with our brands in the most experiential of ways,” Wiseman tells the Toy Book. “It was devastating to watch our hard work vanish before our eyes. But plans are already in the works to create another spectacular WowWee Playhouse and we can’t wait to share the details with everyone soon!”
A video that Wiseman shared on Instagram shows the nearly completed playhouse followed by the aftermath of the fire. Fortunately, no one was injured.
On a positive note, this year has been a big one for WowWee with the introduction of a full range of backyard water toys inspired by the Hasbro Gaming portfolio alongside new products and brand extensions for its Pop2Play and Got2Glow Fairy Finder lines.
WowWee attended the Toy Insider‘s Sweet Suite event in New York City last month where it showed off a new range of products, including My Avastars, a recent Toy of the Year (TOTY) nominee for Doll of the Year. Additionally, WowWee’s Twister Splash is up for Outdoor Toy of the Year. TOTY voting is open through Sept. 2 at toyawards.org.
