Hershey Park (Pennsylvania, USA) 

While the rides at this park aren’t revolutionary, it’s the dedication to the theme that puts it on this list. Owned and run by the Hershey company, the theme park is a candy-coated delight, with everything from ride names to height requirements featuring Hershey brands. As a bonus, Hershey Park is located next to the Hershey factory for more sugary adventures.

Bollywood Parks (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

For fans of Bollywood films, this park is a dream destination. Stage shows and attractions recreate iconic scenes from famous Bollywood movies. There are multiple dance troupes performing throughout the park, and the dining is both varied and themed as well. Special mention goes to “Sholay: The Hunt for Gabbar Singh,” an interactive dark ride based on the film Sholay.

Diggerland (New Jersey, USA and United Kingdom) 

Rather than the traditional roller coasters and dark rides, both versions of Diggerland use construction equipment and heavy machinery as attractions. Kids and adults can drive dump trucks and excavators or go for a twirl on the Spin Dizzy. There’s also a rock climbing wall, a ropes course, and an arcade for those who’d rather not get down and dirty.

Sanrio Puroland (Tokyo, Japan) 

Hello Kitty fans rejoice! This indoor amusement park features all the Sanrio characters, but the famous white cat (or is she a girl?) is the real star here. Exclusive merchandise is available in the gift shops and meet-and-greets with the likes of Chococat and Cinnamaroll are plentiful. You can even tour Hello Kitty’s house or watch her in a parade.

Republic of the Children (La Plata, Argentina) 

Few theme parks can claim being overseen by Eva Peron and inspiring Walt Disney to build his magnum opus, but the Republic of the Children can. The park consists of an entire city scaled down to child size, with everything from an airport to a church inside. If your kid has ever wondered what it’s like to have a loan, look no further. (Don’t worry- adults can visit too.)  

Crocosaurus Cove (Darwin, Australia)

This amusement park may lack traditional rides, but the attractions offer their own thrills. Guests can hold a baby crocodile, fish for crocs, or watch a giant crocodile being fed. The real star of the show, however, is the Cage of Death. Guests dive into a clear tube and are surrounded by saltwater crocodiles for fifteen minutes… during feeding time. Hope they aren’t too hungry.

World Joyland (Changzhou, China) 

Years before “Blizzard World” would ever become a map in Overwatch, there was the copyright-infringing paradise known as World Joyland. This Chinese theme park is based off both the World of Warcraft and Starcraft video game franchises, produced by Blizzard Entertainment. There are also appearances from the Transformers and Marvel characters, also without licensing (presumably).  

Suoi Tien Amusement Park (Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore) 

Equal parts waterpark and crash course in Buddhism, this Vietnamese park is beautifully detailed and oddly informative. There’s a manufactured beach, a zoo, and a roller coaster called… Roller Coaster. For adults, the Unicorn Palace holds gory secrets and exhibits that may make you rethink your life choices. But hey, the employees dressed like monkeys and causing mayhem are cute!

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Things to note:

• First, they desire to innovate and make a better machine that worked in a new, creative way to empower us.
• Second, they used their observational ability to identify opportunities for improvement over the existing technology on the market.
• Third, they worked hard to design, prototype, build, test and re-do it again and again to improve their innovation regardless of probable timeline and financial pressures to push out the innovative product.
• Fourth, they aligned themselves with good storytellers who not only knew how to capture our imagination, but send shivers up our spine by combining powerful, beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing, moving imagery. Additionally, they chose a song that would remind us of our fondest childhood memory of when our imaginations thrived.
• Lastly, they even chose wonderful musicians who innovated the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory song.

Thanks to all of the creative people who collaborated to bring these creations to life. See below and enjoy the show!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BzMLA8YIgG0

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We understand that as a market leader, we are in an envious position because we have the most inventions being sold, and we are building the most new product samples going into major retail buyer meetings. Our nature is to be humble and grateful and not speak negatively of those in the industry who have not been met with our level of success.

I find it very interesting because this is the story of all successful inventors. The story goes like this: Some inventor comes along and observes a challenge and works hard to invent something better. Once he or she goes to market, smart inventors know that the products, people and companies that will be displaced by what has been invented will begin to try and undermine them. THIS IS NORMAL! When you try and make things better in this world, you must hope that you’re strong enough to help lift an entire industry (even when they try to undermine you every day). Leadership carries a strong burden, and staying above the chaos your competition tries to create is what you must do to lift an entire market.

My organizations want to increase the pace of innovation in our country and our method took me many years to invent. It was my dream to invent a better way to invent, because the old ways didn’t work for me. They worked fine for large corporations with big budgets, but as an entrepreneur, I needed a more cost effective way. It was painful! If my better way to invent is successful one day, the name “Davison” will resonate in people’s minds as the way to develop their idea! Until then, we will continue to get our name on more and more inventions that are available for sale in the market.

The lesson is: Being a market leader carries a lot of responsibility. All of you inventors and entrepreneurs out there, who are dreaming of seeing your products in stores one day, must stay strong in the face of opposition and simply stay above it!

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Take note how she moves away from FOX & Friends’ desire to talk about fried chicken and begin with her new “Consumables” collection of baking mixes whose packaging we designed at Inventionland (for Jokari.com)!

Paula Deen got a full plug in as she talked about all of her new products, then eventually got to talking about the Fried Chicken Coating Mix that led to the purpose of their segment on FOX & Friends for National Fried Chicken Day. It was a beautiful transition and Paula and Jokari received lots of free advertising for the new product line we helped to develop at Inventionland!

The lesson for new innovators is to know how to craft and stay on message to get the word out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AopN5PoJf8&feature=youtu.be

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I have thought hard about whether or not I desired to spend my time creating a blog to help teach the principles of innovation, inventing, and entrepreneurship. After some deep thought, I decided it was important for me to teach and give to those who desire to better themselves in these areas. Now that I have clarity on what I desire, it will get done. So, the first lesson revolves around the word, desire, and it is the single most important step if you choose to be an innovator, inventor, or entrepreneur.

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Well, that’s just one of the incredible things about inventing. A single, successful idea can launch into many others. Recently, that’s exactly what’s been going on with the project-based inventing curriculum that my team and I have polished over the last several years.

I’m committed to launching our real-world inventing coursework in schools across Pennsylvania and beyond and so, I am thrilled to be involved as regional educators and students flock to Inventionland, our expansive 61,000 square-foot design facility, to experience it for themselves.

You see, in today’s schools, it is becoming increasingly difficult to capture students’ attention, let alone keep them engaged, energized and prepared for tomorrow’s careers. But, my state-of-the-art, project-based curriculum has the potential to do just that. Recently, we gave area educators just a taste of those capabilities.

This week, I had the pleasure of leading curriculum directors from nearly 20 different Pittsburgh-area schools, as well as representatives from Intermediate Unit 1(IU1) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Along with one of my Inventionland Creationeers, Matt, I guided the group through the process of building a pencil holder from 31 pieces of laser-cut cardboard.

As we all found out together, developing a product is much like developing coursework. You start with pre-development work, identify the needs of the market, brainstorm your solution and work through concept models to find the best direction. And with great effort comes great reward, right?

My real-world inventing curriculum allows students to go through the sequence that brings successful products to store shelves. They go through the product development process and get an overall picture in their mind that functions as a “how to” map, building a belief system. In doing so, they see that the product development process isn’t magic, but a proven method they can apply to their own invention ideas to bring them to life.

Here is just a glimpse at student groups whose eyes have recently been opened to all the possibilities of the product development process at Inventionland:

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Have you tried origami? Masterfully folding paper into animals and natural objects is a fascinating and stimulating art form gifted to us by Japanese culture. Intricate designs can be made from a single square of paper and a series of delicate folds and sculpting. There’s the iconic paper crane, the Kawasaki rose, and of course, the V8 engine…

That’s right! Someone has constructed a functional V8 engine out of origami paper, albeit with tape and cutlines, traditionally discouraged in the art of origami. This paper eight-cylinder engine has moving pistons and a spinning crankshaft. It’s an impressive and tedious design that surely required great skill and patience.

Check it out! What fascinating projects have you been working on?

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The Hyperloop, a concept first developed in 2013, is a vacuum tube that would transport passengers faster than the speed of sound, at approximately 760mph, between cities. Startup HTT went to work securing talent and investments from the likes of NASA, Boeing, SpaceX, and Tesla to launch the project. Construction costs are set so low that the Hyperloop will cost less than California’s similar plan for a high-speed rail system traveling at 220mph.

A 5-mile test track is currently in the works for Quay Valley, California, a proposed solar-powered concept city of 75,000 residents that will use the Hyperloop as primary transportation. Residents would be able to travel the length of the city in only 80 seconds. Analysis and optimization of the concept will continue through 2017, and HTT expects to transport passengers as soon as 2018.

The ingenuity doesn’t end there. Plans for Hyperloop include augmented windows that display Hollywood-inspired environments, like Jurassic Park, in addition to digital advertising that would monetize the system.

The Hyperloop could radically alter the concept of commuting, and soon. Keep an eye on the technology of the future! Can you imagine traveling to work in a human vacuum?

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Hymen L. Lipman registered the first patent for a lead pencil, with an attached eraser for edits and revisions, on March 30, 1858. Before Lipman’s all-in-one innovation, clunky erasers only accompanied pencils (hardly convenient for the ravenous thinker driven by creative momentum). Lipman’s attached eraser could be sharpened, in addition to the lead.

As a boy, Lipman immigrated to the United States from Jamaica, with his English parents, and settled in Philadelphia, PA for the remainder of his life. In 1840, he took over as the lead stationer in the city, succeeding Samuel M. Stewart. He would go on to start the first envelope company in the U.S.

Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000 in 1862. Sometimes, innovation is about marrying two existing things to create a more efficient, better way. Next time you scribble a sketch on an envelope, think of Lipman, a man with great vision who gave us the essential tools for making.

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The CHA show is celebrating 75 years of showcasing craft industry trends and innovative manufacturers and products, as well as offering educational workshops from top designers. The event brings together a host of great minds, which creates the perfect environment for collaboration.

I’m excited about upcoming endeavors on the horizon in collaboration with some of our newest business relationships, and for a whole year of stimulating shows and conferences ahead.

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