Hopi Hari

Hopi Hari is a Brazilian theme park located at Km 72 of Bandeirantes Highway, Vinhedo, in the state of São Paulo. It is located 30 km away from Campinas and 72 km away from São Paulo. Covering an area of 0.76 km², it is considered the second largest amusement park in Brazil and is a part of the tourist complex SerrAzul Full Life. Due to the debts of the park in June 2009, the group GP Investments sold the park for a symbolic value to the group HH II PT S/A.

History

Opened on November 27, 1999, Hopi Hari was designed and built by International Theme Park Services Inc., a U.S. company located in Cincinnati, Ohio which based the design of the park on Kings Island, a theme park also located in Cincinnati. Originally, the park would be called "Playcenter Great Adventure" as it belonged to the Playcenter Group. Due to the Brazilian economic crisis in the 1990s, it was forced to sell while still under construction as a consequence of the reduction in visitors at Playcenter. The company GP Investments took over operations, where the park project has undergone several changes, including a name change to "Hopi Hari."

Tourist and Economic Importance

Due to its close proximity to large urban centers like São Paulo and Campinas, the park has an important role for the economy and tourism in the state of São Paulo and Brazil. The park is part of the complex SerrAzul Full Life which also includes Wet 'n Wild water park, Shopping SerrAzul, the Premium Outlet shopping center, the Quality Resort Hotel and Itupeva SerraAzul Farm subdivision. This complex attracts more than 5 million Brazilian tourists a year surpassing even tourist spots known as Christ the Redeemer, one of the Seven Wonders of the modern world, and the Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro, which together received only 1.9 million tourists in 2008, according to RioTur. The park hopes to double that amount within 10 years, since it hopes to attract more tourists in agreement with Warner Bros. In 2010, Hopi Hari had a gross revenue of R $103 million, meaning an increase of 25% compared to 2009. Hopi Hari had the biggest increase among parks reporting in previous years, with close to 500,000 additional visitors, driven by a combination of the opening of several major new rides, and very strong economic growth in Brazil.

Warner Bros agreement

In 2011, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Hopi Hari, struck a licensing agreement to bring some of the biggest franchises in the world to the park, including characters from the Justice League, Looney Tunes and Penelope Pitstop, with the goal of bringing a more "Hollywoodian" feel to the park. Some characters used were Tweety, Sylvester, Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Aquaman, Taz, and The Flash. Some areas of the park include Infantasia and Aribabiba. The characters of Sesame Street were removed despite being part of the park since its inauguration. The "lore" of the fictional country of Hopi-Hari was very attached to the Sesame Street characters after the deal, will be with other Warner Bros properties.
" The entry of the Looney Tunes will be based on a new design in which Bugs Bunny is a millionaire with his inventions and moves in with Daffy Duck. Hopi Hari sends an invitation for them to settle at the park. He accepts the invitation, and brings the whole crew to Infantasia; an ideal place for filming. They also bring all the ACME paraphernalia to the park.After witnessing all the happiness and joy that the park offers, the greatest villains decide to invade Hopi Hari. The goddess Hari calls the Justice League in order to establish the park to prevent the triumph of the villains within the Lore. Aribabiba is in this battle will happen at each attraction. "

Management Issues

Even with the strong economic potential, the park has always faced great difficulties throughout the years due to factors such as mismanagement, constant changes in administration and some accidents. In its early years, the park did not achieve project revenue thus, preventing new investments and the balance of its construction's debts and resulting in the transfer of the business to new owners in 2009. The best performance the park achieved was between 2010 and 2011, with a high audience, which allowed agreements with brands and sponsorships, such as Warner Bros, in addition to the purchase of a Multi Inversion Roller Coaster from Intamin. Despite the growth, in 2012 the park faced difficulties again after a fatal accident in its free-fall tower. As a result of the accident and sensational media, the park experienced a drop in visitation that triggered more financial issues and security problems. Close to bankruptcy in 2016 and with 700 million Reais in debt, the park again changed management, got a recovery agreement with the court and it was forced to sell the unbuilt 10 inversion roller coaster to pay off a creditor. In 2017 the new management team was able to form agreements to revitalize and repair the park's areas and rides which attracted more visitors. In 2018, the recovery agreement was refuted by one of the largest creditors and after several amendment proposals it was accepted in 2022. Meanwhile, the park had a new change in management in 2019 that provoked protests among employees.

Themed areas

''Hopi Hari is divided into five themed areas: Kaminda Mundi, Mistieri, Infantasia, Aribabiba and Wild West.''

Kaminda Mundi ''"Way of the World"''

Kaminda Mundi is located in Southwest of Hopi Hari and occupies an area of 29,000 m². It is a tribute to the people of Hopi Hari, their ancestors and their origins. Kaminda Mundi has the largest theater in Hopi Hari and a 3D cinema.

Ride	Rating	Year opened	Manufacturer	Status	Description
Cinétrion	Familiar	1999			A 3D cinema that currently serves only for special events, meetings, exhibitions and workshops.
Giranda Mundi	Familiar	1999	Nauta Bussink		German Wheel, 44m high, where you get the full panorama of the park. In the 1990s went through Playcenter.
Jogaki di Kaminda	Familiar	1999			Area with carnival games and prizes.
Le Voyage	Radical	1999	Intamin		Formerly known as La Tour Eiffel, this is a Intamin Giant Drop. Upon reaching the top of the tower, the gondolas are held up there for a few seconds and then released, reaching speeds of 85 km/h in just 4 seconds. Closed since 2012, this attraction is reopening scheduled for 2022 season.
Theatro di Kaminda	Familiar	1999			A large theatre with capacity for 847 people with a mixed seasonal plays and musicals.

Mistieri ''"The Lost Continent"''

Mistieri is in the northwest of the park and occupies an area of 52,000 m². The themed area is based on ancient civilizations as Ancient Egyptians, Summerians, Mayas, Incas and Aztecs. In this region there is the top spin Ekatomb, an attraction that turns passengers upside down in several different ways, and Vulaviking, a boat that swings until it reaches about 90 degrees to the ground. This area of the park features two roller coasters: Montezum, a wooden roller coaster with 1030m. of length that reaches speeds of 103 km/h, and Vurang, another roller coaster inside a pyramid, where the cars turn around their own axis.

Ride	Rating	Year opened	Manufacturer	Status	Description
Ekatomb Annunaki	Radical	1999	Huss Rides		A classic Top Spin model themed as a Summerian ship, which leaves passengers upside down in various directions.
Katakumb	Familiar	2003	Indiana Mystery		A horror maze themed as the tomb of Ramesses II, which houses sarcophagi and mummies.
Montezum	Radical	1999	RCCA		An Aztec tribute wooden roller coaster where visitors sweep over 1030m in less than two minutes at a speed of up to. It is the most popular attraction of the park
Simulákron	Familiar	1999	SimEX Iwerks		A simulator inside of an Inca temple with two rooms, each with a screen of 250 square meters.
Vulaviking	Familiar	1999	Huss Rides		A Viking boat that swings until an inclination of 90° to the ground.
Vurang	Radical	1999	Intamin		Also known as "Roller Coaster in the dark", it is a familiar spinning roller coaster inside in a pyramid, which runs most of its path entirely in the dark.

Infantasia ''"Fantasyland"''

Infantasia is in the central plain of the park and covers an area of 31,000 m². It is an area geared toward children, it had been themed around the Vila Sésamo and Looney Tunes characters. In this region the guest can find attractions such as Kastel di Lendas, where some Brazilian folk stories are told.

Ride	Rating	Year opened	Manufacturer	Status	Description
Astronavi	Children ride	2011	Zamperla		Little spaceships that turns and go up and down moving the stick. Formerly known as Konfront.
Bugabalum	Children ride	1999; 2023	Zamperla		Coloured little spaceships that turns and go up and down moving the stick.
Chabum	Children ride	1999			Aquatic playground.
Dispenkito	Children ride	1999			Two mini-free fall towers. A frog hopper model.
Giralata	Children ride	1999	Zamperla		Tea cups flat ride themed as paint cans. Formerly known as Lokolorê.
Giranda Pokotó	Children ride	1999	Fabricon		The famous and traditional Merry-go-round. Formerly known as Giranda di Musik.
Kastel di Lendas	Familiar	1999	Intamin		In a castle like "It's a Small World!", You enter one of 7 yellow boats that travel through a 250-meter-long water channel, passing animatronic dolls, representing the rich Brazilian folklore, each in their respective states also has a final room illustrating countries. The boats have a capacity of 20 people each, totaling 140 people having fun at the same time.
Komboio	Children ride	1999	Zamperla		Little trucks going through various scenarios.
Theatro Klapi Klapi	Familiar	1999			A theater with capacity for 220 people, where children's plays are performed.
Toka do Uga	Children ride	1999			Playground with pool balls, mazes, slides and tunnels of various sizes. It is themed with the new caracther Uga, from a pocket show "Dino, a True Dinosaur". Formerly known as Parkid and Trakitanas.

Especial notes

There is a song playing at theKastel di Lendas attraction, here is a short excerpt:

"No Castelo das Lendas sabe o que é que tem?
Alegria e muita diversão também!
Vamos nessa magia é só navegar!
O show, vai começar!"