A Fun Day At Hello Kitty And Thomas Town!
There are three feelings a child will experience when they visit a theme park for the very first time:
- Fear – “Where are my parents bringing me? What is this place?”
- Curiosity – “What’s that play area over there? Am I hearing other kids laughing?”
- Joy – “Hey, isn’t that my favorite cartoon character? Wait, why do we have to leave NOW?”
Those were the emotions our little one expressed as we ascended the escalator into Hello Kitty and Thomas Town!
I have been meaning to visit this indoor theme park ever since my last trip to Iskandar Puteri and finally had the chance spend to come here again once my son reached the age of having interests in specific cartoon characters (don’t get me started on Paw Patrol).
Here’s how we had a whole day of fun at Hello Kitty and Thomas Town!
Barney and Bob
Getting a ticket is as simple as stepping up to the ticketing counter and buying the desired pass. Everyone will then have their arms wrapped with a wrist band and off we go!
Funny enough, our first stop was not at the two main attractions – Hello Kitty and Thomas – but at the other endearing characters like Barney, Bob the Builder, Pingu and Angelina Ballerina. The four of them have their very own corners packed with play areas and activity centers.
As soon as we passed the entrance, kiddo recognized Barney and quickly set off to explore what was going on. The purple dinosaur’s section was a play land of mazes and slides on one side and a classroom very much similar to the one in the television series showing episodes of Barney and Friends.
While the little one was busy navigating his way through the course, I was hit with a pang of nostalgia. I was quite the Barney fanatic while growing up, endlessly watching every episode on repeat and there I was, seeing my child having quite the affection to this childhood hero.
After a short breather, we went to check out Bob The Builder’s Play Structure which is a much bigger jungle gym!
Our little one took to the jungle gym like a duck to water, going through all kinds of challenges and obstacles before coaxing one of us to join him up to the double-storey slide. We wheezed through the slide in exhilaration for a few times before it was to time to catch Bob the Builder himself live at the main stage!
It was all sing, dance and build as Bob the Builder brought everyone on a “Hide and Seek in Sunflower Valley.” Although my kid is a quite the rascal at home dancing and jumping on the bed, this time around he was surprisingly muted as if he was in total awe of everything!
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Thomas Town
After having pictures taken with Barney, we finally ascended the escalator up to Thomas Town!
The whole floor is dedicated to Thomas the Tank Engine with his friends Bertie the Bus, Colin the Crane and Harold the Helicopter. Thomas Town was buzzing with all sorts fun rides for kids young and old, which was like an indoor amusement park where everyone was zipping from one ride to another.
While our little one was too short for Colin the Crane Drop Ride, he did enjoy hopping aboard Bertie the Bus that went around on a huge loop so everyone could get a bird’s eye-view of the “island” of Sodor. We then made our way to Knapford Station where everyone was impatiently waiting to ride along with Thomas himself!
Once Thomas came around, we took photos of our son with Thomas before everyone got on the coach.
The train operator blew the whistle and Thomas was on his way! We looped around the massive Sodor Playground and along a dark tunnel, meeting up many of Thomas’ friends. Kiddo really enjoyed his ride and after a few minutes wandering checking out the other attractions, we ended up back riding Thomas again!
Not contented with Thomas, we went back down to the main stage to watch “Thomas Sodor Surprise.” It’s another musical extravaganza where the crowd is asked to keep a secret from Thomas because everyone is throwing a surprise birthday party for him! Our child was much happier with this show since he is big fan of the blue train.
Sanrio Hello Kitty Town
After a lunch of succulent roast chicken at McBunn Cafe, we went down to Sanrio Hello Kitty Town.
I have to admit – our son is not a Hello Kitty fan considering he was not exposed to this cuddly character on television. However upon entering the uber pink grounds of Hello Kitty Town, he spontaneously sets off to explore the whole place.
We followed him into Hello Kitty’s House to ooh-and-aah at the cat’s cool crib then we crossed into Wishful Studio to check out all the fun craft activities that was going on. We did not spend much time in the studio as the little one scampered off to “Hello Kitty in Oz,” where a line was forming up.
Hello Kitty in Oz is an interactive fairy tale adventure where kids will have to help Hello Kitty, who became the Great Witch of Oz, and her friends save Oz. After a quick brief by the guide, we entered a “village” and everyone quickly set out to complete the tasks, from chopping firewood to grilling corn.
Oz was finally saved and everyone was given a special Hello Kitty in Oz postcard for a job well done!
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It was already late in the afternoon and energy levels are low so we bade goodbye to Hello Kitty and Thomas. On our way out, we passed by the toy store which had racks and racks of toys, gears and apparel! After spending 15 minutes browsing, we ended up with a tiny motorized Thomas for the little one add to his collection of tank engines.
Everyone is happy especially kiddo who had so much fun at Hello Kitty and Thomas Town! I feel the activities, rides and shows are suitable for a soon-to-be 3-year old like my son with all the characters that he’s currently growing up with. It also helps that this is an indoor theme park so we do not need to worry about the rain.
So, if you’re planning on a family trip to Johor, be sure to make Hello Kitty and Thomas Town your first stop!
Travel Tips:
- Thomas Town and Sanrio Hello Kitty Town is located at Puteri Harbor, Iskandar Puteri (Google Maps). The park is open from 10 am – 6 pm daily on school holidays and closes on Tuesdays during normal weeks.
- A one-park pass is RM85 while a two-park pass costs RM125 per person – ticketing can be bought here. Do check out their Facebook page for seasonal promotions and activities.
- Looking for a place to stay? How about Somerset Puteri Harbor, a serviced apartment with optional buffet breakfast. The best part is it is just a 5-minute walk to Thomas and Hello Kitty Town!
Our tickets were sponsored by Thomas Town and Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. All opinions and thoughts are my own.