The area, known as Koiramäki (or “Doghill”) will focus on Kunnas’s beloved dogs, who have brought to life classic Finnish books such as the Kalevala and Seven Brothers.
It will include about 30 species of real animals now housed in Särkänniemi’s petting zoo.
The 10,000-square-metre attraction is being built in the former zoo area. It will include a canine city, a castle, a farm and stable as well as a stage.
“The buildings will be nearly life-sized, giving customers the chance to really step into Kunnas’s world,” Särkänniemi CEO Miikka Seppälä said on Tuesday. He adds that the new attraction will not include traditional amusement park rides, but rather will be based on action and interactivity and designed for year-round use.
The new area represents Särkänniemi’s biggest investment in decades, totalling more than five million euros.
Fans in 29 languages
“The whole Doghill saga is linked to a kind of Finnishness that we can all – at least – secretly be proud of. It’s also funny, entertaining and educational, and enjoyed by people of all ages,” says Seppälä.
“It’s also an international saga, since the stories have been translated into 29 languages. It’s been challenging to create a kind of amusement park that has never been seen in Finland before.”
Helping to ensure that is an American theme park design company, the Bruce D. Robinson Design Group.
Särkänniemi’s summer season opens on April 27.
”We’ll do everything we can to ensure that Doghill is ready by then,” pledges Seppälä.
Cartoonist and author Kunnas, 62, is best known for his book The Canine Kalevala as well as several books based on Santa Claus and Finnish elves as well as the hapless Mr Clutterbuck. His latest book is for adults, a graphic novel based on the early years of the Beatles.