Dictionary

kiddie land en · NOUN

Etymology

First use appears in the 1940s and 1950s.

Meanings

1. A designated area for children. ▸ Playgrounds at parks and picnic areas, indoor playplaces, arcades, and family fun centers.
   • That's why it is a welterweight railroad — a line that falls somewhere between a kiddie land special and the standard lines that have survived through the boisterous history of American railroading. 1949, Unattributed, Popular Mechanics ~ 1949, page 144:
   • A kiddie-land department-store Santa believes he is the real Claus. 1969, Time Magazine, Time 1959 all numbers, page 102:
   • SBA made loans to […] amusement parks, and a kiddieland picnic ground. 1963, U.S. Congress, Journals and Records of the 88th United States Congress, page 783:
   • Sidney Lust is looking to next spring, and is planning an elaborate kiddie land for his Beltsville Drive-In. 1950, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc., The Exhibitor (Aug-Nov 1950) All Editions, page 888:
   • B and K is preparing to open a kiddieland park in Toledo, O. . . . More than a thousand children packed the Batavia […] 1951, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc., The Exhibitor (Feb-May 1951) All Editions, page 584:
2. A designated area for children. ▸ A specialized area within larger amusement parks featuring slow-moving, gentle rides, playgrounds, and attractions specifically designed for young children and toddlers; including miniature versions of ferris wheels, carousels, and boat rides.
   • […] still owned and operated a “kiddie-land” ride concession in the city of Hawthorne. 2008, George C. Nuttall, Cops Crooks and Other Crazies, page 335:
   • It wasn’t so much that the film was bad, it was just… another thriller about as exciting as a kiddie-land roller coaster. See it, enjoy it, forget about it five minutes later. 1989, Jaren Moline, Bob Hoskins : an unlikely hero, page 178:
   • How about a ride on the Ferris wheel? […] Come on. I worked at a kiddie land one summer. Plus, Wayne told me where the keys are. 2007, Dawn Atkins, At Her Beck And Call (Harlequin Blaze), page 178:
   • [...] the wide-model Roller Coaster encloses an area of approximately 4000 sq. ft., some operators use this space as a “Kiddieland,” placing as many as three additional kid-rides in the center. 1961, Allan Herschell Company of 104 Oliver Street in North Tonawanda, 1961 Allan Herschell N Tonawanda NY, page 27:
   • The relatives reside near Idlewild Park, a popular area which has ponds with ducks, a swimming pook, and a Kiddie Land playground. 1977, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Henry Lee Lucas, page 99:
   • Encanto Park was the greatest spot in Phoenix, with […] a kiddie-land amusement park complete with a small, slow train. 2015, Cindy Brown, Macdeath : an Ivy Meadows mystery, page 151:
   • For a Kiddie-land area, ride management looks for elementary education or social work majors. 1977, IAAPA, Proceedings of the 60th IAAPA Convention, page 79:

Forms

Coordinates

kiddie ride

Relateds

tube maze · playplace