Attractions Expert Q&A: Susie Cowan

Susie Cowan also worked closely with the Founder/CEO of KidZania and their internal team to create the award-winning kid’s entertainment and educational brand and now serves as Senior Creative Producer for the interactive and immersive art installations company Meow Wolf.

What theme park souvenir might we be surprised to find on your shelf, and what’s its story?

I worked as the set decorator on a dark ride in Singapore in the early 90s and had to try to figure out where to shop on the island for props for the ride.

I was introduced to a junk man. When I went to see him, he would heat coffee in a can, we’d chit-chat, and he’d give me tips on where to find things. It was the most fascinating opportunity to talk with him, and he was so generous with his time. On the last day I went to see him, he gave me a tiny wooden cage to capture crickets for birds or other pets. I still have that cage sitting on my shelf. It reminds me of him and my experience in Singapore.

What theme park have you always wanted to visit but have never been to? 

One is Tivoli Gardens. I’ve never been there. I love follies and gardens, and so I’ve always wanted to see that beautiful place. I also wanted to go to Evermore Park when I heard about it because of its immersive nature, participant engagement, and how people all dressed up without even asking. I always wanted to see that, but I never did before it closed.

Evermore explored immersive theater, which has become such a popular concept. Theme parks have always had walk around characters and people who engage with visitors, but Evermore guests were so involved that they became characters too. I thought that would be fascinating.

Was there a theme park or attraction that made you want to be in this industry, and how did it inspire you?

I don’t recall a single attraction, but I’ve always been fascinated by architecture and environments, and I made props as an artisan in theater. I did sculpting, welding, and carpentry; I did the figure finish, and I made the environments. I’d gone to school for design in technical theater, but I’ve always been the maker, the artisan.Going to Disneyland was one of my favorite things as a kid, but when I discovered you can actually work creating theme parks, I thought, “You can work in theme parks? That’s amazing!”

The first job I ended up having was at Sequoia Creative, where I created the first King Kong for Universal Studios Hollywood. I had done wig-making and different work for theater, so we just R&D’d [researched and developed] this figure and made it. And when I started at Disney, the first thing they told me was, “You know this has to last 20 years.”

What was your favorite ride or attraction as a child, and why?

Pirates of the Caribbean—the whole thing. I remember you walked in, and it was super cold, almost as if that cold had a smell. Then you’d hear the sounds, the environments were stunning, and finally, you’d see the pirates! I’ve always loved pirates—there’s just something about the stories and the music—it was my favorite attraction!

Was there a ride, attraction, or character that frightened you as a child?

Journey Through Inner Space. At one point, there’s a microscope looking at you, and there’s a giant eye, and it scared me so bad that I never went on that ride again.

What’s your oddest or coolest job in a theme park?

I’ve had so many fun opportunities. I never worked in a theme park, but when I was at Imagineering (and I don’t think they do this anymore) they would have the Imagineers be the ride operators at the Christmas party so all the people who worked at Disneyland – or at least most of them – could enjoy the park. I thought this would be a great opportunity to do for others and learn about jobs I didn’t know about first-hand. It’s great for designers to understand all that. So many people in the industry worked at theme parks before becoming designers or builders.

I remember one year (around the first year that Star Tours had opened), I got to be the operator that seated you, checked all the seat belts, and pressed the button to start the ride. I thought that was the best job ever! I had never been a ride operator. And I got to have this outfit. I could see some people I knew in the audience and chat with them. I don’t even remember what I was supposed to say – I’m sure I said the right things  – but it was just that inner theater kid getting to perform!

The other coolest job I had was for one of my earliest projects at Disney, where I was the Production Designer and Field Art Director for the Adventurers Club, which was very early immersive theater that opened in the late 80s. It had a Main Salon, Treasure Room, Mask Room, and Mezzanine above so you could look down. And there was the Library. It was supposedly this old men’s club that Merriweather Pleasure belonged to. He was an adventurer who brought back many artifacts; some of them were haunted and came to life on their own.

That was the first time I met Joe Rohde, and we worked side-by-side to create that attraction. Initially, I was asked to help Joe refurbish props that he had bought, but he kept giving me more and more to do, and I started helping him design the club. Then Joe and I would go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market every month to buy things for the club (there ended up being 1,500 props in the Adventurers Club). It was the coolest job ever and one of my favorite projects.

Did you have any challenges or surprises in your career?

I think the biggest surprise is how much diversity of experiences you can have in this industry. It used to be only amusement parks and theme parks, but now you can use those skills and passions to entertain people and immerse them in your story in many different ways.

Immersive dining experiences, theatrical performances in houses, and what they do on cruise ships is amazing. Now, I work for Meow Wolf, which takes art to a new level by immersing you in an art story. And all of that is just so fascinating. Look what Netflix is doing with immersive experiences about its media content—you get to be part of the story.

What ride or attraction do you think everyone needs to experience and why?

I’m a big fan of experiences infused with a story and environmentally immersive. I always recommend being engaged in spaces like KidZania, where kids are role-playing, or our Meow Wolf, where it’s not a linear story, and depending on how much you want to engage, it is how deep you go. Those experiences are really interesting and different from your typical “get on a ride and have the ride happen around you.” Those are still cool—it’s just a different type of experience.

Others are doing amazing things with interactivity at theme parks, like Universal with their Nintendo World. I think interactivity is always something people should experience in some form. The same goes for immersive theater. Depending on how brave you are, you can go to one of those experiences where you are literally talking to the actor or even if you’re in the room observing. There are both options, and that’s also very cool.

A lot of people are interested in AR or VR, and those are fun as well, but there’s just something about being in a real environment and being completely caught up in that space and the story and the people you’re interacting with, even if it’s just your fellow guests. That was my first experience at Meow Wolf. I went there that first time in Santa Fe and spent 5 ½ hours interacting with some kids trying to solve a mystery in the house’s office. We started solving it together even though I didn’t know them. You just became connected to the people around you, which was a really great feeling.

If you were tasked with creating a new theme park food, what would it be?

I have a friend who goes absolutely crazy over donuts, so in his honor, it would have to be the most fabulous donut known to humankind. I don’t know what that would be, but knowing him, it would be very sweet and highly embellished.

It would be a very extravagant donut decorated beyond belief. It would have sprinkles, some kind of glazing going on, and there would have to be a cream filling. The more elaborate, the better. I think the donut would almost be a character, so you must take a selfie with your donut.

You’re a walkaround character for a day; who do you choose?

In our Denver exhibition, we have these characters who live on C Street, and I’d want to be them. I’d want to walk around and engage with people on C Street and Convergence Station. They’re all different kinds—they are the people who live there.

What types of attractions would you like to see more of and why?

I really believe heavily in this kind of immersive experience. I want to see lots more things like that. I love people who have fresh ideas about different types of attractions. I think the combination of AR (augmented reality) with a physical environment is also really intriguing, and I’m curious to see what people do with that, but in general, I’m a big fan of physical environments.

Can you talk about what you are working on these days?

I can tell you that I’m leading the development of Meow Wolf’s fifth permanent exhibition in Houston.

You are going to your favorite theme park; which industry people (dead or alive) are you taking with you?

Whatever theme park or experience I’m going to, I would want to go with the person who created it. I want to hear the story behind it – whatever that is. I just think that’s so much fun – to learn what somebody went through to come up with that idea and then to execute it. They don’t even have to be the main person – if they just worked on it, I want to hear their story.

I heard from a friend at Disney years ago that he walked around Disneyland with someone from the company, and the person kept pointing out what he thought were the coolest parts. And then the guy said, “every one of these things had to be fought for.” The things they fought for turned out to be the most amazing details or the coolest designs there. So that’s why it would be so interesting – whatever I was looking at – I could ask, “why’d you do that?” or “did you think of doing something else? What made this happen?” There are always interesting stories like that from people when you ask, “what did you work on?”

Writer Kendall Wolf is a long-time consultant in the themed entertainment industry. She has worked with designers, producers, and fabricators to help developers create unique and successful projects around the world. In 2017, she introduced Merlin Entertainments to a development group in Sichuan province for the first Legoland park in China. Kendall continues to consult for the developer to open more themed resorts in China.