February 21, 1997 – Club Disney Opens
“Imagination-powered play site”
On February 21, 1997, the first of five children’s play centers known as Club Disney opened in Thousand Oaks, California. It was billed as an exploratory entertainment area for children aged between four and ten, along with their parents. There were four themed areas within Club Disney: Pal Around Playground, Curiosity Castle, Starring You Studio, and the Chat Hat. Activities for the kids ranged from dressing up in Disney costumes, to playing in an enormous jungle gym, to exploring the latest CD-ROM activities. One other club opened in California, as well as one in Colorado, and two in Arizona. After the five clubs were established, Disney Corporate determined that there was not enough return on investment, and closed all five clubs in November of 1999. The name now belongs to play areas established within Disney park resorts.
