Milestone Indoor Attractions

Introducing Indoor Attractions The Rocky Years

In 1954, Efteling welcomed its millionth visitor, showering them with flowers as they entered the park. The Anton Pieckplein Square was unveiled and it was clear that the Efteling was a resounding success. In the years that followed, the Fairytale Forest was expanded and on average, 700,000 visitors came to the park each year – 700,000 visitors who left their rubbish behind in the park.
Yet confronted with such an everyday problem, the Efteling came up with another of their creative and effective solutions: Big Mouth. A paper gobbler as he is known, Big Mouth was perfect for the park’s philosophies on protecting the environment, and since his introduction, has kept the park clean and tidy. Children never get tired of filling his chubby belly: “Paper here – thank you,” he calls as people walk by. This motto became one of the first Efteling catchphrases to spread across the nation.

As of 1966, the Efteling introduced a new attraction nearly every season, succeeding in constantly amazing and delighting the growing number of visitors to the park. That same year, a fairy tale written by Queen Fabiola of Belgium is brought to life with the opening of the Indian Water Lilies. The steam train ‘Stoomtrein’, 3D world ‘Diorama’ and the water organ ‘Waterorgel’ followed soon after, along with the Victorian Theatre which opened in 1972. Then in 1972, the Efteling received the Pomme d´Or award, the most prestigious award for excellence in the tourism industry. In 1978, the Efteling welcomed its 25 millionth visitor: the Lelièvre family from St. Denijs, Belgium.