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Until I found your Website,
I thought I was the last person on earth who remembered its existence.
I’ve never found anyone in my age group (57+) who has any recollection of
the place.
Storyland was right on the
Asbury circle. By definition it was a “roadside attraction” rather
than a theme or amusement park. When I describe it to my kids I call it
the great-grandfather of places like Great Adventure and
Busch
Gardens
. The place consisted of displays of storybook characters – the Three
Little Pigs, Mother Goose, Jack & Jill, etc. Everything was brightly
colored and you could walk up and look inside the houses, all of which were
“kid size.” The place was in a forest setting, and I also remember a
large pavilion in the shape of a birthday cake. I believe there was also
a picnic grounds, but no rides originally. Before its demise, they added
on a Wild West section with gunfights and bank robberies. This was
probably in direct competition to another popular attraction of the day, Wild
West City in
Northern New Jersey
, and due to the popularity of Westerns on TV at the time. Eventually
the place was torn down and replaced with a Sears, which was buying land and
building stand alone stores throughout
New Jersey
at the time in places like
Middletown
and
New Brunswick
.
I had forgotten about the
place until I was in a tax class at college in the mid ‘70s, and the teacher
was telling us how Sears stores were losing business whenever there was a
major mall nearby, and he used Seaview Square Mall as an example. By
chance I happened to be in the area not long after and what he had said was
true – Sears had moved across the street to the mall, and I believe a truck
dealership had taken its place. I haven’t been down that area in some
time, so I don’t know what sits upon the former home of
Storyland
Village
now. Perhaps someone reading this can update the story of the area.
The concept of
Storyland
Village
would be considered lame by today’s standards compared to places like Great
Adventure with its glitzy rides, noisy arcades, and rock concerts.
However, Storyland and places like it were symbolic of a time when life moved
at a slower pace and people actually rested on a Sunday. It provided a
destination for those sometimes unwanted Sunday afternoon rides our parents
took us on as children because cable TV, video games and mall shopping were
things of the future. Attractions like this probably contributed to the
origin of the phrase still used by kids today: “Are we there yet?”
Thanks for proving the
place was not a figment of my childhood imagination.
Chuck Hull
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