A £1.5 million entertainment centre is coming to Liverpool’s Albert Dock – the first attraction of its kind in Europe.

Mattel Play! will feature Thomas the Tank, Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder in a new facility at the Albert Dock’s Grand Hall.

Mattel, the global toy company behind Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Barbie, based in California selected Liverpool as the first site of its kind to bring its children-based brands to families and expand their reach beyond television and toys.

Discussing the new attraction, Sue Grindrod – chairman of Albert Dock – says: “It’s really important for Liverpool docks; it’s actually opening up the family offer that we have. Particularly for young families – pre-school as well as early years.

“Certainly the Dock has – with Smuggler’s Cove opening, the Maritime Museum and the Tate activities space for families – already got an [family] offer and Mattel Play! will really open that up and I think it will drive an audience that we probably haven’t not seen before coming to the dock for the first time.

“If you think about the audience for Mattel Play! a lot of them are going to come during the day – in mid-week – and it fills that gap in for us and extends the year even further than we’ve already been developing.

“We’re fortunate in that we have very good quality brands here at the Albert Dock and the Mattel Play! certainly enhances and advances that.”

“It’s also challenging us to start making the infrastructure suit young families, so something like the disabled bays that we have, we’re going to have to extend those to family-friendly bays as opposed to just disabled bays.

The centre will be operated by Heritage Great Britain, who also run attractions in Land’s End and the Snowdon Mountain Railway who believe the Albert Dock is the perfect location.

Allan Leech, CEO of Heritage Great Britain, says: “I think the Albert Dock’s now reaching maturity and reaching a position where connecting with Liverpool ONE, it really is the tourist destination and also, the day-out destination for many in the North West.

“The Albert Dock could be very key for a family tourist attraction to come to the dock, so to be able to bring these three iconic British brands here has added another string to its bow.”

“Mattel is excited about it as we’re excited about it and we’re glad the city of Liverpool and the Albert Dock is excited about it. We’re really proud to bring it here first – normally everything goes to London straight away – so for it to come into Liverpool is a bit of a coup and I’m sure it should be a success.”

Sue believes the new attraction will be a part of the new plans for the docklands area that will see it become one entire jigsaw, not separate pieces.

She says: “We are seriously looking at water space development and there’s some really exciting plans that we’re thinking about.

“We’re also seriously looking at developing how we link even better with King’s Dock and the new exhibition hall. So that for visitors to the waterfront, it’s just an accessible and fantastic experience and we start seeing the waterfront as a whole, not just component parts.”

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