Coolwalla Carnival - Tampa, FL

Coolwalla Carnival was the brainchild of Frank Feitz, and featured a group of original characters known as the "Coolwallas" which were based on Australian koalas. The amusement center was themed to Australia, both in overall imagery but also with employees speaking Aussie slang to the guests. Although the business started strong and had major expansion plans, it ended up being quite short lived and closed within a few years of operation.

History / Background

The concept for Coolwalla Carnival first began in 1993. Frank Feitz, along with his partner Arthur Hart, planned to start a nationwide chain of fun centers, to rival the likes of Discovery Zone and Celebration Station. Feitz had experience in the restaurant industry and running businesses in general, as he founded American Businessphones of Irvine in 1982. His partner Hart was described as an “out of state lottery winner with a background in construction”. They secured $3 million in funding to start the chain, and decided to start with two locations in Pinellas county, with eventual plans to open 8 in Tampa Bay and 32 across Florida.

The concept for the chain was based entirely around Australia. Australian imagery was to be displayed all throughout the complex, and the stage with animated characters was planned to resemble the Sydney Opera House. The employees were trained to speak in Austrian slag to guests. The mascots were to be “Coolwallas” - an original and whimsical type of koala. Seven original Coolwalla characters were created for the restaurant. To rival the soft play centers of the time, the focus was on the indoor play structures offered, but additional entertainment such as the show, mini golf, laser tag, and rides were also added as attractions.

The first location opened at the Fashion Square Mall of Tampa, on December 15th 1995. It occupied an enormous 38,000 square foot spot in the mall, and despite all the other attractions, the Rock-afire Explosion show was featured primarily in press for the complex. Mascots of the Coolwallas roamed the complex, birthdays were held, and the Rock-afire performed for guests (although seemingly not in a Sydney Opera House themed stage). Feitz expressed upon the businesses opening that within 7 years he expected the chain to be worth $7 billion. He was already scoping out an additional 4 locations in Florida, after successfully securing additional funding.

The Coolwalla Rock-afire show was purchased directly from Creative Engineering, and included a show selector and karaoke addition. In the few photos of the show that exist, it appears to be a beautiful brand new condition show. The show is very faithful to the classic stage setup as seen in ShowBiz Pizza, with no modification. The opera house stage seems to have been abandoned sometime before installation.

The flagship location went on to operate into 1996. Yet the other planned locations never opened, and no further mentions were even made of them. It wasn’t for lack of popularity, as the main location was bringing in a couple thousand visitors a day. Feitz may have focused his attention towards other creative outlets, as he and his wife continued to develop their Coolwalla characters, even writing several books about them. Unfortunately, Frank Feitz died on February 17th, 1997 at just 52. He left the business to Gary Jessup, who wanted to continue Frank’s vision after he passed. The Coolwalla characters continued to be developed, and a cartoon with them was in the works. The new locations were finally mentioned again too, and things seemed to be looking up, with an expansion of a teen center being added. However, in December of 1997, the business suddenly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and went into liquidation. It closed that same month, with poor management and overspending being cited as the reasons. The private investors who helped open it all lost money.

Information & Details

Coolwalla Carnival
3627 W Waters Ave
Tampa, FL 33614

Fate of the show: Unknown