I recently had a chance to attend an IAAPA webinar entitled, “Off with Their Heads! Build Unforgettable Experiences with XXL 3D Printing” that was tied directly to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The webinar was put on by Massivit, a company involved in large scale additive manufacturing (3D Printing). In the webinar Massivit highlighted the “Giant Chess Queen” character at the Shadows of Wonderland haunted house at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s annual Howl-O-Scream event. This house is based on the story of “Alice in Wonderland” and made its debut in 2024 and returned for 2025. Out front of this Howl-O-Scream house was a 9 foot 3D printed sculpture of the queen of hearts created by Hatch X and Massivit. You can watch the video below with the Busch Gardens content starting at ~10:30 mark.

Out front of this Howl-O-Scream house was a 9 foot 3D printed sculpture of the queen of hearts created by Hatch X and Massivit.

3D printing is a logical choice for theme parks. Comments were made about how 3D printing now allows for finished goods quality in a way that is robust enough to stand up to harsh conditions, sometimes even outdoors, over a long duration. In the past 3D printing would more often be used for small scale or prototype work, but today large format printers can print entire large sculptures and set pieces for final use. This means that creators can dream something up on a computer design program and merely hit print to have it become reality. The speed of this could even allow for things like holiday overlays or even a fast complete retheme should IP needs change. Technology like Massivit’s combined with fabrication genius from companies like Hatch X can make characters, creatures and other objects come to life faster and cheaper than ever before, which is a win all around for theme park fans.