Legoland Currency Makes History, One-Ups Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Legoland Florida Resort is making history as the first theme park in the world to have an official currency listed on a currency exchange board. The Legoland Dollar will now be available for purchase on Travelex’s currency exchange boards at 55 participating Travelex locations after an exclusive partnership with the world’s leading independent foreign exchange business.

Legoland’s currency move one-ups Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, home of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank Notes. Harry Potter’s local currency has yet to be officially listed on a currency exchange. What would J.K. Rowling think of her Wizarding World being one-upped by Legoland?

All joking aside, Legoland Dollars can be purchased through select Travelex locations for the summer 2015 season under the current partnership.

“Everything at Legoland Florida Resort is created for kids, including the currency,” said Adrian Jones, General Manager of Legoland Florida Resort. “By using Legoland Dollars with a playful design, it builds on the immersive experience for young guests. Although we accept U.S. currency, only Legoland Dollars will get you an additional $39.25 in added value.”

The additional $39.25 in added value includes free parking, an upgrade to the Legoland Water Park and an order of the resort’s famous Granny’s Apple Fries. All Legoland Dollars can be spent at any of the park’s restaurants, concessions, retail stores and other park locations. For a full list of locations where you can exchange for Legoland Dollars, click here.

“We’re pleased to add the Legoland dollar to our extensive range of currencies this summer,” said Christopher McShane, Head of Retail for Travelex. “Of course, Legoland Florida Resort comes as highly recommended by my two sons, ages 4 and 8, but we’re also happy to offer additional value and benefits to our customers through this partnership.”

Once again, Central Florida tourism is making history. But will Legoland’s latest move spark a currency war between theme parks? Will others, like Universal Orlando and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter follow, or will fans be required to make the trip to Diagon Alley before they can get their hands on Gringotts Wizarding Bank Notes? The theme park currency world is changing, who needs the real-world global currency issues? (Ok, now all kidding aside).

The Legoland theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group, which also operates the Orlando Sea Life Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Orlando at I-Drive 360. Legoland Florida Resort is a 150-acre interactive theme park with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions and a water park all geared to families with children ages 2 to 12. There is also a Legoland Hotel located at the resort with 152 themed rooms and suites.

Nelson Betancourt says:

August 8, 2015 at 12:13 am

On two different occasions I have brought up this idea–of a local arts currency to support artists, cultural organizations, arts initiatives in Central Florida to executives of United Arts, only to be looked at as a strange bird of paradise.

Cultural and arts organizations in Central Florida, especially emerging and small organizations, do not get the support necessary to thrive in this community. Arts and cultural funding goes to the established and well-connected organizations and even they have a hard time surviving. Why? Because we make funding the arts something disconnected from what people do on a regular day–shopping, attending cultural activities, going out drinking at a bar, engaging in art making, using public transportation, eating at local restaurants, sports events etc. These are the kinds of activities that could be “monetized” with a local arts currency, that would stay locally and would be used not only for arts and cultural events, but to pay artists for their work, and to trade with and support local businesses. We could do the same thing locally for arts and culture that Legoland currency is doing for a corporate theme park.

The arts in Central Florida would not have to struggle if we had a currency backed by the City of Orlando and Orange County–if we were able to able to pay a portion of our utility bills, taxes or fees with the arts currency. At that point, the arts currency would become–de facto–money to be used locally. Aristotle wrote that money does not exist by nature but by law. It becomes money when a government takes it for the payment of taxes.

For too long arts and cultural organizations, and artists have struggled to create a more dynamic, embracing and imaginative community but as long as the arts have to survive by taking the crumbs that fall off the table–after other non-profit institutions have had their cut–we will not develop the stable, strong and thriving arts and cultural foundation we could easily have in Central Florida.

Nelson Betancourt
Executive Director
Awakening/art & culture
“Dedicated to artistry, heritage, imagination and the public interest”

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