Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball at Shea

Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball at Shea was a mini-theme park created by a partnership between Nickelodeon and the New York Mets. Located just outside of the stadium, the attraction operated during the Mets' 1994 and 1995 seasons.
==History==
Nickelodeon and the New York Mets began to discuss a collaboration in late 1993."Ren and Stimpy - and baseball?" The Gazette (Montreal, QC), 5 May 1994, F7. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
The plans were revealed to the public on May 4, 1994.Lange, Randy. "Hillman: It wasn't a beanball". The Record (Hackensack, NJ), S-5. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. They revealed that a 25,000 sq. foot theme park would be built behind the right field scoreboard and would cost $1.5 million. The project was the first part of Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon's plan to turn Shea Stadium into a "permanent World's Fair", a vision that included a new stadium, a parking garage, and a virtual reality park.
From May 10 - 12, 1994, Nickelodeon held interviews and auditions for the people who would work at Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball. The positions to be filled included actors for the park's shows, costumed characters, tour guides, and game operators. Rehearsals and training began on the first week of June."Casting Call! For "Nickelodeon Exteme Baseball at Shea". Newsday (New York, NY), 9 May 1994, B26. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. A preview was held on June 28, 1994.Parks, Steve. "Nickelodeon Park At Shea Stadium". Newsday (Nassau Edition) (Hampstead, NY), 30 Jun 1994, B3. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball celebrated its grand opening with special events on its first four days:
* July 1, 1994: Mets Day. Fans got to meet former Mets Buddy Harrelson and Mookie Wilson. Kids 14 or under were given a free Mets hat."Grand Opening July 1st Weekend". Newsday (Nassau Edition) (Hampstead, NY), 29 Jun 1994, B22. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. Mike O'Malley of Nickelodeon GUTS and Phil Moore of Nick Arcade were there to host games of GUTS Extreme Baseball.Dixon, Bob. "A Whole New Ball Game".The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 9 Jul 1994, B1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
* July 2, 1994: Ren & Stimpy Day. Kids got to meet Ren and Stimpy. Free copies of the video More Stinky Stories were given to each family.
* July 3, 1994: Nickelodeon GUTS Day. GUTS host Mike O'Malley made appearances. Every kid 14 and under got a free GUTS t-shirt.
* July 4, 1994: Rocko Day. Kids got to meet Rocko. Each kid 14 and under got a free issue of Marvel's Rocko's Modern Life comic book, some of which were signed by series creator Joe Murray. 
Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball continued to operate during the Major League Baseball strike of 1994-1995, closing for the season in October.Hermann, Mark. "Franco's Friday Full of Free Time". Newsday (New York, NY), 13 Aug 1994, A32. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. The park re-opened in May 1995.Weinberg, Judy. "A Guide To... Replacement Baseball". Newsday (New York, NY), 26 Mar 1995, Sports 14. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. It's unclear if the park operating during any further seasons.
Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball's hours of operation varied with the time of year and the Mets' schedule. People who held a ticket for a Mets game got a discounted price.
Metsschedule	Date 	Hours 	Price ofAdmission
Away game 	July 1 - Labor Day 	10 am - 8 pm daily 	$12Huff, Richard. "Mets & Nickelodeon put the park in b'ball". Daily News (New York, NY), 5 May 1994, Television 4. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
Away game 	Labor Day - October 2	10 am - 8 pm weekends 	$12Huff, Richard. "Mets & Nickelodeon put the park in b'ball". Daily News (New York, NY), 5 May 1994, Television 4. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
Night game 	July 1 - Labor Day 	10 am - 4 pm for everyoneReopens at 5 pm for ticket-holders	$5 for ticket-holders$12 for everyone else
Night game 	Labor Day - October 2	Closed 	$5 for ticket-holders$12 for everyone else
Day game 	All season 	2.5 hours before opening pitch until the game's end 	$5 for ticket-holders$12 for everyone else
==Attractions==
The GUTS Extreme Baseball Diamond was described as the "core attraction". Along the diamond's basepaths were three-story play structures inspired by Nickelodeon GUTS. They included wall climbs, cargo nets, swings, and an elastic jungle. The infield was a pit filled with green balls and a pitcher's mound island. Several times throughout the day, games of GUTS Extreme Baseball were played.Fine, Marshall. "Going to the Extreme". The Herald Statesman (Yonkers, NY), 18 Aug 1994, F3. Newspapers.com Accessed 28 Oct 2023. The game involved a team of kids and adults picked from each of the stands (red and blue) trying to run the bases and beat the clock.
Between games, all guests were allowed to play in the diamond.
The other venue for shows was called the Green Slime Station. The show performed here was a version of Game Lab, the same show that was performed at Nickelodeon Studios. The show was hosted by Dr. Booger (pronounced Boo-GARE). The show began with Dr. Booger announcing the show had to be cancelled due to his assistant being sick. An actor in the audience would make a big commotion at the news and end up filling in. Several games were played, during which the fill-in assistant would cheat. The show ended with the cheater getting his just desserts by getting slimed.Mass, A.J. Yes, It's Hot In Here: Adventures in the Weird, Woolly World of Sports Mascots. Rodale, Inc., 2014. p. 47 - 49. Games played during the show included:
* Musical Pies: Players passed a pie between them while the audience sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". Whoever was holding the pie when the singing stopped had to cream themself with the pie.
* Parents Sundae: A kid was asked which of their adults was messiest. That adult was given a bowl-like collar to wear and try to catch sundae toppings in.
* Pies in the Pants: Some players threw pies over their head, their backs to their teammates. Their teammates, wearing giant pants (alleged Tommy LaSorda's pre-Slim Fast), tried to catch pies in their pants.Stein, Kelly and Kristen Stein. "An Extremely Good Time". Newsday (Suffolk Edition) (Melville, NY), 1 Jul 1994, B4. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
Two attractions tested the guests' baseball skills:
* A Pro Pitch video batting cage where players could test themselves against Mets pitchers
* Strike Zone, a pitching attraction where the guest's pitching speed was measured with a radar gun
The rest of the games were carnival style games and dispensed tiny plastic trophies as prizes. These required an additional $1 or $2 to play.
* Batter Up: A ring toss game
* Dug Out: A ball toss game
* Fowl Ball: Players with mallets try to launch rubber chickens into pots on a rotating turntable
* Get Your Peanuts
* Legends of Baseball: A game where you hit a moving target based on Legends of the Hidden Temple
* Pop Fly: Players use a mallet to catapult a giant rubber fly into a cartoon fielder's glove
* Stimpy's Hair Ball: Players tried to knock down miniature Rens by throwing synthetic hair balls
* The Wacky Grounds Crew
* Weinerville Playland Stadium: A game based on the Playland segment of Weinerville. Players put on googles and stuck their head through a hole in the wall to become the head of a puppet. Using the puppet's body, the players used sprayguns to try to move wooden baseball players to the other team's side of the playing field. The object of the game was often forgotten, with players choosing to spray their opponents. This was the most popular of the games.
When the Mets were away, the price of admission also included a tour of Shea Stadium. The tour included the dugouts, the playing field, the tunnels leading to the player's clubhouse, and the TV-and-radio booths.
Nickelodeon characters were available for pictures and autographs as well as Mets mascot Mr. Met. On days when there was a home game, Mets players made appearances.
Guests could also buy souvenirs at the Extreme Baseball Sports Shop or get something to eat at the Fielder's Choice Food Court.
==Reactions==
Kids seemed to enjoy Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball. Kidsday reporters Kelly and Kristen Stein gave it an 8 out of 10, saying, "If you are looking for fun this summer, this is the place to be". It was also one of fiften structures awarded the Queens Chamber of Commerce 1994 Building Awards."Biz group honors winning buildings". Daily News (New York, NY), 22 Jan 1995, p. 16. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
However, the reactions to the park weren't entirely positive. Before the park opened, Mets reliever John Franco complained that Mets co-owners Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon were spending more time on Nickelodeon Extreme Baseball than the Mets. He later apologized.Adamek, Steve. "Doubleday shows patience". The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 28 Jun 1994, S-3. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023. One disgruntled parent wrote to Newsday, complaining about the extra fee and difficulty of the carnival games as well as the fact that only a small percentage of the audience got to participate in the shows.Bak, Lorraine A. "Slimed by Newsday". Letter. Newsday (Nassau Edition) (Hempstead, NY), 17 Aug 1994, A38. Newspapers.com. Accessed 28 Oct 2023.
==References==
Category:Theme park attractions