Noel Edmonds, famed for hosting Deal or No Deal, recently returned to television with a three-part series featuring his New Zealand vineyard and a quirky “positivity” radio station for his plants and animals. Yet, to many, Edmonds is best remembered for his 1990s hit show, Noel’s House Party, broadcast from the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom in Somerset. The show was often upstaged by one of its most notorious characters—Mr Blobby.
Mr Blobby, a chaotic pink mascot covered in yellow spots, became a cultural sensation. Beyond television appearances and several VHS releases, he even topped UK music charts with his self-titled single. Capitalizing on this popularity, the Blobby-themed theme park, Crinkley Bottom—affectionately nicknamed “Blobbyland”—opened at Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, in 1994 at the height of Blobbymania.
The park offered visitors immersive experiences within the whimsical world of Mr Blobby. Highlights included Mr Blobby’s home, ‘Dunblobbin’—a fantastical pink and yellow abode with quirky, Blobby-themed furnishings and even a doorbell that played the character’s signature chant. Guests could meet Mr, Mrs, and Baby Blobby, take photos with costumed characters, and explore a high street recreation featuring shops like the Blobby Shop and a bakery.
READ MORE: M5 Michaelwood Services Temporary Closure Due to Power Outage
READ MORE: Heartfelt Tribute to Gloucester Rugby Legend Derek East, Beloved by All
Blobbyland also featured a children’s play area, two scenic trains that traversed the grounds, and a variety of themed attractions such as the Animals of Farthing Wood exhibit, a sea lion show, a safari ride, and a TV Favourites Water Ride filled with beloved animated characters. The park grounds sat within the larger Cricket House estate, already known for its wildlife enclosures that housed leopards, zebras, flamingoes, elephants, and lemurs.
Despite its initial success and unique attractions, Blobbyland’s popularity waned, leading to its closure in 1999 after Warner Leisure took over the property and phased out the wildlife components. For years afterward, the abandoned park became a magnet for urban explorers and nostalgic 90s fans who documented the decaying pink structures and scattered memorabilia, igniting a resurgence of fond memories online.
Ultimately, the site was demolished in 2014, and today, the former Crinkley Bottom hosts an adults-only hotel with most traces of the whimsical mascot erased. Yet the legacy of Mr Blobby and his short-lived theme park lives on in countless photos, stories, and the hearts of those who once eagerly lined up to visit the quirky world of Blobbyland.