It is often said that children live in a world of their own. Giving shape to their imaginary world in a more meaningful way is Mexico based kids edutainment company KidZania, which will soon open shop in the Indian market.

KidZania, which has 11 outlets across the globe, is planning to open the 12th one in Mumbai’s R City Mall. The choice is based on the fact that the 75,000 square feet large mall will provide the perfect option to set up KidZania’s kid-centric city. The mall is expected to have its soft launch by early 2013 and be fully operational by summer 2013.

The concept of the company is to create a city like structure that caters to children in the age group of 4-14 years, providing them real life experiences such as donning the role of a police officer, doctor, journalist or a shopkeeper – and earn money which they can then spend or save. It operates just like a real city complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy, and recognisable destinations in the form of establishments sponsored and branded by multi-national and local brands. The facilities are designed to educate through experience, fostering the development of life skills, but from a kid perspective added with fun.

Hernan Barbeiri, Global Integration Director, KidZania Mexic

Speaking on the scheduled launch of KidZania, Hernan Barbieri, Global Integration Director, KidZania Mexico said “We have been delighted with the responses that KidZania has received globally and are confident that India will be equally good! The combination of our winning concept and flawless execution will give India an edutainment centre like no other! Our mission is to feature the very best educational entertainment experience in role-playing for our visitors and deliver the most effective interactive medium of communication for our industry partners.”

ImagiNation Edutainment India is the company behind the launch in India. Interestingly, one of the shareholders of the company happens to be Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and the other being KidZ Inc PTE Ltd, Singapore.

Sanjeev Kumar, CEO KidZania India

Commenting further, Sanjeev Kumar, Director & CEO, KidZania India said “We are delighted to be a part of the KidZania family and on track to open the first edutainment centre in Mumbai. KidZania is going to provide kids with a unique and differentiated learning experience, inspire global citizenship and build strong community awareness among our children through an experience that is hands-on, engaging, educational, and most importantly, fun.  Real-world brands are a key component to our success as they add realism to the experience, making it authentic, immersive and rewarding for kids. KidZania is a great platform for brands to participate in educating children towards a more responsible and informed way-of life. We are looking forward to partnering with leading brands and create one of the best entertainment centres in India!”