WSooty Land – A Magical Day Meeting Sooty at Crealy
We live a stone’s throw away from Crealy and it makes for a fun family day out. There are things for all ages to do including fast-paced rollercoasters right down to taking a stroll through the animal paddocks.
You can also make a holiday out of it and stay at Crealy Meadows with an option for Camping, Glamping, or one of their Lodges.
Where it all began
We were invited to go along for the opening of Sooty Land at the weekend. I grew up with Sooty, Sweep, and Soo so it was such a treat and a trip down memory lane for me personally.
Richard Cadell, the Presenter, and Owner of the Sooty Show introduced us to Sooty with some background information about how Sooty came about. Sooty was discovered in a Blackpool Joke Shop in 1948 by Harry Corbett and was offered his own TV show after appearing on the BBC’s Talent Night.
Sooty has met many a famous face including the Queen and Prince Philip where he might have been a little bit naughty!
Sweep first appeared on the show in 1957 joined by Soo in 1964.
In 1976, both Sooty and Harry Corbett were awarded OBEs for charitable services.
Also in 1976, Harry Corbett’s son, Matthew took over as presenter of the Sooty Show.
In 1985 Richard Cadell joined the Sooty Show, and in 1998 Matthew Corbett retired leaving the show in the hands of Richard going forward.
Richard talked so passionately about his adventures with Sooty that it felt like a ‘Proud Dad Moment’ that Sooty now resides at Crealy.
Sooty will be celebrating his 70th Birthday next year which is pretty incredible since he doesn’t look a day over five!
Sooty Land
Sooty Land is a great addition to Crealy.
There are four new rides:
Sooty’s Magic Bus takes you up into the sky and gives your tummy a little flip when it comes back down.
Sweep’s Flying Circus is an aeroplane ride that goes round and round. You can make the planes go up and down yourself using the button.
Soo’s Sweet Balloon Ride where you sit in a hot air balloon and go round, like the teacup ride but in the sky.
Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Dizzy is a fast car ride that spins around and makes you feel like you’re going to crash into the other cars.
The Pier Building is home to:
- An interactive Strike Arena
- Sooty’s Carnival Games
- Sooty’s Magic Mirror Maze
- An electronic interactive climbing wall
- Spider climb duo slides
- Jigsaw Tetris
- Magi Bricks
- Giant Twister
- Dance studio
The Pier is also home to the Hall of Fame which was such a lovely trip down memory lane. It features many of the original props from the shows and is definitely worth checking out.
Grab something to eat
There are four additional places to eat:
- Sooty’s Diner
- Sweep’s Hot Dogs
- Soo’s Cafe
- Seaside Spuds
We went to Sooty’s Diner where both kids had chicken bites and chips and I had a Southern Fried Chicken burger and chips which was both reasonable in price and tasty.
The Sooty Show
Last, but definitely not least is the Sooty Show which you can watch in the big top. It was funny from beginning to end, even including a few jokes for the adults. It was interactive and held the attention of my usually fidgety four-year-old from beginning to end.
We ended the day with ice cream and a meet and greet with Sooty, Sweep, and Richard which was the actual Sooty used in the shows.
Our Thoughts
Visiting Sooty Land was a huge hit with my kids, and I really enjoyed it as well. The rides were all great alongside the rides throughout the rest of the park. The Sooty Show was my favourite bit. The kids had flashing wands and joined in with the magic spells and other interactive bits. We laughed all the way through. Isabelle nearly fell off her seat at one of the cheeky jokes that she’s told everybody she’s talked to since we went. There’s so much to keep the kids happy both inside and outside. There are lots for all ages which is always a bonus for a parent with big age gap kids. I would definitely add it to your Devon Bucket list.
You can find other recommendations for Great Family Days out in Devon here.
- We were given complimentary tickets to attend the press event, but all thoughts are our own.
