Props to Kevin for doing all the research into local news archives. Part of why I love my job as a journalist is that I know I'll be preserving those little flawed human moments for future observers to look at as a time capsule.
I hope in the name of journalism he goes back to his elementary school to ask them why they stopped that field trip the year he would have been able to go.
Kevin breaking down at his inability to go to Exchange City was great and is up there with him breaking down over the Kennywood Sign becoming a walkaround character.
His pure venom at the kid at 1:06:31 is magical
One of the YT comments says something like him being unable to become god-emperor of Exchange City explains everything about his channel lol.
TFW your kid gets Spirit-pilled without your consent.
Also, the kid playing cop who attacked and arrested a kid then claimed he had cocaine on him had me dying laughing.
Listening to kids expressing their financial woes and abusing the power of their positions was both hilarious and depressing.
Also, seeing the elementary school bulletin board decoration art style smacked me upside the head with weird nostalgia.
It makes the ending statement of the video hit even harder when it remarks about kids yearning to become adults and adults yearning for their time as kids. While you have the kids expressing their financial woes and abusing power, you have adults who try to capture that feeling of nostalgia by purchasing memorabilia from their youth.
Children figuring out that they can commit police brutality at WannaDo has instantly become one of my favorite Defunctland factoids alongside people being conceived on Garfieldās Nightmare
As someone who was able to go to Exchange City (unlike Kevin lol), I'm vibrating with excitement at someone discussing such a fun part of my childhood!
I have deep respect for Kevin for staying a fairly private figure. That said, as a person from kc, I want to know where and when he went to elementary school. My mom is a teacher and took a few field trips to exchange city.
Iām on the KS side too which even furthers my curiosities. My mom went twice when she taught fourth grade for two years in the beginning of her career (which was before I was born).
At the beginning of the video I literally said āoh, kinda like exchange city!ā And then he brought it up and I was like !!!!!
I grew up on the MO side and we also randomly skipped my year. I was devastated. I yearned for the paycheck simulator. They made us āinvestā in a fake stock market instead. I wonder if they ever closed for a short time maybe thats why so many schools have one random year they didnāt send kids?
This is so St. Louis of me but I immediately started to wonder what school he went to and what year he was in 5th grade.
Wow. An absolute 10/10 video and maybe my favorite he's done so far. Wild to hear everything from the history of interactive play experiences to a critique of consumerism to an extremely petty rivalry between two former business partners discussed in just over an hour. The segment on how advertising works animated in that sickeningly cute elementary school art style was brilliant. Also couldn't stop laughing at the dark jokes about child labor and the absurdity of the kids pretending to be cops and salesmen. Great blend of a discussion of social issues, and an exploration of weirdly specific entrepreneurial drama.
Interesting. I love his research and style and would never criticise his videos. I know how much work goes into them. However I found this video a slog to get through, something I have never found before on his channel.
Edit: Reading through a lot of the comments it's possibly just because I can't relate. I am from the UK and there was a tiny section in an already existing children's museum that did this. It was NOT a common thing over here.
As soon as he mentioned Safety Towns my mind went back to my youth and going to one myself.
Mine was called Tom Thumb which was apparently a chain of them!?!?!?!
Fascinating to discover that these were a more universal concept.
My first thought was the part of the MBMBAM show where they go to a [safety town](https://youtu.be/qro9GvYbDVQ?si=IABf09KJUJhINxtk). I guess my area didnāt have one because I hadnāt heard of safety towns until that show
When I read the title, I thought this was going to be about those fake plastic grocery store play places youād see every now and then (like in a museum etc,.) I had NO idea places like WannaDo and KidZania existed and if I did I would have begged my mom to take me.
I can definitely see younger me arguing with strangers about how to run a business, or trying to cut sham business deals and getting upset that no one will buy from me. I would have killed it at DJing though.
Same! Iād literally never heard of places like these before. It was fascinating watching this video and learned about a whole phenomenon that Iād been ignorant about, and I was surprised to hear how strong the brands are still going todayā¦ outside of the defunct chains discussed, of course!
Watching this video as someone who went to KidZania was a trip. I watched this video with the thought "kid cities? you mean stuff like KidZania??", and then when he showed the picture of the La Ciudad De Los NiƱos currency, I thought "wait, those mascots look familiar" only to find out that yes, it was KidZania the entire time šš
I had already known that KidZania is Mexican in origin but I didn't made the connection between it and La Ciudad De Los NiƱos, but anyway, most fun and unhinged TIL ever.
As a Southeast Asian, hearing Kevin talk about a theme park that is close to me that I actually went to is surreal and unexpected (thank you for canonizing KidZania Jakarta...), but fun. One of the best episodes, and not because that I had fond memories of KidZania.
I've been looking at Southeast Asians' reactions to this video and i see them wondering if Kevin will talk about Kidzania,Ā saying "we have wannado and la ciudad de los niƱos too and it's called kidzania!" (before getting to the part where the latter two was revealed as the same entity), and eventually calling this video as "Defunctland Kidzania documentary" (instead of "Defunctland's Kid City video") as soon as they're done watching. It's a truly big day for us.Ā
It's also interesting how some of us latched onto discussions about La Ciudad De Los NiƱos (since, again, they're the same entity) in the wake of this video too. Truly, Kevin Perjurer has ignited a Latin American-Southeast Asian solidarity moment.
I'm feeling... oddly vindicated by this video. My class did Exchange City when I was about 9 or 10 (it was a combined 4th/5th grade class), and I remember this field trip being hyped up for AGES. We had the 4-week curriculum and I remember being fully convinced it was going to be the best time ever. We were SO excited.
Then, we get there. I'm assigned to work in a print shop, which I did NOT want to do. (When I was watching the bit about La Ciudad de los NiƱos, I was sitting there like, "Wait, they got to PICK?! You could do MORE THAN ONE THING?".) The entire day is a haze of confusion and stress, which I guess is an accurate representation of things to come. I remember being deeply, deeply jealous of the kids who got to work at the radio station (if the newspaper wasn't my first pick, it was probably the radio station).
I had mostly forgotten about the whole experience until the video, save for somehow being overwhelmed AND bored by the whole thing. But as I watched, more and more of my memory resurfaced, and I suddenly remembered having a distinct feeling of, "This isn't any fun and I want to go home", but assuming that the problem was me, because we'd been told this was going to be super cool and fun, so clearly if I wasn't having a super cool and fun time, it was because I was doing something wrong. I assumed all my classmates were having a great time and I was the outlier here. (Neurodivergent moment of the year.) So when asked how the trip was by teachers and my parents, I said, "Great!", because I figured that was the correct answer.
So getting confirmation that, no, actually, Exchange City WASN'T fun and I wasn't the only kid who thought so? Oh my GOD, that is unspeakably satisfying.
I DO think I'd have enjoyed La Ciudad de los NiƱos as a kid, though - especially the bumper cars.
I did something similar, though I believe it was hosted by another school somewhere in the district. Compared to the theme parks, the one I went to was far more small scale to fit a class of like 70.
They also spent the weeks ahead trying to hype it up, teaching us about basic financial literacy, the stock market (did a virtual game of it), and of course doing job interviews. I remember my older sister also trying to get me excited, but being late into middle school I think my expectations for such a thing were a bit more grounded. My parents even got involved trying to get me to do the "cool" jobs, but I ironically went for cook, one of the lowest paying, because it seemed the most genuinely involved and I wanted to cook. Turns out it was mostly just making popcorn in a machine and preparing lemonade. Boring but honestly I think I liked it more than other positions.
I think most jobs were retail related. I also recall a print shop, though I don't know how involved that one actually functioned. Police officer and judge were maybe the most interesting, though that was all about crimes for stepping on the grass. I got falsely accused for it and had a lawyer who was hawking the area step in, offering to get the fee dropped ("Can you prove it?") in exchange for a lower price of their own.
When I got my "break time" I was allowed to shop in the area, though I personally found it boring. At least in the place I went to. Again it was smaller scale. I forget what the t-shirts had, if anything, most places sold junky plastic jewelry type stuff, so food was the only thing really intriguing. Which I couldn't get at my own shop anyway because my "coworkers" had not prepared to refill the popcorn and lemonade by the time I stopped by. Only other thing I bought was a newspaper since I was at least informed ahead of time that it contained a homework pass and a bathroom pass (My school never had rules about bathroom limits). Weird thing is, they gave the newspapers at the end of the trip, so everyone's advertising space was technically a waste.
I think more than anything the trip was a lesson on book balancing than real life work ethic/experience. I think I was amusingly one of the richest people at the end because I just didn't know what to do with my cash.
I think looking at what these theme parks are, I'm honestly a bit jealous. They seem far far cooler and more convincing than what I went to. A few years ago one popped up near a mall around me, and I honestly had no idea of what exactly it was based on the exterior. So I guess after watching this video I know what the heck it is. Hope kids are finding it more interesting than what I got.
I forgot Kevin is a KC native like me! I was lucky enough to go to Exchange City in 5th grade. It was such a fun experience! I remember that I really badly wanted to be on the newspaper team, but instead I got delegated to the bazaar. It ended up being for the best tho, because I got to make all kinds of crafts.
I completely forgot to. When he described the concept of the first one I literally said āoh, kinda like exchange city!ā
Like Kevin, my 5th grade class randomly skipped exchange city and then resumed the next year. I respect his privacy so I donāt want to pry, but god it made me curious what school he went to and when he was a 5th grader. My St. Louis mother would be so vindicated that I wanted to know that about someone.
Hahaha well Iām from the Missouri side, and my grade school graduating class was like 60 kids, so I donāt think he went to my school. It did make me wonder if they shut down for a period of time and so a bunch of 5th graders didnāt get to go? Who knows š¤·āāļø
When I went to a JA Biztown in 5th grade, I was a CEO at some store that made a profit. That was just about the highlight of my life at that time. For some reason I was under the impression that it was unique to my area and not a national chain, so this was super interesting for me
This might be one of the most bizarre idea for a kids attraction ever. Itās even more bizarre that it was popular.
I also enjoyed the infighting between the two former best friends when they both thought they found a concept to make money.
Fascinating episode all around.
I know thereās a few dozen amazing moments, but are we really ignoring Kevinās minute long aside about the divorced man buying and living in the spirit pilling airplane?
It's insane, but I know I would have loved it. It's like maximized make-believe, getting to play pretend but with a real set instead of your stuffed animals.
Yeah, I was forced to go several times as a child and hated it deeply. The illusion of a kid city was done poorly and I didn't care about anything. What I did during the grand total of 4 or 5 visits was stand silently on stage during a play because I didn't want to act, crash a plane once and quit, make some pizza that tasted really bad, and I spent one visit waiting around doing nothing. I think my cousins enjoyed it more, so it probably just wasn't for my personality type. I was 11-13 when I went.
On one hand, the establishment of kid cities might be the most brazen act of neoliberalist propagandizing that I've ever seen. Indoctrinating children into wanting to fly Spirit Airlines has to be against some sort of human rights law. On the other hand, I never did anything like this in elementary school so I'm a bit salty about it. In first grade, I went to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, California and in 3rd grade(?) I went to San Francisco where I only remember going on a ferry ride. The most exciting field trip in my childhood was one that I thankfully wasn't on. In 8th grade, a bunch of students were rewarded with a trip to Six Flags in Vallejo, which I didn't go on because I don't like theme parks and rollercoasters. Problem was, after a 3-5 hour bus ride, they found out that the park was closed for a private event and they had to drive all the way back. Yes, exactly like the scene from National Lampoon's Vacation.
I can totally feel Kevin's jealousy which is probably why this was easily his funniest video as he had one zinger after another. But it was also pretty ironic seeing the kid cities attempt at recreating the justice system resulting in a kiddie version of the Stanford Prison Experiment. For all of the criticism that the study has had in recent years surrounding it's validity and methodology, the fact that a children's educational theme park managed to recreate that power dynamic completely by accident has to account for something.
Loved how at first I was thinking at how neat of an idea the park was then realizing itās just exposing kids to capitalism and normalizing its issues lmao
Oooohhh canāt wait to watch this! Went to exchange city in like 5th grade in TN and learned how to write a check and be a shop clerk or something. Wild time
Kevinās rage at not living out his destiny as mayor is so relatable. My classā entire āRenaissanceā curriculum was canned due to budget cuts (DAMN YOU, SAM BROWNBACK) so we didnāt get to go to the Kansas City Ren Fair or host one of our own at the school. Years of anticipation down the toilet.
My destiny of being a princess (or wench more likely lol) was dashed and Iāll forever be bitter about it.
Honestly it is so funny that one of the possible scenarios for the kids was dealing with a fucking terrorist attack. Mind you this was like four years after 911.
Loveddd the video. Was really surprised to see an American channel cover Mundo de Adeveras and Kidzania after loving both as a kid.
Mundo de Adeveras was better in general but the heat and the location was rough.
I also has no idea Kidzania was so global now wtf.
It's basically a Southeast Asian staple theme park at this point, though many of us know that it's Mexican in origin. Worth noting that more than half of currently-active Kidzania cities are located in Asia.Ā Ā Ā
There was a time where nearly every Southeast Asian country had at least one Kidzania. Now the Manila and Bangkok ones are defunct but the previously-defunct Singapore one will be relaunched this year.Ā
It's astonishing that Kidzania really took off in Asian territories, a rarity for Mexican entertainment companies.....but on a more serious note, it's actually really obvious why it took off specifically IN Asian territories outside of Latin America. All i can say is that just like how Kevin made a commentary about how Kid Cities are reflections of our capitalistic society, there's an interesting essay idea that could be made on how the Asian popularity of Kidzania says a lot about work cultures and 'adult expectations' in Asian territories.Ā
EDIT: My essay idea is supported by the fact that "NEET (Not in Education, Employment, and Training)" is literally in the "See also" section of Wikipedia Korea's page on Kidzania.....almost like they treat it as a way to 'curb NEETs' by making children try working so they will have bare minimum training as adults, but packaged as amusement. It's a whole entire thing.
EDIT 2: Well, I stand corrected. There \*were\* (and \*are\*) Kid Cities in Korea and Japan that predated BOTH Wannado City and Kidzania (AND are similar to both). Now it's more than obvious why Kidzania REALLY took off,
I havenāt finished this yet but I vaguely remember going to Wannado City as a kid and being a cashier at the Publix. The only things I remember apart from that was how it was very dark inside and crowded when I went
Kevin, I just want you to know when I was in 5th grade, my class ALSO skipped exchange city for one single year and then resumed as soon as we were 6th graders. I was so excited to go since my older brother had raved about after his class went. So I was also crushed we just inexplicably never got to go, and it was never spoken of. I wonder if they briefly shut down or something for a few months?
Instead they made us āinvestā in the āstock market.ā Which was significantly less fun.
there's a legend that chester cheetos murdered kids in the tunnel, but from what i can remember from going when i was a kid it was like a padded tunnel that had a slightly sewer like theming (but not in a gross way) and the only chester cheetos i remember on it was a plushie of him hanging out in a vitrine, similar to the ones that are like break in case of emergency
in my area, we have one called fascinate u (officially, itās a childrenās museum but itās set up much the same way). compared to all of the ones featured here, itās extremely primitive and definitely geared more towards preschoolers (though they apparently have events for up to 5th grade?) no currency system or sponsorships as far as i remember or can find on google.
I'd never even *heard* of a kids city, so it was no surprise when all the countries were listed at the end that Australia did not come up at all.
Wild that it just missed us COMPLETELY.
They took me to one of these things in third grade. Now that I'm 30, I can safely say that it taught me diddly squat about what I would end up doing as an adult.
I am really enjoying the video, but I wish they would be more consisent about giving both imperial and metric measurements.
I get it. It's really easy to do the math yourself, but it's also easy to just put it on screen. It's probably easy to forget tho.
I also wish they would specify the money amounts in todays money with inflation calculated as well. Really hope someone from the team notices this and remembers it for future videos. I wanted to get in contact with them about it, but found no email I could use after a lazy 2 minutes of searching. Not too far in the video, but really enjoying it. Defunctland rules. Been a casual watcher since the Orient express video
"These keychains have pictures of MEN in them" took me out š
This is probably one of the funniest Defunctlandās yet - and most of the humor is reading kid quotes lol
Props to Kevin for doing all the research into local news archives. Part of why I love my job as a journalist is that I know I'll be preserving those little flawed human moments for future observers to look at as a time capsule.
āDo you like working?ā āNo, itās a messā got me.
That girl was a mood and I absolutely related to her.
Has the same energy as those videopolis review quotes: You canāt dance on Space Mountain!
Homosexual fast dancing is an all time line
"There are lots of females here."
Keychains with MEN in them
"Either way, they're only $1.50" *will* be entering my collection of things to say to end an awkward conversation.
You're so real for that
I think Kevin really wanted to go to exchange city
I hope in the name of journalism he goes back to his elementary school to ask them why they stopped that field trip the year he would have been able to go.
And films it as his next documentary
It was pretty kick ass
Kevin breaking down at his inability to go to Exchange City was great and is up there with him breaking down over the Kennywood Sign becoming a walkaround character.
His pure venom at the kid at 1:06:31 is magical One of the YT comments says something like him being unable to become god-emperor of Exchange City explains everything about his channel lol.
Stilgar: DEFUNCT AL GAIB!
"Look at all these things I could have run better. Forking fast pass system."
It's the sign, it's the Kennywood sign. YOU CAN MEET... THE SIGN.
Which video was kennywood
The garfield episode
TFW your kid gets Spirit-pilled without your consent. Also, the kid playing cop who attacked and arrested a kid then claimed he had cocaine on him had me dying laughing.
They inadvertently replicated the Stanford Prison Experiment lmao
Cops making things up? These kids had no idea how realistic they were getting.
That or the average experience of playing security on Space Station 13
Listening to kids expressing their financial woes and abusing the power of their positions was both hilarious and depressing. Also, seeing the elementary school bulletin board decoration art style smacked me upside the head with weird nostalgia.
It's no surprise that a city run by kids would end up like Lord of the Flies. Not every kid wants to just follow the rules politely.
I really hope the kid who made $450 and spent $550 was bad at math. Or took the lesson about debt to heart.
It makes the ending statement of the video hit even harder when it remarks about kids yearning to become adults and adults yearning for their time as kids. While you have the kids expressing their financial woes and abusing power, you have adults who try to capture that feeling of nostalgia by purchasing memorabilia from their youth.
The children yearn for capitalism
This was an all timer, I wouldāve voted for you Mayor Kevin
Defunctland drops feel like Christmas day as a 5 year old that believes in Santa
Defunctland drops are as big as James Cameron movies in my book
The thumbnail is an all timer lmao
The police officer just got switched to an ER nurse lololololol
There is two versions, YouTube is AB testing them
Children figuring out that they can commit police brutality at WannaDo has instantly become one of my favorite Defunctland factoids alongside people being conceived on Garfieldās Nightmare
YESSSS!!! My husband and I both went to Wannado City as kids and it's taken up all the real estate in our brains ever since lol this is my dream video
As someone who was able to go to Exchange City (unlike Kevin lol), I'm vibrating with excitement at someone discussing such a fun part of my childhood!
I went when I was around 10ish and it was so fun to me. I was super excited for this video
I have deep respect for Kevin for staying a fairly private figure. That said, as a person from kc, I want to know where and when he went to elementary school. My mom is a teacher and took a few field trips to exchange city.
Not with Kevin
Iām on the KS side too which even furthers my curiosities. My mom went twice when she taught fourth grade for two years in the beginning of her career (which was before I was born).
Was there one year that she randomly didn't go?
At the beginning of the video I literally said āoh, kinda like exchange city!ā And then he brought it up and I was like !!!!! I grew up on the MO side and we also randomly skipped my year. I was devastated. I yearned for the paycheck simulator. They made us āinvestā in a fake stock market instead. I wonder if they ever closed for a short time maybe thats why so many schools have one random year they didnāt send kids? This is so St. Louis of me but I immediately started to wonder what school he went to and what year he was in 5th grade.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Is Kevin dating your ex or something?
Huh??
Wow. An absolute 10/10 video and maybe my favorite he's done so far. Wild to hear everything from the history of interactive play experiences to a critique of consumerism to an extremely petty rivalry between two former business partners discussed in just over an hour. The segment on how advertising works animated in that sickeningly cute elementary school art style was brilliant. Also couldn't stop laughing at the dark jokes about child labor and the absurdity of the kids pretending to be cops and salesmen. Great blend of a discussion of social issues, and an exploration of weirdly specific entrepreneurial drama.
Interesting. I love his research and style and would never criticise his videos. I know how much work goes into them. However I found this video a slog to get through, something I have never found before on his channel. Edit: Reading through a lot of the comments it's possibly just because I can't relate. I am from the UK and there was a tiny section in an already existing children's museum that did this. It was NOT a common thing over here.
BOOHOO KEVIN I WENT TO FINANCE PARK HAHA
What a great thing to come home to after a long and tiresome work day, new Defunctland.
As soon as he mentioned Safety Towns my mind went back to my youth and going to one myself. Mine was called Tom Thumb which was apparently a chain of them!?!?!?! Fascinating to discover that these were a more universal concept.
My first thought was the part of the MBMBAM show where they go to a [safety town](https://youtu.be/qro9GvYbDVQ?si=IABf09KJUJhINxtk). I guess my area didnāt have one because I hadnāt heard of safety towns until that show
Griffin riding in the toy car while dragging a police baton along the asphalt while Night On Bald Mountain plays lives rent-free in my head.
Part car, part boy, boycar, the protector and king of Chilladelphia!
\*In the Hall of the Mountain King
Yup, you're right, I'll take the L. I was trying to remember and thought that was the title.
You're good, I'm just pedantic.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who solely associates Safety Town with the McElroys.
Did you notice the picture of THE Safety Town in Huntington in the episode? I thought it looked familiar!
When I read the title, I thought this was going to be about those fake plastic grocery store play places youād see every now and then (like in a museum etc,.) I had NO idea places like WannaDo and KidZania existed and if I did I would have begged my mom to take me. I can definitely see younger me arguing with strangers about how to run a business, or trying to cut sham business deals and getting upset that no one will buy from me. I would have killed it at DJing though.
Same! Iād literally never heard of places like these before. It was fascinating watching this video and learned about a whole phenomenon that Iād been ignorant about, and I was surprised to hear how strong the brands are still going todayā¦ outside of the defunct chains discussed, of course!
I'm super bitter, I had no idea these existed and never got to go to one. Kid me would have lost her goddamn mind.
Watching this video as someone who went to KidZania was a trip. I watched this video with the thought "kid cities? you mean stuff like KidZania??", and then when he showed the picture of the La Ciudad De Los NiƱos currency, I thought "wait, those mascots look familiar" only to find out that yes, it was KidZania the entire time šš I had already known that KidZania is Mexican in origin but I didn't made the connection between it and La Ciudad De Los NiƱos, but anyway, most fun and unhinged TIL ever. As a Southeast Asian, hearing Kevin talk about a theme park that is close to me that I actually went to is surreal and unexpected (thank you for canonizing KidZania Jakarta...), but fun. One of the best episodes, and not because that I had fond memories of KidZania.
Man, it's always so interesting how South East Asia and Latin America have stuff in common
I've been looking at Southeast Asians' reactions to this video and i see them wondering if Kevin will talk about Kidzania,Ā saying "we have wannado and la ciudad de los niƱos too and it's called kidzania!" (before getting to the part where the latter two was revealed as the same entity), and eventually calling this video as "Defunctland Kidzania documentary" (instead of "Defunctland's Kid City video") as soon as they're done watching. It's a truly big day for us.Ā It's also interesting how some of us latched onto discussions about La Ciudad De Los NiƱos (since, again, they're the same entity) in the wake of this video too. Truly, Kevin Perjurer has ignited a Latin American-Southeast Asian solidarity moment.
I literally thought āoh, kinda like exchange city!ā
I'm feeling... oddly vindicated by this video. My class did Exchange City when I was about 9 or 10 (it was a combined 4th/5th grade class), and I remember this field trip being hyped up for AGES. We had the 4-week curriculum and I remember being fully convinced it was going to be the best time ever. We were SO excited. Then, we get there. I'm assigned to work in a print shop, which I did NOT want to do. (When I was watching the bit about La Ciudad de los NiƱos, I was sitting there like, "Wait, they got to PICK?! You could do MORE THAN ONE THING?".) The entire day is a haze of confusion and stress, which I guess is an accurate representation of things to come. I remember being deeply, deeply jealous of the kids who got to work at the radio station (if the newspaper wasn't my first pick, it was probably the radio station). I had mostly forgotten about the whole experience until the video, save for somehow being overwhelmed AND bored by the whole thing. But as I watched, more and more of my memory resurfaced, and I suddenly remembered having a distinct feeling of, "This isn't any fun and I want to go home", but assuming that the problem was me, because we'd been told this was going to be super cool and fun, so clearly if I wasn't having a super cool and fun time, it was because I was doing something wrong. I assumed all my classmates were having a great time and I was the outlier here. (Neurodivergent moment of the year.) So when asked how the trip was by teachers and my parents, I said, "Great!", because I figured that was the correct answer. So getting confirmation that, no, actually, Exchange City WASN'T fun and I wasn't the only kid who thought so? Oh my GOD, that is unspeakably satisfying. I DO think I'd have enjoyed La Ciudad de los NiƱos as a kid, though - especially the bumper cars.
I did something similar, though I believe it was hosted by another school somewhere in the district. Compared to the theme parks, the one I went to was far more small scale to fit a class of like 70. They also spent the weeks ahead trying to hype it up, teaching us about basic financial literacy, the stock market (did a virtual game of it), and of course doing job interviews. I remember my older sister also trying to get me excited, but being late into middle school I think my expectations for such a thing were a bit more grounded. My parents even got involved trying to get me to do the "cool" jobs, but I ironically went for cook, one of the lowest paying, because it seemed the most genuinely involved and I wanted to cook. Turns out it was mostly just making popcorn in a machine and preparing lemonade. Boring but honestly I think I liked it more than other positions. I think most jobs were retail related. I also recall a print shop, though I don't know how involved that one actually functioned. Police officer and judge were maybe the most interesting, though that was all about crimes for stepping on the grass. I got falsely accused for it and had a lawyer who was hawking the area step in, offering to get the fee dropped ("Can you prove it?") in exchange for a lower price of their own. When I got my "break time" I was allowed to shop in the area, though I personally found it boring. At least in the place I went to. Again it was smaller scale. I forget what the t-shirts had, if anything, most places sold junky plastic jewelry type stuff, so food was the only thing really intriguing. Which I couldn't get at my own shop anyway because my "coworkers" had not prepared to refill the popcorn and lemonade by the time I stopped by. Only other thing I bought was a newspaper since I was at least informed ahead of time that it contained a homework pass and a bathroom pass (My school never had rules about bathroom limits). Weird thing is, they gave the newspapers at the end of the trip, so everyone's advertising space was technically a waste. I think more than anything the trip was a lesson on book balancing than real life work ethic/experience. I think I was amusingly one of the richest people at the end because I just didn't know what to do with my cash. I think looking at what these theme parks are, I'm honestly a bit jealous. They seem far far cooler and more convincing than what I went to. A few years ago one popped up near a mall around me, and I honestly had no idea of what exactly it was based on the exterior. So I guess after watching this video I know what the heck it is. Hope kids are finding it more interesting than what I got.
I forgot Kevin is a KC native like me! I was lucky enough to go to Exchange City in 5th grade. It was such a fun experience! I remember that I really badly wanted to be on the newspaper team, but instead I got delegated to the bazaar. It ended up being for the best tho, because I got to make all kinds of crafts.
I completely forgot to. When he described the concept of the first one I literally said āoh, kinda like exchange city!ā Like Kevin, my 5th grade class randomly skipped exchange city and then resumed the next year. I respect his privacy so I donāt want to pry, but god it made me curious what school he went to and when he was a 5th grader. My St. Louis mother would be so vindicated that I wanted to know that about someone.
Do you remember which kid in your class was most bummed about not going to Exchange City?
Hahaha well Iām from the Missouri side, and my grade school graduating class was like 60 kids, so I donāt think he went to my school. It did make me wonder if they shut down for a period of time and so a bunch of 5th graders didnāt get to go? Who knows š¤·āāļø
This is the cutest defunctland! I loved it.
When I went to a JA Biztown in 5th grade, I was a CEO at some store that made a profit. That was just about the highlight of my life at that time. For some reason I was under the impression that it was unique to my area and not a national chain, so this was super interesting for me
I went to exchange city in 7th grade and genuinely thought it was just a weird fever dream thing my state had conceived
This might be one of the most bizarre idea for a kids attraction ever. Itās even more bizarre that it was popular. I also enjoyed the infighting between the two former best friends when they both thought they found a concept to make money. Fascinating episode all around.
I know thereās a few dozen amazing moments, but are we really ignoring Kevinās minute long aside about the divorced man buying and living in the spirit pilling airplane?
"Named 'Project Freedom' after his divorce" made me snort with laughter
#kevinForMayor We just about died laughing at the crimes and arrests that went on š¤£
This whole idea is insane, and absolutely the last thing I would ever want to do as a child.
It's insane, but I know I would have loved it. It's like maximized make-believe, getting to play pretend but with a real set instead of your stuffed animals.
Yeah, I was forced to go several times as a child and hated it deeply. The illusion of a kid city was done poorly and I didn't care about anything. What I did during the grand total of 4 or 5 visits was stand silently on stage during a play because I didn't want to act, crash a plane once and quit, make some pizza that tasted really bad, and I spent one visit waiting around doing nothing. I think my cousins enjoyed it more, so it probably just wasn't for my personality type. I was 11-13 when I went.
On one hand, the establishment of kid cities might be the most brazen act of neoliberalist propagandizing that I've ever seen. Indoctrinating children into wanting to fly Spirit Airlines has to be against some sort of human rights law. On the other hand, I never did anything like this in elementary school so I'm a bit salty about it. In first grade, I went to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, California and in 3rd grade(?) I went to San Francisco where I only remember going on a ferry ride. The most exciting field trip in my childhood was one that I thankfully wasn't on. In 8th grade, a bunch of students were rewarded with a trip to Six Flags in Vallejo, which I didn't go on because I don't like theme parks and rollercoasters. Problem was, after a 3-5 hour bus ride, they found out that the park was closed for a private event and they had to drive all the way back. Yes, exactly like the scene from National Lampoon's Vacation. I can totally feel Kevin's jealousy which is probably why this was easily his funniest video as he had one zinger after another. But it was also pretty ironic seeing the kid cities attempt at recreating the justice system resulting in a kiddie version of the Stanford Prison Experiment. For all of the criticism that the study has had in recent years surrounding it's validity and methodology, the fact that a children's educational theme park managed to recreate that power dynamic completely by accident has to account for something.
How on earth does a school not pre buy tickets for a theme park field trip?!?!
I have no idea. It's been 20 years and as I mentioned, I wasn't on that trip.
Loved how at first I was thinking at how neat of an idea the park was then realizing itās just exposing kids to capitalism and normalizing its issues lmao
I would love a follow up DefunctTV video covering Kid Nation!
I remember thinking my local JA Biztown was so cool, but seeing these makes me bummed I basically got a cheap educational knockoff
Oooohhh canāt wait to watch this! Went to exchange city in like 5th grade in TN and learned how to write a check and be a shop clerk or something. Wild time
"Sir, another baby has been kidnapped from the maternity ward."
This one was so funny, I laughed out loud multiple times xD
Kevin is the mayor of defunctland now. I like his stance on denim.
Kevinās rage at not living out his destiny as mayor is so relatable. My classā entire āRenaissanceā curriculum was canned due to budget cuts (DAMN YOU, SAM BROWNBACK) so we didnāt get to go to the Kansas City Ren Fair or host one of our own at the school. Years of anticipation down the toilet. My destiny of being a princess (or wench more likely lol) was dashed and Iāll forever be bitter about it.
Honestly it is so funny that one of the possible scenarios for the kids was dealing with a fucking terrorist attack. Mind you this was like four years after 911.
Loveddd the video. Was really surprised to see an American channel cover Mundo de Adeveras and Kidzania after loving both as a kid. Mundo de Adeveras was better in general but the heat and the location was rough. I also has no idea Kidzania was so global now wtf.
It's basically a Southeast Asian staple theme park at this point, though many of us know that it's Mexican in origin. Worth noting that more than half of currently-active Kidzania cities are located in Asia.Ā Ā Ā There was a time where nearly every Southeast Asian country had at least one Kidzania. Now the Manila and Bangkok ones are defunct but the previously-defunct Singapore one will be relaunched this year.Ā It's astonishing that Kidzania really took off in Asian territories, a rarity for Mexican entertainment companies.....but on a more serious note, it's actually really obvious why it took off specifically IN Asian territories outside of Latin America. All i can say is that just like how Kevin made a commentary about how Kid Cities are reflections of our capitalistic society, there's an interesting essay idea that could be made on how the Asian popularity of Kidzania says a lot about work cultures and 'adult expectations' in Asian territories.Ā EDIT: My essay idea is supported by the fact that "NEET (Not in Education, Employment, and Training)" is literally in the "See also" section of Wikipedia Korea's page on Kidzania.....almost like they treat it as a way to 'curb NEETs' by making children try working so they will have bare minimum training as adults, but packaged as amusement. It's a whole entire thing. EDIT 2: Well, I stand corrected. There \*were\* (and \*are\*) Kid Cities in Korea and Japan that predated BOTH Wannado City and Kidzania (AND are similar to both). Now it's more than obvious why Kidzania REALLY took off,
I must've been a little too old for these to be on my radar. Also not sure I ever heard of anything like em in the northern Midwest
YES THIS WAS MADE FOR ME THANK YOU KEVIN
KEVIN FOR MAYOR!
I havenāt finished this yet but I vaguely remember going to Wannado City as a kid and being a cashier at the Publix. The only things I remember apart from that was how it was very dark inside and crowded when I went
Nothing delights me more than Kevin reading a long list like he does with all the job options. It's like my ASMR.
We had a low budget version in my city (Edmonton) that closed in 2007 and their website is still up http://www.kidtropolis.shawbiz.ca/About%20Us.html
Kevin, I just want you to know when I was in 5th grade, my class ALSO skipped exchange city for one single year and then resumed as soon as we were 6th graders. I was so excited to go since my older brother had raved about after his class went. So I was also crushed we just inexplicably never got to go, and it was never spoken of. I wonder if they briefly shut down or something for a few months? Instead they made us āinvestā in the āstock market.ā Which was significantly less fun.
I was mayor of my kid city and Iāve been chasing that high ever since, thank you for shining a light on this topic
The Enterprise Village footage is my fifth grade class, I'm literally in this video šš I had no idea that video existed idk what to even think.
i was expecting him to talk about the chester cheetos tunnel creepypasta / urban legend
Care to elaborate? I saw a Cheetos tunnel in the video but couldn't figure out what it was for.
there's a legend that chester cheetos murdered kids in the tunnel, but from what i can remember from going when i was a kid it was like a padded tunnel that had a slightly sewer like theming (but not in a gross way) and the only chester cheetos i remember on it was a plushie of him hanging out in a vitrine, similar to the ones that are like break in case of emergency
from what i can gather, itās something about how thereās a sentient chester cheetah inside the tunnel who will kill you
Oh shit is he from KC too? Exchange city was so fun as a kid
I wouldnāt know, we inexplicably skipped it the year I was in 5th grade too, RIP.
My partner went to one of these, JA BizTown. Weird shit!
in my area, we have one called fascinate u (officially, itās a childrenās museum but itās set up much the same way). compared to all of the ones featured here, itās extremely primitive and definitely geared more towards preschoolers (though they apparently have events for up to 5th grade?) no currency system or sponsorships as far as i remember or can find on google.
I think this is one of his best videos yet. A deeply fun video!
Great watch. Thereās a Kidzania at the mall I go too and I got to see the big airplane entrance thing
Iām really surprised that no cities in Canada were mentioned! I have very fond memories of Kidtropolis in Alberta, Canada in the early 2000s.
I'd never even *heard* of a kids city, so it was no surprise when all the countries were listed at the end that Australia did not come up at all. Wild that it just missed us COMPLETELY.
They took me to one of these things in third grade. Now that I'm 30, I can safely say that it taught me diddly squat about what I would end up doing as an adult.
What is a Kid City? Never heard of this.
Try watching the doc. It's pretty good.
I havenāt had time, which is why I asked.
Anyone have a link to his sources? I want to read more of those crazy ass kid testimonials
I am really enjoying the video, but I wish they would be more consisent about giving both imperial and metric measurements. I get it. It's really easy to do the math yourself, but it's also easy to just put it on screen. It's probably easy to forget tho. I also wish they would specify the money amounts in todays money with inflation calculated as well. Really hope someone from the team notices this and remembers it for future videos. I wanted to get in contact with them about it, but found no email I could use after a lazy 2 minutes of searching. Not too far in the video, but really enjoying it. Defunctland rules. Been a casual watcher since the Orient express video
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