41-year-old Paul Toxopeus has been a fan of the Land of Ooit in Drunen since his childhood. He made it his mission to revive the now defunct park with a version in Lego. One problem: Lego didn’t have pink blocks for the iconic castle. His building Ooitbouwd has recently been put on display in the Toy Museum in Oosterhout.
Paul himself comes from Wageningen, but loved coming to the Land of Once as a child. “I went there at least once a year,” says Paul. “It is very different from other theme parks. In the Land of Once you were encouraged to use your own imagination and creativity. This way you become part of the story.”
“I use my own imagination to fill in the parts of the park that are not completely clear to me.”
When Paul came to the Land of Once, he recreated the park with Lego. “I started by replicating small attractions and statues from the park.” Only after the amusement park closed its doors in 2007 did Paul fanatically start rebuilding the Land of Once from Lego blocks. “It was my way of breathing new life into the park.”
One of the first parts Paul made was the iconic pink castle. “That color was not yet made by Lego at that time, so I had to come up with a solution. I painted all the blocks I needed myself.”
Nowadays, where the Land of Once was, you will only find some remains of the amusement park. Such as the statues of soldiers in the pond and the castle, which is no longer pink. How does Paul know so well what the park looked like in all its glory? “I have collected many photos that I have taken myself and from other enthusiasts. I also use old maps and satellite images from Google.” Creativity also comes into play here. “I use my own imagination to fill in the parts that are not completely clear to me.”
“I am sometimes still sad that the Land of Once had to close its doors.”
Paul is sometimes still sad about the closure of the Land of Once. “I now have children of my own and they really enjoy these types of parks. I would have liked to take them to the Land of Once so that they could experience the special stories.”
Through his love for the Land of Once, Paul came into contact with John Rabou, the park’s drawing master who designed many of the attractions. John now works for the Toy Museum. “He asked if I wanted to exhibit my Lego construction work in the museum. Of course I wouldn’t say no to that.”
Paul’s Lego creation can be seen in the Toy Museum in Oosterhout until January 7.
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The Land of Once as it once was
