A Day of Fun at the Fantasy Kingdom for Bangladeshi Street Kids

By Alex in Baby & Kids, Fashion on Jan 5, 2009 at 7:29 am

Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing? – a book about the countries, factories and people that make our clothes and a similarly named blog, was in Dhaka, Bangladesh, when he discovered a local amusement park named Fantasy Kingdom.

There Kelsey got a crazy idea: get as many kids, many of whom live just outside of the park but couldn’t afford the ticket price, into the Fantasy Kingdom for a day of fun!

Sixty Dollars admits one child for one day to Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Sixty dollars admits 20 people for one day to Fantasy Kingdom, near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

I discovered this not long ago when I was in Dhaka. Now all we have to do is find those 20 Bangladeshi children to take to Fantasy Kingdom, I thought.

Behind us were the gates of Fantasy Kingdom, the brightest, cleanest, and most out-of-place sight in all of Bangladesh. The walls are plastic but look like sandstone. Standing atop them are two very happy cartoon kids – sentinels looking out to the crowded streets and the surrounding garment factories.

"One girl and one boy would be best," Ruma said. She is a 20-something Bangladeshi sportswriter who had taken the day off to help me with my crazy idea: Take as many kids as we can – who live in the park’s shadow but haven’t been inside – into the amusement park. Riding a roller coaster is a luxury they’ll probably never know otherwise and, as a lifetime roller-coaster enthusiast, something I hoped to change.

"I want 20," I replied.

Ruma approached three boys. As she talked, they stared at me before running off to find more kids. It wasn’t long before we had a crowd.

Read more of Kelsey’s fascinating account of the day trip at The Christian Science Monitor: Was it a frivolous gift or a lifelong memory?


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  1. ted
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 8:18 am

    Well, I’m sure that made the author feel all warm and cosy about himself. And now he can tell the world all about it.

  2. LisaL
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Well, it was a nice gesture. Let those kids be kids for once.
    Sure he could’ve just given them all some money, but that wouldn’t have given them the memory that he gave them.

  3. shecky
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 8:32 am

    frivolous gift or a lifelong memory?

    Why not both?

  4. Gail Pink
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 8:38 am

    I don’t know what all of these haters (Ted) are on about because this is the coolest thing ever for a kid living in poverty. It’s a lifelong memory for sure. (BTW I am sure he saw that they were fed as well)

  5. MisterCake
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 9:45 am

    Agree with Gail Pink, very awesome thing to do.

  6. Kelsey
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    @ Ted – The experience didn’t leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy. When I left the kids, it was kind of sad and I felt a little guilty that I was heading off to my hotel in a taxi and they were back on the streets looking for trash to recycle.

    @ shecky – I guess it was both.

    @ gail pink – I fed them pizza. They didn’t care for it much.

    Thanks for the great comments.

  7. Idil
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 10:26 am

    This is great. Instead of getting your rich friend something worth $60, get 20 kids something that would give them a great memory!

    I guess something like candy or an abundance of food would have been a better idea, but peoples’ hunger always renews… this’ll be in their memories forever. Im sure if they were living inthe shadows of the place they’d have always wanted to go in it.

  8. TwoDragons
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Kelsey: You did something very special. You lifted those kids out of their shadowy existence for a moment, and showed them that there is something to hope for. And it sounds like you were as transformed by the experience as they were.

    –TwoDragons

  10. Morgan
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    This made me feel both sad and happy. Happy that you were able to give these kids and the gentleman wonderful memories. Sad that I am unable to do the same, though maybe I could in time. Sad that with these modern times of growth that children are still living like that. Who’s to blame? Their own government? Our government? Or us and our need to constantly consume and waste frivolous items?

  11. Christophe
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Nice late Christmas story ;)

  12. Shelby
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    Such a great memory can fuel these kids’ dreams and hopes… likely something they’re short on in their day-to-day lives.

  13. C
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    I think this is great! Everyone can use a little more laughter.

  14. ted
    Jan 5th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Gail Pink.
    That wasn’t a hateful comment; it was cynical.

    I don’t hate the guy. Simply broadcasting what he did makes me wonder what his motives were. That’s cynical. Or maybe I’m jealous because nobody ever took me to Fantasy Kingdom.

  15. Rocky Rook
    Jan 7th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    I think it was a nice gesture.

  16. Ali S.
    Jan 7th, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    A simple kind gesture can go a long way. Just like a smile. Remember those are certainly infectious. :)

  17. Mo
    Jan 12th, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    That was certainly beautiful! I’m sure the kids will remember that day for a long time. It is unfortunate that in many parts of the world, children have forgotten what it is to be children.


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