Argosy Studios Park

Argosy Studios Park is a theme park and film production studio lot, located in Federal Way, WA. It was opened in 1977 as Enchanted Village, and was acquired by then-Argosy Entertainment in 1986, expanded from a simple theme park, to a functioning movie studio/theme park experience. The park is mainly themed on the properties of its owner, ArgosyMTM Group.

Areas

 * Welcome Center - the area around the entrance, where costumed characters of Aaron the Cat, Mimsie, and Gussy Goat (with speakers, using Argosy Labs VoxMutatio to make the voices sound like their actors for Aaron and Gussy, and transfigure all speech into meows for Mimsie) welcome visitors to the park. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * Residential Street - an area themed towards suburban America (as opposed to the small-town theme of Disney’s Main Street). Opened in 1977 when the park opened, and is one of the only surviving original areas from the park’s opening.
 * Animated Adventure - an area themed towards ArgosyMTM’s animated properties, including Argosy Animation Studios TV series and NCA Animation Studios films. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * The MTM Vault - an area themed around ArgosyMTM’s classic live-action TV shows, especially the MTM Enterprises (including former TAT Communications and Embassy Television) library. Opened in 1993 as part of an expansion. The entrance to this area features a realistic Mimsie animatronic, which meows like in the closing logo every hour, as a way of telling time (1 meow means either 1am or 1pm; 12 meows means either noon or midnight).
 * B-Movie Archives - an area themed around the libraries of ArgosyMTM’s “B-movie” units: The Asylum, Embassy, Garland, Gramercy, Seven Arts, and Troma. Opened in 2018.
 * Rock-afire Country - an area themed around Creative Engineering and CEC Entertainment properties. Opened in 2018.
 * Metazoa - an area themed towards the wilderness and animals, which has animal-themed rides, as well as also functioning as a zoo, featuring actual live animals. Opened in 1999. Inspired a spinoff park in Baton Rouge, LA, which opened in 2004.
 * Wild Waves - the “water park” area, featuring water-based rides. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * Game Zone - an area themed around ArgosyMTM Interactive video games, especially the Mitchell van Morgan series, designed to “make you feel like you’re in a video game”. Opened in 2011.
 * Fantasy Kingdom - an area themed around generic fantasy tropes, with no licensed properties in sight. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * Space City - an area themed around generic science-fiction tropes, with no licensed properties in sight. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * Slaughter Avenue - a horror-themed area. Opened in 2011.
 * The Studios - actual film and animation studios, with a tour guiding visitors through the property. Opened in 1987 as part of Argosy’s retooling of the park.
 * Northwestern Motor Speedway at Argosy Studios - a track used for NASCAR races, with its own admission system, though admission to the speedway is included in park admission. Opened in 2018.

Trivia

 * The Mimsie costume is a realistic but oversized cat costume, and is operated like many 2-person horse costumes. The Aaron and Gussy costumes are more conventionally-operated.
 * The park features some statues across its areas, including Ellen Peck, Paul Lopez, Nathan Blake, Michael Shires, Michael Shires Jr., Theodore E. Sullivan, Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker, Gussy Goat; the original Mimsie used in the MTM logo; Aaron, Sam, and Salli hugging each other; Robert Stainton, Terry Ward, James Clayton, Blake Kenimeir, and Frank Munsey.
 * The Aaron, Sam, and Salli statue is rather heartwarming as they're comforting each other with an inscription saying "Not living with us anymore, but never forgotten", featuring a memorial for the Shireses, Frank Munsey, and Paul Lopez, thanking them for their contributions to the studio.
 * Following Grant Tinker and Mary Tyler Moore's respective passings, their names were added to it as well.