Experience Kringle’s Inventionasium: A Whimsical Santa Workshop for Families

Move over mall Santa, there is a new Kringle in town, and your family is invited to his whimsical workshop. Kringle’s Inventionasium just opened in downtown Seattle, and it’s a fantastic experience for the whole family. Our family recently made the trek, and my kids had a blast taking center stage in an immersive, theatrical performance.

A Christmas mission from Mr. Kringle

Around every corner of Kringle’s Inventionasium is a charismatic character or wacky creature ready to direct you and your family through a holiday adventure unlike any other. Mr. Kringle — yes, Santa himself — has a mission for you: It’s up to you to ignite the wonder of the holiday season. Are you up to the important task?

Your job is to create a completely original, new toy. Don’t fret, you’ll have help along the way. You will meet Eisley Oogle, a pupil aptly named for his one enormous eye; Professor Ignatius Glytch, an eccentric inventor with a big, blue mustache who may have a screw or two loose; Mr. Kringle’s adorable niece and nephew, Raspberry Hiccup and Boyzenberry Hiccup, twins with freckles and wild blue hair; and many more unforgettable friends.

The jolly characters speak in a whacky, holiday vernacular all their own. Honestly, their jovial, high-energy was admirable. I can’t believe they never broke character throughout the experience.

STEM activities and imaginative play

This family-friendly and STEM-accredited attraction transports visitors to a place where little ones can let their imaginations run wild. In fact, it’s not only welcomed, but enthusiastically encouraged. You get to design, create, experiment and more, all before you meet Mr. Kringle himself.

As you meander through brightly colored rooms, characters appear around every twist and turn of the mazelike setup, giving guests tasks in a scripted, yet uniquely tailored way. Using hidden doorways, we created a super-secret code name for our family. On muraled walls with magic pens, we drew prototypes of our inventions.

Before meeting Mr. Kringle, we even got to complete a series of science experiments. Do you know how to make snow indoors? We do, now! That’s one of the experiments you’ll complete with the help of Grace Atlas, world-renowned adventurer who is splendidly fashionable in her purple goggles.

My kids really enjoyed volunteering for tasks, asking questions about engineering, and at times, playing on the floor with some of the cast members. Boyzenberry and Raspberry, who have a backstory as troop leaders, are more like carnival directors than actors. They were so patient and kind with the kids in the last room, the large waiting area before you meet Mr. Kringle. They entertained the kids with games and had them laughing the entire time.

Creating a puppet in Santa’s workshop

Kringle’s Inventionasium isn’t like other Santa experiences. My kids’ favorite part of the workshop — aside from meeting Santa, of course — was creating their puppets.

In one room, there are shelves of various parts of all shapes, sizes and colors, where little inventors can piece their masterpieces together. The creations they made were truly “splendiferous” (that’s one of the words you’ll learn if you decide to visit the Inventionasium).

We curated perfect puppet friends, and then named our beautiful inventions before receiving official certificates sealed with a stamp. The best part: After we created our fuzzy friends, we got to take them home.

An immersive holiday experience for the whole family

A lot goes into bringing the Kringle Inventionasium to life, including actors, set creation, the development of intricate storylines, backstories for every character, and a larger-than-life vision from locally owned LIT Immersive to bring a unique holiday experience to Seattle families.

The entire experience is about an hour long. You shuttle from room to room through an elaborately created set that glows, glitters, twinkles, dazzles and delights with props of all shapes and colors.

Photos are encouraged, so get your camera ready to capture the smiles on your kids’ faces. As a mom who can never have too many photos, I really enjoyed that each family gets a private meet-and-greet with Mr. Kringle, where you can snap as many photos and videos as you like from your own phone or camera.

Upgrading your experience at Kringle’s Inventionasium

When you book your tickets online, there are different packages and add-ons available. The VIP package offers guests a private tour of the Inventionasium; access to the VIP Lounge, which features a dessert and hot cocoa bar and a large festive lounge area for families; an unlimited digital photo package; a special gift; and a personalized visit with the jolly and iconic Mr. Kringle, where he magically knows details only the one-and-only Santa would know. (For the VIP experience, an email is sent ahead of time from one of Mr. Kringle’s elves with a personalized form to fill out before your visit. That information is shared with Mr. Kringle to make the experience extra magical.)

What parents should know

Kringle’s Inventionasium is a whirlwind of fast-paced holiday fun. It feels like a world straight out of “Alice in Wonderland” — wacky, colorful, whimsical, and more fantasy than reality. (There is even a large, green clock!)

You move quickly from one room to another, and at times, you might miss a bit of the storyline. Each character only has a few minutes to give visitors directions. As soon as a family in another room moves on, so do you. The characters keep the adventures on track with a strict schedule.

The attraction is recommended for children ages 2 and older. Parents and caregivers participate throughout the experience (so if you are introverted and don’t like performative experiences, this may not be as fun for you).

Some of the rooms are also pretty small, so be prepared to pack yourselves together. No strollers are allowed during the experience. If you have itty bitty ones, you’ll have to hold them.