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New Universal theme park heading to North Texas reveals name, logo

Universal and Frisco city officials held a press conference Friday to announce the name and logo for the forthcoming Universal Kids Resort.

FRISCO, Texas — Universal's January-announced, kid-focused theme park in Frisco is currently under construction -- and now it has a name and logo, too.

Universal and Frisco city officials held a press conference Friday to reveal the branding elements surrounding what will be known moving forward as Universal Kids Resort.

The park, which doesn't have an opening date set yet, will be Universal's first destination park designed specifically for children. The park will be located on 97 acres near the Dallas North Tollway and Panther Creek Parkway in Frisco, about 40 minutes north of Dallas Love Field and 30 minutes northeast of DFW International Airport. 

The size of the park will be appropriately fun-sized, too -- about a quarter of the square footage of Universal's main theme parks in Florida and California.

Molly Murphy, an official with Universal, said Friday that the park will be "full of color and life and thoughtfully set in a lush, green landscape."

The park will include "immersive lands" and will "bring to life beloved characters" from the Universal world, Murphy said. Included among its amenities will be family-friendly attractions, interactive shows and a 300-room hotel.

Credit: WFAA

Universal broke ground on the theme park and began moving dirt in November. The company plans to "go vertical" with construction by next summer, Murphy said.

The company also said it plans to bring thousands of jobs with the park, including 2,500 construction jobs as the project gets underway.

Plans for the theme park were first unveiled in January. Frisco City Council then had to approve the project to move forward, which it did.

"Frisco is the perfect location for this resort," Murphy said. "The welcome here has been unmatched."

Some residents, however, have questioned the viability of the park, and experts have raised concerns over traffic increases it will bring.

Mayor Jeff Cheney said the council was initially "skeptical" of the park, and noted that the city had turned down several pitches for theme parks in the past. On concerns over crime -- one resident cited data that showed an increase in crime surrounding Universal's Orlando park -- Cheney said the council shared those concerns, and that he and his fellow officials have been "hammering [Universal] with those questions."

"[Crime] was the first this council brought up," Cheney said. "[Universal] did a very good job of explaining what this park is going to be, and what it isn't going to be."

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