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8 ESLJ [1] (2010)

handle is hein.journals/entersport8 and id is 1 raw text is: blioNga phy Over recent years, a cultural industrial branch of play and fun, focused on children, has been established in Swedish cities. Under names such as 'the mischief factory, 'play and mischief land multisport and 'funhouse, opportunities to consume spaces filled with tools for play, so-called sports zones and celebration milieus with different themes, are offered. Children and their parents as well as schools can stay in these spaces for hours or days, as camps are one of the services provided. In information and advertisements for these businesses, playfulness, speed, parties and celebrations are marked out as key components; everything in a world that is claimed to be created for children. This paper critically investigates the temptations and the activities portrayed within this 'children's culture industry' (Langer, 2002) by analyzing informational material and advertisements as presented on websites. The study is based on the hypothesis that these spaces offer, encourage and make possible certain forms of social choreography (Hewitt, 2005) that are connected to logics of productive consumption (Lefebvre, 1991). The paper develops a picture of the characteristics of industrial play in what is conceptualized as the 'funzone The concept of the funzone is developed with support from research on childhood that has highlighted the tensions between nature and culture during this life phase. Culture industry - social choreography - childhood - play - space - funzone This paper investigates the characteristics of a developing cultural industrial branch that 1 targets children, their parents and schools as customers and offers play activities and festivity services. In these spaces for consumption, what I refer to as 'funzones', arenas of play, sports, parties and coffee shops are assembled to produce an attractive destination for different groups. Analysis of these establishments can be made on the basis of various perspectives and theories. What I will do here is highlight how these spaces portray activities and how they are advertised and sold on internet websites. In focus are Swedish funzones, their presented and offered content, and the cultural order they try to impose. Using Hewitt's (2005) notion of social choreography, a reading of the (desired) content within these playful and industrial arenas will be developed; that is, we will examine how rules, regulations and offerings develop frameworks for (social) action and activities, such as play. Based on Lefebvre's (1991) theory of spaces and productive consumption, I will develop an understanding of how funzones are connected to certain bodies and cultural understandings of the child. In the first part of the paper, I will introduce earlier research related to funzone establishments. The second part gives direction to theoretical-conceptual thinking and describes the empirical material used for the analysis. Finally, the third part of the paper is used for presenting the analysis and to highlight directions for further research. The paper is part of a larger study that analyzes culture for and by children, in the context of entertainment and theme parks. Here, the focus is on the choreographic instructions and directions of websites, and the paper should be read from the perspective of cultural industries trying to regulate childhood. To what degree, and in what ways, this management is successful will be elaborated in future publications. Play zone and play space are the terms usedl by McKendrick et al. (2000a) in their study of2 commercial indoor establishments for play and fun in the UK. In several contributions,

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