Santa Claus is just about the most popular fictional character of all time, but that just might be because he doesn't wear out his welcome. Santa pops up once a year, fulfills children's wishes for toys, and then goes away. And because he is such a popular character, many entrepreneurs have been tempted to capitalize on Santa Claus with year-round parks and attractions, with varying success. Quite a few eventually failed and fell into ruin over the years. Check out a gallery of pictures at Atlas Obscura that takes a look at erstwhile Santa Claus attractions in California, Arizona, Vermont, Michigan, Illinois, and Brazil.
(Image credit: Flickr user mlhradio)
Wait a minute . . . . 'fictional?'
.
*sniff*
Waahhhh!