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| Santa's
Workshop |
| Where can you ride the Candy Cane Express, talk to Mother Goose herself, and see the Post Office where all those letters to Santa get postmarked North Pole? |
 Santa & a friend, shortly after park opening |
| Santa's Workshop at the North Pole was one of the first theme parks in the United States, and featured the world's first petting zoo. Not only reindeer, but goats and sheep strolled freely among the log cabin buildings. |
 The wandering animals had to be curtailed a bit since they nibbled on clothes, but the reindeer are still there |
It opened on July 1, 1949, a creation of Arto Monaco, the famous film animator and toy designer. On December 16, 1953, The U.S. Postal Service awarded the North Pole "Rural Postal Station" status and Santa started getting his mail home delivered. |
 Group portrait from 1950 |
Monaco was involved in almost every Adirondack theme park: Storytown USA, Gaslight Village, Frontier Town and the Enchanted Forest. Considered by some to be his greatest creation, Santa's Workshop still lives, and is more popular than ever. |
 See live plays at Santa's Show House |
There are daily presentations and character interactions throughout the Park. Join Santa for his milk and cookie break, promptly at 12:45 pm, right after his daily assignment schedule to all the characters at the North Pole. Browse the World of Christmas shop, and let friends know you got them that special ornament right from Santa, hand-blown in his own village. |
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| We hope to see you soon! |
 Now, at Santa's Workshop! |
| Visit
Santa's Website |
| About the dreamer & designer of Santa's Workshop |
| Legendary artist Arto Monaco
was born in 1913 in Ausable Forks, N.Y., the son of an Italian immigrant.
Monaco’s talents were discovered early by Adirondack painter Rockwell
Kent. With Kent’s aide Monaco enrolled in the Pratt Institute in New
York City. After graduating in 1937, Monaco moved to Hollywood and worked
as a set designer for MGM and Warner Brothers.
In 1941 Monaco enlisted in the Army utilizing his talents to create a Training Aides division. Following his service in the Army, Monaco moved to New York to work for the Ideal and Mattel toy companies. He eventually returned to the Adirondacks to open his own toy company. Local developer, Julian Reiss approached Monaco in 1947 to design a theme park based on Santa Claus, which eventually became Santa’s Workshop. He later helped Reiss design a second park, Old McDonald’s Farm, in Lake Placid. In 1954 Monaco developed and designed his own theme park, The Land of Make Believe. For 25 years Monaco’s work of art entertained young children until its closure in 1979. Additionally, Monaco assisted theme park developer, Charlie Wood, with the creation of Storytown and Gaslight Village in Lake George, N.Y. Following the closing of his own park, Monaco assisted Wood with the transformation of Storytown into the Great Escape. |
Roadside America reviews of Santa's Workshop NPR interview with Arto Monaco |
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