Digger Theme Parks

Digger worlds, digger lands and digger theme parks are becoming increasingly popular throughout the UK as the rush for digger fun, digger adventure and digger days out takes hold.

DiggerlandDiggerland is the UK’s largest digger theme park. Most people searching for digger world or diggerworld are actually looking for Digger Land or Diggerland.

Diggerland have four seperate digger parks. They are located at:-

  • Langley Park in County Durham
  • Castleford in West Yorkshire
  • Strood in Kent
  • Verbeer Manor in Collompton, Devon

At this giant JCB park you can:-

  • Ride on digger plant including mini diggers and excavators
  • Have a go at driving various types of construction machinery including dumper trucks and diggers
  • Learn about the diggers on display from fully trained instructors
  • Race JCB diggers and dumpers
  • Enjoy a JCB Experience with a trained instructor including a safety talk and practical session

Other rides at Digger Land include ‘Spindizzy’ where kids can ride in the scoop of a digger and the Diggerland Train which is pulled by a dumper truck. There are also more interactive activities such as ‘Dippy Ducks’ where you have to operate a JCB with a lifting attachment to hook a duck from a pond and ‘Skittles’ where you use a wrecking ball to demolish giant skittles.

Note that some of the Diggerland parks close in the off season. Children must be at least 3 years old to ride on the machinery and over 5 to drive the machines.

If you are looking for digger fun, digger adventure or digger days out the Diggerland digger park is without doubt the most spectacular and amazing digger world theme park in the UK.

Other UK digger theme parks:-

  • At Legoland in Windsor children can safely have fun operating a JCB digger simulator. The digger simulator has its own cab with controls just like the real thing. By operating the levers the ‘job’ is to scoop up plastic balls from one section and tip them in another. Legoland also has the ‘Digger Challenge’ in association with JCB. To win the challenge both children and parents can perform a series of tasks behind the controls of a real JCB digger.
  • Paultons Theme Park in Ower near Southampton is not a dedicated digger park but does have its own ‘Digger Ride’ attraction. This fun digger day out gives younger children the opportunity to ride unaccompanied on a mini JCB digger which is guided on rails around a ‘real’ construction site.
  • Deeside Activity Park near Aboyne in Scotland has a ‘Digger Manoeuvres’ experience with an opportunity to drive an 8.5 tonne backhoe loader with a trained instructor.
  • At the Treasure Park near Redruth in Cornwall there is a chance to operate both real and miniature mechanical diggers in the ‘Gold Diggers’ and ‘Treasure Hunt’ attractions. After a treasure hunt around the park kids use the mini sand diggers to dig for buried treasure.
  • Wood Park Off-Road at New Moat in Pembrokeshire offer ‘Recreational JCB Driving’. You must be at least ten years of age to have a go at driving a JCB with the help of a qualified instructor.

Remember that at any digger world adventure, digger land or digger theme park safety is the most important thing. This is not the usual family day out and its only fair to point out that accidents are not unknown. Always ensure that you and any children in your supervision follow the correct safety procedures at all times.

Diggers

Real life diggers in action…

Bobcatskidsteer

Caterpillar Bulldozer

Caterpillar Excavator

Case Digger

JCB Excavator

JCB 3CX

JCB 3CX Loading

JCB 3D

JCB Digger

JCB Excavator

JCB Loadall at Silverstone

JS 130

JS 130

Volvo Excavator

Diggers on TV

We’re lucky there are several famous TV diggers. It almost seems like TV producers feel they can’t broadcast a new kids show without at least one digger-inspired character!

Perhaps the most famous TV digger of all is Scoop. Scoop the Digger is a backhoe loader and leader of Bob the Builder’s machine team. Scoop the iconic TV digger can occasionally be found sharing the limelight with Benny, a kind of tracked minidigger with claw-bucket.

The Scoop the Digger toy is made by Born to Play. Born to Play’s Scoop is friction powered. Friction power is a nice feature as with a little push the digger whirrs along making a satisfying mechanical noise. Scoop also features a working backhoe and moving front loader. He even has stabilizers that you can put down before he gets digging.

Scoop the Digger Die-Cast ToyScoop can also be found in a much smaller die-cast version by Learning Curve. The die-cast Scoop also has a working front loader and backhoe. This toy digger comes with a rubble heap accessory that cleverly attaches to the front loader’s hidden magnet.

Alfie the ExcavatorThomas the Tank Engine features several diggers. Terence the bulldozer, Jack the tractor and Alfie the wheeled excavator are all very useful to Miss Jenny and Sir Topam Hat. These can be found in both wooden and die-cast metal versions.

Tractors and Farm Diggers are well represented with the BBC’s Tractor Tom, ITV’s Little Red Tractor and Farmer Pickles’ Travis from Bob the Builder.

As a result there are now a huge array of licensed digger toys to choose from.

Digger Ride Ons

Digger Ride Ons come in three basic types – push along, pedal driven and electric.

Push along ride on diggers are for younger kids to simply scoot along safely and easily. Push alongs are suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Pedal driven ride ons are chain driven digger toys and include realistic tractors with front loaders and detachable trailers. Kids need a relatively flat, smooth surface, as well as space to turn, to really get the best out of these pedal ride ons.

Caterpillar KIds Ride On DiggerAlso available are a range of excavators and diggers with working front loaders and lever operated backhoes. These are especially ideal for use in or around sandboxes and for slightly older kids as they do require greater coordination.

Electric backhoe ride ons are operated by rechargeable batteries and usually have foot operated accelerator pedals and incorporate a range of safety measures.

There are several big companies that dominate the market for ride on diggers including Falk, Smoby, Big and Rolly Toys. Arguably the best known of these are Rolly Toys and Falk.

JCB Ride on Digger ToyFamily-owned German ride on manufacturers, Rolly Toys, make computer-designed precision-engineered ride on tractors, trailers and diggers for toddlers and kids. Rolly make ride on diggers licensed by top manufacturers including JCB, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland and Case. This makes Rolly Toys diggers some of the most desirable ride ons you can find, combining a top quality product with an internationally recognized brand.

Claas Ride On Digger by Falk ToysAlso well known in this space are French company Falquet trading as Falk. Falk make a wide range of kids ride ons including several digger and tractor and trailer ride ons. Falk have agreements with Claas, McCormick and Kubota to manufacture licensed ride on toys. Falk make ride ons for kids aged from just one to seven years of age.

Ride on diggers for kids are a great way to inspire the next generation of construction toy fans and get them outdoors playing and away from their increasingly sedentary screen-based lives.

Farm Diggers

Some of the best toy diggers are really tractors with a front loader attached, but that doesn’t mean we love them any less!

The first farm tractors used steam power and were introduced in the 1860s.

Early in the nineteenth century the gas traction engine became known simply as the tractor. In 1907 Henry Ford began manufacturing tractors and shortly after their use in farming became widespread.

Early boxed examples of vintage toy tractors, such as those made by Dinky, are now highly sought after.

Today some of the best farm digger and tractor toy scale models are made by top international toy manufacturers Siku, Tomy’s Britain’s and Bruder Toys.

Many toy tractors come with digger attachments plus a range of accessories and trailers for hours of tractor fun. Some tractors feature both a front loader and a backhoe, making them diggers in all but name.

JCB Farm Master Wheel LoaderThe three most widely used types of digger found in use on farms, other than the tractor with a front loader attachment, are the wheeled loader, the loadall or telehandler and the backhoe loader.

Perhaps the biggest and best known name in farm diggers is John Deere. But you can find licensed farm toys from most top tractor manufacturers including Case, Renault, McCormick, New Holland and Massey Ferguson.

John Deere 7030 Tractor with Loader by Bruder

In their distinctive green livery, John Deere digger toys are arguably the most sought after by budding farmers and farm digger enthusiasts alike.

John Deere Kids Farm Digger

My First JCB

Award-winning UK toy company Golden Bear make a superb range of preschool digger toys under the My First JCB brand.

Licensed by iconic British digger manufacturers JCB, the My First JCB range are ideal digger toys for toddlers.

These diggers all have an individual personality. There’s Joey JCB the classic backhoe loader, Freddie Fastrac the JCB Fastrac tractor and helpful Doug the dumper truck.

My First JCB DiggerGolden Bear’s My First JCB diggers are extremely tough yet also wonderfully tactile; an ideal combination for demanding young construction fans.

What’s more My First JCB digger toys have moving parts. Both the rear bucket and the front scoop on Joey the JCB can easily be operated and the rugged wheels have no trouble negotiating even the toughest terrain.

HTI Toy Diggers

HTI has been making JCB digger toys under licence since 2003.

HTI, rebranded in 2010, began life in 1952 as a toy importer trading as David Halsall Ltd.

JCB Backhoe Loader Toy by HTIToday the company make a range of mainly plastic replica diggers based on iconic JCB models. Some feature interactive light and sound effects.

The HTI Construction Series is a collection of models which include the versatile JCB 3CX, Loadall and Fastrac. The comparable models from Britains or Bruder are durable and this is reflected in the higher price points for their ranges. This Series displays well and therefore appeals to older collectors.

JCB Wheeled Loader ToyMore rugged, and ideal for youngsters, are HTI’s outdoor series such as the JCB WLS Wheeled Loader which is designed with play in mind. This heavily stylized little toy digger has a very chunky look and feel with rugged tyres, a five toothed front bucket and famous black and yellow JCB livery.

Pintoy Wooden Diggers

Some of the finest wooden toy diggers are made by Pintoy.

Pintoy diggers are made by Pin International in Thailand using rubber wood. When commercially grown rubber trees stop producing sufficient latex they are harvested for timber and the area replanted.

Pintoy Wooden BulldozerPintoy have a global network of distributors. In the UK Pintoy wooden toys are distributed by John Crane.

The Pintoy wooden digger features real working caterpillar tracks, driver’s cab and working front scoop. Pintoy’s wooden backhoe loader is painted in the eye-catching black and yellow livery of many iconic brands of digger.

Also available in the Small World range are several other wooden construction vehicles, including the Front End Loader, Bulldozer and Low Loader.

Wheel Loader Wooden Toy Digger by PintoyThe wheel loader-inspired Front End Loader is another ideal sandbox toy with the oversized front bucket great for young builders.

Pintoy’s Bulldozer has a fantastic wooden blade just perfect for shifting large quantities of sand or mud.

Deliver all the wooden diggers safely to site with the Pintoy Low Loader which features a great fun moveable ramp.

Wooden diggers make very rewarding, durable and sustainable traditional toys.
Pintoy Low Loader

JCB Dancing Diggers

Dancing Diggers JCB Touring Display Team

The world famous JCB Dancing Diggers Display Team travel the globe performing at trade shows and fairs.

The team of Dancing Digger drivers are highly trained to perform incredible digger stunts. It hardly needs saying that these stunts are not something you would try at work or hire a digger and have a go at in the back garden!

Since its formation the Dancing Diggers have spawned several copy-cat teams, but there will only ever be one official JCB Dancing Digger Team.

The display routines, performed mainly by the extremely versatile JCB 3CX backhoe loader, have been perfected over many hundreds of digger hours. Not only that but the machines used have been specially modified for use by the Dancing Diggers.

JCB Dancing Diggers Display TeamWith their precision moves and hydraulic manoeuvres, the Dancing Diggers never fail to amaze audiences, both trade and public, wherever they perform.

A real highlight of the show is when all the diggers are lifted clear above the ground using their mighty hydraulic systems whilst another JCB passes beneath their honour guard.

It is especially vital for a huge exporter, in fact the largest industrial exporter in the Midlands and the third-largest construction equipment manufacturer on the planet, to showcase its products.

JCB employs over 10,000 staff and exports its diggers to virtually every country on the map. The JCB Dancing Diggers Display Team are a vital component of the iconic company’s public relations.