SegaWorld London

SegaWorld London was a SegaWorld theme park opened at the Trocadero in London, England's Piccadilly Circus. This theme park kicked off at the height of its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog's popularity on 7 September 1996. It featured a number of indoor rides, coin-op arcade machines and a Sega merchandise shop.

Sonic the Hedgehog
SegaWorld London was heavily promoted in the UK's Sonic the Comic. Objects relating to Sonic the Hedgehog could be seen all over the theme park, ranging from merchandise, to statues of the blue hedgehog himself and a costumed Sonic character being seen wandering around the park.

Closure
SegaWorld London (which had started to become a loss-making venture) eventually closed and was taken over by a new management which renamed the establishment "Funland", another arcade. The arcade housed some Sega games, but not as many as its SegaWorld predecessor. The building was not refurbished, with many indoor fixtures remaining, providing clues of what used to be there. The main entrance (known as the "Rocket Escalator") was not taken down, and simply blocked off with a vending machine (though as of May 2011, it was finally taken down). In July 2011, Funland was closed due to ongoing disputes between the owner and landlord, although the amusement park moved elsewhere from the Trocadero. The fate of the SegaWorld part of the Trocadero is unknown, although there have been rumors of plans to convert the Trocadero into a pod hotel.