Unicorn World is marketed as an immersive experience where you get to meet "lifelike animatronic unicorns." It is currently touring cities in the United States. I am here to share an unsponsored unbiased Unicorn World Review and to tell you that this felt more like a scam than a fun family outing.
Before you read more, I want to say that I visited Unicorn World in Chicago on February 23, 2025. I saw some older, more positive reviews online, and perhaps the experience was better when the unicorns, props, and other equipment were in better shape. Unicorn World launched in 2022, and the unicorns seem to have had a rough life.
Unicorn World Review
My husband and I agreed that there was nothing impressive about Unicorn World. We brought our four-year-old daughter, who luckily enjoyed it even though it felt pretty low budget.
Unicorn Forest
The most effort was clearly put into the rainbow walkway and unicorn forest at the entrance to the event. This is the area that is prominently featured in the video advertisments. This area had several lifesized white animatronic unicorns. Their movements were more jittery than smooth and lifelike, but young children seemed impressed.
Once guests make it through the unicorn forest, you ever a large open area that has the ambiance of a parking garage. There are bounce houses set up and some games.
Colorful Unicorn Photo Ops
Five colorful animatronic unicorns seemed to be a centerpiece of the event. They had a vibe similar to the old animatronic mouse at Chuck E. Cheese: attempting to be cute, but slightly creepy and sad.
One was broken and no longer moving. They all had lots of missing paint and didn't exactly look photo-ready.
Unicorn Rides
The unicorn ride area consisted of four spaces where children could ride powered unicorns. Each area seemed to have only four ride-on unicorns and each line was at least 20 people long. We skipped this. Other Unicorn World reviews also warned of long lines for activities.
Storytime
There was a storytime area and a giant copy of the book written by the Unicorn World creators. There was no one there to read the book, or even a schedule for the storytime. Some children had found some balls and we let our daughter play there for ten minutes to see if storytime would begin. It didn't.
Arts and Crafts
The craft area was a total mess, and the crafts themselves were unimpressive. Children could cut a unicorn head out of a paper plate and add string for hair or tape bits of ribbon to a stick to make a wand. The end result looks like something made with things I found in my junk drawer.
Dance Floor
In a video on the website, the owners describe a deejay and a dance floor. There was no deejay in sight, and the songs playing were slow, depressing, not fun for kids, and not even danceable. That might sound like an exaggeration. I promise it isn't. The playlist included Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars (yes, the song made famous by being played when characters on Grey's Anatomy die), Rascal Flatts' What Hurts the Most, and Beyonce's Irreplaceable. While some children were playing with the hula hoops on the dance floor, no one was dancing.
Bounce Houses
The bounce houses saved the day. There were several, there was no line, and the staff let children stay and bounce for as long as they wanted.
Bubble Show
There was an area with chairs for people to watch a bubble show, which only took place once an hour.
Mermaids and Fairies
There was an area where children could meet and take photos with people dressed up as mermaids and fairies.
Play Area
There was an area where games and toys were set up near the bounce house village.
Ball Pit
This was very small and was more of a photo op than a play area.
Play Area for Children Under 2
There were some small bounce castles for toddlers and a soft play area. But, I don't think that there would be enough for a child that young to do at this even. The prime ages seemed to be 3-5 years old.
Face Painting
Face painting is $20 and the results were ... unimpressive. The line was very long.
Unicorn Merchandise
There were several booth that were selling unicorn slap bracelets, stuffed animals, headbands, and other merchandise. We were able to avoid these.
Overall, I'd skip this. Take your child to a bounce house and buy them a stuffed animal instead. Your family might even save money by just purchasing a ride-on unicorn.
Unicorn World Tips:
To be clear, the goal of this Unicorn World Review is to suggest that you save your time and money, but if you decide to go, here is my advice:
- Limit the number of people who go. This is geared towards children ages 5 and under. Tickets for people over the age of 2 are $37. I wouldn't recommend bringing the extended family. Save money and leave the grandparents at home.
- This is a family-friendly event. There isn't much for adults to do here. Even the most unicorn obsessed adults should skip this - unless they have a young child that would enjoy the experience.
- My husband watched our daughter while she was in the bounce house while I got the lay of the land. I made a plan to go to the areas that weren't crowded and to avoid the activities with long lines.
- Areas to sit are very limited.
I don't usually write posts like this, but I want to save fellow parents some time and frustration. This felt like a money grab and a poorly executed event. There are better, more fun ways to spend over $30 a person. Going somewhere like Peppa Pig World of Play is more affordable and a better experience.