In February, Universal Studios Hollywood debuted a new area that transforms Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom from a 16-bit fantasyland into a 6,040-square-metre landscape. Super Nintendo World (a follow-up to a similar attraction in Tokyo) is filled with giant toad­­stools and colourful warp pipes that lead to side quests like a themed restaurant and kart-racing ride. 

Even as virtual reality gaming gains momentum, there is still something special about knowing that the environment in front of you is built out of more than just pixels and code. That’s a principle that Barbie director Greta Gerwig understands well. While making her cinematic tribute to the toy doll, Gerwig and her production designer, Sarah Greenwood, avoided using CGI for the film’s sets, instead constructing a physical Barbie Land on a U.K. soundstage. In the buildup to the movie’s release, there were even reports that its production had resulted in a shortage of pink paint.

Now that Barbie has earned well over a billion dollars (surpassing the year’s other big box office smash, The Super Mario Bros. Movie), Mattel is opening its own amusement park next year in Arizona. At their best, Super Nintendo World and the upcoming Mattel Adventure Park are testaments to creative ingenuity. By adapting beloved toy lands to real-world building constraints, set designers and theme park engineers have successfully supersized the joys of playtime.

But as Barbie and Mario’s ubiquitous merchandise suggests, these theme park designs are as much an exercise in world domination as it is in world-building. At Super Mario World, the walls are high enough to block out any sign of the surrounding locale, a design strategy that calls to mind the lack of windows and clocks in casinos. In 2023, it’s easy to understand the draw of escapism — but difficult to shake the idea that on the other side of passionate fandom is corporate greed.

Sure enough, today’s make-believe getaways cost real money. In May, Disney announced that its Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser attraction will shutter at the end of the year after opening just last March. Ultimately, the theme hotel — which allowed guests to eat and sleep on a massive “spaceship” — was doomed by its high expense: A two-night stay cost nearly US$5,000. The world is filled with Star Wars fans, but not all of them can afford to journey to a galaxy far, far away. Even in worlds that celebrate imagination, there are limits to how big you can dream.