Omaha Exploration

My name is Patrick Wyman, join me as I explore Omaha and the surrounding area. With an emphasis on the origin stories of the places that define this city, I also cover new developments, attractions, events and whatever else catches my eye.

Culture & Entertainment

Richman Gordman’s Zooland

Dan Gordman commissioned four animals for his chain Richman Gordman department stores. Constructed of fiberglass, the animals were made in New York and shipped in pieces where they were assembled in the store. The animals that comprised Zooland made their debut in 1964 at the store on 73rd and Blondo. They served as a playground…

Patrick Wyman

August 26, 2023

1–2 minutes

1/2 Price Store, Dan Gordman, Gordman’s, Heartland of America Park, Omaha Children’s Museum, Omaha Exploration, Richman Gordman, Zooland

August 26, 2023

Zooland as they appeared in the Richman Gordman stores. Photo courtesy of the Lincoln Journal-Star.

The animals that comprised Zooland made their debut in 1964 at the store on 73rd and Blondo. They served as a playground to entertain children while their parents shopped. Over the next 20 years, a dozen Zoolands were installed in different stores throughout the Midwest.

The Zooland animals as they appear inside the Omaha Children’s Museum.

While the last of the original Richman Gordman stores closed or converted to either 1/2 Price Store or Gordman’s in early 1993, Zooland lives on in Omaha after the Children’s Museum acquired four of the animals in 2010. After being restored, the animals were placed in a permanent exhibit so a new generation of children can play on them.

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