First designed within the extant halls of Sacilor's Laminoir by the Leisure division HHCP Architects in Maitland, Florida, the theme park was named
The New World of the Smurfs, or Le Nouveau Monde des Schtroumpfs. After a decision was made to abandon the mill, the park was re-designed by Grady Larkins and eventually opened up on May 9, 1989, as
Big Bang Schtroumpf. Built on the site of the former steel mills of
Sacilor, the park was then managed by
Sorépark, a company headed by Pierre Jullien. Construction costs topped . • In 1991, the park, on the verge of bankruptcy, is taken over by
Walibi Group. Walibi's orange kangaroo mascot is brought alongside
Peyo's little blue men:
Walibi Schtroumpf was born. • In 1998, parent
Walibi Group is bought out by
Premier Parks. At this point, the land on which Walibi Schtroumpf sits, totals 162 hectares of which only 42 are in use. • In 2003, Walibi Schtroumpf becomes
Walibi Lorraine and the
Smurfs characters are removed from the park. • In 2004
Six Flags (Premier Parks' successor), which had ownership of the park since 1998, divests itself of its European operations (apart from
Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid, which was sold back to
Time Warner and renamed Parque Warner Madrid in 2006). The park changes hands to
Star Parks, of London-based
Palamon Partners. • In 2006
Star Parks, in turn, sells the park to brothers Claude and Didier Le Douarin. Around the same time, the
Walibi brand is sold to French leisure giant
Compagnie des Alpes. The new management team is left with no option but to adopt a new name. • In 2007, the park opens its doors under a new name:
Walygator Parc. • In 2010, the park opens a new roller coaster, "
The Monster", an
inverted roller coaster by Swiss manufacturer
Bolliger & Mabillard. The ride had previously anchored
Expoland in Japan, and is a clone of
Raptor at
Cedar Point. • In 2013, the park, once again on the verge of bankruptcy, is sold to a group of investors made of Jacqueline Lejeune, Franck Déglin and Francois-Jérôme Parent. • In 2016, Jacqueline Lejeune and Franck Déglin sell Walygator Parc to
Aspro Parks. • In 2020, the park was renamed Walygator Grand-Est following the purchase of Walibi Sud-Ouest and renaming as Walygator Sud-Ouest. ==Attractions==