Nickelodeon and Mall of America, the country’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, will officially welcome guests to the grand opening of Nickelodeon Universe, the Mall of America’s new, rebranded theme park, on Sat., March 15, 2008. Nickelodeon Universe marks the first-ever Nickelodeon theme park in the world.

Nickelodeon Universe will feature new rides, live shows, attractions, retail, games, and entertainment themed with top-ranking network properties, including “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Go, Diego, Go!,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Danny Phantom,” “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” “The Backyardigans,” and many more. The park will also feature daily meet-and-greets with Nick characters.

 Nickelodeon will also establish its largest retail presence in the world at Mall of America, with a brand new Nick store occupying more than 4,000 square feet, offering consumers items such as branded T-shirts, souvenirs, novelties, and more.

Nickelodeon-themed rides that will be added to the seven-acre indoor theme park include the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Avatar Airbender, and Splat-O-Sphere.