Henri’s Starlite Scoops
Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, FL
© Give Kids the World Village / © Walt Disney Imagineering
How do you turn an existing ice cream shop into a destination within the story of Give Kids the World Village?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Give Kids the World wanted to transform its existing Ice Cream Palace into a more immersive guest experience—with additional seating, expanded storytelling, and a new identity inspired by Henri, the beloved dreamer and doer behind the village.
The opportunity was bigger than creating a new ice cream destination. It was a chance to take a familiar location and build something new around a character who was already part of the village’s story.
The result was Henri’s Starlite Scoops—a whimsical destination where families could gather, discover Henri’s world, and experience another piece of the story of Give Kids the World Village.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
The Ice Cream Palace was already a familiar gathering place for families at Give Kids the World Village. The challenge was to create something new without losing the connection guests already had to the location.
The new experience needed to accommodate additional and more accessible seating, improve guest circulation, establish a distinct identity, and give Henri’s story a meaningful presence in the physical environment.
That meant answering several questions:
IDENTITY
How can a name and visual identity turn a familiar location into a distinct destination?
STORY
How can Henri’s personality and world influence the experience without feeling like decoration?
ENVIRONMENT
How can the story become part of the physical space rather than something guests simply read?
GATHERING
How can the layout better support families spending time together?
DISCOVERY
What details can reward guests for looking closer and finding pieces of Henri’s world?
The goal wasn’t simply to replace the Ice Cream Palace.
It was to create a new destination that felt as though it had always belonged in the world of Give Kids the World.
MY ROLE
DESIGNING FROM THE PLAN
Henri’s Starlite Scoops was a new build on the same general site as the former Ice Cream Palace. While the location remained familiar, the existing building was demolished and replaced with a new structure.
That created an opportunity to rethink the physical experience from the ground up while maintaining a connection to the history of the site.
I used CAD drawings, floor plans, and site plans to help evaluate how the new space could better serve guests. We looked closely at the layout and considered opportunities for additional seating, more accessible seating, and improved guest circulation.
The plans became another creative tool—not just a way to understand the building, but a way to think through how families would enter, move through, gather, and experience the space.
Working alongside creative, design, and technical teams, I helped connect the creative vision to the realities of the new environment.
CREATING THE STORY & EXPERIENCE
I helped shape the experience from story development through the physical environment, collaborating with creative and design teams to determine how Henri’s character could become part of the destination.
My work included concept development, narrative development, naming, environmental storytelling, and creative direction.
The name Henri’s Starlite Scoops established the destination’s identity while connecting the familiar experience of getting ice cream to Henri’s larger story.
From there, I helped translate that identity into the guest experience—considering how language, visual storytelling, environmental details, and the physical space could work together to make the destination feel like a natural part of the village.
The goal was to create an experience where Henri wasn’t simply a character guests knew from the story.
He was part of the place.
RESULT
The Ice Cream Palace became Henri’s Starlite Scoops—a new destination within the larger story of Give Kids the World Village.
The project brought together identity, storytelling, environmental design, and guest experience while also improving the space for families through additional seating, accessibility, and circulation.
More importantly, it gave a familiar location a new purpose and personality.
The result was more than a place to get ice cream.
It became another place where the story of the village could come to life.
Concept Art
Interior Design Concepts
Scale Model + Marquee Mockup
Creative Thematic Story
As the story goes, in 1950, a space enthusiast named Henri Landwirth opened Starlite Scoops–an intergalactic diner where his astronaut friends could fly in for a scoop after an adventurous day at space.
Today, Henri’s family and friends can follow the glow of the neon marquee to Henri’s Starlite Scoops, where ice cream lovers of every age are still enjoying Henri’s zero gravity treats. Diners may even spot something that’s a little extraordinary before they make their way inside–a spaceship that has crash-landed on the roof!
In the back of the diner, there’s even more fun to discover. As legend has it, one night in the 1950s, a few otherworldly visitors accidentally crashed their spaceship into the diner. Since then, the UFO has been converted into a screw back room known as ” The Marsh Inn.” Today, diners can enjoy their frozen treats in this mysterious area, which is the perfect place to celebrate an extra special day. But there’s just one catch–everything in this room tends to be a little…alien.
Once inside the diner, friends and family can relive the fun adventures of Henri’s astronaut friends, who have left behind special mementos from their space travels over the years. From flight memorabilia hanging on the walls to candy dispensers filled with moon rocks, there’s something new waiting to be discovered around every corner. Guests can also sit inside special rocket ship booths, where they can watch astronauts fly by the windows, see extraterrestrials leave secret “alien” messages, and enjoy a meteor shower that sprinkles “sprinkles” instead of stars.
And, of course, no visit to Henri’s would be complete without a scoop of his out-of-this-world ice cream that started it all: The Starlite Scoop!
Project Reveal
Founder’s Day Celebration at Give Kids the World Village
If this video doesn’t automatically play, click here to watch it on YouTube. Video is © Give Kids the World Village.
Grand Opening