US-based ride designer Sally Corporation has signed a deal which will allow Sally to use the entire line of Marvel comic book characters in amusement park rides and interactive exhibits.

A development agreement signed with Marvel Enterprises last month will see Sally design and construct Marvel dark rides, interactive features and exhibits for theme parks, attractions and museums.

Spider-Man, Hulk and the X-Men are just a few of the 4,700 characters in the Marvel library – as are the Fantastic Four who will feature in a highly publicised Hollywood release during 2005.

Howard Kelley, president of Sally Corporation, said: “These characters are the subject of blockbuster movies, video games, television series, comics and books and now we can harness their popularity for interactive dark ride adventures and other attractions.

“With a 42 per cent share of the international comic book market, Marvel has a phenomenal readership which includes everyone from tweens to grandparents – exactly the kind of demographic parks and attractions are looking for.”

Florida-based Sally provides custom designed and fabricated animatronics and complete show production. Its previous dark rides include the ET Adventure at Universal Studies and Scooby-Doo’s Haunted Mansion at Paramount Parks.