Amika’s departure puts the Big & Betsy farm back in focus
Plopsaland said goodbye in 2023 to Amika, the television horse that had long been part of the Big & Betsy farm area. Because of health issues, the horse moved to a quieter meadow while Plopsa signalled plans to refresh the farm setting.
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The Big & Betsy farm area returned to the spotlight in 2023 through an emotional farewell: Amika, the white horse known from the Studio 100 television series, left Plopsaland De Panne. For years the animal had been part of the farm setting around Big & Betsy, but his health had declined. Looopings reported that Amika was suffering from serious lung problems and that visitors had sometimes expressed concern about his condition. In consultation with carers, the park chose a quieter home outside Plopsaland.
For the area, this was more than an animal-welfare decision. Amika represented a recognisable piece of Studio 100 nostalgia at the Big & Betsy farm, where live animals, television memories and family entertainment overlapped. His departure changed the character of the place: the horse meadow disappeared as a familiar reference point, and Plopsa made clear that Amika would not be replaced.
At the same time, the park indicated that it wanted to breathe new life into the Big & Betsy farm. That gave the news a forward-looking edge. The farewell closed an older chapter around Amika, but it also pointed toward a new phase in which Plopsaland had to redefine the role of this quiet farm zone inside a resort that keeps modernising and reworking its Studio 100 heritage.