Once known as the Ocean Avenue Playground, Imagination Playground was transformed in 1995 into one of the Park’s most fanciful and innovative play areas.  The $1.5 million renovation included the addition of a dragon sculpture water feature and a storytelling area centered on a statue of Ezra Jack Keats’ storybook characters Peter and his dog Willie.  The playground and its dragon were designed by Alliance landscape architect Christian Zimmerman, and the Keats characters were sculpted by Brooklyn artist Otto Neals.  Both men received City of New York Art Commission Excellence in Design awards for their work on this project.

Readers of Time Out New York Kids crowned Imagination Playground New York’s best in the magazine’s annual NYC Parents Awards reader poll.

From the article:
“You’ll notice the absence of standard kiddie fare like seesaws, swings or slides. Instead, Prospect Park’s Imagination Playground encourages inventive play with fixtures like a bronze dragon statue that spews water instead of fire, a sculpture of a boy reading while reaching down to pet his dog, cutout animal masks that kids can set their faces in, and a stage with multiple platforms of different heights for little ones to play on. In the summer, programs including storytelling, plays, music and crafts are available.”

This is Level 4: Accessible playgrounds with Transfer Platforms and Ground Level Play Features: Transfer platforms allow children to transfer out of their wheelchairs (if they choose and are able to) onto a play surface to use equipment such as slides and bridges. Ground level play features allow a child who can not transfer out of his/her wheelchair or climb to be able to interact with others in a play environment.

This is a LEVEL 2 (as designated by NYC Parks)  accessible playground which can include accessible swings and/or ramped play equipment, transfer platforms, and ground level play features. These playgrounds can also include accessible amenities, which can include drinking fountains and comfort stations. All NYC playgrounds have pour-in-place rubber or tiles for surfacing.

This playground does NOT have an adapted swing seat.

This is a LEVEL 2 (as designated by NYC Parks)  accessible playground which can include accessible swings and/or ramped play equipment, transfer platforms, and ground level play features. These playgrounds can also include accessible amenities, which can include drinking fountains and comfort stations. All NYC playgrounds have pour-in-place rubber or tiles for surfacing.

This playground does NOT have an adapted swing seat.

This is a LEVEL 2 (as designated by NYC Parks)  accessible playground which can include accessible swings and/or ramped play equipment, transfer platforms, and ground level play features. These playgrounds can also include accessible amenities, which can include drinking fountains and comfort stations. All NYC playgrounds have pour-in-place rubber or tiles for surfacing.

This playground has an adapted swing seat.

This is a LEVEL 2 (as designated by NYC Parks)  accessible playground which can include accessible swings and/or ramped play equipment, transfer platforms, and ground level play features. These playgrounds can also include accessible amenities, which can include drinking fountains and comfort stations. All NYC playgrounds have pour-in-place rubber or tiles for surfacing.

This playground does NOT have an accessible swing.

This is a LEVEL 3 (as designated by NYC Parks) Playground with universally accessible swings allows unimpeded access to the swing(s) and provides at least one universally accessible swing. These playgrounds may not necessarily have ramped play equipment. All NYC playgrounds have pour-in-place rubber or tiles for surfacing.

This playground has an adapted swing seat.