Dundy, born in 1862 in Omaha, Nebraska, was Thompson's perfect complement. His exceptional creative ingenuity and marketing flair were rivaled only by his equally exceptional disregard for financial prudence.

Thompson, an architect by training, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1872. Luna Park was founded by Frederic Thompson and Elmer 'Skip' Dundy.

The thinking visitor, after he has seen the many features, after he has laughed at the helter-skelter, and watched the Cingalese dancers, and made a trip to the moon, and another via the submarine route to the North Pole, will glance back after leaving the really picturesque entrance and marvel at the inventive genius that has made all this possible.' 'At just the time when it was needed, when the attractions had grown a trifle monotonous, two young men came out of the West and, without any blowing of horns, erected as if in a night an amusement park which has not its counterpart anywhere else on earth. It is the architectural and entertainment industry triumph of two people whose combined imagination, passion for their work and willingness to take risks changed the world. A Harper's Weekly article from just four months after Luna Park first opened in May of 1903 captures the amusement park's transformational impact on both Coney Island and the worldwide amusement industry: Luna Park, the 'Heart of Coney Island', is the most influential amusement park of all time, and the most well-known alongside Disney World. The final article on Dreamland builds off of this article. It assumes the reader has read the prior articles on Sea Lion Park and Steeplechase Park. This is the third of four articles on Coney Island's iconic amusement parks.

Ikuna park