Taipei City Councilors Expose 'Smart Little Player' Children's Center for Malicious Closure; City Government to Handle According to Law
Taipei City Councilors Hsu Shu-hua and Chen Yu-hsin accused the 'Smart Little Player' children's center of malicious closure and defrauding parents of thousands to tens of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars in 'Smart Coins'. The operator allegedly knew of the impending closure since October last year but continued to solicit top-ups until December. Over 40-50 victims have been identified, with total damages exceeding hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars. The Taipei City Government has launched an administrative investigation, the Legal Affairs Bureau has received 23 complaints, and the police are investigating for fraud.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 13:22
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 14:00 (38 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 12:42 (190h 41m after Collected)
Taipei City Councilors Hsu Shu-hua and Chen Yu-hsin, both from the Democratic Progressive Party, held a press conference today with several affected parents at the city council, likening the situation to a 'Kidsburgh' incident, where parents tearfully accused the operator of malicious closure.
Hsu Shu-hua stated that she recently received numerous complaints from parents alleging that 'Smart Little Player,' an indoor children's center located in a well-known department store in Songshan District, knowingly concealed its impending closure and even launched a 'final wave' of promotions to entice parents to top up their accounts just before closing, criticizing the operator's despicable tactics.
She said that according to investigation data, the operator was found to have violated its contract by the department store as early as October last year, and the contract was officially terminated on December 31 last year. The department store explicitly demanded that power be cut and the counter sealed by January 10 this year.
Hsu Shu-hua believes that the operator knew its 'doom was sealed' but still encouraged parents to continue topping up their accounts between October and December last year, inducing them to deposit 'Smart Coins' ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars. Some parents even topped up on December 30 last year, only to find it unusable by January 1 this year. She questioned, 'If this isn't premeditated, what is?' and asked how this behavior differs from a fraud group.
Victim parents expressed shock when they saw the dark children's center and found the operator evasive when contacted. Some parents who tried to assert their rights in group chats were allegedly doxxed and threatened by the operator. Currently, over 40 to 50 victims are known, with damages totaling hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars, but this might just be the tip of the iceberg.
This incident is suspected to be a repeat of the 'Kidsburgh' incident, a chain of indoor children's amusement parks in Taiwan. Victim parents said that after collecting information, they found a high degree of overlap between the operators of 'Smart Little Player' and 'Kidsburgh,' suspecting the same group of shareholders behind both.
Chen Yu-hsin mentioned that the 'Kidsburgh' incident in 2022 was due to the operator's financial crisis, leading to the unannounced closure of five branches south of Hsinchu. The person in charge then disappeared, leaving behind a large number of unused stored value and tickets for parents. The person in charge was involved in fraud under the Criminal Code and violations of the Consumer Protection Act.
Hsu Shu-hua and Chen Yu-hsin both stated that there is currently no competent authority to effectively supervise the business model of 'Smart Little Player.' They demanded that the Taipei City Government's consumer protection officer assist affected parents in filing a class action lawsuit and formulate a standardized contract for 'indoor toy amusement park' projects. They also called on the police to assist affected parents in filing investigations.
Ye Jia-hao, a senior consumer protection officer at the Legal Affairs Bureau, responded that from February 1 to April 6 this year, a total of 23 complaints were received. Although the operator is registered in Hsinchu County, the Taipei City Government will immediately launch an administrative investigation, and the operator must be responsible for subsequent refunds. Furthermore, whether its business category falls under indoor children's amusement park industry, subject to the regulations on standardized contracts for commodity (service) gift certificates, will be determined by the competent authority.
Cai Hui-zhen, section chief of the Taipei City Department of Commerce, said that regarding subsequent refund disputes, in addition to sending a letter requesting the operator to provide an explanation within a time limit, they will also notify the Hsinchu County Government for joint handling. Chen Zhi-feng, captain of the Songshan Precinct Investigation Team of the Taipei City Police Department, stated that three victim parents have already filed fraud charges, and the case will be handled according to law. (Editor: Zhang Ming-kun) 1150407
Hsu Shu-hua stated that she recently received numerous complaints from parents alleging that 'Smart Little Player,' an indoor children's center located in a well-known department store in Songshan District, knowingly concealed its impending closure and even launched a 'final wave' of promotions to entice parents to top up their accounts just before closing, criticizing the operator's despicable tactics.
She said that according to investigation data, the operator was found to have violated its contract by the department store as early as October last year, and the contract was officially terminated on December 31 last year. The department store explicitly demanded that power be cut and the counter sealed by January 10 this year.
Hsu Shu-hua believes that the operator knew its 'doom was sealed' but still encouraged parents to continue topping up their accounts between October and December last year, inducing them to deposit 'Smart Coins' ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars. Some parents even topped up on December 30 last year, only to find it unusable by January 1 this year. She questioned, 'If this isn't premeditated, what is?' and asked how this behavior differs from a fraud group.
Victim parents expressed shock when they saw the dark children's center and found the operator evasive when contacted. Some parents who tried to assert their rights in group chats were allegedly doxxed and threatened by the operator. Currently, over 40 to 50 victims are known, with damages totaling hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars, but this might just be the tip of the iceberg.
This incident is suspected to be a repeat of the 'Kidsburgh' incident, a chain of indoor children's amusement parks in Taiwan. Victim parents said that after collecting information, they found a high degree of overlap between the operators of 'Smart Little Player' and 'Kidsburgh,' suspecting the same group of shareholders behind both.
Chen Yu-hsin mentioned that the 'Kidsburgh' incident in 2022 was due to the operator's financial crisis, leading to the unannounced closure of five branches south of Hsinchu. The person in charge then disappeared, leaving behind a large number of unused stored value and tickets for parents. The person in charge was involved in fraud under the Criminal Code and violations of the Consumer Protection Act.
Hsu Shu-hua and Chen Yu-hsin both stated that there is currently no competent authority to effectively supervise the business model of 'Smart Little Player.' They demanded that the Taipei City Government's consumer protection officer assist affected parents in filing a class action lawsuit and formulate a standardized contract for 'indoor toy amusement park' projects. They also called on the police to assist affected parents in filing investigations.
Ye Jia-hao, a senior consumer protection officer at the Legal Affairs Bureau, responded that from February 1 to April 6 this year, a total of 23 complaints were received. Although the operator is registered in Hsinchu County, the Taipei City Government will immediately launch an administrative investigation, and the operator must be responsible for subsequent refunds. Furthermore, whether its business category falls under indoor children's amusement park industry, subject to the regulations on standardized contracts for commodity (service) gift certificates, will be determined by the competent authority.
Cai Hui-zhen, section chief of the Taipei City Department of Commerce, said that regarding subsequent refund disputes, in addition to sending a letter requesting the operator to provide an explanation within a time limit, they will also notify the Hsinchu County Government for joint handling. Chen Zhi-feng, captain of the Songshan Precinct Investigation Team of the Taipei City Police Department, stated that three victim parents have already filed fraud charges, and the case will be handled according to law. (Editor: Zhang Ming-kun) 1150407
FAQ
Why was the 'Smart Little Player' children's center closed?
The 'Smart Little Player' children's center was found to have violated its contract with the department store, leading to the official termination of the contract on December 31 last year. However, it is alleged that the center maliciously encouraged parents to top up their accounts until just before its closure.
How will the victims be compensated?
The Taipei City Government has launched an administrative investigation, and the Legal Affairs Bureau has received 23 complaints. The operator is responsible for subsequent refunds, and the Taipei City Department of Commerce and Hsinchu County Government will handle the matter jointly. The police are also investigating for fraud.