Kings Dominion to get Planet Snoopy

[The Deadman]

Kings Dominion's site is promoting that the land currently occupied by Hanna Barbera is being turned into Planet Snoopy for the 2010 season, thoughts?

[AtomicBear]

I read that all the Cedar Fair parks are getting the Planet Snoopy make over. What if they have the Scooby Doo ghost blaster rides, how do they re-theme those. Peanut Characters+lazer guns is a weird fit, but maybe it could be Snoopy and the Red Barron.

[Joshrzmeup]

Originally Posted by AtomicBear

I read that all the Cedar Fair parks are getting the Planet Snoopy make over. What if they have the Scooby Doo ghost blaster rides, how do they re-theme those. Peanut Characters+lazer guns is a weird fit, but maybe it could be Snoopy and the Red Barron.

King's Island is 20 minutes from me and I have yet to hear anything about that. And why would they change a kid's area that has been voted #1 for years running?
Personally, I say good riddance to SpongeBob and Scooby. I'd love to have Snoopy and the Gang around the park. Hope it is true for all Cedar Fair parks.

[Disney Wrassler]

I'm jealous!

[stitchon]

Personally, I see no logic in dumping Nickelodeon/Hanna-Barbera for Snoopy.

Kids will ALWAYS know Spongebob and Scooby before Snoopy. Like it or not, there is just more interest in the Nick/Hanna-Barbera characters than there is for Snoopy, and will definitely bring more people to the park than Snoopy ever will.

There's a reason I call them Cedar Fail, and this is a pretty good example. Then again, it's mostly Paramount's fault for dumping the parks in the first place. If they had done it right, they could have, at the very least, competed with Universal Studios on the level of theming, and in the early years of the Paramount ownership, some of the attractions (Flight of Fear, Tomb Raider: The Ride and its' offshoots, Splat City) DID have that level of theme and story than Universal had. Selling the parks was a stupid move for them... but Cedar Fail kicking out some of the world's most well-known characters for lesser-known ones is just... dumb.

Although, there is definitely a second side to the story, and apparently Nickelodeon was asking for some serious $$$ as the licensing renewal fee... $$$ that Cedar Fail doesn't have (likely because of how much they spent on buying the Paramount Parks in the first place).

[vfire]

I don't get SpongeBob so not sorry to see him go. Scooby is a classic that kids will always like and he'll be missed. But Snoopy is an even greater classic that adults and children both like. CF already has the license so from their point of view there's no point dealing with other licenses and spending more money.

[PhotoJoe]

I don't know anything about that, but I have talked to the PR person about their new roller coaster, Eliminator 305!

Kings Dominion to open 305-foot coaster in 2010

[AtomicBear]

Originally Posted by Joshrzmeup

King's Island is 20 minutes from me and I have yet to hear anything about that. And why would they change a kid's area that has been voted #1 for years running?
Personally, I say good riddance to SpongeBob and Scooby. I'd love to have Snoopy and the Gang around the park. Hope it is true for all Cedar Fair parks.

I read on one blog that Kings Island is such a huge area that it might take a lot more work to figure out how to switch it over if they do.


I read that Nickelodeon is opening there own theme park: Nickelodeon Universe New Orleans. That could mean that they don't want the characters other places if they want to expand the parks across the country.

New Orleans plans Nickelodeon theme park - UPI.com

The Nickelodeon/Southern Star agreement is part of redevelopment plans by the city and Southern Star for a 65-acre parcel -- formerly Jazzland/Six Flags -- in eastern New Orleans. It will represent Nickelodeon's first outdoor theme park, city officials said in a release.
Nickelodeon rides, costumed characters, live interactive entertainment, retail shops, games and food establishments are expected to be featured. Construction is to begin this fall after the creative and architectural plans are complete and the park is targeted to open by the end of 2010.

I wonder if Nick is pulling out the theming from these other parks and recycling it into their own. That would make it easier to open by the end of 2010.

[Joshrzmeup]

It was in our local paper today that we are indeed getting Camp Snoopy, all cedar fair parks are.

From Cincinnati.com:

MASON – Move over, SpongeBob and Dora. Make way for Snoopy.
North America’s third-largest amusement parks chain says it’s putting Charlie Brown, Snoopy and other Peanuts characters into Kings Island and four other parks next year.

The children’s area at Kings Island will come to be known as Planet Snoopy and will include a collection of Peanuts-themed rides for children of all ages, including four kids’ roller coasters – more than any park in the world, according to Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig.
Planet Snoopy will also feature a live stage show and daily meet-and-greet opportunities with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus.
“Peanuts are an international icon,” Kings Island’s Vice President and General manager Greg Scheid said in a statement. “Snoopy and his pals are instantly recognizable among children and adults alike.”

Helbig said the park will release the names of the attractions and shows at a later date.

In addition to the Mason theme park, the Peanuts gang will replace the Nickelodeon characters and themed rides at Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto; Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.; Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America near San Francisco.

Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. says its contract with Nickelodeon was up and it has had success with the Peanuts characters in its other parks around the country.

The company operates 11 amusement parks, seven water parks and five hotels.

[flynnibus]

Unfortunately I think the parks lost the ability to do all the Hanana Barbera stuff long ago and only scraps of it still remain. That's why Yogi's cave isn't Yogi's anymore, etc. Then the Nick stuff came which isn't bad... Rugrats, Blue, Dora, etc. But they never really rethemed any of the old stuff, just new stuff got the Nick treatment.

Now, to change over again... I hope it doesn't become an even bigger mess. Snoopy is loved, but the cast and range is quite limited compared to something like HB.

It's not going to take much effort to reskin most of the land in KD.. more cosmetic then anything (sans the Rugrats car ride and the Scooby Ghost House) - but I wish there was some value ADD from doing so.

Nick has much more relevance to today's kids then Snoopy unfortunately.