Nickelodeon moves into Mall of America

[Anders]

The Park at Mall of America, formerly known as Camp Snoopy, looks like it will soon be home to SpongeBob and Dora. Story

[BoygunaSurf]

This is good news. The MoA logo all over the rides was really looking lame. I hope they theme it well, it is been struggling a little bit lately.

[EricMontreal22]

As long as they keep the Paul Bunyon flume virtually intact--no cute Nickelodeon themeing--I'm more than pleased with this

[stitchon]

the paul bunyan ride will more than likely be rethemed to the wild thornberries, just like the log flumes in kings island and carowinds.

[EricMontreal22]

Originally Posted by stitchon

the paul bunyan ride will more than likely be rethemed to the wild thornberries, just like the log flumes in kings island and carowinds.

[Hector]

I think it's hilarious that just as Cedar Fair picks up Paramount, The Park at MOA (I really hope they change the name too...) picks up Nickelodeon.

[yoyoflamingo]

Originally Posted by EricMontreal22

As long as they keep the Paul Bunyon flume virtually intact--no cute Nickelodeon themeing

I agree. That's a great ride!

[BigPigletFan]

Originally Posted by Anders

The Park at Mall of America, formerly known as Camp Snoopy, looks like it will soon be home to SpongeBob and Dora. Story

Well at least we'd know where to send guests for Dora merchandise. Underwater World already had a BUNCH of Spongebob merch for a while and stopped selling it since the demand went down. About 10 years ago now there was a short-lived Nickelodeon store in the mall. I enjoyed it as a kid but it obviously didn't do so well since I haven't heard of one since.

While many are upset about Camp Snoopy leaving the Park at MOA has done some good things. They kept their team very strong and they're more friendly than ever. This past holiday season they had some great ideas to keep guests visiting the Park while most were shopping. They now have a wonderful Tulip display. (news link: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16497629.htm)

I must agree that some changes should not be made. For example, the Paul Bunyan Log Flume is/was sponsored by Xcel Energy, the local energy company during a refurb a few years back. Paul Bunyan has a nice connection to Minnesota so if they took that out they would only be creating havoc with many of it's locals and passholders. Sure it's the Mall of America, but it's in Minnesota and people like Paul, Babe, and the lakes around here! Overall I think the Park is doing a good job with what they have. While a character name could help, many people visit for the fact that it's the MOA, not for the characters inside. Let's face it, it isn't Disneyland where Mickey can be found. Snoopy was only on walls and appeared sparatically and mainly on weekends or summer days.

With the upcoming MOA expansion to double the mall's size something should be done to help boost Park attendence. But sadly I don't think that Nickelodeon is the solution.

"The beauty of these characters is that they're expandable and appeal to a broad age group," said Tim Pollak, a partner with Reason Inc., a New York-based marketing strategy consulting firm. "You can do events and breakfasts where kids could pose for pictures with Dora the Explorer. ... And believe me, the kids are going to pester their parents to come back. Your typical 2-year-old can't get enough Dora.

"Six months from now, many shoppers who frequent the Mall of America will probably forget that Snoopy was a prominent draw at the megamall for nearly 15 years, Pollak said. "Peanuts and the Gang just aren't relevant to the current generation of young children," he said. "They stayed the same, and their marketing strategy never progressed. They were of a time, and that time has passed."

FALSE. I'm sorry Mr. Pollak, but us frequent MOA visitors aren't so quick to forget and stupid as you may think. Most of us MOA visitors are Minnesotans, or Wisconsinites, or Iowans, or North Dakotans, or South Dakotans. Now maybe you're the one to forget that the Peanuts creator, Charles Shultz is from Minnesota. I guess you forget that visitors come internationally to take Charles Shutlz tours and that Camp Snoopy used to be a part of that. I think that the problem just might be that you have already forgotten since it's your job to as you "consult."

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah that's BS about Peanuts no longer being relevant (didn't the Christmas TV special get better ratings than in a longtime this year?)

Are there any pics of any of the figures in the Paul bunyon ride? I couldn't find any nor any ride videos on youtube

[tloolgb]

Originally Posted by Hector

I think it's hilarious that just as Cedar Fair picks up Paramount, The Park at MOA (I really hope they change the name too...) picks up Nickelodeon.

That is funny...especially since CF was negotiating keeping the NickToons for thier parks.
This could be interesting.