So more information was made available during the investor presentation and it seems like good news for those concerned about Cedar Fair parks loosing their identity.
The Investor Presentation in full can be found here
Third slide down, it says "Leverage Cedar Fair’s recent park investments experience to accelerate the transformation underway across Six Flags’ portfolio" I may be reading this wrong but not only does it sound like Cedar Fair is the controlling party in this merger (with their headquarters being used, CEO Richard Zimmerman and CFO Brian Witherow running it, and Cedar Fair being the majority stake holder), but that their current tactics are going to lead this new company. This certainly relieves some concerns I had with Knott's future, as I really like their current direction and ex-Disney leadership.
Being an Ohio guy, I would love to see Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbeara and DC somewhere like Kings Island, as I always thought Peanuts are too quaint and wasted on such a MASSIVE kids area. It would be incredible to see Scooby-Doo back in the park after all these years, maybe revert Boo-Blasters back. Would love to see that Justice League dark ride make its way to one of the Ohio parks who are in desperate need of a dark ride. Would also like to see that Glow in the Park night time parade that Six Flags did a decade ago make a return. I definitely feel like Kings Island could benefit from the IP that Six Flags could bring but I'd like to see it done right, not just slapped on random rides like Six Flags does (and Paramount Parks did), that's such a waste. I'd like to see the entire Action Zone bulldozed (except Banshee) and replaced with a Metropolis / Gotham City DC area with dark rides, themed stunt shows and themed eateries, something like Marvel Superhero Island at Islands of Adventure. I'd like to see the current Peanut's kids area split up into zones; Camp Snoopy, Looney Tunes, and Coolsville. All the other areas would remain IP free with their distinct themes.
That said, Peanuts are perfect for Knott's and should remain there, with Bear-y Tails characters and others making up an original IP roster. I would not like to see other IP there, it just wouldn't feel right.
In the end, some parks could really benefit from this merger, others...we'll just have to wait and see. Fasten your seatbelts, this ride is gonna have a lot of ups and downs and maybe even throw us for a loop.
