Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto reveals "Rumrunners" dark ride pitch for Knott's Roaring 20's area

1979. “Rumrunners” dark ride model that got me my first job @knotts at 21. This (POTC only with Gangsters) was designed for their “Roaring 20’s” area but never was built. pic.twitter.com/yhLajX751x

— Eddie Sotto (@boss_angeles) November 17, 2023

Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto reveals a secret nod to Knott's at EDL

A secret nod to @knotts at EDL. “Tugg’s Overalls” in Ghost Town becomes a family business “Tugg’s and Sons” above Disney Clothiers. Fictional brands crossover! pic.twitter.com/uXjl1BeGhu

— Eddie Sotto (@boss_angeles) November 17, 2023

XCELERATOR IS BACK!!! | Knott's Berry Farm | Vlog #25 | 11/7/23

Knott's Merry Farm Nov. 17, 2023 - Jan. 7, 2024

Apple Orders New CG ‘Peanuts’ Feature From ‘The Peanuts Movie’ Director Steve Martino

The film isn’t billed as a direct sequel to 2015’s The Peanuts Movie from Blue Sky Studios, however, the director of that film, Steve Martino, is back to helm installment.

This is the first feature co-produced by Apple TV+, Peanuts Worldwide, and Wildbrain, although the three have produced many specials and episodes of the franchise together.

Read the rest at CartoonBrew

Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN) Six Flags Mergers of Equals Conference (Transcript)

Richard Zimmerman

Barton, I have had this one before. We have loyal and passionate customers, deeply held loyalty and passion around our unique regional brands. We think of this as a broader portfolio with incredibly powerful brands, but we really respect, Cedar Point and Magic – Six Flags’ Magic Mountain. Everybody has and every region has such a unique identifier. I view this as an opportunity just to reinforce the strong regional brands and understand who we are. We sort of talked about the difference between regional and destination. This is really an opportunity to enhance our regional brands and over time, create more value and choices for our customers.

[...]

Richard Zimmerman

Thanks Paul. Great question. One of the things that excites me is somebody who came into the Cedar Fair organization from the Paramount side understanding the movie studio and the drive for exploiting IP and enhancing that along with Six Flags. Looking at the Warner Brothers, we have – as we have said on prepared remarks, really three powerful IPs that we can think about how best fit within the portfolio Peanuts, DC Comics and of course the Warner Brothers connection. I am so excited to think about how we could potentially roll out and enhance the guest experience in all our regions and rethink how we use IP. IP is incredibly important, differentiator in the minds of our consumers and I think our ability to unlock how we look at that in the future gets me really excited and I know for our internal design staff on both sides. As we think about how to plot and plan the guest experience going forward, I think our challenge is working close – is to work more closely with the holders of the IP and think about how we might both benefit from a closer association.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha

Knott's News: Mergers of Equals conference transcript that gives you an idea of how they're approaching IP integration and regional branding.

Six Flags / Cedar Fair merger roadmap laid out in Investor Presentation

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.

Cedar Fair and Six Flags will merge to create a playtime powerhouse in North America

Zimmerman will be president and CEO of the combined company. Selim Bassoul, president and CEO of Six Flags, will become executive chairman.

The company’s newly formed board will include six directors from Cedar Fair and six directors from Six Flags.

The company will be headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will keep significant finance and administrative operations in Sandusky, Ohio, where Cedar Fair is based.

Six Flags is now based in Arlington, Texas.

Read the rest at APNews

Knott's News: Ok, there's a lot to unpack here. I quoted above what I think is the most important information. Cedar Fair is the controlling party in this merger. Other than that, we don't know a whole lot. We all have a ton of questions and even more concerns when it comes to Knott's and whether it'll maintain that certain level of autonomy that Cedar Fair has granted it over the past decade. All we can do at this point is wait and see what happens. Hopefully Six Flags doesn't drag them down and that the inevitable downsizing that happens with mergers isn't too painful.

Knott’s Scary Farm 2023 Guide: Celebrating 50 Years of Halloween Haunt!

For half a century, Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt has sent shivers down the spines of those brave enough to enter into the fog. As we hit the 50-year mark, Knott’s is ready to up the ante with the impending Scary Farm 50. Boasting an impressive roster of 10 mazes, 5 scare zones, and 4 shows, this year’s haunt promises one of the most unforgettable experiences yet. And for those who’ve been part of the journey, every corner brims with nostalgic tributes to haunts gone by. 

 Read the rest at MiceChat

Knott's Scary Farm 50: Nightmares Revealed

Xcelerator has started testing - reopening soon!

Fire up your engines! 🏁

Experience the thrill of Xcelerator and all of Knott's Berry Farm with a 2024 Season Pass. Grab yours now! - https://t.co/r9lf4zjGyr pic.twitter.com/vhGcQ7hU1Q

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) August 11, 2023

Kings Island to add Camp Snoopy area for 2024 season

NEW IN 2024! #KingsIsland will expand its award-winning kids’ area with the addition of a new adventure play space, Camp Snoopy, featuring the park's newest roller coaster, Snoopy’s Soapbox Racers. It will be the park's 16th coaster. MORE: https://t.co/3urObuV0cs #KICampSnoopy pic.twitter.com/KrSYp7du47

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) August 10, 2023

Knott's News: I'd hope Knott's would have something a little nicer than this planned for their Camp Snoopy 40th Anniversary expansion. I predict Knott's will add a coaster but unlike Kings Island, it'll be aimed towards a younger demographic. I also expect the theming to be nicer than Kings Island.

Disney Legends spend the day at Knott's!!!

I’ve been to Knotts a billion times, but last night was the most epic @TomKMorris @DonHahn #TonyBaxter 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/3GiwubYqdV

— Sam Carter (@Cartarsauce) August 7, 2023

Theme park designers say goodbye to Timberline Twister

This is beyond sad. Timberline Twister was the first coaster my son rode and was a reason I designed Gadgets Go Coaster. #Knotts https://t.co/WxdN0scQp1

— Jim Shull (@JimShull) August 1, 2023

TIMBERLINE TWISTER IS GONE!! | Work on Xcelerator!! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #21 | 7/30/23

Finishing touches to Fiesta Village at Knott's Berry Farm

Finishing touches to Fiesta Village at Knott's Berry Farm. pic.twitter.com/xxwCrek2oA

— Jim Clark ジム・クラーク (@ImagineerJim) July 28, 2023

Garner Holt to sell animatronics mainstream?

Can’t sleep. Thinking about that build your own animatronic from the @garnerholt booth at Comic Con pic.twitter.com/LsTolq0iX6

— Sam Carter (@Cartarsauce) July 27, 2023

Camp Snoopy 2024 construction update

Construction walls have expanded to include the play park Knott's built for the 30th anniversary. Factor in the other two ride removals and this makes a pretty sizable area for expansion. I honestly thought they did a pretty great job for the 30th giving Camp Snoopy a unified look and some class. After the Fiesta Village and Memory Lane makeovers, I can't wait to see what this expansion brings. Wishing for a Snoopy dark ride (won't ever stop) but if I were a betting man, I'd say we're more likely to see a themed launch coaster similar to Snoopy’s Racing Railway at Canada's Wonderland. Whatever 2024 brings, I'm sure it'll be great!

Camp Snoopy at Knott's Berry Farm - 40th Anniversary (Mega Post!)

Meet the World did a nice detailed write up on Camp Snoopy last month in celebration of its 40th anniversary. In light of recent Camp Snoopy rumors and the fact that it's just a really interesting read, I suggest you check it out!

See it all on MeetTheWorld

Rumor Mill 2024: Camp Snoopy and MonteZOOMa?

As always, the rumor mill is starting up again as we inch ever closer towards Scary Farm. We now have a couple of Camp Snoopy attractions getting removed with construction walls already up (Timberline Twister and Camp Bus), igniting rumors of a Camp Snoopy 40th anniversary renovation. I'm hearing rumors of a new Campy Snoopy coaster for the little ones. My wish list would have a couple more of those rides being removed for a Snoopy dark ride with a rock / pine tree/ log cabin exterior in the same vein as the caves / Grizzly Creek Lodge. This, along with Monte's rumored 2024 opening date, would make quite a nice balance between adult / family additions.

As always, these are just rumors. We're still quite a ways out from any announcement and we're sure to see hints of what's to come on the construction walls before then.