Will Valleyfair Ditch The Peanuts Characters After Merger With Six Flags?

With the recent news of a merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags, one question remains unanswered: Will the new, combined company use the Looney Tunes theme currently at Six Flags parks or the Peanuts gang that can currently be found at Cedar Fair Parks (like Valleyfair in Shakopee).

Cedar Fair signed a licensing agreement with Peanuts Worldwide in 2017 with the deal set to expire in 2025. That means the upcoming 2024 summer season at Valleyfair would be the last one under the current deal.

PR NEWSWIRE:

"The renewed relationship between Cedar Fair and Peanuts Worldwide allows both companies to develop and extend their brands, creating a more immersive experience for guests through meet-and-greets, live entertainment, merchandise and themed areas throughout the parks. The value Peanuts brings to our parks is demonstrated in many ways; for example, our Peanuts themed Planet Snoopy children's area at Kings Island near Cincinnati was just named "Best Kid's Area" for the 17^th year by Amusements Today, the leading industry news source, Cedar Fair Chief Executive Officer Matt Ouimet said in the story linked above.

 

More than half of our parks now offering a free pre-K season pass for children, our continued showcasing of the beloved Peanuts characters underscores our commitment to entertaining young families."

Of course, the Peanuts gang has a special place in the hearts of Minnesotans as the state is the birthplace of Peanuts creator Charles Schultz. In fact, when Mall of America first opened in 1992 it featured a 'Camp Snoopy' theme, as opposed to the current Nickelodeon Universe theme.

Commenters on the Facebook page "In The Loop" seem to favor the Looney Tunes characters to the ones from Peanuts, saying Bugs and friends are more modern and relevant to today's kids.

Vincent:

Peanuts really doesn’t have many characters. Snoopy and Woodstock are great but beyond that it’s a big miss for kids. Looney Toons has way more characters a theme park could roll out even if the kids don’t know them. When I walk into Great Adventure I don’t know which two characters I’m going to see in the front because there are a ton. Sometimes it’s not totally about recognition for the little ones. It’s about seeing something new and keeping things different.

Kenneth:

Before this news, my family and I were always saying how the Peanuts gang is stale. My kids never really care too much about Snoopy. It was fun to see a character, but that was about it.