With the tech giant now controlling Snoopy and friends, amusement park fans are now wondering how this might affect the “Peanuts” franchise’s long-standing partnership with Kings Island’s parent company Cedar Fair (now Six Flags.)
While no official word has been released, Six Flags announced in September it would be extending licensing agreement with the “Peanuts” franchise until 2030. This gives Six Flags the exclusive rights to use the characters in North American theme parks.
However, Snoopy and the gang also have agreements with international theme parks, such as Universal Studios Japan. Sony is also a player themselves in the theme park space, operating Columbia Pictures Aquaverse in Chonburi, Thailand.
Whether Sony will continue these partnerships past their current contractual period remains to be seen.
The Six Flags and “Peanuts” partnership began in the summer of 1983, when Knott’s Berry Farm in California opened the first Camp Snoopy area. Featuring a variety of family-friendly attractions, the area was inspired by summer camps found throughout the U.S.
This partnership continued even after Knott’s Berry Farm was purchased by Cedar Fair in 1997 for $245 million dollars. Over time, Cedar Fair started incorporating Peanuts characters into its other parks, including Kings Island, which it purchased in 2006.
Kings Island’s Planet Snoopy opened in 2010 as a replacement for the park’s Nickelodeon-themed children’s area. The update came with a refresh of the land’s attractions, replacing Spongebob and Jimmy Neutron with Charlie Brown, Linus and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang.
Credit: Apryl Pilolli
Credit: Apryl Pilolli
This area would see few major changes until 2023, when Kings Island announced it would be adding its own Camp Snoopy area the following year. This expansion saw the addition of a new family roller coaster called Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers.
2024 was also the year Cedar Fair would merge with Six Flags, creating the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.
Kings Island is located at 6300 Kings Island Drive in Mason. For more information, visit sixflags.com/kingsisland.
About the Author
