Berenstein Bear Land or Snoopy Land

The books are still in school libraries in the district I work for so kids get some exposure depending on the teacher and what reading programs the school encourages. Because of that though at his point I associate them with work as much as I do my childhood and I would prefer Cedar Point not remind me of work ;)

slithernoggin said:

What he said. Key word being wallets -- the kids may love Spongebob or TMNT* but it's the parents opening their wallets to buy the adorable Snoopy / Mickey / Bugs Bunny T-shirt,

It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the next 10 years when the parents of the next generation have the wallets. Since those parents grew up with Spongebob I wonder if there will be a big shift away from the "older" stuff.

Honestly Gonchar, I would rather see the Spongebob than Peanuts. My son, 7, loves Spongebob. I grew up watching Peanuts and love them dearly and my son likes them ok, but I would bet he would rather see Spongebob at the CF parks than Snoopy. I really wouldn't mind myself. It was my understanding that the Nickelodeon franchise was far more expensive and that's why they changed it over. Really don't have any inside track.

I'm with you. I'd rather see Spongebob there too.

And if it isn't crazy enough to be rehashing this conversation 15 years after the original thread - we also had the "Which kids area IP makes the most sense" discussion back in '09 when Cedar Fair dumped Paramount's Nickelodeon deal...12 pages worth.

If you want a BerenstEin Bears, come out to Rochester, NY and visit the Strong National Museum of Play... They have an entire section devoted to the Bears. We've been going there since before the boy could walk. And he doesn't "get" that section. Maybe we should borrow a few of the books from the library.

And after you're done at the Strong, let's meet up at SeaBreeze for a few laps on the Jack Rabbit & Bobsleds!

ShaneDenmark said:

BerenstEin Bears

What is the story with the E/A thing?

Are there any names that end in -stein that are pronounced "stain"? Usually it's either stine or steen. Have the -stein people also been pronouncing it wrong all these years?

Irregardless, I'd like some nucular expresso to go with my sherbert.

^Now you've crossed the bridge I cannot un-cross...the pronunciation guide for Jewish-sounding names. Family Guy's "When you Wish upon a Weinstein." This episode was shelved indefinitely only to be brought out of mothballs years later (take that, Flying Turns).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_You_Wish_Upon_a_Weinstein

Shades said:

It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the next 10 years when the parents of the next generation have the wallets. Since those parents grew up with Spongebob I wonder if there will be a big shift away from the "older" stuff.

I wonder though. While Mickey is the face of the Disney empire, Donald, Goofy and the other classic Disney characters have been around for many years without being used much in films, on tv, etc. And several of the Disney Princesses are pretty long in the tooth. Yet the products continue to move. Peanuts are still popular enough to move merchandise and show up on TV on a regular basis.

Maybe Spongebob will join "the pantheon" as one of those classic characters that will continue to sell long after being relevant to the kids of parents ten years down the line.

I like Peanuts as an associated brand for Cedar Fair. It's arguably the most wholesome franchise out there, and perhaps the company puts great stock in that. As for endurance and popularity, I imagine there aren't many Americans, young or old, who can't name at least three of those lovable kids. So there's that.

One thing I always pay special attention to is how well exaggerated cartoon characters translate to live, costumed ones. They need to look authentic but should also be natural for meet n greets or dancing in a show or parade.
And to me that's the Peanuts' greatest failure. Charles Schultz' art was great, but in person the character's proportions are so strange. They all have huge heads, strange hair, tiny outfits and seem awkward as they stroll or perform. Looney Toons characters are overall a much more true representation of the originals. Disney does it best, but a good percentage of their characters are actual humanoids anyway. Being able to use look-alike actors (aided by makeup and the occasional prosthetic) really goes a long way toward bridging the gap between fantasy and reality for the park guest. It's surely more expensive and staff intensive but they do a great job of it.

Lord Gonchar said:

What is the story with the E/A thing?

I submit that if anybody can explain to us the true nature of parallel worlds and alternate realities, sir, it is you.

RCMAC-

I don't know if Peanuts is "wholesome"... How many times do they tell each other "I'll slug you!" in the comics or TV specials? But Disney isn't exactly "wholesome" either if you really pay attention... 😜

ShaneDenmark said:

I don't know if Peanuts is "wholesome"... How many times do they tell each other "I'll slug you!" in the comics or TV specials?

Interesting point.

How long before our sensibilities move far enough for this to be "inappropriate" like the violence in the Looney Tunes cartoon that generally made them disappear from our TVs.

Especially with everyone's panties in a bunch about bullying anymore. Flat out, Charlie Brown being bullied was a source of humor for Peanuts.

I didn't see the new movie (and likely never will), but was this sort of thing toned down or absent in it?

I tend to agree with with the "wholesome" sentiment, but then again, I have no problem with Looney Tunes characters shooting each other in the face.

Or dropping anvils on each other's heads til they looked like this. <| .
And as I was typing I recalled Lucy's annual pulling of the football and almost reconsidered. But in the end he was always "Good ole Charlie Brown" and no actual harm was done.

Are Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang too mean for today's kids?

I think "crabby" is a better word.

As in crabby patty?

Crabby Patty - something Peanuts and Spongebob have in common.

[CBuzz pedantry] That's Crabby Peppermint Patty. THIS is Crabby Patty. ;) [/CBuzz pedantry]

As far back as the '80s, Peppermint Patty's berating of Charlie Brown was backward-masked out of home video releases:

I have no problem with Loony Toons characters shooting each other in the face either. Charlie Brown was an outsider to some extent in parts of the new movie but he also had his time to shine so I think it all evened out. It showcased his anxieties about how people perceived him a lot. Other kids got aggravated with him when things went wrong but I think most of what's in Peanuts isn't really bullying at least not as I've seen it in real life. Real life kids are absolutely horrible to each other it just amazes me some days. One of the teachers I worked with recently told me that she never let her kids watch Tom and Jerry because it was too violent. Just that morning before school guess what my kids were watching on Boomerang? Yep. Apparently I'm an awful mom.