Canada's Wonderland announces Planet Snoopy for 2010

It is a possibility that Nick is not allowing them to re-new because they are working to seek a new direction and keep the brand integrity. Like Jeff said though they do seem like they are willing to work with whomever is interested. If they are trying to establish their name in a new direction I am not sure that MOA would be part of that since they are really on a small scale. The MOA isn't the destination location that it was in the 90's and people aren't going there for that, the theme park seems to be just kinda a bonus if you are in the area (for people unlike us). I would also doubt that the former SFNO location would be part of that as well as that company currently has only pipedreams as apposed to a firm plan that is being put into place, and the chances of it happening are in my opinion very limited.

Like Jeff said Nick seems to be ready to work with anyone, however I know that their licensing is significantly more expensive than nearly any other competing license. For that fact I understand if CF doesn't want to go with them any longer just because they may feel they are asking for too much, but if that is the case they should really be seeking some other company that still has some relative characters to todays children, and its not Peanuts. This doesn't have to be a Nick Peanuts battle there are other options available.

Although Nick may be expensive it does seem to be the best licesense out there currently. In some ways (without seen the actual demands) I feel it would be worth the price. Like others have said the merchandising alone is well worth it. Sure a park could sell Nick merchandise, but being in a universe of Nick and living the experience helps drive you more to being part of it and wanting ownership of the merchandise than just seeing a sponge bob on a shelf. A stuffed Shamuu is just another toy in the chest but once you go to Sea World that Shamuu doll is something that becomes a favorite of the child, and a must buy when at the park.

Although Nick is quite popular, I feel that making their price more easily obtainable and trying to get into the theme parks would help the Nick brand instead of cheapen it. Being able to watch your favorite characters on TV and then being able to meet them in real life really helps build loyalty... I feel. I thought it was crazy when Disney cut the deal with McDonalds to stop giving out Disney toys in Happy Meals. This deal caused the characters to penetrate households nationwide, and seemed to really help build the relationships between the children and the characters, or at the very least brought more character knowledge and background to kids. Would you know Tow Mater's name if he wasn't complimentry with your cheeseburger? Having these characters in the parks can really help children build relationships with characters and understand and enjoy them further. I don't believe that Nick should let this fall through to the Red Baron, whatever that means.

Let's not forget that they are losing the Hanna Barbara rights as well, and Scooby Doo is as well received as Spongebob. Scooby has been popular for several generations now, and they keep making new cartoons, and movies to keep him relevant today.

My 6 year old daughter loves anything Scooby Doo. She loves the cartoons, and live action movies. She loved the Scooby Doo Ghoster Coaster, and the Haunted Mansion rides at Kings Dominion. I can't see the Haunted Mansion ride being near as cool being themed to Snoopy.

When we go to Dorney or Cedar Point she recognizes Snoopy and the gang, but doesn't get near as excited to see those characters as she does when she sees Scooby Doo or Spongebob. I don't know how Cedar Fair can not see the value in holding onto those characters?

When we go to a former Paramount park and go into a gift shop my daughter runs for all the stuff Scooby, and Nick. When we go to an existing Cedar Fair park she doesn't do the same for Snoopy. If Cedar Fair had done a survey at the former paramount parks, I am sure they'd have gotten all the feedback they needed to see that those brands were worth paying for.

Scooby Doo is a separate license obtained from Sally. I fully expect he'll be eating his Scooby Snacks and being chased by ghosts next year at CW.

When CF first bought the PP's, I thought they should keep the Nick license, but now I would agree to get rid of it. The non exclusive thing I think could be a big deal. The fact the Nick Universe went in at MOA, the same name as at KI. Heck, even the Nicktoons Cafe name is being used at other non CF properties.

As far as Snoopy and Peanuts, 2010 is said to be a big year for that brand, with a partnership with CVS Pharmacy, and New Balance shoes, new Warner Brother DVD's and new product on I Tunes, to name but a few, for the 60th Anniversary.

I am sure Cedar Fair will milk that for all it is worth.

I do hope they keep the Scooby rides though, as I felt that was better than all the Nick stuff, in terms of an individual attraction. I'd like to see those at the legacy CF parks, especially in place of Knott's closed Kingdom of the Dinosaurs.

I still think we are giving way too much concern to this issue. Kids gravitate to Nick because they love it, sure. But kids would gravitate toward something else if Nick no longer existed. That's how kids roll.

I get kids may see a commercial and say, "Hey, I want to go there!" But the idea that a kid would not have a good time at the park because their play area is themed with the Peanuts just isn't something I can buy.

I spent the day at Hersheypark yesterday and didn't see a single kid crying about not getting to see SpongeBob. Just saying.

I think the real issue is whether the park's per caps are higher with the Nick brand than with Peanuts, and whether the difference is worth the cost of the license. I would have to guess that the numbers don't support that notion. If it made financial sense, how could they justify not doing it?

^^I agree 100%. I posted in the similar thread that I think Peanuts is an enduring brand, and kids of all ages love to see Snoopy. His image will not be gone from the public's mind anytime soon.

I was at KI today and I purposely strolled through Nick Land to see what's in store for Cedar Fair if/when they convert. It's a lot of stuff - some of it may need to go and all of it will need re-decorated. (the latest conversion of the area into Nickleodeon Universe took many familiar buildings and attractions and updated them with edgier, Nick-style facades. Charlie Brown and the gang sure won't be havin that!)

I also pondered on if it's strange at all to visit different parks owned by the same company and find different licensing agreements for entertainment and characters. One would think that for uniformity's sake they would be the same. And yet, since the two parks in Ohio essentially compete with each other, the choice between two sets of characters and themed areas may just be the thing that determines where families go. In the best of all possible worlds, that family in Ohio will visit both parks each summer and everyone wins. Maybe less so, however, if the same experience is essentially duplicated at both parks.

Okay, the Peanuts are TIMELESS!!!!!

It's a theam kids AND parents and even the grandparents can enjoy.

Nick my come & go, but the PEANUTS gang is forever.

See I am of the generation that still laments the departure of the Berenstain Bears, and the 92 addition at CP was the best theme job CP has ever done, but like always the maintenance budget did not support its upkeep. It also funny cause CF dropped them about the time thier popularity picked back again. But like a few have mentioned the Nick slew of characters currently at the park and others are already slightly outdated, The best Nick thing ever had at park was the Studio at Universal, and yet public and corporate indifference let that slide into the past.

Carrie M. said:
I spent the day at Hersheypark yesterday and didn't see a single kid crying about not getting to see SpongeBob. Just saying.

That's because kids love candy! Heck I love candy!

^^^^^ Carrie my daughter is more excited by the Hershey Chocolate characters than Snoopy. Just saying! You are totally correct. ;)

My comment in another thread was that it seems to me that having Nickelodeon in the park is more of a benefit to Nickelodeon than it is to the park. Largely because of the non-exclusivity of that license. Spongebob is everywhere, but for Snoopy you have to go to Knot--er--Cedar Fair.

So if you remove Nickelodeon from a heavily themed kiddieland, what do you replace it with? Do you develop your own property? Why not; plenty of parks have done exactly that over the years. But Cedar Fair already has the Peanuts, which complements nicely with their corporate lack of creativity (come on, you know there are creativity problems at Cedar Fair, just look at their replacement ride names...!) in that they have a well developed character base that they can use for their attractions. That the characters aren't relevant to today's kids isn't important: the park is already relevant, and can give relevance to the characters in the context of the park.

In a way, buying the Snoopy doll at a Cedar Fair park is more like buying a stuffed Loch Ness Monster from Busch Gardens* than like buying a Spongebob doll from Nickelodeon Universe. In the end, the brand is working for the park, not the other way around.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

*My plush collection includes not only the aforementioned Loch Ness Monster, but also a stuffed Big Bad Wolf, and a pair of Dueling Dragons.

--DCAjr

The Peanuts are among the weakest of any theme park cartoon characters. With the exception of Snoopy and Woodstock, they all look the same, and have very limited theming opportunities since it is all based on ONE cartoon. With Hanna-Barbera, there were dozens of cartoons and probably 100 characters.

Nick is current so it most likley has the highest price. But I can't imagine the HB license would be that much more than Peanuts, and HB offered a lot more possibilities.

Peanuts goes well with Cedar Fair, its pretty generic.

There is no reason why I shouldn't change my name to cedarfairhater...

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Spambot bumps a 6 month old thread to advertise something with no link or information. Awesome.

It do English speak good, also.

You make me laugh, Vater.

Somebody! Quick! Shoot it in the head!

Carrie M. said:
You make me laugh, Vater.

Now is one of the times I wish there was a Facebook-type 'Like' button that Jeff was talking about in the podcast a few weeks ago. :)

Funny men are teh sexy!!11!!