Planet Snoopy Ride Names Announced!

[The Interpreter]

Frequently, it's not Joe inside that costume. Sometimes, it's Josephine....On occasion, it's even Ter....uh....

Por...uh...

[bkroz]

I have heard rumblings (that are likely true) that Mickey Mouse is nearly always played by a girl, due to their (on average at least) smaller build.

But what a good point, Terp! Who isn't in those costumes? You, sexy Dora, even Greg Brady!

[The Interpreter]

Something tells me Dick Kinzel has NEVER been a costumed character. The same cannot be said of Mark Shapiro!

[PREMiERdrum]

Something tells me Dick Kinzel has NEVER been a costumed character.

I could have SWORN I saw him on CP's midway dressed us as "Nicky the Nickle"...

[alluna]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

I just wanted to thank you for yet another post that overgeneralizes the "unpopularity" of Peanuts. Just because YOU don't care about them doesn't mean that there aren't people that do. I have a 5 year old daughter who is COMPLETELY PSYCHED to finally meet Snoopy and the gang. We watch every Peanuts special every time they're on, and we have for years, for as long as GatorGirl has been watching television (and Mrs. Gator and I watched them every year we've been married before GatorGirl was born). She loves the specials. One of the first stuffed animals I bought for her was a Snoopy doll wearing bunny slippers, which I bought at Cedar Point while my wife was pregnant. She still sleeps with that thing at night.

In fact, just last night out of the blue GatorGirl asked, "When is the Charlie Brown St. Patrick's Day show going to be on?" I told her there wasn't one, but told her that the Charlie Brown Easter special is on next Wednesday. She said "Yay!" When I tell her how long it is before KI opens, she says "But that's too long!" She's even still holding out hope that SD&THC will become "Charlie Brown's Funhouse", the name she thought up on her own for the re-theme, even though I told her it's not going to be a Charlie Brown ride.

When I start saying that no one dreams of meeting you, GatorHead, then that is probably the appropriate point in which you can address me like this. Don't lose your marbles over Peanuts characters and end up insulting someone with this level of snark you have delivered. Ain't worth it. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and say you've had a bad day.

So there IS a girl out there anticipating meeting Lucy. I'm completely FED UP with people saying that NOBODY knows or cares about Peanuts... THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO DO!!!! We might be in the minority, but there's NO WAY TO KNOW THAT FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAIN without polling EVERY VISITOR TO THE PARK... or everyone who even THINKS about going to the park. Are the Nick characters more popular? Yeah, probably. Will there be people who miss them? Absolutely, yes. I'm very sore about losing Scooby, myself. But don't lump EVERYONE into a group of Peanut haters, or at least Peanut apathists.

For the record, I chalk my own kids up to the group that is very very familiar with the Peanuts gang. I've done my homework and ensured that they are well-versed. They know them well, have books of the strips, watch the cartoons, the whole nine yards. HOWEVER. It is very very unrealistic to assume that we are not only in the minority, but that there should be an entire campaign to familiarize todays kids with Peanuts. Oh, wait...I guess there IS. Even the park agrees with me, GatorHead. There's no need to run a poll.

No matter how much both you and I love Charlie Brown, it certainly does NOT mean the rest of the nation does. It's just a fact, the park obviously agrees with me (Read & Ride w/Snoopy), so go eat a cookie and calm down already. I was busy discussing people suits here and you got me all distracted.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

So because Kings Island wants to reach out to kids, then they know they don't know that kids know Snoopy?

What about when a Bengal player goes to a school and does the same thing as Snoopy? Does that mean the Bengals know the kids do not know who the Bengals are?

[JAHill]

So because Kings Island wants to reach out to kids, then they know they don't know that kids know Snoopy?

What about when a Bengal player goes to a school and does the same thing as Snoopy? Does that mean the Bengals know the kids do not know who the Bengals are?

Indeed.

To me, the Read & Ride with Snoopy deal isn't only aiming to simply familiarize kids with the Peanuts crew, but to also reach out and be more open with guests in a friendly way. I see it this way, and it has been proven that others see it as an advertising campaign and no more than that.

Snoopy is coming. The re-theme's gonna happen. There's nothing more we can do about it. I don't think all of us have settled in on that fact.

[Browntggrr]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

Really?

And what are you basing this information on?

[The Interpreter]

I think she got excited and wrote one of those posts that someone said you need to go eat a cookie and calm down after....

[CedarPointer]

To me, the Read & Ride with Snoopy deal isn't only aiming to simply familiarize kids with the Peanuts crew

"We want to make sure everyone in the region understands who Snoopy is,"

Sounds like KI thinks that's what the point is...

[The Interpreter]

Yep...and they have experience with this. Other company parks have also installed the Peanuts gang over the years, so they see der point, as they have at Dorney, Knott's, etc.

[alluna]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

Really?

And what are you basing this information on?

Clearly, I stood outside of Cedar Point every day last season and personally interviewed every man, woman and child that went in. Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

I'll give you Snoopy, but not Lucy. I was always scared of that girl.

[standbyme]

Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

WARNING:Peanuts Bashing Alert

That's something that I have found funny in the past but have never bothered to mention. I have read on here several times about how they think that it is good that Nick is leaving because a lot of the characters are not "good for the kids"...they are to inane and stupid.

(First off let me remind everyone, I do like The Peanuts a LOT...I just don't think they are still current enough for the kids.)

Have you ever stepped back and examined the personalities of the "main" Peanuts characters? I have found that if they were real people I personally would not like to hang out with too many of them. Here is what I mean:

Charlie Brown...could you really hang out with such a depressing person, he seems to just love to share his gloom. (Sadly, according to a recent biography of Charles Schultz he was pretty much Charlie Brown.)

Lucy...she is pushy, self-centered & vain...and as Alluna pointed out, she threatens violence quite often.

Snoopy...may have a fun personality...but it seems like it is only if he is doing what HE wants...not Charlie Brown.

Violet...is never kind to Charlie Brown...she seems to believe in "clicks".

Pig-pen...sure the dirts funny...but could you stand his smell? (And by the way, is Pig-pen his given name...is he only living up to it...or are the kids so cruel that they all feel at ease giving him that nickname?)

Frieda...is way too vain.

Peppermint Patty...I am on the fence with...she seems nice...but REALLY pushy.

SO, the only redeeming characters (in my opinion) are Linus (my favorite), Schroeder, Sally, Marcy & Franklin.

Not good odds.

Hows this for hijacking a thread?!

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Every man has his breaking point...and I think we found Gator's!

I hope I have not offended you TOO much with my constant Peanuts' bashing.

If you prefer, in the future I can add "WARNING: Peanuts Bashing Alert" to the beginning of some of my posts if it saves you any future heartache!

standbyme, your Peanuts bashing has been fine. I'm completely fine with someone not liking Peanuts. We all have different opinions, that's the way the world is, and that's what makes life interesting. What I do have a problem with, and the point I was trying to make in my former post, is the overgeneralization of the "unpopularity" of Peanuts. Statements like "Nobody knows who Peanuts are" and "Nobody cares about Peanuts". To the best of my recollection, you've never said everyone has the same opinion as you. You stated YOUR opinion, which is the way it should be done. I completely respect someone's opinion if they don't like something. All I ask of everyone is if I disagree with you, don't lump me in the same group as you by saying EVERYONE feels the same way you do. They don't.

Personally, I wasn't a fan of Nick replacing HB, but it grew on me, especially after I had a kid. From a business standpoint, I understood the parks' decision to bring in Nick. It made perfect sense: Nick was a Viacom property, the park was a Viacom property. I also understand the park now getting rid of Nick. With the license up, the popular theory is that it probably cost more than CF wanted to spend to renew. With the current financial situation of CF, it makes sense. As I said before (and as you can probably tell from my avatar and signature), I'm gonna miss Scooby. My guess is that part of the Peanuts contract was for them to be the exclusive characters in the park. I can see that, and from a business perspective, it makes sense for the licensor to want this. I'm not sure that is exactly the case since I was in no way involved with the decision (nor would I want to be).

When I start saying that no one dreams of meeting you, GatorHead, then that is probably the appropriate point in which you can address me like this. Don't lose your marbles over Peanuts characters and end up insulting someone with this level of snark you have delivered. Ain't worth it. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and say you've had a bad day.

alluna, I did have a bad day...heck, make that a bad week. And you touched a nerve. In my 2 1/2 years on these forums, this was only the third majorly negative post that I can remember ever making. Sure, I make an occasional snarky comment (I even made on in post #158 of this thread, in which I addressed another peeve of mine, judging something before you see the final product... isn't that right, Justin_M17? ), but a post of this magnitude is rare for me. If you look at my history of posts, and if you ever meet me, you'll know that I'm usually a fairly easy-going guy, and I like to joke around a lot. I was a little harsh with you, but that's the way I was feeling at the time.

So because Kings Island wants to reach out to kids, then they know they don't know that kids know Snoopy?

What about when a Bengal player goes to a school and does the same thing as Snoopy? Does that mean the Bengals know the kids do not know who the Bengals are?

Indeed.

To me, the Read & Ride with Snoopy deal isn't only aiming to simply familiarize kids with the Peanuts crew, but to also reach out and be more open with guests in a friendly way. I see it this way, and it has been proven that others see it as an advertising campaign and no more than that.

Snoopy is coming. The re-theme's gonna happen. There's nothing more we can do about it. I don't think all of us have settled in on that fact.

I like the Read & Ride with Snoopy program. Like many have said in the topic on the subject, it's a great opportunity for some positive community relations, much like many other programs already in existence. Of course, with an additional side benefit of some low-cost marketing... again, like many other programs in existence, which Railrider pointed out in his post.

As for my take on the popularity of Peanuts, may I present the case of the holiday specials. Yes, many of them have been around for years and years and years. Yet ABC (and CBS before them) airs them every year. Would they air them every year if the ratings and the ad revenue they can get didn't validate airing them? No. The ratings must be there for them to not only air the Christmas special (along with all the other specials that resurface at time of year), but the Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Valentine's and Easter specials as well (and even more on ABC Family). And while not aimed at kids, Met Life has used Snoopy in their advertisements for years. They are recognizable characters, and while they may not enjoy the widespread constant exposure of many of the Nick characters, they are out there.

Now I can't and won't speak for all people out there. These are just my opinions, and I'm not saying everyone knows Peanuts. I'm sure there are still many who do not. But I think some people would be surprised at how many people do know them. I'm sure a lot of people at least recognize them, even if they don't know their names.

A perfect example of this happened to my family a few months ago. We were in the children's room at Pizza Tower, and the family at the table next to us were trying to name all the Peanuts characters on the wall. They got all of them except one... they couldn't remember the name of the girl who follows Peppermint Patty around. My daughter overheard and asked if she could tell them. I said yes, and she said to them "That's Marcy!" They laughed and said "That's right!" They knew it, but couldn't quite remember. Just like me with Rugrats... to this day, I still can't tell you which Rugrat is Tommy and which is Chuckie... I know one has red hair and one is bald with a diaper.

so go eat a cookie and calm down already.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm trying to do my best to avoid sweets. I need to get the winter weight off once again!

[Oldiesmann]

I sincerely doubt that the new Snoopy theme will have any noticeable impact on kids' decisions about going on a particular ride. I worked in the kiddie area of KI during the final season of KI. Four of the five rides I worked at were HB themed (the other was Beastie). Not once did I hear kids complaining about not knowing who the HB characters were. The kids cared far more about the actual ride experience than the theme.

[RailRider]

Put a kiddie ride in the middle of an abandon parking lot and kids will want to ride it.

Put a penny pony in the grocery store and kids will still want to ride.

Theme or no theme it really doesn't matter, unless it is Disney.

[JAHill]

To me, the Read & Ride with Snoopy deal isn't only aiming to simply familiarize kids with the Peanuts crew

"We want to make sure everyone in the region understands who Snoopy is,"

Sounds like KI thinks that's what the point is...

...and I never contradicted that fact.

To me, the Read & Ride with Snoopy deal isn't only aiming to simply familiarize kids with the Peanuts crew, but to also...

[Browntggrr]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

Really?

And what are you basing this information on?

Clearly, I stood outside of Cedar Point every day last season and personally interviewed every man, woman and child that went in. Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

I'll give you Snoopy, but not Lucy. I was always scared of that girl.

How would standing outside Cedar Point everyday last season personally interviewing every man, woman and child that went in give you accurate information on what kids are dreaming about?

[Tomkatt7]

Put a kiddie ride in the middle of an abandon parking lot and kids will want to ride it.

Put a penny pony in the grocery store and kids will still want to ride.

Theme or no theme it really doesn't matter, unless it is Disney.

I agree. You are 100% right, but we aren't talking about an empty lot here. The park will have (sort of) themeing. The problem most of us have is we know what is popular with our own children.

Take that empty lot, go on both sides of the ride and set up a photo booth. Put Spongebob in one booth, and Snoopy in the other. I have a feeling that Snoopy would be pretty lonely. I don't know that for a fact, just a guess.

[Tomkatt7]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

Really?

And what are you basing this information on?

Clearly, I stood outside of Cedar Point every day last season and personally interviewed every man, woman and child that went in. Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

I'll give you Snoopy, but not Lucy. I was always scared of that girl.

How would standing outside Cedar Point everyday last season personally interviewing every man, woman and child that went in give you accurate information on what kids are dreaming about?

Can't we all just get along?

[standbyme]

How would standing outside Cedar Point everyday last season personally interviewing every man, woman and child that went in give you accurate information on what kids are dreaming about?

I was there...she was thorough, really thorough...I felt violated.

[Browntggrr]

Take that empty lot, go on both sides of the ride and set up a photo booth. Put Spongebob in one booth, and Snoopy in the other. I have a feeling that Snoopy would be pretty lonely. I don't know that for a fact, just a guess.

And what about those people that do not have cable and thus cannot watch Nickelodeon?

We cannot make baseless comments/ guesses on things we have no information on.

Peanuts have been around for over 50 years. There has been no new comics made for almost 10, yet, newspapers around the World still print the strips. Some of the cartoons are well over 30 years old, yet, are still shown on the major TV networks during prime time. If Peanuts were so unknown, why would major media providers still offer the Peanuts product?

Now think about some of the ride that were in Nick U and were being outdated because the shows are no longer being shown, and Nick U was updated as recent as 6 years ago.

[Browntggrr]

How would standing outside Cedar Point everyday last season personally interviewing every man, woman and child that went in give you accurate information on what kids are dreaming about?

I was there...she was thorough, really thorough...I felt violated.

Anything like the Men Who Stare at Goats?

[Tomkatt7]

Take that empty lot, go on both sides of the ride and set up a photo booth. Put Spongebob in one booth, and Snoopy in the other. I have a feeling that Snoopy would be pretty lonely. I don't know that for a fact, just a guess.

And what about those people that do not have cable and thus cannot watch Nickelodeon?

We cannot make baseless comments/ guesses on things we have no information on.

Peanuts have been around for over 50 years. There has been no new comics made for almost 10, yet, newspapers around the World still print the strips. Some of the cartoons are well over 30 years old, yet, are still shown on the major TV networks during prime time. If Peanuts were so unknown, why would major media providers still offer the Peanuts product?

Now think about some of the ride that were in Nick U and were being outdated because the shows are no longer being shown, and Nick U was updated as recent as 6 years ago.

But we can make baseless comments/ guesses on things we have no information on. This is an internet forum, and I did not take any type of oath before being allowed to post. I am not posting false information, just stating my opinion

I am not disputing that the Peanuts gang have been around for a long time, I watched them when I was younger, just like my parents did.

The whole point of my post (which seems to have been missed) is that Spongebob is massivly more popular than any of the Peanuts. I can not give you a spread sheet, or any type of poll where I checked with every single person in the universe, but it's common sense. You know it as well, even if you don't want to admit it. I don't say that to be negative towards the Peanuts alone. It was evident any day at the park. When Wanda&Cosmo were out, we walked up and got a picture, same with Arnold, Dora, Boots, and all the rest. When Spongebob was out there though. We had to wait in line for a photo.

I like the fact that you mentioned the outdated rides. I wish they would have updated the rides to more popular shows too. Although, the shows that are no longer being made are still being aired on TV. they just aren't on in prime-time.

Bottom line is Peanuts are still out there, the kids know them, but they just aren't as popular as some others.

Newspapers have to fill an entire page with comic strips. Just because a strip is in the newspaper doesn't make it great, some of them are just "fillers". Peanuts are still offered by major media providers because they are still known, but more importantly, in relation to Disney, and Nick, they are cheap.

Not trying to ruffle any feathers, well, maybe a little , but I still don't see how people can think that Peanuts is "better" for the park than Nick. It's all about money. If the Nick licensing was renewed for the same price, we would not have been discussing Peanuts at all. That is a fact!

[The Interpreter]

I disagree. Cedar Fair often changes things just because the new way is not the way Paramount Parks would have done it...

[raptor]

Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

WARNING:Peanuts Bashing Alert

That's something that I have found funny in the past but have never bothered to mention. I have read on here several times about how they think that it is good that Nick is leaving because a lot of the characters are not "good for the kids"...they are to inane and stupid.

(First off let me remind everyone, I do like The Peanuts a LOT...I just don't think they are still current enough for the kids.)

Have you ever stepped back and examined the personalities of the "main" Peanuts characters? I have found that if they were real people I personally would not like to hang out with too many of them. Here is what I mean:

Charlie Brown...could you really hang out with such a depressing person, he seems to just love to share his gloom. (Sadly, according to a recent biography of Charles Schultz he was pretty much Charlie Brown.)

Could you really hang out with a piece of swiss cheese with eyes, I'll take the dressing human being, jmo

[alluna]

Of course, KI jsut switched to a set of characters no one cares about, so it probably doesn't matter anyways. No kid is in bed at night dreaming of the day they'll meet Lucy of the Peanuts gang...

Really?

And what are you basing this information on?

Clearly, I stood outside of Cedar Point every day last season and personally interviewed every man, woman and child that went in. Then, when I told Lucy the results, she said she'd give me five good reasons and ended up waving her fist in my face.

I'll give you Snoopy, but not Lucy. I was always scared of that girl.

How would standing outside Cedar Point everyday last season personally interviewing every man, woman and child that went in give you accurate information on what kids are dreaming about?

I set up a psychiatry booth and charged them 5 cents each.

[KIfan1980]

And the good news is that in about 3 weeks - we'll be able to let the kids decide whether they are happy with Planet Snoopy or not.

Mine are looking forward to it greatly. They are excited by the new paint on Woodstock Express, the new ride names and logo's, and the pictures on Facebook - and yes, they knew who Snoopy and Charlie Brown were (although I'm not sure from where). I'm willing to bet they'll have fun - although I tend to agree with Railrider, you could put the rides in a parking lot with no theme at all and they'd still have fun.

[standbyme]

Could you really hang out with a piece of swiss cheese with eyes, I'll take the dressing human being, jmo

Would I pick Spongebob over Charlie Brown or Lucy to hang out with...that answer would be yes in a heartbeat. Sure he can be annoying sometimes...but look at all his postives. He has a heart of gold...he would do anything for anyone...plus he's a hard worker. With all of those good qualities I could overlook that annoying laugh!

(Now, if you asked me to choose between Charlie Brown & Squidward that would be tough.)

[Browntggrr]

The whole point of my post (which seems to have been missed) is that Spongebob is massivly more popular than any of the Peanuts.

It seems to what to have been missed is that Spongebob has been popular for the past 10 years, and is well on his way out (as can be seen- or in this case not seen on Nick) vs. Peanuts which has been popular for the past 50 years.

And no, even if the Nick licensing would have been the same cost as Peanuts, it still would have been gone.

The owner has the right to do what they want.

Love it or leave it.