The ride is just a small part of the massive reinvention of the park’s children’s land area, formerly known as Planet Snoopy. The new land will be titled “Camp Snoopy” and feature attractions and theming based around a summer camp in the woods. As the title suggests, the area will retain the Peanuts characters that Planet Snoopy featured.
This is not the first time the children’s area at Kings Island has seen an overhaul, far from it. Opening with the park as “The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera,” the area has seen characters such as the Smurfs, SpongeBob SquarePants, Scooby Doo, Aang and much more. Some may wonder why the children’s area changes theme so much, and the answer is licensing.
Credit: Contributed by Dennis Speigel
Credit: Contributed by Dennis Speigel
Kings Island, owned by Cedar Fair, has seen a variety of owners and parent companies. Originally opened in 1972, the park was created by Taft Broadcasting company, which through a 1966 acquisition, gave the park access to the characters of Hanna-Barbera upon opening. After being split off from Taft Broadcasting for a number of years, the park was then sold to Paramount Communications in 1992. A contemporary Washington Post article covering the story noted that Paramount “will join moviemakers Walt Disney Co., Universal Pictures and Time Warner Inc. in trying to cash in on the consumer affection for movie-oriented parks,” a trend during that era.
The journalist correctly guessed Paramount’s intentions, as the company soon filled the park with its properties. Top Gun, Tomb Raider, The Outer Limits and more all had attractions in the park. Paramount also utilized it’s ownership of the Nickelodeon license to place popular character and properties all across the park.
However, once Cedar Fair purchased Kings Island and its sister parks (as announced in this NBC News article from 2006), the brand did say goodbye to all the properties that were owned by Paramount. Instead, Cedar Fair utilized its long-held partnership with the Peanuts characters by creating Planet Snoopy, which existed until the 2023 season. Now this partnership actually originated from popular California theme park Knott’s Berry Farm, which signed a deal to incorporate the characters into their park in 1983, as noted by the park’s official website. Additionally, when Cedar Fair bought Knott’s in 1997, the deal stayed intact. Soon, Cedar Fair brought the Peanuts to all the parks under their umbrella, from Kings Island to California’s Great Adventure.
In fact, Kings Island’s new attraction has a connection to Knott’s Berry Farm, the park that created the Peanuts theme-park land. As noted by another timeline from the park, from 1980 to 1996, Knott’s had an attraction where guests would travel in large soapbox cars across its Camp Snoopy area. This ride’s name? Wacky Soap Box Racers. So potentially, Kings Island named their new coaster after the historic theme park.
Both Kings Island and Knott’s Berry Farm have intense fanbases, passionate about their history, so this connection did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by fans.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Intentional callback or not, “Snoopy’s Soapbox Racers” looks to be an exciting family-friendly addition to Kings Island. While the park itself will open in April, the new land “Camp Snoopy” will not be ready until sometime late spring, when the coaster will open alongside it.
How to go
Where: Kings Island Amusement Park: 6300 Kings Island Drive, Kings Island
When: Park opens April 2024, Camp Snoopy opens late spring
More Information: visitkingsisland.com
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