Six Flags has extended its license of the Peanuts cartoon characters at select theme parks, the company said today.
The former Cedar Fair had renewed its license of the characters back in 2017. That deal expired this year, though it included an option to extend through 2030, which Six Flags now has exercised.
Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags merged into the new Six Flags last year, with the Peanuts characters continuing to appear in the former Cedar Fair parks, including Knott's Berry Farm, which was the first park to get the characters, back in 1983.
The deal will keep the Peanuts characters in the legacy Cedar Fair parks - Knott’s Berry Farm, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Dorney Park, Canada’s Wonderland, Great America, Michigan Adventure, Valley Fair, and Worlds of Fun - for another five years, through December 31, 2030.
"We are proud to extend our long-standing partnership with Peanuts, which has delivered so many fun and cherished memories to our guests," Six Flags Chief Commercial Officer Christian Dieckmann said. "Both of our brands are built on bringing families together and creating one-of-a-kind experiences and emotional connections. The renewed relationship between Six Flags and Peanuts Worldwide will enable both companies to enhance and extend their brands through themed areas, live entertainment, merchandise and games.”
"It's been exciting to see how the legacy Cedar Fair parks have introduced our beloved Peanuts characters to new generations of kids over the years, and this renewed partnership with Six Flags will ensure we expand those connections in authentic and meaningful ways," Peanuts Worldwide Executive Vice President Tim Erickson said.
The deal maintains Six Flags' status as the exclusive North American home for the Peanuts characters, though the characters will remain only in the legacy Cedar Fair theme parks. Outside the United States, Universal holds theme park rights to the Peanuts characters at its Universal Studios Japan.
My understanding is that this simply is an exercise of the option in 2017 deal. It applies only to the legacy Cedar Fair parks.
Presumeably California’s Great America will have them, for at least 2 years anyway (pictures Charlie Brown sighing).
I can't help but think that the Schulz family is also motivated to continue this relationship. Besides for the museum in Santa Rosa (northern California's wine country), there aren't a lot of physical places in the U.S. besides for the former Cedar Fair parks where the Peanuts brand really markets itself (I know there are several places in Japan including a Snoopy Museum near Tokyo.). The Camp Snoopy in the Mall of America in Minnesota lost its licensing in the late 2000's, correct?
From visiting Knott's Berry Farm regularly for the past twelve years or so, visitors spend a lot of money on Peanuts and Snoopy related merchandise.
Having said that, it was really odd that Knott's decided not to have a Charlie Brown Day during the January/February Peanuts Celebration this year after doing it every year since the festival began in 2018. I mean, how hard is it to pay for a few thousand buttons and run their Charlie Brown shirt festivities on the stage?
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The press release doesn't say if Six Flags can only use the Peanuts characters in the legacy Cedar Fair theme parks, just that the parks that currently have Snoopy can keep him. Do you know if the deal allows for Six Flags to expand the use of Peanuts licensed characters into other parks? It seems odd that the merged company wouldn't want the option to standardize companywide the merchandise, theming, shows, etc. that appeals to the kiddos.