Time to replace Snoopy?

As long as the Beerstain Bears don't come back I'll be happy. One of the saddest days I can remember is visiting CP and discovering that the Earthquake Ride had been removed, and it was all because of those darn bears.

ChrisC. said:

Jeff said:
You think Rugrats is old school Nick? Get off my lawn!

I can't even imagine what you think is old school Nick. ;)

Mr. Wizard's World.
What Will They Think Of Next
You Can't Do That On Television, hosted by Christine McGlade (I quit watching before Alanis Morrissette showed up).
The Third Eye

...oh, and Pinwheel, if I happened to get home early.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
(first on the block to get Qube back in 1977...)

CoasterBob62 said:
As long as the Beerstain Bears don't come back I'll be happy. One of the saddest days I can remember is visiting CP and discovering that the Earthquake Ride had been removed, and it was all because of those darn bears.

Made me mad too - it was my favorite ride. Bears fit the park 100% more than Snoopy though! Hate Peanuts at the Point!!!!!!

Nick hasn't been around long enough to be 'old school'. You wanna what old school is? Speed Racer--not the crappy movie remake, but the original 1970's show. Land of the Lost--not the crappy movie remake, but the original 1970's show. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters--not the crappy...oh, wait, they haven't gotten around to that one yet. H.R. Pufnstuf--easily the best young stoner indoctrination show ever. Banana Splits. Anything Hanna-Barbara.

Man, do I suddenly feel old...

Dave, you forgot the UK hit "tomorrow people"! It was on around 4pm everyday. Pinwheel seemed to run for several hours each morning. That is the Nickelodeon I remember best.

CedarPointTaylor said:
I'm 13 and I would rather have The Peanuts rather than Nick. I love Spongebob and all but whenever I see or hear Snoopy I instantly think "CEDAR POINT" if they changed it, it just wouldn't seem right.

This is actually part of the problem. You see, the only place people see these characters is in the park or in a MetLife commercial. It’s a dead brand that marketing can’t really utilize. As ridiculous as it may seem, I fear that there is a generation of parents rapidly approaching who won’t even be able to explain to their kids who they are. They may have an idea of who Snoopy or Charlie Brown is but as for where they originated from or who the rest of the characters are...

...and since you’re 13, I doubt you remember much of Nickelodeon before it sucked. I’ve recently re-watched all of the 90s Nicktoons to make sure I was’t just nostalgia blind, and while some haven’t held up well at all (*cough*CatDog*cough*), the majority of them are excellent.

NextGen89 said:
I like older nicktoons to be honest... some of the new stuff (spongebob etc.) Is ok... but nothing beats rocko, s modern life, ren and stimpy, ahhh real monsters, rugrats

Im 23 and i still love that stuff.

I’m 23 and I still love the classic Nicktoons. Spongebob (the first 3 seasons, before it was cancelled and brought back, were produced by Rocko’s crew) we’re the end of an era. Excluding Invader Zim and Avatar, Nick hasn’t produced anything worthwhile this past decade. Their new generic splat-free logo seems to go hand-in-hand with their creatively dead direction.

NextGen89 said:
But i understand that the license has to fit the park. Peanuts fits CP, as its more retro and mature.

By retro you mean outdated?

NextGen89 said: But i think cp could do better, a good example would be be getting a marvel contract... but six flags has that one i think. I feel cp needs something edgier, but still mature and time approved that appeals to a broader audience.

Six Flags has a Warner Bros contract, which includes DC comics. Marvel Comics theme park rights are owned by Universal Studios in Florida and Disney EVERYWHERE else. Here’s an idea for a license...Nintendo. Find me one brand outside of Disney that is as recognizable, family friendly and has held up as well? Anybody? Parents will remember fun times with Mario just as much as their kids do; it’s multigenerational. I sat down for about 10 minutes and came up with about 50 ride ideas, many perfect for Cedar Point. The only problem would be getting Nintendo to buy in.

Your mom is to fat to ride TTD. said:
I wish there was a channel for all the 90s shows. Some are on late night, but not the good ones.

Nicktoons Channel used to only show the classic Nicktoons and was commercial free, instead showing old bumpers and new cartoon shorts in-between programing. It was then rebranded Nicktoons Network, dropped all the classic stuff in favor of new (crappy) original programing (mostly cheap imported flash cartoons from Canada) and started showing commercials. Like Disney did with ToonDisney, they re-branded their station that showed classic cartoons and re-targeted it towards young boys. Nickelodeon quickly found out that their classic shows were still getting higher ratings then their new stuff, so they put into motion plans to reformat the old Nick GAS station into a network that only plays the classic Nicktoons. It was to be called, “Nickelodeon Rewind”. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, the project was dropped and the brand was simply used to sell the classic Nicktoons DVDs and digital downloads. With the 90s Nick generation now dominating the internet and other social media, demand for the classic shows became soo loud that Nickelodeon couldn’t ignore it any longer, to which they caved in and came up with the funding for a nighttime block on TeenNick called “The 90s Are All That”. This block not only shows the classic Nicktoons but also some of the classic live action shows. Once again, the ratings for the classic shows are higher then any of the original content on that network. Nickelodeon has now entered an agreement with Shout! to release all the of the classic Nicktoons on DVD. If your library is anything like mine, you should be able to pick them up there. If you have Netflix, you can also try looking there.

I know, I know, TMI lol

Nickster said:
Rugrats is by far the best old school Nickelodeon cartoon... Nothing else can compare.

The first 3 seasons of Rugrats (before it was cancelled and brought back, much like Spongebob) hold up incredibly well. It’s a show I have no right enjoying and yet I do.

Jeff said:
You think Rugrats is old school Nick? Get off my lawn!

Well he did say cartoon, to which Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy were all the first Nicktoons.

This is actually part of the problem. You see, the only place people see these characters is in the park or in a MetLife commercial. It’s a dead brand that marketing can’t really utilize. As ridiculous as it may seem, I fear that there is a generation of parents rapidly approaching who won’t even be able to explain to their kids who they are. They may have an idea of who Snoopy or Charlie Brown is but as for where they originated from or who the rest of the characters are..

.

Do you have kids?

The only place you see them is on a Met Life commercial? You are seriously misinformed. My 4 year old, without any prodding or pushing by myself, loves Snoopy, Lucy, Chuck, the whole gang...from the tv specials which still run non-stop around the holidays. There are even some new ones which I have never fully watched (but she has) that come on from time to time.

Your error is in claiming it as a "dead brand". The beauty with Snoopy is that, like Mickey Mouse, he will never be "dead", nor will the Peanuts be a dead brand anytime soon. The Peanuts are timeless. They're a part of Americana; not just cartoon characters.

I will say this; I was initially surprised at how well my daughter knows and connects with Peanuts characters. I actually probably would have agreed with you before I had children...so I am assuming you have none. Your mind might change when you do.

I remember Rocko's Modern Life, Cat-Dog, Double Dare (newer version), Rocket Power, Rugrats, and Spongebob. They were all great. The network now has 3D cartoons. I don't know if it was the Viacom split or Dreamworks deal that has made the network change so much. I always loved the old Nicktoons, slime, and Nickelodeon Magazine. All now are gone.

I have nephews and they find the Peanuts specials boring. They can't get through them without complaining and having us switch the station.

I also don't think the comparisons to Mickey Mouse are accurate. Mickey Mouse is still on TV today and is constantly reinvented for every generation. He's appeared in the popular Kingdom Hearts and Epic Mickey video games. Disney would never let him sit and get stale as the Peanuts have.

Snoopy is on my TV all the time. Where do you live? I'm not kidding.

Not sure how old your nephews are, but part of me finds it a little sad about their reaction to the shows. My daughter is 4, though...but I can still sit through the Great Pumpkin. :)

Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is still my favorite halloween movie! Peanuts also "suffers" from being too high brow in comparison to childrens programming today. The vocabulary by itself is far above what happens on many adult TV shows.

I think having a brand such as this is perfect for CP because Kevin said it is timeless. Even kids with limited exposure will get exposed to the characters at the park through ride names and character shows. In turn they may seek out the programming more thus creating more awareness.

Skippy, this is possibly going to come off as mean, but I honestly don't mean it that way. The issue, I think, is your age. You're a young (23?), childless person; exactly the opposite of what the whole Peanuts marketing is geared towards.

Why I think the Peanuts is great is that it connects everyone. Kids, their parents, and even their grandparents. They can all connect. Peanuts crosses generations (like Mickey).

Thrills connect.

Snoopy connects.

See?

:)

Jeff said:
You think Rugrats is old school Nick? Get off my lawn!

Okay, then what do you consider old school Nick? As deeganator said, it was one of the three original Nicktoons, and debuted in 1991.

Love snoopy. Hate the redundancy of the rides themed to him.

It's interesting that there is not one ride at Disney that is themed around Mickey (not saying he Doesn't play a huge role). As powerful as their brand is, the most successful rides are themed around vague generalities that any park could tap into (pirates, ghosts, space, runaway mine train, a trip up everest, a haunted hotel, etc) it's interesting to see how so many ideas can be made into great family attractions and have not one movie/media related character apart of it.

I understand Cedar Point is not a theme park, but I'm hoping with future family additions there is atleast some aspect of story built into it.

I think my age has nothing to do with it. As a kid, I didn't care for Peanuts. As a young adult, I don't care for Peanuts. I don't remember my parents ever really caring for them either. Fact is, I agree with my nephews, they're boring. I have no nostalgia associated with them, my parents didn't force me to watch the specials as a tradition every year, so I can give an unfiltered opinion. I've seen my nephews get excited about characters at Disney, Universal and even the Sesame Street characters at Busch Gardens but they have no interest in the Peanuts gang (I can't fault them for that).

Like I said before, Cedar Point being the only place kids are really exposed to the Peanuts gang doesn't really give the marketing team much to work with. It's not supposed to be Cedar Point's job to introduce kids to a franchise and try to spark interest in it. Cedar Point should own a franchise kids are already interested in and that will draw them to the park.

I think Nintendo would be awesome for the park. Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and the gang are still very popular to kids that have a GameBoy: which is every kid on the planet it seems like. Plus there's the age group of people like myself who grew up playing it. Those characters aren't going anywhere. Can you imagine the amount of rides and attractions that can be built starring Nintendo characters?

I have to agree with Kevinj. Peanuts is a timeless classic that will remain popular. They aren't trendy and there aren't hip. That is why they remain popular long after the trendy cartoons lose their appeal. Trendy last a short while and then becomes very dated. And yes, the Peanuts comics are somewhat highbrow too. That's a good thing.

My son is 13 and he still loves Peanuts. He has loved them from the beginning.

There is aTV in the Breakers lobby that shows Peanuts video nonstop. There are almost always kids sitting there watching.

The Peanuts gang serves its purpose. They are warm, lovable characters that kids will enjoy seeing while they're at the park. The rides and attractions remain central at Cedar Point. It would be different if the story was the focus, as it is at Disney.

I love Peanuts, but after reading Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead it is hard to see them as warm lovable characters. Stephen Lynch's song Crazy Peanuts dosent help much either.

But look I just referenced two different works that are baised on Penuts in the last few years Dog Sees God premiered in 2004 and Stephen Lynch's album with Crazy Peanuts came out in 2009 so it shows these characters are still around today and people are familiar with them.

"Old School Nick" means that you at least remember when the channel would go off the air around 10 PM (I think), and would revert to color bars and test patterns until the following morning. I slept very little as a kid, and distinctly remember waking up early on Saturday mornings, staring at community messages accompanied by an easy listening soundtrack, and waiting patiently for Pinwheel to start.

If you don't remeber the A/B switch on your cable box, you ain't old school! ;)