Time to replace Snoopy?

Nintendo would not make sense for CP. Could you imagine Mario on the CP sign? Sonic and the Sega gang would be far more appropriate characters for an amusement park. Sonic = speed, which makes far more sense Nintendo characters. Plus, Sonic is already in several parks around the world, such as Alton Towers and Sega Republic. Snoopy just needs to go...

If Nintendo doesn't work, then why would Sega? I feel like I'm stuck in the late 80s/early 90s when fans would fight over which was better. Also, why would Mario be on the Cedar Point sign? I know Snoopy currently is but I don't think that's right, since it only implies that he plays a larger role in the park then he actually does.

Although, Sega is going bankrupt, so Cedar Point could probably buy the whole company at this point and then force them to make a Cedar Point game lol

Snoopy is a classic and timeless icon, I'm not sure why it "needs to go." I know several families with kids who adore Peanuts, and I did as a kid. I like Snoopy as CP's mascot personally. The characters universally recognized and at this point aren't ever going to become dated, unlike most of these video game suggestions.

I think we can all agree on this, however: Pine-Sol is the best bet for a new brand sponsor. That's the Power of Pine-Sol, baby! Can't you just see her face on the entrance?

Skippy said:
If Nintendo doesn't work, then why would Sega? I feel like I'm stuck in the late 80s/early 90s when fans would fight over which was better.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P9EhvDAMjWc

I guess we're not the first ones to think of Cedar Fair using Nintendo, the article below mentions very briefly Nintendo and Cedar Fair.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/200908/1367/

TV shows have a shorter shelf life now than ever before. It seems like a bad idea to theme anything to TV anymore.

I wonder what Nintendo would cost. Pokemon and Princess Toadstool, err, Peach aren't going away anytime soon.

...just like Snoopy and the gang aren't going away anytime soon. I think cost plays a fairly large role here. I would imagine that with Peanuts, Cedar Fair is getting recognizable, loveable characters at a price that's hard to beat.

I would guess that re-branding the entire chain is not on the top of the priority list of the company at this point in time,especially since nothing is not working about the Peanuts.

Except in the eyes of some childless 20-somethings. :)

I think I made a mistake when I brought this thread from the dead...

Nintendo at cedar point would be amazing... the characters are so versatile... as well as the worlds they inhabit. Cedar point with a super smash bros feel sounds great, and i could totally visualize a donkey kong wild mouse.

They would have a lot of retheming to do if they changed it. Which would cost money.

Costs Money means less coaster funds

Less Coasters means less customers

Less customers means bankruptcy

Bankruptcy means no more Cedar Point!!

No more Cedar Point means No More Pointbuzz

No more Cedar Point and Pointbuzz makes sad people.

and that is why CP should keep the Peanuts.

Well, clearly.

Gotta love those DirecTv cormercials.

Kevinj said:
...just like Snoopy and the gang aren't going away anytime soon. I think cost plays a fairly large role here. I would imagine that with Peanuts, Cedar Fair is getting recognizable, loveable characters at a price that's hard to beat.

I would guess that re-branding the entire chain is not on the top of the priority list of the company at this point in time,especially since nothing is not working about the Peanuts.

Except in the eyes of some childless 20-somethings. :)

Snoopy and the gang have already gone away. Where can you even see them now? On the MetLife blimp and in a Christmas special that airs for 1 hour each year. I'm not sure I could even find Peanuts merchandise if I went looking for it in a store.

Re-branding is not a priority, but it can make a difference depending on what the park/chain is aiming to achieve.

The most recent CP commercial (which is now on their YouTube channel) uses a Peanuts theme related to Charlie Brown's mom. I don't think most kids under the age of 15 would get it.

I don't think I've seen that one yet.

Chuck Wagon said:
Snoopy and the gang have already gone away. Where can you even see them now?

The first thing that comes to my mind is the comic strip that you can find every day.

I'm not sure I could even find Peanuts merchandise if I went looking for it in a store.

It's there and you really don't have to look hard to find it. Places like Target, Wal-Mart, Hallmark, Kohl's to name a few carry lots of Peanuts merchandise.

I've seen the Charlie's Browns mom cormercial on TV and I heard it on the radio yesterday. It's just promoting the "new" Planet Snoopy.

I don't think most kids under the age of 15 would get it.

My 4 year old daughter loves Snoopy, Lucy (she is her favorite incidentally), Linus, Chuck, etc.

At her gymnastics class on Monday, I noticed one of the other moms had a snoopy shirt on, and so I asked the kids who it was, and they all screamed "Snoopy". Just for fun, I started picking their brains for 3 minutes before the class started (hey, I'm a social scientist, so forgive the nerd in me) on the Peanuts gang. Every single one of the kids but one (there are 13 in her class) and the three teenage instructors knew who the Peanuts people were, and knew about the Great Pumpkin, the Thanksgiving special, and a few I had never heard of. One girl in the back even yelled..."Snoopy lives at Cedar Point".

Aside from Skippy's nephews, kids know exactly who Snoopy is. It does not matter that he is not on TV every day, or in a video game...in fact, I would argue that the fact that he is so recognizable and beloved by children after all this time without being on TV every 10 minutes is pretty amazing.

OK, a couple of things to clear up

1. Snoopy has not gone away. The Christmas special airs as does the Great Pumpkin, and many other holiday specials. Look at the Macy's parade; there's a brand new special last year. Heck look at Hallmark; there's plenty of Snoopy to go around. Kids know who these characters are; they're classic and timeless.

2. Kids at Cedar Point are excited to see Snoopy all the time because of what I just said at number 1. Never did I hear a kid say to him "who are you." Maybe the lesser known characters such as Schroeder and Peppermint Patty, but Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy they all know.

3. Those who watched Peanuts as kids have not only grown up, but for the most part have kids of their own, and there's a huge access to the characters (TV, DVD, now Blu-ray) where the parents came introduce them to a new generation.

And for the record, I'm a Snoopy fan, and I'm proud of being one too!

99er said:

The first thing that comes to my mind is the comic strip that you can find every day.

Where I live, Peanuts is not run in the daily comic strips in any of the local newspapers (Springfield News-Sun, Dayton Daily News, and Cincinnati Enquirer). What newspaper do you read 99er? I think it might be in the Sunday strips in the Enquirer, not sure about the others. This has been the case for at least 3 years or so.

Kevinj, I don't doubt your story. I just don't personally believe that Peanuts is known that well in most cases. It is indeed amazing that it has remained relevant for as long as it has. The Halloween and Christmas' specials will certainly be shown forever. But the creator and sole author is gone. There will never be new Peanuts content, which means that inevitably it will become less relevant.

This discussion is probably more relevant to Kings Island than Cedar Point now that I think about it. The children's characters and theming have been a major part of Kings Island since its opening.

Well its been a year or so since I read the Sandusky Register while I was at work but they featured it. It was in whatever paper I was reading at work the other day (I think it was the Orlando Sentinel). I actually can't remember the last time I looked and couldn't find the comic strip in whatever newspaper I was reading. Now of course the comics are all "re-runs" since the last new one published by Schultz was in 2000. Even still, if more news papers are choosing to not publish it, the brand still exists elsewhere as I mentioned.