Sesame Place Philadelphia Adding New Water Play Area + New Themed Area

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

A summer of brand new fun is on its way to Sesame Place Philadelphia in 2023 with the addition of a new water play area and a brand new themed section.  As if that wasn't enough, the park is also adding a new live show featuring the Sesame Street characters plus an enhanced meet and greet with everyone's favorite - Big Bird.

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

The new water play area is named Bert & Ernie's Splashy Shores, a fun area where kids can splash and play the day away.  There will be "tipping water buckets, spraying jets, a water curtain, a water bobble and a spraying water tower" among other fun activities.  The area will come with shaded seating as well, so the whole family can hang out during the day.

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

Also new is Big Bird's Beach, a new "tropical-themed land" dedicated to "splashy water fun."  The area was previously known as Twiddlebug Land and has now been "colorfully transformed and creatively updated."  Big Bird's Beach includes water slides, a family-sized wave pool, a spray and play area and plenty of shaded seating.  The land will feature favorite existing attractions such as Elmo's Surf 'n' Slide (family raft ride), Abby's Splash & Spray Garden, Rosita's Seaside Slides (family water slides) and Little Bird's Bay (family wave pool.)

 

Sesame Place Philadelphia will also feature new and updated live entertaiment this season.  A new show, Welcome To The Party!, will open, featuring Elmo, Abby, Grover, Rosita and Cookie Monster as they put on a show to welcome their new friends to Sesame Street.  The show will be featured in Abby's Paradise Theater.  There will also be an enhanced meet and greet with Small Talk with Big Bird, where guests can interact and chit-chat with Big Bird before getting their photo taken with him.

 

Sesame Place Philadelphia plans to have all the new and modified attractions ready for guests by Summer 2023.

Sesame Place Introduces Not-Too-Spooky Halloween Drive-Thru Experience

© Sesame Place

Parks are continuing to come up with creative ways to keep their guests entertained while COVID-19 is still a threat - and we're seeing a lot of that ingenuity during the all-important Halloween Season.  Another park that has come up with a way to stay engaged with their fans is Pennsylvania's Sesame Place, which starts the new Halloween Drive-Thru on October 6th.

 

Staying socially distanced is continuing to be a key element of safety this fall, and Sesame Place has created a new drive-thru experience that allows families to get a taste of the park while remaining distanced from others.  Visitors stay in "their own vehicle, journey through a family-friendly, Halloween-themed experience including a special soundtrack, festive décor, millions of lights and everyone’s favorite furry friends dressed up in costume on their Halloween-themed floats!"  Each child will receive a bag of candy as well upon exiting the property.

 

© Sesame Place

Visitors will experience tons of festive decorations and character interactions (while remaining in the vehicle) as they move through the park, the map of the event is found above.  Guests also have the option to pre-purchase snacks, beverages and unique souvenirs that can be picked up upon arrival.  All interactions outside the vehicle require face masks and social distancing.

© Sesame Place

Pass members will receive a discount on the Halloween Drive-Thru at Sesame Place, and general tickets start at $35 for a carload.  The event runs each Tuesday and Wednesday night in October from 6 pm until 9 pm.

Hong Kong Disneyland is Closed Again, Sesame Place Sets Plans to Open

© Hong Kong Dineyland

Hong Kong Disneyland was one of the first theme parks to close due to COVID-19, back toward the end of January.  It then reopened in the middle of June as one of the first in Disney's portfolio to welcome back visitors, but now due to new restrictions put in place by the Hong Kong government, it is once again closed.

The park officially closed again in the middle of last week as Hong Kong has seen increasing COVID-19 cases and is taking immediate and serious measures to stop that.  Per this news article, the area has seen 1,500 new cases since January, leading to the park's closure (and many other social restrictions).  Considering that a great number of states in the U.S. are filing way more cases than that per day, it isn't hard to figure out that Hong Kong is not messing around.

The closing of Hong Kong Disneyland does not have an official end date, and comes the same week that both the Disneyland Paris Resort and Walt Disney World in Florida were welcoming back visitors.

© Sesame Place

Pennsylvania's popular children's theme park, Sesame Place, has announced that it will reopen on July 24th.  While late in the summer, the park's water activities will certainly be welcomed by visitors as it has been one especially hot summer in the Northeast.

The park, as with other SeaWorld Entertainment properties, will have a full set of changes in place to operate in a COVID-19 world.  These measures include temperature checks for visitors and employees, mandatory face masks for those age 2 and older, social distancing protocols throughout the park, increased cleaning and sanitization and many changes to food and beverage services.  You can read through the park's full set of changes at this link.

In order to reduce interactions the park is also keeping several of their shows, their daily parade and some character interactions either restricted or closed.

Earlier this year Sesame Place announced two new attractions, a small family ride and a toddler play area, for the park's 40th birthday celebration.  Neither of these attractions are listed as part of the park's offerings, so it appears as they have been delayed or cancelled.

Sesame Place Philadelphia Celebrating 40th Birthday With New Ride, Play Area + Restaurant

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

The 2020 season will mark the 40th Birthday of Sesame Place Philadelphia, and the theme park for kids is serving up several additions to mark the occasion.  A new ride, a new kids play area and a restaurant are just part of the fun that will take place all season long.

The birthday theme will be evident all over the park, which will be decorated with "bright balloons and garland, an enormous, inflatable birthday cake, new birthday photo ops and oversized candles."  The park's popular parade will be named the Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade this season and will feature a new song and floats decorated with giant cupcakes and more.

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

The park will also build a new ride to celebrate their 40th, named Big Bird's Tour Bus.  The over-sized, red double-decker bus will feature Big Bird and his friends set in front of a cityscape backdrop.  The bus will zoom around and up into the air in a giant circle, giving gentle thrills that the whole family will enjoy.

© Sesame Place Philadelphia

Also new in 2020 will be Slimey's Square, a "brightly-colored, shaded, soft play area" located adjacent to Oscar's Wacky Taxi Coaster.  Intended for kids aged 5 and under, Slimey's Square will feature areas for kids to climb, crawl and have fun while their parents are nearby on a built in seated wall.  The addition will gives smaller kids a fun place to hang out while their older siblings take on the thrill of the coaster next door.

Finally, Sesame Place Philadelphia will also open ABC Eats, a new restaurant concept.  Featuring a variety of dishes for the family, there will also be plenty of healthy wraps, fresh salads and more to enjoy.

Sesame Place Building New Sesame Street Neighborhood with Live Character Show in 2019

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2019, and is completely redoing their Sesame Street Neighborhood to mark the occasion.

Nestled in the center of the park, the Neighborhood has long been a true recreation of the set of the popular children's show, however that set has evolved over time.  The park is updating to better match the current appearance of the neighborhood, and expanding with new offerings at the same time.

© Sesame Place

This concept art gives a sample of what the new Sesame Street Neighborhood will look like.  You can also see drawings of the entire block in this promotional video:

The street will feature famous storefronts such as Hooper's Store and the 123 stoop along with Abby's Garden and more.  There will be several photo spots, including a brand new Big Bird's Nest, along the route and Sesame Place promises special interactive areas that will engage guests and delight young visitors.  For the first time ever, visitors can meet Snuffleupagus in person at the park this year as well.

Another big premier will be a new live show titled "Our Street Is Sesame Street," featuring the actual Muppet characters, including Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Big Bird, for the first time at the park.  I'm not sure if the show will take place in the storefronts of the Neighborhood, but the concept art above does feature the characters looking out of the windows.  The show promises to have guests singing, dancing and clapping along to the production.

© Sesame Place

The Neighborhood will also have a new location to get delicious treats named Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck.  Guests can sample snacks that both Cookie Monster and Gonger would be sure to devour, according to Sesame Place.

“Having been in this position now for just over a year, it is incredible to think of the remarkable transformation that has taken place at the park,” said Cathy Valeriano, Sesame Place Park President. “We have invested more resources than ever before into ensuring an outstanding experience for our guests.  From becoming the world’s first theme park to be designated a Certified Autism Center, to the opening of our second roller coaster, Oscar’s Wacky Taxi, and now opening our brand-new Sesame Street Neighborhood, the entire park will come to life in a way guests have never experienced before.

Sesame Place Already Working on Mystery 2019 Attraction

© Sesame Place

Although it seemed like all the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment properties have already revealed their plans for 2019, there is one park left that just started teasing - and that's Sesame Place.

The park released this video to let guests know that work is going on at the park:

For now the park is only saying that something "new and exciting" is coming to the park in 2019.  However, the above video does show the park's famous Sesame Street, a recreation of the actual street from the show, behind construction walls.  The park's website also confirms that work is underway there:

"Please note: The current Sesame Place Neighborhood will be under construction during A Very Furry Christmas. Guests can still enjoy photo opportunities with Sesame Street friends throughout the park and at 1-2-3 Smile with Me!"

The street in front of the facades is a busy place and used heavily for the daily parade and other activities.  Here is a look at that area:

© Bing Maps

The facades that are under construction are near the top of the image.  Perhaps they are just receiving a makeover for next year, which could coincide with a new set of these buildings going up at SeaWorld Orlando right now.  And maybe a new attraction is going elsewhere in the park?  There is a decent sized open area near the Carousel.

It's definitely a mystery for now, but it sounds like the park plans to tell us more soon, perhaps after their holiday event is over.  It is great to see the park expanding again after building a roller coaster this season, I would have expected an off-year!

Rudolph + Friends Staying at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment for Five More Years

© SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has announced that they have reached an agreement with Character Arts, LLC, to extend their contract to feature Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends in their parks for five more years.

Rudolph, along with his pals Clarice, Bumble, the Abominable Snow Monster and Yukon Cornelius are features during the company's holiday events at their SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place parks.  The characters are available in person during the events (as seen in these photos), but also are featured in themed attractions each winter season along with special dining opportunities and games.

© SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

The extension means that the characters will be around at the parks through January 31, 2024.  At SeaWorld they can be found during the Christmas Celebration in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio, Christmas Town at the two Busch Gardens Parks in Williamsburg and Tampa, and also as a part of A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania.

“Generations of our guests have grown up with Rudolph and we are happy to continue the tradition at our popular holiday events,” said John Reilly, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s interim CEO. “We are always looking for ways to provide our guests with best-in-class experiences; Rudolph & Friends certainly help us do that with unique, interactive elements for the entire family.”

SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place’s holiday celebrations will launch in late November and run throughout the month of December, 2018.  The parks have found success with seasonal events that foster repeat visits to the parks, so I wouldn't be surprised to see these events continue to grow in the future!

Sesame Place Opens New Gravity Group Family Wooden Coaster

Adding to the list of new rides and attractions that are opening this Memorial Day weekend, we have Oscar's Wacky Taxi at Sesame Place, located near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The family-sized coaster was built by The Gravity Group, who have already created several similarly sized rides around the globe.  Sesame Place is meant for families, so a ride of Oscar's Wacky Taxi's size - standing around 40 feet tall - is perfect for the park's demographic.

Sesame Place shared this video a few days before the coaster opened, the first off-ride footage I had seen of it in action.  As expected, the coaster looks like it moves at a zippy pace, with the Timberliner train (with Oscar on the taxi themed lead car) making quick work of the 1,200 foot long layout.  The ride even features a tunnel section mid-way through the ride, along with a series of gentle-looking bunny hills.  Again, with smaller riders in mind when this was designed, I wouldn't expect too many extreme forces.

Ready to take a virtual ride along with Oscar?  If so, check out the video below!

New Aerial Images of Sesame Place's Oscar's Wacky Taxi Show Nearly Finished Ride

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place has shared a few updated aerial photos of their brand new wooden family roller coaster, named Oscar's Wacky Taxi.  The ride is structurally complete from what I can tell, with major work continuing on the station area, queue and tunnel.

The top photo is a direct overhead view of the new coaster, which has been designed by The Gravity Group for Sesame Place.  Oscar's Wacky Taxi has been built in what used to be a VIP parking lot near the main entrance, and if you zoom in on this image you can see the twisty queue that has been created.  You can also see a new ride photo / retail location near the exit of the ride.

Themed to Oscar The Grouch, the coaster features metal supports painted green with traditional wood coaster track.  The trains will be themed as Taxis led by the Grouch himself.

© Sesame Place

Here's another view that Sesame Place shared, giving more of an angled look at the ride.  One thing that I'm happily surprised about is the fact that the coaster did not take up all the space that was the former parking area.  If you look at the larger image and focus on the area in the upper left, you'll see a large open space bordering the ride.  That makes me wonder if the coaster is just the start of a new themed area, as the space certainly looks large enough for a handful of family rides and attractions.  That's speculation on my part, but encouraging to say the least.

Sesame Place is still saying that Oscar's Wacky Taxi will open in late spring, though the park opens for the season on April 28th.

For more photos of the ride from recent press tours, check out this link.

Sesame Place + California's Great America Share New Roller Coaster Updates

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place, which is building North America's only new wooden roller coaster in 2018, has given us a nice update on the construction of Oscar's Wacky Taxi.  Seen above, the park managed to fit the entire ride into one photo, showing the completed ride layout.  Last time we saw the Gravity Group creation only the lift hill and first drop were in place.  Now, the entire layout appears to have been finished!

The photo allows you to track the ride's path, which features green steel supports to match the Oscar The Grouch theme.  The coaster starts with a 40 foot lift and has around 1,200 feet of track.  There will be a large section that goes through a tunnel, which can be seen on the left of this photo.  The ride' station, transfer track, and queue are also well under way - it also appears as though a new ride retail store will open just below the station.

While aimed at families, the zippy ride still looks like it will provide a thrilling experience complete with some gentle airtime thrown in.  Oscar's Wacky Taxi is looking great so far, I can't wait to see even more as Spring rolls around!

© California's Great America

California's Great America also had a special delivery recently, the first train for RailBlazer arrived and looks pretty awesome!  Decked out as an ATV, complete with a grill and handle bars, this is the first good look we've had at the finished one-seat-wide trains.  Since this, and the sister ride going in at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, are the first of their kind, we've all been waiting to see what the finished product would be like.

Even with a vest-style restraint system these trains should give a very open view of the rider's surroundings.  I also can't wait to see if those front headlights turn on when the sun goes down!

California's Great America has completed instillation of most of the ride's major track and support pieces, and has now started building the elaborate rockwork that will surround much of the base of the ride.  The park shared a photo of that work underway recently, too.

Sesame Place Takes Oscar's Wacky Taxi Vertical in New Photos

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place's brand new family wooden roller coaster, Oscar's Wacky Taxi, was just announced in September but is already going vertical at the park.  Shortly after the new Gravity Group design was announced the park released the above concept art, which we haven't featured here yet.  The ride's press release mentioned that the ride would have a green structure and highly themed cars, both of which an be seen here.  No word yet on if the street theming will be a part of the ride, or was just for the art.

© Sesame Place / Jeff Davis

An employee of the park has shared a couple construction photos of Oscar's Wacky Taxi,  the first of which is seen here.  True to their word, the ride's supports are green, which will accent the yellow taxi cab themed trains.  This coaster will feature steel supports with traditional wooden track, which makes the supports able to go up very quickly.  This section is for the 180 degree turn that takes place at the top of the lift hill, before the first drop.  That also means that this section of Oscar's Wacky Taxi is also the tallest, topping out somewhere around 40 feet.

© Sesame Place / Jeff Davis

The second photo that was shared was taken just inside the park's main plaza area (so open for parade viewing) to give perspective of the now-standing coaster.  The turnstiles are on the far left of this photo, and obviously that's the coaster sticking up on the right.  That means that my prediction of the ride's positioning within the park was pretty spot on, reference this post for what I mean.  Sesame Place is open through the holiday season, so we should be seeing some additional photos before the winter really sets in!

Sesame Place's New Family Wood Roller Coaster - Oscar's Wacky Taxi - Opening in 2018

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place has announced their new ride for 2018, a family-friendly wooden roller coaster named Oscar's Wacky Taxi.  The custom designed ride will be created by The Gravity Group, which has already created a handful of similar medium-sized wood coasters that have all been a success.

The coaster will utilize steel supports, painted green in concept art, and a yellow wooden track - matching the theme and colors of both Oscar and his taxi.  The train will be bright yellow and themed as a taxi cab, taxing passengers on a journey filled with "exciting twists, turns, and plenty of airtime hills."

The park has released this video showing off what a ride on Oscar's Wacky Taxi will be like:

The coaster starts with a lift hill followed by a 180 degree turn into a first drop of 40 feet.  The 1,200 feet of coaster track features a large amount of air-time hills, along with a large covered tunnel section on the far turnaround.  The stretch back to the station includes what looks like a gentle double-down, along with a curved dip under the ride's lift hill.  Riders need to be only 40 inches tall if they're accompanied by a supervising companion at least 46 inches tall and 14 years of age.

"Oscar's Wacky Taxi will bring a whole new level of excitement to Sesame Place in 2018," said Bob Caruso, park president. "We're constantly looking for ways to enhance our guest experience, and our first wooden roller coaster is an exciting and thrilling addition to the park."

The announcement did not include any official news on the ride's location, however the park did confirm on social media that the coaster will be built where the park's VIP parking currently is, and that no attractions will be removed in order to build it.

© Google Maps

That's where we suggested the ride might go in a previous post, expanding the overall size of the park.  I updated an image from that post to include a general idea of the coaster's layout - I'm sure it is not perfect though.  The station is in green, and the lift will head toward the park (yellow arrows are the direction of travel).  The far turn with a tunnel (in green) will be out toward the street adjacent to the park.  It looks like the station will be set back from the park, so I would expect the queue to wind under the ride with an entrance somewhere toward the bottom of this image.

This is a pretty exciting and large project for Sesame Place, I'm looking forward to seeing the ride constructed this winter!

More on the Location of Sesame Place's 2018 Construction Project

© Sesame Place

I know that we just posted about Sesame Place's teaser for their 2018 ride yesterday, but a photo the park shared today had me thinking a bit more about the project.

Seen up top, the park posted the picture on Twitter noting that construction on the project has already begun.  There are now construction fences up with colorful wrapping, continuing the theme of Oscar the Grouch and advertising the addition as the "biggest, grouchiest, most exciting" ...something, because the photo cuts off.  Naturally I wondered where in the park this was, so after some extending staring at aerial maps...

© Google Maps

It would appear as the 2018 project is going in what is the current VIP/ADA parking lot, which is adjacent to the main entrance.  Most of Sesame Place's parking is across the street or beyond a wooded area, so this is valuable land that's located so close to the main theme park.

In the aerial above the pink dot is the approximate location of where the photo was taken, with the camera doing a panoramic from the left of the aerial image to the right.  If you look at the area in orange, which is the VIP/ADA parking lot, this is what is currently behind the construction fences.  There is quite a bit of land available if Sesame Place wants to develop the entire lot.

It makes me think that maybe this really will be a decently sized ride (roller coaster?) in the end, unless the new ride is just part of a new themed area or something along those lines.  Still, it's an interesting development since Sesame Place is very landlocked, it's nice to see the park expanding into new territory.

Sesame Place Planning "Biggest, Grouchiest" Ride for 2018 Season

© Sesame Place

Sesame Place, located in Langhorne, PA, posted a teaser today on social media about an upcoming announcement for a new ride opening in 2018.  The teaser hasn't said just what kind of ride, but does promise that it will be the park's "biggest, grouchiest" ride yet.  Oscar the Grouch does appear at the very end of the video, seen above, so I'm sure it's a safe bet to say that it will be themed around him.

The other hints in the video come from the text that appears, including "get ready to BUCKLE UP... and hold on TIGHT!"  The text then zooms off the screen, leaving a trail of what looks like exhaust as a car horn beeps.

So... we have the "biggest" ride the park has done yet, if I'm taking that on face value correctly, which means larger than Vapor Trail, a custom family Vekoma coaster added back in 1998.  That ride is actually pretty big for a children's coaster, 1,300 feet long with an elevation change of 56 feet.  Some parts of the hint do make me think that this will be a coaster, but you never know.  If it is, and it's larger than Vapor Trail, then I will be quite impressed.

Another way to go with this would be to focus on the car themes that can be picked up.  Perhaps it will be some sort of junior driving attraction, perhaps even along the lines of the ones at the Legoland parks?  They are pretty big, but not really something that I would start to market as the biggest the park has done.  Not enough bang for the buck on that one, to me at least.

Perhaps we will have additional clues leading up to the September 20th announcement, revealing more about the 2018 expansion.  Until then, check out the full teaser video below.

One other note about the park that I found interesting, the web address for the park's site:

We know that SeaWorld Entertainment is planning a 2nd Sesame Place park to open by 2021, and from the last earnings call it seems they already picked a location.  It seems from the way the company has made the web address that they're gearing up to reveal that soon, with another market listed in the directory replacing Philadelphia.  Can't wait to see where the next park will go!

SeaWorld Entertainment Plans New Sesame Place Park in the U.S. + Expansion in Orlando

SeaWorld Entertainment has announced that they have extended their existing, 37 year old agreement with Sesame Workshop through the end of 2031 and that it now includes the development of a new Sesame Place theme park in the U.S. and themed expansions at the company's existing parks.

The agreement will continue to have SeaWorld Entertainment as Sesame Workshop's only theme park partner in the U.S., and calls for at least one new Sesame Place park to open by mid-2021.  The location of this park has not yet been disclosed, but more parks are on the table for the future as well.

It was also mentioned in the press release that SeaWorld Orlando will build a new Sesame Street themed land at the park by fall 2022.  To me, it sounds like the dates given for the new park and new land are deadlines, so it's not to say that they will not open earlier.

Sesame Place in Pennsylvania © Google Maps

"We share Sesame's goal of educating and entertaining generations of children, and the extension of our partnership furthers SeaWorld's mission to provide guests with experiences that matter," said Joel Manby, President and Chief Executive Officer of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. "We are thrilled to be able to grow the presence of Sesame Place theme parks in the U.S. and help our company diversify its brand portfolio and expand into new areas." 

As for just where the new park is going, and how extensive the addition at SeaWorld Orlando will be, the Orlando Sentinel has some great hints on both. 

At SeaWorld Orlando it sounds like the Sesame Street land will replace Shamu's Happy Harbor, and will be designed to be more immersive than the lands that went into the two Busch Gardens parks.  The article quotes Mr. Manby as saying there will be Sesame Street itself to walk down, rides, a parade and more.  Honestly, aside from the water slides that just described the existing Sesame Place pretty well!

© Sesame Place

The new park is not going to Orlando, that seems for sure from the story.  Mr. Manby says that there are existing markets in the U.S. that are under served for preschool entertainment, and they will be easier and cost less to build than in the Orlando market.  

My first thought was to give it another go in Texas, as a Sesame Place existed there for only two years starting in 1982.  I'm not sure if the company has enough free land adjacent to SeaWorld San Antonio, but own the land for a new park certainly helps take a bit out of the budget!  Time will tell on this one.

Sesame Place Celebrates 35th Anniversary with New Parade, Rides and More

Pennsylvania's Sesame Place is celebrating its 35th Birthday this year, and is planning a celebration to honor it that will last all Summer.  The 14 acre park originally opened in the Summer of 1980, and now offers visitors a selection of both water and dry rides, live entertainment and a famous recreation of Sesame Street's most popular locations.

Sesame Place is going all out for its 2015 birthday celebration, adding new rides, a parade and also plenty of special decorations for the event.

The park's entrance will welcome guests will a birthday makeover, including bright balloons, garland, and a giant birthday cake (seen here).  The park's famous Sesame Street character topiaries will also be decorated for the birthday party, as well.

Special photo spots will be built for guests to have their photos taken with the characters, always one of the highlights of a visit to Sesame Place.

The character parade at the park has been around for many years, however it is being renovated for 2015 to become the Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade.  The parade features three performance stops that focus on "letters, numbers, and friendship along with energetic contemporary and classic Sesame Street tunes."  The parade will also feature special birthday decorations such as "sparkly cupcakes" and a new song.  The interactive experience is a ton of fun for families and their kids, and will be performed twice most days, once in the afternoon and again in the evening.

The past few seasons Sesame Place has added a handful of temporary rides to the park in the early and late season when the water attractions are closed.  This year the park has purchased three brand new children's rides, all specifically themed for the park.  Drawings of them can be found above, and it appears as thought they are Zamperla attractions.  Sesame Place will place the rides in the area near the Count's Splash Castle prior to Memorial Day, and also again in the Fall and Christmas seasons.  The three new rides will bring the park's total mechanical ride count to 14 - impressive since most of us remember when the park added its first!

Other changes at the park in 2015 include upgraded amenities, such as a total renovation of Elmo's Eatery - now featuring a new menu, more seating and table service.  For more information on the park's 35th Birthday season, visit Sesame Place's official website.

Various Park News Bits and Photos

I've been storing up a bunch of little park updates that I've noticed an wanted to share, so I'm condensing these into one post.  Here goes!

© Worlds of Fun

The transplanted WindSeeker from Knott's Berry Farm, now known as Steel Hawk, has started to go up at Worlds of Fun.  The park's General Manager shared this image with the caption that there are only seven more pieces to go!  While obvious from the base piece, Steek Hawk has been painted to look like the existing WindSeekers.  MidwestInfoGuide also posted some photos recently of the repainted pieces awaiting assembly.

Things have been pretty quiet since Six Flags America announced their new Mardi Gras section last Summer, but a new video released by the park gives a small look at what's been going on.  The above shot is mixed in with plenty of other coaster footage - but at least we can know fur sure that the ride is one site!  Hopefully more updates will come from the park soon.  In the meantime, you can check out the new purple paint scheme for the Zydeco Zinger, courtesy of Baynum Painting.

© Universal Orlando

Hidden behind those giant London facades, it has been hard to see exactly what's going on with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida.  To fix that, Pixels At The Parks took to the skies for an awesome aerial update of the construction work.  The area is coming together nicely, with final details going up all over.  Be sure to check out all three sets photos, along with a video over at Pixels At The Parks.

© Sesame Place

Just outside of Philadelphia, Sesame Place is hard at work on Cookie's Monster Land.  Above is a shot of a giant cookie jar being constructed - when complete it will be a big part of the entrance to the new land.  The jar will hold Cookie's Sometimes Anytime Food Market, a new food location for the park with an extra fun name.

© Universal Studios Florida

Over on Twitter, user Hate To Fly has been sharing some fantastic old concept art and photos of attractions at the Universal Orlando parks, along with some bonus extras from other properties.  There's all sorts of goodies included, like the drawing of when Jurassic Park was planned for Universal Studios Florida, seen above.  Check out Hate To Fly's account to see all the images, and give them a follow while you're there.

© Six Flags Mexico

How about those curves?  Six Flags Mexico shared this image of Medusa Steel Coaster's conversion progress.  While the new track being set in the foreground looks pretty fun, I still can't get over how great that first drop looks!  The immediate barrel roll off the post-lift turn around and that plunging drop is going to be quite a sensation.

© Kentucky Kingdom

This cool blue track is for Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom - a wonderful color if you ask me!  The park is still hard at work on the foundations for the new Chance Morgan compact coaster, but supports and track have started to arrive on property.  The supports for the coaster are a mild shade of green, which will make a striking look for the new ride.

© Luna Park

Far away from Coney Island, Luna Park's new Thunderbolt roller coaster is being fabricated by Zamperla.  Above is the ride's vertical lift support tower post-fabrication, assembled for testing purposes.  You can see the track supports running down the main support column at the top, for either the vertical lift or vertical drop.  The park also shared a neat infographic about the lift and drop, with some very specific details of the structure.

Cookie's Monster Land to Debut at Sesame Place in 2014

Pennsylvania's Sesame Place will renovate a section of the theme park next year in order to prove once and for all that C is indeed for Cookie!  Brand new will be Cookie's Monster Land, a section of the park that will feature a three story net climb and kid-friendly play areas along with five rides.

From the press release, it sounds as though a center section of the park is being modified and changed into the new Cookie themed area.  The park has had a large net climb area for some time and that seems to be the focused location of the changes.

The rides listed in Monster Land include Captain Cookie's High "C's" Adventure, a spinning flat ride, Oscar's Rotten Rusty Rockets, the Honker Dinger Derby, Monster Mix-Up and Flying Cookie Jars, which take guests up 40 feet into the sky.  From the descriptions it sounds like a couple existing rides - a tea cup ride and balloon ride especially - may be rethemed as part of the renovation.

The Monster Clubhouse will be the new name of the giant net climb structure, sure to keep kids busy for a long time.  For toddlers the Mini Monster Clubhouse will provide smaller and less involved play activities.

Cookie's Monster Land will also include a photo with the characters section, food and retail locations.  Additional details on the expansion will be released as the winter progresses.

From The Vault: Sesame Place 1999 Brochure

Sesame Place is an adorable little theme park, located outside of Philadelphia, where families can take a trip into the world of the whole Sesame Place crew.

This brightly colored brochure is from 1999, right around when the park started to see some expansion.  It is a part of the SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment family, which includes other large theme parks like Busch Gardens.

Sesame Place has a lot of water slides and rides, all aimed at being perfect for smaller kids.  You won't find any extreme, trap door dropping, super speed sliding attractions at the park.  What you will find is a selection of slides and water play areas for families that have appropriate Sesame Place theming.   The park has also for a long time had a bunch of hands-on play activities and shows as well.  And you can't forget the real life recreation of the actual Sesame Street!

While this brochure is from 1999, the previous season saw the addition of a pretty big ride, and that's still being advertised heavily here.  Vapor Trail is a Vekoma family roller coaster that is neither very tall or very fast, but provides a smooth ride that's great for training future coaster fans.  Super Grover is the ride's host, and he takes passengers on a voyage into outer space as they zoom over the edge of the park's boundaries.

Since the time when this brochure was created Sesame Place has added several more rides that have balanced out the dry/water attraction balance.  Elmo's World alone features several rides that let guests take a spin on some of the lovable character's most imaginative creations.  The park also added a nicely themed carousel that has plenty of custom characters for visitors to ride on.  These additions do not mean that no new water rides were added, though, as we saw with the Count's Splash Castle - a huge water play structure that Sabrina and I checked out a few years back.

The park also debuted a new Christmas celebration last year, creating an even longer season for the park.  Hopefully more additions are on the way in the future!