Cedar Point's Planet Snoopy

Today Cedar Point officially announced its 2008 addition to the park, Planet Snoopy. And they even put out high-res concept art! Yay!

The children's area will have 7 rides, and take over the former Peanuts Playground area as expected. The seven announced rides are indeed all from Geauga Lake. The "Planet" part make sense to me now, since the theming of the rides from Geauga Lake can be minimally changed with the theme of 'Snoopy's worldly travels' being used.

Elsewhere on the property, 4 new live shows will debut, including a new Peanuts/Snoopy ice show, also, the aquatic stadium will have an extreme sports show for the first time.

Macaronies will also be changed into a Snoopy themed family restaurant, with a small "adult only" menu.

Rounding out the $5.2 million expansion is the continued renovations of the Sandcastle Suits hotel that is on park property.

Here's a link to Cedar Point's release.

Here's a similar view of the concept art of the area from this past season, or so. You can see how they will work the area over into Planet Snoopy.

Lost Kingdom of Adventure Sketches

The Los Angeles Times' Funland Blog has posted a series of concept art sketches for Legoland California's new interactive darkride, the Lost Kingdom of Adventure.

It's a Sally dark ride, and it looks pretty awesome. Click here to go to the Funland Blog entry with the concept art.

More Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge

© 2008 Looty

User Looty over on the Thrill Network boards posted a bunch of pictures they took of the now very under construction Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge at Nickelodeon Universe.

It looks fantastic! Click here to see all the pics.

© 2008 Looty

It's Flight Deck! (again)

Top Gun at California's Great America has been renamed Flight Deck, just like the similar ride at Carowinds, according to the park's website.

Eeek! Still a really poor choice of coaster name if you ask me.

Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland also have a Top Gun ride each, which I'm sure will also be renamed Flight Deck. Boo!

Kings Island's New Sign is Up

© 2008 Kings Island Central

Kings Island has lifted into place their new sign, as we've seen Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland, and Kings Dominion do as well this off season. It fits nice with the sign that Paramount did before they sold the park.

Head to Kings Island Central to check out the pictures.

Some Cedar Fair News...

Cedar Fair just put out a press release, which I think is in response to yesterday's release by Six Flags, about... well their attendance for the year. Honestly, it was a puff piece press release - oh wow that rhymed nicely.

Anyway, the company entertained 22.1 million, up from 19.3 in 2006. Preliminary per capita has risen to $40.45 from $38.71 in 2006. Good news on the surface, at least.

They also talk of "exciting new marketing promotions" for this season, which is also fine by me, as I've thought that Cedar Fair's marketing has become pretty stale the last few years.

On another note, this Sandusky Register has an article today about how the company is reacting to their growing size.

They've added 20 or so new corporate positions since the Paramount merger, and now feel they might need more space for their full-timers. They're doing a study to evaluate the costs and need of an entirely new office building for the company headquarters.

They also talk of upgraded technology that would come with the new building, and since Cedar Fair is so slow at taking on new technology, the halls of this new office would probably be filled with "now we have that super fast internets on ours computers!"

Ok, that's all for now.