Worlds of Fun.Org: From Foam Mountains to Outer Space: Part IV

This is not Worlds of Fun, it's Cedar Point! Gemini is in the background.

Last episode we looked at Berenstain Bear Country, Cedar Fair’s first sojourn into kid’s areas at Worlds of Fun. Even in 1997, the writing was on the wall for the future, as Cedar Fair had purchased Knott’s Berry Farm and obtained rights to Knott’s Camp Snoopy along with the park in 1996. Snoopy is a far more recognized intellectual property than the Berenstain Bears and Cedar Fair wasted no time in installing Snoopy and Co. at its flagship park, Cedar Point. The first time I visited Cedar Point, in 1999, Camp Snoopy was the newest expansion and I was impressed with the quality. It seemed years away from Worlds of Fun which had only added Bear Country two years prior.

2001 Worlds of Fun Fun Guide.

The twist though is that Camp Snoopy would be introduced to Worlds of Fun, replacing Bear Country in 2001. It wouldn’t be the first time that Snoopy would come to Worlds of Fun. Back in 1978 Worlds of Fun’s costume designer Dawna Welborn created the very first in-park Snoopy costume, and Snoopy paired up with the then park mascots, Sam, Dan’l, and Grrrtrude for the year 1978.

Snoopy at Worlds of Fun in 1978, with Sam Panda, Gertrude Gorilla and Dan'l Coon.

Snoopy in 2001

Opening Day 2001 was warm and humid for early April, but what I remember most was being pleasantly surprised with the quality of the new Camp Snoopy. Looking back I am surprised by my overall pleasant reaction. However, that could be that it also followed several plain ugly park additions over the two prior years. Boomerang, Coasters Drive-In, and Grand Prix Raceway were never the highlight of WoF expansion history. So though “only just” a kid’s area Camp Snoopy was created with care and gave the appearance that it wasn’t just a paint job, though in reality much of it was exactly that.

Entrance to Camp Snoopy.

Campground Theater, previously Bear Country Museum.

Entrance to Beagle Bay Outfitters.

While nearly every ride and attraction from Pandamonium/Bear Country would remain in the transition to Camp Snoopy, at the same time many of them would be drastically changed, cosmetically at least. At the Bear Country Museum the exterior received a paint job, and minor theming changes (the telescope was removed), the interior had all of its Bear Country exhibits removed, and most theming elements removed. After a paint job and some minor re-modeling, it became Beagle Bay Outfitters and Campground Theater. The Spooky Old Tree was re-painted, kites were added and it became the Kite Eating Tree. The Bear Country TreeHouse was completely demolished and a Camp Snoopy Bounce House was added in its place. Probably the most laughable re-name though goes to the ride that STILL hadn’t moved and was known at the time as Kiddy Hawk Airlines. According to the 2001 park map it was re-named back to Red Baron. According to the ride’s SIGN itself though… it appeared to have a more unique name. Red Bacon.

Does this ride EVER change?! Spoiler alert... it doesn't. But it isn't known as Red Bacon anymore either.

Snoopy Bounce... let's all contemplate a moonwalk bounce house occupying the space of Barnstormer, Octopus and the Bear Family Treehouse. Today's Woodstock Gliders is located in the same place.

Camp Snoopy would introduce two new rides to the area, and expand the play area again by a total of one acre. New to Camp Snoopy would be the S&S Mini Drop Tower known then as Woodstock’s Airmail (today it is the Kite Eating Tree) and it would replace Either Oar a mini kid’s canoe ride that was introduced with Pandamonium. The second expansion was a Zamperla Junior Flying Carpet, known as Camp Bus, then and now. Both rides were a step up from the traditional kiddie rides allowing adults to ride with children.

Woodstock's Airmail produced by S&S of Utah. Today it's the Kite Eating Tree.

Camp Bus, it's still pretty much the same.

Probably the biggest change with Camp Snoopy though was the introduction of an entirely new aesthetic. Everything became forest green and redwood tree red. The old circular fountain would change forever and become instead a waterfall with Snoopy and Woodstock paddling away in a canoe. And then there were the character introductions. Of course Snoopy wasn’t really “new” but the whole Peanut’s Gang was, and even today they remain recognizable and well-loved.

The new Camp Snoopy fountain.

Spooky Old Tree became the Kite Eating Tree (still just a plastic slide)

Affordable psychiatric advice....

Camp Snoopy would be with us for longer than Bear Country, 10 years, and in that time it would see a few expansions. In 2003, in its first major Halloweekends expansions, the park took the 1978 Lucky Lyndy’s Lunch Counter building and transformed it, its last time, into Magical House on Boo Hill, an adorable and ingenious take on a not-super-scary haunted house. In 2005, the park expanded further with the foam ball playhouse, Peanut’s Playhouse.

Peanut's Playhouse in the winter of 2010/2011

Magical House on Boo Hill which was one of my favorite attractions.

In 2011 Camp Snoopy would be replaced and Snoopy would go to outer space. Snoopy himself would remain but unlike the last three renovations, almost nothing else would stay the same. But that’s for our last chapter…