We all woke up this morning to some shocking news: Cedar Fair, owner and operator of Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, was announcing its merger with Six Flags. I'll openly admit I was shocked and greatly concerned by the news initially. I still feel the same way, but I've had some time to absorb the facts.
First takeaway: nothing, at least nothing significant, will happen immediately. As the merger is not planned to close until the first half of 2024, I expect 2024 to operate not all that dissimilar to 2023 (hopefully with better staffing!). I strongly doubt that on the opening day of 2024, My Cedar Fair Worlds of Fun pass will get me into Six Flags or vice versa.
For the same reason, I also don't expect any significant changes in park operation, appearance, or identification this coming season.
Initially, when I heard the news, my first concern was the identification of Worlds of Fun, the name, the theme, etc. On these details, like all the others, I know no more than anyone else outside of Cedar Fair or Six Flags. I have some opinions based on some facts thought. First, from the news release, it appears no single entity, Cedar Fair or Six Flags, will predominate; this is not a Six Flags takeover. Cedar Fair's CEO and CFO will be retained, and the corporate structure will be in Charlotte, NC. Already home to many corporate offices for Cedar Fair today.
With that being said, I think, at least initially, the identities of the individual parks will remain relatively unchanged. I can't see how changing Worlds of Fun to Six Flags Kansas City and Kings Island to Six Flags Cincinnati will help any single park in the Cedar Fair chain. I also don't see significant upcoming changes in Intellectual Properties (IPs) such as Looney Toons or Peanuts characters. I do think that in the future, if a park area requires an update, it is possible Six Flags IPs could be incorporated.
And this is where my concern lies: what the future could hold. Worlds of Fun has always had a unique place in the Cedar Fair family. As one of only two theme parks in the chain, it was also one of the few 1970s corporate parks that has successfully held onto its original theme. That alone is rare anywhere in the amusement world. In my opinion, one of three things could happen in the long term. One: nothing changes in the long term; I highly doubt this. Two: Cedar Fair/Six Flags decides to re-organize all the parks to be more homogenized. This could involve the incorporation of DC IPs into Worlds of Fun's theme. Patriot could be re-themed to Superman and such. This could also see a long-term change in the park's name to Six Flags Worlds of Fun. I'm not a fan of any of that, honestly. Option Three:is perfect world; with the park chain being so overloaded with properties, the overall response is far less micromanagement by corporate, allowing more local control and decision-making. More autonomy for Worlds of Fun staff and management, in my opinion, could only be a major plus for the park as a whole.
Which will it be? Honestly, I don't know; few do. I am sure that we will probably have more answers as time goes by. The most fascinating takeaway for this, though, is one many don't realize. And that is that, with this merger, Worlds of Fun is becoming what it was initially envisioned to be over 50 years ago. What?! Really. Back when Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman were originally envisioning a Disneyland for Kansas City, they first approached Six Flags. Original blueprints still exist at Burns and McDonnell for a park titled "Six Flags Kansas City." Even though I questioned this story many years ago, the original park marketing director, past General Manager, and past park president, Lee Derrough, further confirmed the story. Why Six Flags pulled out and moved the plans to the St. Louis area is anyone's guess, but it does explain why there was "radio silence" between the 1969 announcement of the theme park to 1971 when Worlds of Fun was officially announced.
With that little tidbit of interesting history, it makes for a fascinating twist to the news today, But it also leaves one very concerning question that almost every Worlds of Fun fan has had. If Six Flags decided to build in St. Louis instead of Kansas City, why would they consider continuing to operate the Kansas City park? While I cannot wholly silence the fear of closure because I feel it myself, I can offer the fact that both parks have now operated for over 50 years separately and profitably. There is enough distance between the two and the difference between the two markets to continue to support both parks. I do believe that Worlds of Fun is not going anywhere anytime soon.
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