Sesame Place
Owner | United Parks & Resorts (US) Sesame Workshop (license) Tokyotokeiba Co. Ltd. (Japan) |
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Operated by | United Parks & Resorts (US) Tokyotokeiba Co. Ltd. (Japan) |
Theme | Sesame Street |
Website | Sesame Place (United Parks) |
Sesame Place is a theme park chain based on the children's educational television program Sesame Street. In the United States, it is owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts under an exclusive license from Sesame Workshop, the non-profit owner of Sesame Street.
History
In the United States, Anheuser-Busch was the park's original owner, operating it under its Busch Entertainment subsidiary. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch was purchased by InBev to form Anheuser-Busch InBev, which then sold its theme park division to The Blackstone Group in 2009. Under new ownership, from 2009 into 2010, children's areas in Busch Gardens and SeaWorld parks were converted to Sesame Street-themed areas. SeaWorld Orlando, however, was the lone holdout until its Shamu's Happy Harbour area was converted into, and reopened as, "Sesame Street Land" in 2019.[1]
Parks
Sesame Place Philadelphia
Sesame Place Philadelphia was the first Sesame Street theme park to be operated in the United States. It opened in 1980.[2]
Sesame Place (Texas)
A second Sesame Place park opened in Irving, Texas in June 1982. The $10 million Texas park was located on 30.3 acres (12.26 ha) near State Highway 183, and differed from the Pennsylvania location in that most attractions were indoors. The Texas park never reopened after the fall season ended in October 1984 and was shut down permanently in January 1985 due to unprofitability and declining attendance.[3][4]
Tokyo Sesame Place
A park in Tokyo, Japan titled Tokyo Sesame Place opened on October 10, 1990, and was the first Sesame Street theme park to operate outside the United States. It shared no connection with the US parks and was owned and operated by the management of the nearby Tokyo Summerland water park - Tokyotokeiba Co. Ltd.
When compared to the US parks, this park was a lot smaller with simple child-friendly attractions and playground equipment, and was mostly elevated. Attendees entered the park through a steep escalator that would reach up to Big Bird's mouth.
Tokyo Summerland announced the closure of Tokyo Sesame Place in September 2006 and closed as planned on December 31 of that year. The owners' citied changes in the business environment and restructuring for its closure.[5] The place was originally intended to be used for future development within the Tokyo Summerland complex, but since 2024 the site has remained disused.
Sesame Place San Diego
In 2017, a fourth location was announced, to open "no later than" mid-2021.[6] In 2019, it was announced that Aquatica San Diego near San Diego, California would be replaced by a new Sesame Place theme park by Spring 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing construction to pause, the park did not open until the following year in March 2022.
Other Sesame Street-related parks and areas
Parque Plaza Sesamo
In 1994, a Sesame Street-themed amusement park called Parque Plaza Sesamo (based on the Mexican co-production Plaza Sésamo) was opened in Monterrey, Mexico. According to TEA's Global Attractions Attendance Report, Parque Plaza Sésamo is one of Latin America's highest ranking theme parks by attendance, with 1.2 million visitors per year.[7]
On May 18, 2022, the park announced that it would rebrand as Parque Fiesta Aventuras for the 2022 season following a two-year period of closure. The reason for the rebranding was not disclosed by the park, but is likely that the park terminated its license to use the Plaza Sésamo branding and characters.[8]
Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan has a Sesame Street themed section in their Universal Wonderland themed area.
Sésamo Aventura
In Salou, Spain, PortAventura Park has a Sesame Street-themed area called Sésamo Aventura, which opened in 2011.[9]
References
- ^ Kleiman, Joe (March 11, 2019). ""Sunny Days" ahead as Sesame Street opens at SeaWorld Orlando March 27". InPark Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Sesame Place". www.theconstitutional.com. 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Sesame Place, a seven-acre theme park based on the..." UPI. January 11, 1985. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ Keomoungkhoun, Nataly (19 August 2020). "What happened to D-FW's theme parks? Curious Texas straps in to investigate". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ http://ke.kabupro.jp/tsp/20060926/491a02b0_20060926.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Press Releases | Sesame Workshop". www.sesameworkshop.org. 15 December 2022.
- ^ "TEA Global Attractions Attendance Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/Parquefiestaaventuras/photos/a.160542600667377/5178923278829259 [bare URL]
- ^ "Far West - PortAventura World". www.portaventura.es. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- v
- t
- e
- Fictional location
- Sesame Workshop
- Characters
- Educational goals
- Format
- Influence
- Licensing
- Recurring segments
- Accolades
- Fran Brill
- Kevin Clash
- Joan Ganz Cooney
- Ryan Dillon
- Louise Gold
- Jim Henson
- Richard Hunt
- Eric Jacobson
- Gerald S. Lesser
- Peter Linz
- Kermit Love
- Joey Mazzarino
- Lloyd Morrisett
- Jerry Nelson
- Carmen Osbahr
- Frank Oz
- Carol-Lynn Parente
- Joe Raposo
- Martin P. Robinson
- David Rudman
- Jon Stone
- Caroll Spinney
- Matt Vogel
- Steve Whitmire
- List of guest stars
- List of puppeteers
- Theme song
- "Bein' Green"
- "C Is For Cookie"
- "I Love Trash"
- "Mah Nà Mah Nà"
- "Monster in the Mirror"
- "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)"
- "Rubber Duckie"
- "Sesame's Treet"
- "Sing"
- Follow That Bird (1985)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
Cameos |
|
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specials
- Julie on Sesame Street (1973)
- Out to Lunch (1974)
- Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978)
- A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978)
- Big Bird in China (1983)
- Don't Eat the Pictures (1983)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- Sesame Street, Special (1988)
- Big Bird in Japan (1989)
- Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting (1989)
- Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991)
- Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993)
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993)
- Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)
- Elmopalooza (1998)
- The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998)
- CinderElmo (1999)
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007)
- Abby in Wonderland (2008)
- The Cookie Thief (2015)
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (2016)
- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019)
- Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate (2020)
- The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover (1971)
- Sesame Street Together Book (1971)
- Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster (1986)
- Sesame Street Magazine
- Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street
- The Sesame Street Dictionary
- Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
- Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America
- Big Bird's Egg Catch
- Alpha Beam with Ernie
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
- Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure
- Cookie's Counting Carnival
- Ready, Set, Grover!
- Once Upon a Monster
- Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece
- Kinect Sesame Street TV
- The World According to Sesame Street
- Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
- I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
- Jim Henson Idea Man
- The Jim Henson Company
- Noggin (1999-2002)
- Sesame Street in the UK
- Sesame Street Live
- Comic strip
- Syndication packages
- The Muppets
- Big Bag
- Oobi (episodes)
- Panwapa
- Teletape Studios
- Kaufman Astoria Studios
- The Joan Ganz Cooney Center