How do you get to Sesame Street? In a few years, the answer will be Orlando.
SeaWorld Entertainment announced Thursday a new Sesame Street land will open at its Orlando theme park by 2022.
- SeaWorld: Sesame Street land coming to Orlando
- Companies are expanding their 37-year partnership
- Company plans Sesame Street theme park in US by 2021
SeaWorld and Sesame Street are expanding their 37-year partnership to build the new land. The agreement also means that Sesame Street characters will continue to appear at SeaWorld’s other parks in San Diego and San Antonio.
The company also operates Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, which includes rides, character shows and parades.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also has a Sesame Street-themed land, Sesame Street Safari of Fun. That area of the park includes a Grover roller coaster, Elmo's treehouse and a Big Bird ferris wheel.
SeaWorld also plans to build a second Sesame Street theme park by 2021 in an unnamed U.S. location.
“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, SeaWorld CEO.
The announcement comes on the heels of a SeaWorld’s first-quarter earnings report that showed a decline in revenue and attendance.
SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program last year after backlash from activists following the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish.” Since then, the company has looked for ways to move beyond killer whales.
This summer, SeaWorld Orlando will debut a virtual reality version of its Kraken roller coaster.
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